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SMITH FAMILY RECORDS
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THE DESCENDANTS OF RICE SMITH
FROM 27TH MARCH 1837 TO 27TH MARCH 1937
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Much trouble has been taken to find the date and place
of Birth, marriage, and death of each member, as this is
a point of fundamental importance in genealogical work.
(COMPILED BY) BRENDA TROIL FAIRBRIDGE
With later additions to Brenda Troil Fairbridge’s Record,
which ended on 27th March 1937, as an unfinished list,
by IVA EVELYN PRICE TRINDER-SMITH.
RICE SMITH & HIS BROTHERS
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CHILDREN of WILLIAM SMITH MARY SUSANNA TRINDER
1. WILLIAM SMITH b. 20 Nov. 1801; bapt. St Marylebone Parish Church,
London, England
20 Nov . 1801
d. 14 Dec 1808.
2. WILLIAM SMITH b. 11 Dec 1802; bapt. St MaryleboneParish Church
London, England
28 Jan . 1803
Arrived in AlgoaBay 15 April 1836 by the British Ship
“Maria” which left Falmouth 3 Feb. 1836.
Of the Firm of Messrs. W. & J. Smith, wool-brokers,
Port Elizabeth. Owned Trinder Reserve and other
Property in Port Elizabeth.
d. 17 Feb 1853, Port Elizabeth.
3. JOSEPH SMITH b. 31 Aug. 1805.
Arrived in AlgoaBay 15 Apr. 1836 by the British Ship
“Maria” Of the Firm of Messrs. W. & J. Smith,
wool-brokers, Port Elizabeth.
d.15 Feb. 1853, at Cappers Inn, Sunday’s River, Port
Elizabeth.
4. THOMAS SMITH b. .20 Jun. 1807;
bapt. St. Marylebone Parish Church, London, England
17 July 1807
d. 7 July 1808
5. RICE SMITH b. 27 June 1810;
bapt. St. Marylebone Parish Church, London, England
24 July 1910/
Arrived in Table Bay with his wife 27 Mar. 1837 by
the British Ship “General Kyd” from the Downs.
Property: “Welcome Wood Hall”, near Grahamstown, Cape Province .
Gold Medal and Silver Cup 1839,
for the breeding of sheep, and the improvement of
Cape wool when the merino sheep industry of the
Cape was in its infancy.
- 15 June 1870, at Cradock Place, Port Elizabeth.
MARRIAGES of THE BROTHERS ======
WILLIAM SMITH md. MARY ANN FRANCES MALLORS 12 Dec 1836,
St.Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
b. 21 May 1820, England.
Only child of Capt. John Tobias and Mary Ann Mallors, of
Chelsea.
She md. again the Hon. Henry William Pearson, M.L.A.
She died 20 June 1899, aged 79 in Port Elizabeth.
Her father, Capt. John Tobias Mallors, d. Chelsea, 26 Sept.
1872, aged 78: his wife Mary Ann Mallors
d. 14 July 1848 in Port Elizabeth, aged 55.
JOSEPH SMITH md. ELIZA ANN HENDERSON, widow of an Indian Army
Officer. She was Irish and a Roman Catholic.
- 30 March 1873, at sea, aged 67.
RICE SMITH md 1. MARTHA HILL, 4 Jan. 1836. Ramsbury Parish Church
Wiltshire, England.
- 2 Jan. 1814, Ramsbury, England.
Dau. of Richard and Rebecca Hill of Ramsbury.
- 20 Oct 1844 in Port Elizabeth, aged 30.
Grand-dau. of Thomas (d. 10 May 1770) and Elizabeth
Hill (d. 3 May 1776, Ramsbury.)
md. 2. ANN 8 March 1849, Uitenhage,
Cape Province., Widow.
She died 26 Jan 1876, aged 75, Port Elizabeth.
Having had no children.
