Smith Family

The Smith Family of Doncaster

James Smith lived in Doncaster Road where the Eastern Golf Clubhouse now stands, Lawrence Smith lived in Elgar Road close to Doncaster Road. In 1854 James Smith and his wife Jane and their family arrived in Melbourne on the ship "Zebuland". The ship had been chartered to carry busses and the staff to operate them.

Lauriston - the home of Lawrence & Elizabeth Smith.  Elgar Road, Doncaster (location ??)

In the early 1850s, many ships were arriving at Sandridge bringing people attracted by the gold rushes. Transport to the town was difficult so there was an opportunity for a bus service. James had come to manage a bus line from the wharfs at Sandridge (Port Melbourne) to Melbourne.

In 1853 a railway line to Port Melbourne was being built. The ship arrived in March 1854 but the railway opened a few months later ruining the prospects of the bus line. Most of the staff deserted to look for gold and. James resigned to opened a saddle shop in Collins Street. Soon after he sold this and went off to prospect for gold. 

James was a skilled engineer, in Scotland he had worked at a large foundry, a quarter mile long, in Clyde. After learning pattern making he became a foreman. David Mitchell, the well known Melbourne contractor, hearing that he was a clever engineer and knew how to make bricks, employed him to start a brick works at Richmond. Smith worked for David Mitchell for forty years as his foreman. He worked at Burnley, Lilydale and on the construction of the Exhibition Building. 

In 1858 James Smith purchased forty acres of land in Doncaster Road. David Mitchell owned land alongside him. Both their lands became the Eastern Golf Course, the Clubhouse being on Smith's land.

James and Jane Smith had eleven children, four in Scotland, the others in Melbourne and Doncaster. Four of these died as infants. The seventh child was Lawrence, born in Doncaster Road in 1860. 

Lawrence was apprenticed to a plumber but during this time he had an accident. He was wearing new hob nailed boots and slipped off a cart. The wheel ran over it leaving him with a limp. Lawrence then learnt boot making at Kew also cutting men's hair in his spare time. 

At the age of twenty eight Lawrence Smith married Elizabeth Witchell. They lived near the corner of Doncaster Road and Elgar Road. 

During the 1890s they built a large brick house, "Lauriston" in Elgar Road. Their land reached to Doncaster Road where Lawrence had his bootmaking shop. 

At the age of forty, Elizabeth persuaded Lawrence, who was a good artist, to become a drawing teacher. He took painting and drawing lessons to cultivate his art then leasing his shoemaking business rented two small rooms in Serpells corner store and opened his "Doncaster School of Art and Design".

 Painting by LH Smith of Chimney at the Hislop House, Doncaster Rd

Painting by LH Smith of Doncaster Tower

Sketch by LH Smith of children

Lawrence also used to visit local schools to teach drawing to children at a penny a lesson. Many Doncaster people such as Mrs. Goodson and Miss Selina Serpell learnt painting from L.H.Smith.
Lawrence Smith took an interest in the local community, he was secretary of the I.O.R. at Doncaster for nearly fifty years, was auditor for the Shire Council and won many trophies at the Doncaster Rifle Club. 

In 1920 the Smiths left their home in Elgar Road and two years later Lawrence died at Kew. 

Their home, "Lauriston" was purchased by Gerald Grover and his wife Dorothy Petty. The flagpole of Lawrence Smith's house now stands on the lawn at Schramms Cottage. 

Irvine Green From information by Ken Smith, The late Phyllis Whitten and Sandra Will 

1995 12 DTHS Newsletter

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See also

• Lawrence Hislop Smith
• No link likely with The Smith Home, Templestowe 1890 (134-136 Atkinson Street, Doncaster) ("My 2 x great grandmother was Margaret Smith of the Templestowe Smith's. No James and Jane, nor Laurence and Elizabeth from that period. Craig Martin  facebook