HAS THE JOHN THOMAS SMITH MONUMENT AT MT.ELIZA, VIC., AUST. BEEN DECAPITATED? :: FamilyTreeCircles.com Genealogy
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HAS THE JOHN THOMAS SMITH MONUMENT AT MT.ELIZA, VIC., AUST. BEEN DECAPITATED?

Journal by itellya

While holidaying at Rosebud, I spent much time in the Mechanics' Institute Library on cooler days and was staggered to see a claim that John Thomas Smith was a pioneer of Mount Eliza. Having become a local historian in 1988, with my focus being Tullamarine and miles around, I thought I knew everything about him but Mt Eliza had never been mentioned in histories of that area. I have no doubt that this claim had been in Mr.JOHN GILBERT Mann's 1926 history of Mt Eliza.

On my first visit to Mt Eliza over a decade ago, I saw a monument in what proved to be J.T.Smith Reserve and I am sure that there was a (head and Shoulders) bust of J.T.Smith atop it. This is missing on the 2015 photograph of the monument and just over a week ago my suspicion that a bust had been there was confirmed when I saw white material, probably some sort of adhesive, where the bust had been. The memorial had been erected by the Ranelagh Association in 1973.

With the internet now available, John G.Mann's claim can now been confirmed. However, very little has been revealed in his biography about his landholdings in the two areas as well as his residence in Queen St., Melbourne, to which I was alerted some years ago by Muzza of McCrae's photo and which I will use as a starting point.

The following links will need to be pasted into your search bars so that you can view this journal and the maps etc simultaneously.

300 QUEEN ST., MELBOURNE. http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/793/download-report AND
http://cbdnews.com.au/smith-house-300-queen-st/

BIOGRAPHY. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/smith-john-thomas-4609
Confirmation of his marriage to Ellen Pender.
EventMarriage Event registration number4166 Registration year1839
Personal information
Family namePENDER Given namesEllen SexFemale Spouse's family nameSMITH Spouse's given namesJohn Thomas

PARISH OF DOUTTA GALLA. digital.slv.vic.gov.au/dtl_publish/compleximages/46/2442850.html

See Map 1. Crown allotment 10 section 4 (fronting the south side of Ormond Rd,on which Smith's ASCOT HOUSE* was built, and remains, on the south side of Fenton St.); c/a 12, section 16, fronting Carnarvon Rd, Strathmore;
(*ASCOT HOUSE, FENTON STREET, ASCOT VALE. http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/66129/download-report)

See map 2. Crown allotment 6 no section (i.e. Hawstead), fronting the south side of Woodland St east of Napier St, which I seem to remember is the site of Alexander McCracken's North Park Mansion, now St Columban's Mission.

See map 3. Crown allotments 1, 2 and 3 section 54 OF PORTION 16, at the junction of Epsom Rd and McCracken St., into which Kensington Primary school* has greatly expanded from the original block to provide more playground space. (* http://www.kensingtonps.vic.edu.au/page/168/History -they don't even mention the grantee!)

PARISH OF MARIBYRNONG.
Crown allotments D,E,F, section 13, bounded by Sunshine Avenue and Taylors Creek (Saltwater Gully), now Keilor Downs Secondary College and part of Green Gully Reserve.

PARISH OF MOOROODUC. Crown portion 1, granted on 12-1-1855, fronted the south west side of Canadian Bay Rd from the beach to Mt. Eliza Way, the southwest side of Mt. Eliza Way South to the Nepean Highway and the north east bank of Earimil Creek to the beach. This became the Ranelagh Estate in 1924 and the Peninsula School site was acquired as the estate's golf course.
Crown portion 19, bounded by a line between the Canadian Bay Rd/Hamersley Court corner to the bend in Wooralla Drive within Melway 105 G5, the south side of Canadian Bay Rd to the Three Chain road (Moorooduc Highway)at the bottom left corner of 105A8 and south 1870 links (374 metres) from the Eramosa Rd corner to a point indicated by the south west end of a roadway shown in 105 K 10 and then a line from there to the roundabout at the top of Tower Rd in 105 G7. The Trig. Survey tower shown was probably on Mt. Eliza Park (105 H7.)

Surnames: SMITH
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by itellya Profile | Research | Contact | Subscribe | Block this user
on 2018-07-12 23:29:35

Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.

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by itellya on 2018-07-14 02:54:25

From my latest journal, PHOTOS OF NYORA etc.

Google LYNDHURST, COUNTY OF MORNINGTON to see John Thomas Smith's Lyndhurst grants. The southern boundary with the parish of Frankston was Seaford/Ballarto Rd (except on Long Island where Frankston went north to include today's Riviera Hotel site) and if you follow the road east you will find a fork (Melway 133 B9)that is now Cranbourne-Frankston Rd, Pearcedale Rd and the east boundary of Settlers Run Golf Course. East of the fork is c/a 13, granted to Hugh Glass, Smith's near neighbour at Flemington. Smith's c/a 14 was bounded by the proposed Ballarto Rd, Westernport Highway and (unsurprisingly!) HALL* RD., with c/a 15 to the north, extending north to a western extension of Duff St to the highway and east to the west end of Duff St. Part of the Ranfurlie Golf Course was on c/a 14.
(*Hall was leasing these grants.)

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