* The history of St. Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth, by the Rev. Canon Mayo, fifth Rector, was published in 1925, by Messrs Longmans, London
Entitled “The Collegiate Church and Parish of St. Mary, Port Elizabeth”.
* (Martha Hill). The Hills of Ramsbury date back to 1678 in the Registers of the old Parish Church. In the floor of the N. aisle is a stone with fine carving to the memory of Thomas Hill, who died 7 July 1702, aged 40. The inscriptions on the flooring stones of Ramsbury Church are
mostly obliterated ; but two are sufficiently clear – to Edmund Hill, 1793, and to Dorothy Hill of a much earlier period. No members of the
family are now left in Ramsbury.
FIRST GENERATION BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA
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Children of WILLIAM SMITH md MARY ANN FRANCES MALLORS
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1. MARY FRANCES SMITH b. 30 March 1839, Port Elizabeth.
d. 23 Feb. 1850, Port Elizabeth.
2. WILLIAM TRINDER SMITH b. 25 Dec 1840, Port Elizabeth.
Bapt. St. Mary’s Church.
- 10 Dec. 1841
3. SOPHIE (JESSIE) ELIZABETH SMITH b. 8 Oct. 1842, Port Elizabeth.
Bapt. St. Mary’s Church.Port Elizabeth
Educated Brookfield Manor, Highgate London.
4. WILLIAM TRINDER SMITH b. 5 June 1844, Port Elizabeth.
Bapt. St Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
Educated High Wycombe, Bucks, and Bruce
CastleSchool, Tottenham, Middlesex. 1859.
Broker. Died 10 Oct 1912, Port Elizabeth.
5. HARRY TYRELL SMITH b. 9 Aug. 1846, Port Elizabeth
Bapt. St Mary’s Church. Educated in England.
Wine Merchant. Ostrich Farm.
Buried 29 Jan. 1883, Port Elizabeth.
6. FLORENCE SMITH b. 8 Apr. 1849, Port Elizabeth.
Bapt. St Mary’s Church.
Educated Wycombe, Bucks. England.
- 6 Oct 1913, Weybridge, Surrey.
7. RICE SMITH b. 18 Sept. 1851, Port Elizabeth.
Bapt. St Mary’s. Port Elizabeth.
- 20 Sept. 1851.
8. MAJOR HERBERT MALLORS SMITH b. 14 Oct. 1852. Port Elizabeth.
Bapt. St Mary’s Church.
Educated in England. Wool merchant, P.E.
Major in Prince Alfred’s Own Volunteers; Served in the Kaffir Wars. andEast London Yeomanry. During the Bantu War, he rescued
troops which were entirely surrounded and cut off by the enemy.
Died 1914, Ladysmith Natal, having had no children.Bur. In P.E.
CHILDREN OF JOSEPH SMITH md ELIZA ANN HENDERSON
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1. ELLEN OPPENHEIMER SMITH b. Abt. 1841
d. 3 Sept. 1868, Port Elizabeth.
Aged 27. Unmarried.
2. WILLIAM SMITH b. 30 July 1843, Port Elizabeth
Bapt. St. Mary’s Church.
- 1 March 1872, Port Elizabeth.
Aged 28, unmarried.
3. CORA SMITH b. 1845
d. 21 June 1861, Port Elizabeth.
Aged 16, unmarried.
There are no further descendants of JOSEPH SMITH.
CHILDREN of RICE SMITH md MARTHA HILL
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1. CLARA REBECCA SMITH b. 27 July 1838, “ Welcome Wood Hall” Sidbury,
Albany, Cape Province, South Africa.
Bapt. St Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
Died 27 June 1840.
2. FRANCES MARY SMITH b. 17 June 1839, “Welcome Wood Hall, Sidbury,
Albany, Cape Province.
Bapt. St Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
Educated at Reading, Berkshire, at Miss Binfield’s
Private School.
Died 14 May 1915; buried at Forest Row, East
Grimstead, Sussex, England.
