Elizabeth (Hart) Smith (1841 - 1921)

Born 3 Aug 1841 in Willoughby, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Sidney Smith — married 5 Oct 1865 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 30 Jan 1921 at age 79 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Elizabeth Hart, later known as Parker, was born in Willoughby, New South Wales, Australia on 3 August 1841. She was the daughter of Eleanor Nicholson and was baptized in Sydney in September 1841 in the name of Hart, her mother's married name at the time. Her mother married James Hart, a ropemaker and migrated with him from Yorkshire, England to Sydney, Australia in 1837.

According to the Parker Saga written by Ed Parker (d 2015), Elizabeth had an older sister Emily born in 1839. No records have been found for Emily's baptism, marriage or death and neither have any descendants been located by DNA matching.

James Hart was living at Willoughby in the census of 1841. Women and children were not recorded, so Elizabeth, her mother and her sister Emily were not included and it is uncertain where they were living. By 1853 at the very latest, Elizabeth, her mother and siblings were living with William Frederick Parker at his Brookvale farm. Her mother may have begun living with him much earlier, possibly before 1840. Elizabeth's younger sister Eleanor was born in 1843, her brother William was born in 1845 and her youngest sister Sarah was born in 1847.

After living with Parker for about 20 years, Elizabeth's mother married him as a widow in April 1861. Divorce was not generally available in the colony at the the time, especially for women and it is assumed that she was obliged to wait until her first husband died, to remarry. All the children were baptised in the name of her first husband to whom she was legally married at the time of their births. Their names were later changed from Hart to Parker, though it is not known whether this took place before or after their mother remarried.

Elizabeth and her siblings Eleanor and William are all named on the death certificate of William Parker in 1892, as his children. It also refers to 2 deceased sons and a deceased daughter.It is known that her youngest sister Sarah was deceased at the time, so there is no reference to Emily at all, as the daughter of William Parker. Was there a clerical error that resulted in Emily being referred to as a deceased son when she was a second deceased daughter? Or was she she daughter of James Hart? Elizabeth is referred to as the eldest daughter of William Parker. The New South Wales Death Certificate for William Frederick Parker, states the age of his daughter Elizabeth as 51, in 1891. (Certificate number 1892/008000). This matches the birth record for Elizabeth Hart born 1841.

Elizabeth married Thomas Sidney Smith in Sydney in 1865. She had 2 daughters and living descendants in Australia (2018).

She passed away in Sydney in 1921 at her home, 'Elsie Cottage', Pittwater Rd, Brookvale, Manly.

Sources

• Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTC6-X9S : 11 February 2018), James Hart in entry for Elizabeth Hart, Sep 1841; citing ; FHL microfilm 993,953.
• Parker Saga by Ed Parker (d 2015).
• Info from living relative Anthony Hessling.