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Information added/altered on this page cw original FF2001 page is identified with yellow.
Family Stories Various family correspondence between 1968 and 1992, particularly by great granddaughter Mrs Florence HALE, indicates that
It is noted, also, that Henry returned to England twice. new> Volume Two of 'The Cyclopedia of Tasmania', published in Hobart in 1900 by Maitland and Krone, elaborates the Gardners' Tasmanian farming story thus:- "'THE MOUNT HICKS FARM', four miles from Wynyard; Mr. Henry Gardner proprietor. This is one of the North-West Coast estates which will be handed down to history as being the first on the Mount Hicks road to be tilled to the plough. The farm comprises 600 acres of exceptionally good agricultural land, most of which is cleared, and the remainder used for fattening purposes. Large quantities of wheat, oats, and potatoes are taken off each season, whilst a good trade is done in dairying. Some fifty calves are kept for dairying purposes, and about 100 head of young cattle and store stock are depastured on the 600 acres of land above named, and on the 300 acres of grazing land owned by Mr. Gardner at Cam Creek. Mr. HENRY GARDNER, the pioneer settler on the property, was born in Gloucestershire, and settled at Circular Head in 1853, where he was employed in dairying pursuits for thirteen years. He went to Mount Hicks in 1869, and took up a portion of his present property, which has been added to from time to time until now it is one of the finest farms in the district. Although seventy-five years of age, Mr. Gardner may still be seen taking his place at the plough, and doing as good work as the younger generation. His wife, although eighty years of age, enjoys robust health, and there is a family of six sons and three daughters. Some time since Mr. Gardner handed over the management of the estate to his third eldest son, Mr. Daniel Gardner, who was born at Circular Head on the 13th of July, 1857, and has been all his life engaged with his parents in farming operations. He also takes a great interest in cricket, and has been a member of the Wynyard Cricket Club for the past seventeen years; in fact, all the sons were well known as adepts with the ‘willow,’ it not being a rare occurrence to see five of them engaged taking part in one match. Mr. Daniel Gardner is also one of the charter members of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, having joined the Wynyard Lodge in 1882. He was married in 1890 to Miss Rosina Maud Heazlewood, daughter of the late Mr. W. Heazlewood, of Glenore, and have a family of three daughters." (pp366/7)
Family correspondence (Florence HALE and great grandson Harry STEEL) relates that Henry showed Clydesdale stallions at the Melbourne Show in the early 1900s, stabling them at a family "double block yard in Brunswick" (stepdaughter Louisa had married and moved to Melbourne), although an alternative memory is that the livestock were cattle. Regarding the death of Henry GARDNER, Pam Glover reports that Henry died of old age and was described as a farmer. His funeral proceeded from his son John's Mount Hicks residence to the Mount Hicks cemetery on the Old Mount Hicks Road, Wynyard. This cemetery formerly was attached to the Lower Mount Hicks Methodist Church. The funeral occurred at 2.30pm on Saturday, 8th April, 1916. 'The North-Western Advocate and The Emu Bay Times' in its obituary for Henry Gardner entitled 'Tribute to a Pioneer' wrote:- "By the death, a short time ago, of Mr. Henry Gardner, the Mount Hicks district lost one of its old-time settlers, and one who, by his energy, helped to make the district prosperous. The deceased was born in Gloucestershire, England, and with his wife left there and arrived in Adelaide in 1852. After having spent a few years in the Forest Creek diggings, he came to Tasmania and farmed land on what is known as the Western Plains, Stanley. He eventually purchased his homestead and arrived with his family at Mount Hicks in the year 1870, they being amongst the first settlers in the district, and for years cultivated their well-known property of between 500 and 600 acres. His wife predeceased him by about 13 years, since which time he lived a retired life. He visited the old land on two occasions, and was a regular attendant at the agricultural shows, both in Tasmania and the mainland. Although Mr Gardner never entered public life, he took a keen interest in matters affecting the welfare of the district, and was interesting when relating some old-time episodes. He leaves four sons and two daughters and a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His end was peaceful. He was only confined to his bed one day; thus passed a pioneer who made no enemies and rarely spoke a harsh word." First mother Caroline GARDNER died in 1901 and is buried in the Mount Hicks cemetery. The monumental inscription at her grave reads:- "In Loving Remembrance / of / CAROLINE GARDNER / Died 21st Nov 1901 / Aged 79 Years / The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away / Blessed be the name of the Lord / Also / WILLIAM GARDNER / Son of the above / Died 29th Nov 1901 / Aged 47 Years / Safe in the arms of Jesus". This text and the following photograph are provided by Pam Glover.