(md.Francis Seymour Fairbridge)
3. LAURA REBECCA SMITH b. 5 June 1841, “Welcome Wood Hall”, Sidbury,
near Grahamstown.
Educated at Reading, England at Miss Binfield’s
School.
Died 24 Feb.1922, Port Elizabeth. Cape.
(md.Commander Francis Skead, R.N.
4. RICE INNIS SMITH b. 26 Oct. 1842, “Welcome Wood Hall” Sidbury
near Grahamstown.
Educated at High Wycombe, Bucks, England.
And Bruce Castle School, Tottenham, Middlesex
- Property: Dartford Farm, Whittlesea,
Cape Province, South Africa.
Died 5 Apr. 1899. Whittlesea.
(md.Hetty Cecil Ross)
5. WILLIAM TRINDER SMITH b. 1 May 1844, “Welcome Wood Hall, Sidbury,
Albany, Cape Province.
Died Jan 1845.
* Bruce Castle, Tottenham, was purchased in 1827 by the father of
Sir Rowland Hill, who, in conjunction with his sons, established a school
which acquired considerable note, but was finally closed in 1891.
Robert the Bruce retired here; Henry VIII. And Queen Elizabeth visited here. The grounds of 20 acres were acquired by the Urban District Council and are now opened to the public as TottenhamPark.
MARRIAGES of the CHILDREN of WILLIAM SMITH
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JESSIE ELIZABETH SMITH md. GEORGE HUDSON, 4 Jan. 1865 in
(Sophie) St Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
Educ.InEngland and in Grahamstown.
Passed Civil Service Exam, Cape Town, 1854.
Was Chief Clerk to H.M. Customs when hemarried.
Prior to 1880 was in the Imperialand Colonial Govt. Service. Went to S. Africaat the urgent request of Sir Garnett Wolseley.
Office for two years as British Resident inPretoria, retiring on the abolition of the 1881 Convention with complimentary acknowledgements from Lord Derby (State Secretary, president Kruger, the Volksraad of the South African Republic and the Press.
His services in the CapeColony dated from his engagement with Her Majesty’s Commissariat in 1853. Was Resident Magistrate in various Colonial towns. Became Treasurer General and Civil Commissioner of Kimberley in 1879. Rejoining the Cape Government Service in 1889, he became Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, and Commissioner of Police in Kimberley.
Died 27 July 1890, Cape Town, aged 61. Therefore born about 1829.
Second Surviving son of Hougham Hudson, b in England, Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Albany, Cape Colony, appointed May 1847, who died in Grahamstown and who married ?
FLORENCE SMITH. md. BENONI HORACE WOOD. 14 Aug 1872,
St. Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
- abt 1840 in Grahamstown. Was his father’s Secretary for some years and then managed the Estate of Clairmont, Durban, Natal, which was left him by his father.
Died 29 Dec. 1898. St. Helier’s. Jersey. Aged 58. Son of the Hon. George Wood, M.L.A. for Grahamstown, who arrived at the Cape 1820 and there married Susan Garbutt.
HARRY TYRELL SMITH md. MARIAN AGNES SCULLY circa 1873.
King William’s Town, Cape.
- Dublin. Educ. Roscrea, King’s County, Ireland
Dau. of John Scully of Tipperaryand KingWilliam’sTown,Cape.
Solicitor or barrister; who married
Elizabeth Creagh. Sister of William Chas. Scully of South Africa, poet, novelist, historian. She died 25 June 1923, Dublin.
Marriages of the children of WILLIAM SMITH continued.
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WILLIAM TRINDER SMITH md. MARIA SISSON FALCONER,
14 Oct. 1875. St. Ann’s Church,
Stamford Hill, London.
- Coulsdon Surrey, England 11 Jan 1853.
Died 30 April 1918, Beira, Mozambique.
Dau. of William Falconer and Mary Ann Scorey.
