Merton and Lambeth
An extended family that lived in SE London.
Thomas Sprinks and Sarah Hudson married at Merton, Surrey on 26 Feb 1786.
Children, all baptized in Merton, included
Richard Sprinks, born January 1787
Henry Sprinks, born 1788
Thomas Sprinks, born 1790; married Rebecca Robey at St Mary, Wimbledon on 8 July 1811. (See family tree for more information.)
Elisa Sprinks, born 1794
William Sprinks, born 15 July 1792; married Kezia McKenzie at St Giles, Camberwell, on 5 December 1813.
St Giles
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Australia
William Henry Sprinks, (child of William & Kezia, (left))
b. Camberwell, London on 18 September 1814, married Eliza Burnett on 5 May 1835. They
had two daughters Ellen and Jane Eliza. They migrated free to
Hobart, Van Diemen's Land, where another daughter, Rosa Jessy was born, and baptized at
St David's on 8 May 1842.
They set up a clothing business in Hobart, but that failed in 1843. Pursued by creditors they "left the colony".
Eliza disappeared - There is no evidence where she went.
In 1843 William went to Sydney where he changed his name to William Henry Smith, and married Catherine Sawyer at Scots Church on
11 January 1845.
The girls were placed in a boarding school in Hobart, and then in April 1846 they sailed in North Briton
from Hobart to London. The fact that they are called "Miss", that they
were cabin passengers (i.e. not in Steerage) and that they have a
servant, suggests some social status or at least anability to pay. This un-named servant could well have been Eliza.
E-mail me on bill@kellaway.info
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Marriages
On 27 November 1852, Eliza married Robert Howden at Kensington, London, using the name Eliza Sprinks James, "widow".
We also find a
marriage for Jane Eliza Sprinks James to John Smith in Edinburgh,
Scotland, on 6 June 1864. She gained renown in Edinburgh as an artist,
Jane Stewart Smith.
Ellen became Eleanor, and as Eleanor Sprinks James she married John Minchie in Edinburgh in 1867
The use of "James"
appears to be part of the name-changing strategy that both she
and William practised. Both marriages were certainly bigamous.
Divorce was unavailable in those days.
William had seven children with Catherine..
William
Sprinks
Smith, b.Sydney 12 January 1846
Henry (Harry) Sprinks Smith,
b. Parramatta 30 Dec 1847
Mary Matilda Smith b. San Francisco, California, 1851
Charles Daniel Smith, b Geelong 1854
Catherine Charlotte Smith b. Buninyong 1857, d. 1860
Edward Alfred (Ted) Smith b. Buninyong 1863
Annie
Maria
Smith, born Buninyong 11 Dec 1859; married John Willam
Hanger in Wentworth N.S.W. 1 Aug 1883. See photo.
See photo of the Smith family.
Click here to consult the descendant index.
Click here to see a family tree.
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