Caroline's daughter Louisa was the first of the children of the family to marry. She married Charles TILL in1873 at the family's farm which was named 'Silver Springs Farm', moved to Melbourne almost immediately and ultimately lived in Brunswick. All but one of Henry and Caroline's children married during the years 1883 to 1896, almost exclusively remaining in NW Tasmania to raise their families. In the order of their birth, Elizabeth married Alfred GARNER in 1883; William remained unmarried; Henry (aka Harry) married Charlotta HEAZLEWOOD in 1889; Daniel married Rosina HEAZLEWOOD in 1890; Mary married James HYLAND in 1883; John married Mary LOWRY in 1889; Benjamin married Lucy SMART (his cousin) in 1885; Lewis married Sarah HAY in 1896 and it is thought that James may have married a girl named Ada. <end new One of Caroline GARDNER (nee SMART)'s younger brothers, Anthony, also migrated to Tasmania and settled in the same area as she and Henry. Anthony had married Sarah STINCHCOMBE in 1853 and emigrated with her in 1855. Note: First Family Anthony and Sarah are the subject of their own FF2001 webpage. The Tasmanian Family Link internet database indicates that Henry and Caroline renewed their marriage vows in 1857 at Horton, Tasmania, Caroline being named as 'Catherine'. This may have been quite a family occasion because 'TFL' records that Anthony and Sarah did the same thing in the same year at the same place! Our Family: Martyn (a great great grandson of Caroline GARDNER) and Helen SMITH have two children, Mark and Kirrily. Mark is not married. Kirrily is married to Steven DICK and they have two sons, Liam and Jamieson. Surnames of Martyn's ancestors entered on the now uneditable 'First Families 2001' database are: ASHBURN; COGHILL; GARDNER; RIX; SMITH; TILL. Surnames of Helen's ancestors entered are: BERNASOCCHI; BULLAS; OLVER; SAYCE; SMITH; TRESISE. Correspondence will be welcomed and information gladly added to the relevant separately updated page with permission as appropriate. From such correspondence has come A Gloucestershire Family by Robert Millard, that provides the wider genealogical context of Caroline SMART, and the information from Pam Glover included above. Extensive professional research conducted by Rosemary Ash of Gloucester, England, in the early 1990s for Mrs Florence HALE (see above) established that 1. Caroline's parents were William and Mary SMART (nee CORNWALL) who were married in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester, on 29th April, 1821; 2. Caroline was baptised in neighbouring Kingswood, on 26th May, 1822; 3. Henry GARDNER was baptised as "John Henry GARDNER" in neighbouring Hawkesbury on 26th December, 1824, his parents being William and Ruth GARDNER; 4. Caroline and Henry married on 19th June, 1851, in Hawkesbury and, on the same occasion, Caroline's five year-old daughter, Louisa, was baptised; 5. Louisa was born in Hawkesbury, 25th September, 1845. Ash reports that "the baptism entry does not make any mention of Louisa's illegitimacy or age. This is very unusual as normally it would say 'Base daughter of ......'. And under occupation would have been the words 'single woman'. It was also disappointing that no mention was made of the father/reputed father. I think it is highly unlikely" ("highly unlikely" underlined) "that (John) Henry was her father, I feel sure that, as they married the same day as the baptism, if he had been the father his name would have been included." Rosemary Ash also reports that Caroline SMART is shown in the 30/31 March 1851 Census as a servant, unmarried, to James "Pessia" or "Pennia", a solicitor, and was a resident in his house in Wotton-under-Edge. (Family researcher Robert Millard advises that the correct name here is "James Perrin", who was well known as a solicitor.) Also in the 1851 Census, Ash reports, Louisa is listed as living in a household with her uncles Anthony SMART (shown as "Head") and Henry SMART, both of whom were unmarried agricultural labourers. Louisa is described in the Census as a five year-old "scholar". In late July, 1851, Louisa and the newly-weds, Caroline and Henry, set sail for Australia. Uncle Anthony followed four years later, taking with him his wife of two years, who would become 'Aunt Sarah' for Louisa (see above).
This family information was last updated by Martyn SMITH on 29 April, 2005. (NB 'Descendants' not included on this page.) |