Grand-dau.of James Falconer b. 1782,
Captain of the “Ealing Grove” vessel, 1850,
Whose father lived in Stonehaven, near Aberdeen.
Major HERBERT MALLORS SMITH md CATHERINE KINGSMILL
Port Elizabeth, C.P.
- Port Elizabeth.
Dau. of W.T. Kingsmill in the firm of
Messrs Dunell , Ebden & Co. Merchants, Port Elizabeth;
Consul for Holland.
(Brenda Troil Fairbridge made no further record of the William Smith descendants)
MARRIAGES of the CHILDREN of RICE SMITH & MARTHA HILL
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FRANCES MARY SMITH md. FRANCIS SEYMOUR FAIRBRIDGE
9 Feb 1861 , St Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth
b. 16 May 1836 Uitenhage, Cape Province.
Entered a Port Elizabeth Bank; subsequently
becoming senior partner in the firm Messrs Fairbridge & Pettit, Custom House and Shipping Agents. Share Brokers
Councillor on Port Elizabeth Municipal Council.
Residence, Cradock Place, Port Elizabeth. He
Died 3 Sept 1877, aged 41, Hyeres, Var, France.
Francis could trace back his descent, on the maternal side through the Traills of Orkney, to
Robert Stewart, created Earl of Orkney, 1581, half-brother to
Mary Queen of Scots, his great-grand-dau, Marion Craigie,
marrying in 1632 Thomas Traill of Holland House, Orkney.
Youngest son of Dr James William Fairbridge
b. 1792, London; died 1845, Uitenhage, CP.
He was House-Surgeon at Guy’s Hospital, London, who accepted the post from the CapeGovernment of District Surgeon of Uitenhage and Physician to the Cape District.
He arrived in Cape Town 25 March 1824 with his wife
Sarah Armstrong (b. 1800 London
md. 17 Aug. 1823, St. Dunstan’s Church, London,
died 1869, Cape Town)
dau of George Armstrong (d. 1829)and Sarah Mason (d. 1830)
Grandson of William E. Fairbridge andElizabeth Traill (b 1753) of Holland House,North Ronaldshay, Orkney. Property : Land in Port Elizabeth now built upon
By the Sisterhood of St. Peter
Dr. James WilliamFairbridge had the official title of Protector of the
Slaves.
“He was one of the founders of the Philanthropic Society for the purchase and Manumission of Slave Children, and a zealous advocate of the freedom of the Press and Literary Institutions, when both were regarded by the Government of the day as little better than the devices of seditious scoundrels. On leaving Cape Town to settle in Uitenhage, he was presented by certain inhabitants with a piece of silver plate as a mark of esteem for his public, professional and private character. His Honour, Sir John Wylde presents the plate. It is inscribed as being in token of his
Marriages of the children of RICE SMITH continued.
Fidelity as a Public Medical Officer and for his professional and personal liberality towards charitable institutions,etc”
“A man of great and various information which he was very ready and willing to communicate. He was very fond of literary pursuits and his tastes were of a high order.” (Extracts from the Press of the day)
His mother, Elizabeth Traill, was in direct descent from Robert Stewart, created first Earl of Orkney 1581. Sir Walter Scott, when visiting the Traills in Orkney, wrote his novel,
“The Pirate”. Many of the characters are those of the Traills disguised under the name “Troil”.
Dr J.W. Fairbridge had one brother, Lieutenant Charles Augustus Fairbridge. R.N., (3 Aug. 1818), and two sisters: Letitia who md. Lieut. James Barry, R.N. and had no children; andElizabeth, who md. Henry Norquoy, and had one child, who became the wife of William Bell-Scott, the Pre-Raphaelite artist.
LAURA REBECCA SMITH. md. Commander, FRANCIS SKEAD, R.N. on
21 Sept. 1961, St Mary’s Church. Port Elizabeth.
b. 9 Apr. 1823, Chatham, Kent. Educ. Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
Entered Royal Navy at the age of 15. Joined the following Ships; H.M.S.
