Elizabeth Johnson - Great Grandmother

The best story about "Granma Smith" (Mum's grandma, that is) is about Grandma's Hill. She lived in a house atop a hill, with views across Heyfield, the town in Gippsland where she lived. This meant that most people in Heyfield could also see Grandma Smith's comings and goings. And on the side of the hill, looking over the town was her outhouse, so people below were always able to see when Grandma was "doing her business". Once when she was still in a pusher, Mum's brother pushed the stroller, with mum still in it and she tumbled all the way down the hill.

Eventually she went to live with her daughter, Laura, and her husband, Gus Broberg on a small farm they had out of Heyfield near Glenmaggie. After that, Laura and Gus had a general store in the main street of Heyfield, with a residence behind.Mum would call in and see her Grandma nearly every day after school, and eat an ice-cream made by Laura! She made the ice-cream they sold in the shop. Grandma Smith's memory was failing her by then, and Mum says she would ask the same question over and over. Mum enjoyed her company.

Elizabeth Johnson was my mother's father's mother. She was born on 21 June 1855 in Epping, just north of Melbourne, and where the Smiths were located (see entry about Rebecca Lee - later Smith - her husband's mother).

Her father, William,  had come from England in 1846. He was born in 1821 at Hampstead Heath, and was a farmer. Her mother, Sarah Walker, was born in 1819 in Armagh, Ireland. She was a housemaid who arrived in 1851 at Hobsons Bay.

Elizabeth met her husband,  Sydney Smith through her brother. They were both members of the Loyal Orange Lodge at Hurstbridge. Both Sydney and Elizabeth had been born in Wollert, near Epping, but the families did not meet until the Smiths moved to Hurstbridge.

They married on 11 April 1877 at St John's Church of England, Nillumbik (now Diamond Creek).

During their marriage the Smiths moved several times. They first lived in a house on Haley's Gully Road. Sydney cleared their "selection" and worked on Shire roads, a field of employment which sons Bill and Percy later pursued.

From 1882 the family had a home in Yan Yean. Sydney was working on Jack's Creek Waterworks. Later he built a house on his selection and the family lived there until 1890. The children attended Hazel Glen Primary School and the Wesleyan Sunday School.

In 1890, after Elizabeth's mother's death, the selection was sold and they moved again to a half selection at Glenburn. The children now walked 4 miles to Glenburn school.

That property was burnt out in the 1899 bushfires and the family moved again, this time to take up a three year lease of the property of Alan Ferguson at Strath Creek.

Alan sold the property three years later and the Smiths, except daughter Maude, moved to Heyfield in Gippsland, where they stayed. Maude was engaged to be married to Dave Lade and settled at Strath Creek. I can remember getting car sick on a family trip to "Strath" and dad more than once having to stop the car along the way.

Grandma Smith died at the Bush Nursing Hospital in Heyfield on 6 May 1940, aged 84.