Individual Details

John Walter SMITH

(3 Nov 1848 - 6 May 1913)

Events

Birth	3 Nov 1848	Bobundara Creek Station, Monaro, New South Wales, Australian Colonies
Baptism	6 May 1849	Bobundara Creek Station, Monaro, New South Wales, Australian Colonies
Marriage	20 Nov 1873	All Saints Church, Sandhurst, Victoria, Australian Colonies - Ellen Augusta BRENNAN
Note (fam)	1875	A granddaughter of John & Ellen, Isla Ellen Bellette, wrote in 1990 of her memories of the stories of her grandparents and uncles and aunts. She said "they were given a grant of land in Adaminaby and eventually raised a family of 11 children whilst they fought to procure an existence in this rugged country. As the family grew they raised cattle and horses. They were all great horse men and women. It was said that John was reputed to be the "Man from Snowy River" but I have since heard others make the same claim. Whilst John & his sons worked the land, Ellen & her daughters worked the homestead. The men milked the cows, killed their meat and cured the bacon and grew the fruit & vegetables. The women, with a fuel stove and copper and flat irons, did the washing, ironing and cooking, kept house, made the bread, cakes, etc, candles, soap, cheese and butter. - Ellen Augusta BRENNAN
Note (fam)	1876	"There was no electricity or gas and only tank water. They also made most of their clothing. Twice a year John and Ellen went by wagonette to Goulburn for supplies such as sugar, flour, tea, rice, etc. The material for the clothing was brought in bolts, therefore the girls wore frocks of the same pattern and the boys had matching shirts. They lived mostly from the land. They worked as a family and prospered, at one time also owning the hotel in Adaminaby. The girls were great housekeepers and cooks. Ellen, as her family grew, became the local midwife for the scattered families living in the area. She was often away several weeks at a time, riding with John or one of her sons (she rode her mount side saddle) when a neighbour's time came. The homestead was visited by Ned Kelly, the Australian bushranger, who plundered the kitchen for supplies. - Ellen Augusta BRENNAN
Note (fam)	1900	"In the early 1900's came the 7 year drought and of course a recession where John lost everything. By this time their family had started to marry and begin their own lives. John & Ellen took some of the younger members of the family and moved to Narrandera where they managed a property. It was here that John had a heart attack and passed away" - Ellen Augusta BRENNAN
Death	6 May 1913	Royal Hotel, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
Note	1953	An article which appeared in the Murrumbidgee Irrigator 3 Jul 1953 told of many interesting episodes and deeds of the daring horsemen of the Monaro as told by then 79 year-old Joe Thompson from Yanco. In it he described Bill Smith's father (John Walter) accidently picked a famous bucking horse called Bob for his work. He said that "In the Cooma district, one day Smith was going out to do a fencing job. He took a horse out of a mob to ride out to the job. He had a coil of fencing wire slung over his shoulder, and the wire straining tools, held in his hands in front of him. Unknown to Smith he picked an outlaw from the mob, and just after he started to ride away the horse started to buckjump all over the place. With the coil of wire over his shoulder and the straining tool in his hands, Smith settled down to ride the bucker. In the course of its bucking the horse jumped over a three rail fence, and continued to buck until Smith rode it to a standstill. At the finish Smith still had the coil of wire over his shoulder and the straining tools in his hands in front of him

Families

Spouse	Ellen Augusta BRENNAN (1852 - 1937)
Child	John Walter "Sanko Jack" SMITH (1874 - 1945)
Child	Amos Alexander SMITH (1876 - 1898)
Child	Jane Elizabeth SMITH (1877 - 1952)
Child	William Henry "Flash Billy" SMITH (1879 - 1964)
Child	Alice Margaret SMITH (1881 - 1916)
Child	Frank James SMITH (1883 - 1960)
Child	Ernest Edward "Ernie" SMITH (1885 - 1944)
Child	Emily Isabel SMITH (1887 - 1980)
Child	Mary Ellen SMITH (1889 - 1986)
Child	Ellen L "Nell" SMITH (1892 - )
Child	Albert Hubert SMITH (1896 - 1919)

Father	John SMITH (1816 - 1866)
Mother	Frances KEOGH (1829 - 1914)
Sibling	Eliza SMITH (1850 - )
Sibling	James SMITH (1852 - 1855)

Endnotes