Modeste, 1838; Royalist, 1841; Starling, 1843; Young Hebe, 1845;
Saphire , 1845; Plover, 1846; Shearwater, 1847; Fisguard, 1848;
Enterprise, 1849-1855 (Expedition in search of Franklin to the North
Polar Regions; ice-bound for 3 years) Boscawen, 1857.
He joined the David Livingstone Expedition to the Zambezi in H.M.S.
Colonial Steamer “Pearl” in 1858 and sounded and surveyed Luawe and
Lower Zambezi Rivers. He surveyed the whole of the China and South
Coast as Admiralty Surveyor. (Cape Coast Survey 1856 – 1865)
Arctic Expedition Medal. China Medal. Kaffir War Medal.
He retired from the Navy with the rank of Staff-Commander and was
appointed Port Captain to AlgoaBay 1865. Son of Lieut. Thomas Skead ,
R.N., who served as Midshipman in H.M.S.“Defence” in the battle of T Trafalgar, 21 OCT 1805; Lieut. 1808;
b. Scotland; died at Chatham, 10 May 1841.md. Jennefer Eyre, of a C Cornish Family, who wasborn 10 Oct 1808 and died 24 Sept. 1839.
Commander Francis Skead died 11 Oct 1891, Port Elizabeth. Commander Skead was one of a family of 17 children. The name Skead is thought to be of Scandinavian origin.
Marriages of the children of RICE SMITH continued.
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RICE INNIS SMITH md. HETTY CECIL ROSS on 21 May 1872 at
St Michael’s and All Angels’ Queenstown. CP
b. 12 Apr. 1854. Montrose, Queenstown,
died 16 Aug. 1926. A tablet is erected to the Memory of Mrs Rice Smith
who died 1926, in Dewetsdorp Parish Church.
Dau. of Capt. Charles Augustus Frederick Ross, Cape Mounted Rifles,
who was born at Cowes, Isle of Wight, and was given the property of
“Montrose”, Queenstown, by the Government for his services during the
Native wars of 1850 and 1852; and of
Jane McDonald, who was eldest dau. of Donald McDonald of Drummond
near Queenstown. Grand-daughter of
Capt. Charles Ross of the 94th Foot. (3 Peninsular medals, 3 bars,
Salamanca, Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo, 1812) and Knight of the Green
Cross, Honduras, 1824. Wounded 5 times. Served with the Cape
Mounted Rifles in the Native Wars.
- Anne Alford in the Isle of Wight.
Ensign 15 Mar 1810; Lieut., 4 Nov.1813, 60th Regiment, placed on half pay of it 25 Dec. 1818; exchanged to Cape Corps, 27 May 1824.
Capt. 30 Apr. 1837. Cape Corps Cavalry; retired 21` Feb. 1840
Capt. Charles Ross. Particulars of his military career are to be found in the Library of the United Services Institution, Whitehall, in the following books.
(1)“An alphabetical list of the Officers of the 94th Regiment ‘Scottish
Brigade’ from 1`800 – 1869” By Henry Stokes Smith, (London, Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer, 1869) and in
(2)Hart’s Army List 1839 (London, Smith Elder & Co., Cornhill) :-
“Cape Mounted Rifleman Capt. Charles Ross. Full-pay 24 years. Half-pay 5 5/12 years……
Capt. Charles Ross served in the Peninsular from 1810 to 1813, including the siege of Cadiz; first siege of Badajoz; action at Fuentes de Grimalda;
siege of Ciudad Rodrigo; second siege of Badajoz; Battle of Salamanca;
and capture of Madrid”………”In 1796 the whole Brigade went to the Cape of Good Hope then recently surrendered to the British……..then on
to India 1798; Dunbar 1809; Lisbon 1810.”
At the conclusion of the Peninsular War the Brigade moved to Wexford, Kilkenny and Dublin where it disbanded on 24 Dec. 1818.
