Captain William Smith

Family of Captain William and Sarah Ann Smith

Miss W. Smith, Tedman , ,

William SMITH (21), b. 25 Mar 1840, d. 27 Oct 1913

+Sarah Ann TEDMAN (22), b. 18 Apr 1857, m. 30 Sep 1874, d. 7 May 1902

James Henry SMITH (49), b. 17 Nov 1876, d. 12 Aug 1924

 +Alice Maude ADAMS (50), b. 10 Dec 1887, m. 19 Dec 1911, d. 8 Jul 1929

Mary Ann SMITH (51), b. 8 Jul 1878, d. 3 Mar 1951

+Henry DOHERTY (4927), b. 1876, m. 10 Jun 1900, d. 21 Nov 1953

 Violet Evelyn DOHERTY (4928), d. 26 Aug 1957

Arthur Ernest DOHERTY (4975)

Lydia Lucy Isabelle DOHERTY (4977)

Phyllis Zilla DOHERTY (4984)

Valvina Maude DOHERTY (4981)

 Robert DOHERTY (4982)

Henry James DOHERTY (4979), b. 1904, d. 13 Nov 1970

Thomas Alexander (Albert) SMITH (52), b. 2 Dec 1880, d. 15 Sep 1885

William Demingo SMITH (53), b. 13 Feb 1883, d. 16 Sep 1885

Robert Edward SMITH (14), b. 21 Dec 1884, d. 4 Aug 1964

+Irene Nellie SOMMERS (CLARK?) (15), b. 20 May 1889, d. 3 Jun 1952

Irene Ellen Gertrude SMITH (9), b. 23 Jul 1909, d. 10 Jul 1988

William Henry Basil SMITH (68), b. 1 Jun 1911, d. before 2002

Madelene Constance Victoria SMITH (69), b. 9 Sep 1912, d. 4 Jan 1999

Myra Isobella (Pat) SMITH (70), b. 21 Sep 1913, d. 25 Jul 2003

Olga Phyllis SMITH (71), b. 4 Jun 1915, d. before 2003

Naida Pauline May (Nancy) SMITH (72), b. 3 Sep 1916, d. 16 Mar 1978

Jack SMITH (73), b. 22 Apr 1918, d. 23 Jun 2000

Sarah Ellen (Sally) SMITH (80), b. 18 Aug 1919, d. before 2003

Thomas Allan SMITH (74), b. 21 Feb 1921, d. before 2003

David SMITH (75), b. 8 Jul 1923

Mervyn Leslie SMITH (76), b. 16 Jul 1925, d. 26 Dec 2002

Ruby Margaret SMITH (79), b. 6 Aug 1927

James Henry (Tony) SMITH (78), b. 9 May 1929

Maxwell Brian SMITH (77), d. 31 Jul 1993

Alexander SMITH (54), b. 2 Oct 1886, d. 18 Sep 1937

Sarah Ann Jane SMITH (55), b. 29 Jun 1889, d. 7 Jan 1890

Amelia Rosetta Violet SMITH (56), b. 31 Oct 1890, d. 17 Dec 1965

+John E TELGE (7211), m. 1927

Charles Ernest Louis SMITH (57), b. 19 May 1894, d. 26 Dec 1975

Arthur Frederick Francis SMITH (58), b. 31 Jan 1899

+Elsie (–?–) (7198)

Bob SMITH (7199)

Hilda SMITH (7200)

Whale’s teeth

Miss W. Smith , ,
Captain WIlliam Smith at the wheel
Captain WIlliam Smith at the wheel

The whales teeth described below were taken from the jaw of a sperm whale on 8th July 1883 and presented to Maryanne Smith, daughter of Captain William Smith, master of the whaling ship, Marie Laurie (Pronounced Maria Lowery), on her 1st birthday.

The Marie Laurie was a British built whaling barque of 328 tons, port of registry, Hobart. Her owner was William Sherwin and her master from 18th September, 1877 until 9th June, 1884, was Captain William Smith.

With a crew of twenty five, the Marie Lowery left Hobart on 8th October, 1882, for the whaling grounds of the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska, when Maryanne was just three months old and returned to her home port eighteen months later, on 22nd May, 1884.

Maryanne Smith learned to walk aboard the rolling decks of the Marie Laurie and was eighteen months old when she first set foot on dry land!

The whales teeth are two of a set of four that were scrimshawed by a seaman aboard the Marie Laurie with the high fashion of the day depicting women in fur coats. They were also polished with resin, hence the dark amber colour of the teeth.

It is not known what became of the larger two teeth, but it is believed they were stolen during the time Maryanne was living at Recherche Bay, southern Tasmania.

The whales teeth were given to Maryanne’s granddaughter, Phyllis McDermott, who lived with Maryanne, at Strahan until she was married in 1950.  In August 2002, the whales teeth were handed over to Phyllis’ son, Kim McDermott, for safe keeping.

Seaman’s work box

Miss W. Smith

Once owned by Captain William Smith, this seaman’s work box was used to carry his papers and personal effects.

Captain Smith was born on Navigator Island, Samoa, in 1840. He left to go to sea when he was twelve years old, as ship’s boy aboard the Venus, and later the Offley, in 1852.

Graduating to able seaman aboard the Calypso and Prince Regent, he had the work box built and at each port of call, he would add a piece of native timber to the covering of the box.

From 1852 until 1870, he served aboard such ships as ‘Flying Childers, Maid of Erin, Waterwitch, Highlander, Calypso, and Othello’, until he was granted his master of foreign going ship certificate for the Othello.

He would captain almost all of the ships he had served in and more, in the years to come until the decline of the whaling industry.

In his seventies and one of the last whaling captains still living, he was asked to show how to ‘try out’ a whale that had been caught in the Derwent River. Shortly after doing this, he became ill and died. He is buried in the Cornelian Bay Cemetery, Hobart.

The work box was passed to his daughter, Maryanne, and later to his great granddaughter, Phyllis McDermott.

The work box was given to Phyllis’ son, Kim McDermott, in August, 2002.

STOP PRESS    UPDATE     STOP PRESS    UPDATE

Hopefully I will be able to add an image of this workbox as the Maritime Museum has been in contact with Kim regarding a display of work by whalers.