(The Descendants of RICE SMITH, only, are recorded in the following pages)
SECOND GENERATION BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA
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GRANDCHILDREN OF RICE SMITH
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FRANCES MARY SMITH md. FRANCIS SEYMOUR FAIBRIDGE
1. RHYS SEYMOUR FAIRBRIDGE b. 30 Sept. 1861,Port Elizabeth.
Educ. NewtonCollege, Devon, 1879 and St. Andrew’s College,
Grahamstown, 1881. FirstCity Volunteers, Grahamstown, 1880 (Basuto
War). Passed Survey Exam., CapeUniversity, 1882. GovernmentLand
Surveyor, CapeColony 1883, and Mashonaland, 1891. East Coast
Pioneers, 1981 (Beira-Umtali). Umtali Burghers, first Matabele War1893
And the Mashona Rising , 1896 (Medal). Anglo-Portuguese Bound
Delimitation 1899 (Manika). J.P. for Umtali 1900. Rhodesia Reserve
Volunteers 1914. Great War. Author of a series of articles in “The
Rhodesia Herald” and “South Africa” entitled “Pioneer Days”; and on
The Zimbabwe Ruins, with a new theory as to their origin.
Properties: “Utopia”, “Kingsley” and “Hygeia” Umtali, Rhodesia.
md. Rosalie Helen Ogilvie, (died 25 June 1946 Mutare, Zimbabwe)
2. CHARLES WILLIAM FAIRBRIDGE b. 23 Nov. 1862, Cradock Place, Port
Elizabeth,
died 13 Oct. 1867, Cradock Place, P.E.
3. Dr. FRANCIS SEYMOUR MATTHEWS FAIRBRIDGE F.R.C.S.
b. 2 Apr. 1865, Cradock Place, P.E.
Educ. Newton College Devon 1879; St. Andrew’s College,
Grahamstown 1881; EdinburghUniversity 1884. Took the F.R.C.S.
Degree , EdinburghUniversity, 1889; also the degrees of L.R.C.S.
Edinburgh and L.F.P.S. Glasgow. Justice of the Peace, Carnarvon.
Property in Carnarvon. Bibliophile, collector of extensive library of
first editions and manuscripts. Saved the life of his nephew Kingsley
Fairbridge, when drowning as a child, in the VaalRiver.
Died 2 May 1933, Durban, Natal. Unmarried
.
4. BRENDA TROIL FAIRBRIDGE b. 23 May 1868, Cradock Place, P.E.
Educ. The Grange House, Edinburgh, 1884, and attended Bedford College, London. Voluntary Women Patrol, London, for three years during the Great War , 1915 – 1918. (3 Stars.) Hon Secretary , East Grimstead Woman’s Suffrage Society, 1913.
Compiler of the FAIRBRIDGE and SMITH Records.
Died 23 May 1936. Unmarried
5. LAURA VYVYAN FAIRBRIDGE b. 21 Aug 1870, Cradock Place, P.E.
Educ. The Grange House, Edinburgh, 1884.
Property : “Good Hope”, Salcombe, Devon.
In the LiverpoolMuseum is an exhibit gifted by her. It is composed of a group of dolls dressed by her to represent Shakespearean characters.
Unmarried.
6. HILDA MAUD FAIRBRIDGE b. 4 Apr. 1873, Cradock Place, Port Elizabeth.
Educ. The Grange House, Edinburgh.
Properties: “Good Hope”, Salcombe, Devon, and “Curlew Cottage”, Forest Row, Sussex.
Died 2 Apr 1958.
7. HUBERT ARMSTRONG FAIRBRIDGE b. 4 Apr. 1875, Cradock Place, P.E.
Bapt St Mary’s Church, Port Elizabeth.
Educated MerchistonCastleSchool, Edinburgh, 1885 – 1888, and
Newton AbbotCollege, Devon, 1888 – 1891