Cracknell family of Panton Hill
The following article was submitted by Lois Kennett, family historian of the Cracknell family of Panton Hill June 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Samuel Cracknell
The family connection with Panton Hill starts with Sam and Carolline Cracknell, and their children William, Samuel, Alfred, Ruby and Beatrice. Sam, Ruby and Beatrice have the longest associations with the area. Sam and his sons Arthur and Don had orchards in Alma Road from around 1900 until they sold to the MMBW in 1972; around 1950 another son Bob was also on the orchard with Don, and Keith retired to live near Arthur's orchard. Sam's daughter Elsie (my mother) lived in East Preston after her marriage, daughter Jean lived in Panton Hill until around 1941 onwards, however daughter June (the sole remaining family member, living at Diamond Creek now) spent most of her life at Panton Hill.
I guess the stories of Samuel Arthur and Alice Cracknell and their family, especially Arthur, Elsie, Don, (Alice) Jean, and June have many recollections about life at Panton Hill. Arthur was a councillor in the old Eltham Shire 1963-9, and heavily involved in community work in Panton Hill - the Reserve on which the Hall and sporting ground stand, is officially known as the A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
My Grandmother Alice Cracknell, nee Smith, was one of 11 children, Bill being a brother. They were the children of Edwin and Louisa Smith from Cherry Tree Rd. Alice married Samuel Arthur Cracknell and they developed orchards in Alma Rd. Panton Hill.
Sam was the son of Samuel Cracknell (1847 – 1933) World famous light weight jockey, who rode the winner of the 1879 Melbourne Cup, on Darriwell. He and his wife Caroline settled in Panton Hill in the 1890's, and built an orchard and house named 'Kenninghall'. Place still there but not in that name I don't think.
Lillian Rose Smith (sister to Bill Smith) born about 1892 and married Don White from Kangaroo Ground, They had 3 sons, Alec, Doug and Ken. She was always known as Rose.
[edit] Panton Hill State School
The School photo is Panton Hill State School, Mr. McAuliffe was headmaster from 1909 -1918. This was taken around 1912. Elsie Cracknell is 9th from the right standing up, Arthur Cracknell is 4th from the right kneeling, and Jack Cracknell is 7th from the left front row.
[edit] Smith Family of Panton Hill
Edwin Smith 1849 - 1938 married Louisa Georgina Purcell 1852/3 - in 1933. Their children were: 1. Edwin James Charles Smith 1874 -1955, married Violet Bartlett and had 9 children: Mary, Alan, Violet, Fred, Marjorie, John, Ethel, Joyce, Lloyd.
2 . Alfred William Smith 1876 - married Lucy Wanstall - no children.
3. Marion (May) Louisa Smith 1878 - May married Arthur Jones, from Wattle Glen and lived on a property called Balee. They had 3 sons, Laurie, Ken and Les. Arthur's brother Albert Jones owned 'Golden Glen' a Wattle Glen orchardist, and he and Claude Burrows built hides to photograph birds.
4. Alice Mary Smith 1880- 1968, married Samuel Arthur Cracknell and had 8 children; Arthur, Elsie, Jack, Keith, Robert, Donald, Jean and June.
5. George John Smith - 1882/4? - after his return from World War 1, he became a selling agent for fruit growers, supervising the arrival of their fruit by train and its sale at the Victorian Market in Franklin Street, Melbourne. He married Barbara Bradley and they had 3 children; Dorothy, Ken and Lester.
6. William (Bill) Thomas Smith 1884/2? married Annie Jones and they had 3 sons, Frank, Keith and Len.
7. Bertram Edward Smith 1886/8? - married Mabel Suttie and had 2 sons Ron and Douglas.
8. Florence (Florrie) Emily Smith 1886/8? – married Harold Hunter Scarce from Kangaroo Ground.
9. Victor Albert Smith 1890/3? - married Margaret May Howard and had a daughter Lorraine.
10. Lillian Rose Smith 1891/2 - married Don White from Kangaroo Ground and they had 3 sons Alec, Doug and Ken.
11. Harold (Henry Francis) Smith 1894/6? - married Eileen and had 2 children Mavis and Graham.
Most of the 11 children lived in the Panton Hill area and were on the land, mainly as orchardists.
[edit] Family Photo
The group photo in a hall was taken around 1914 of the family photo of Florence Smith and Harry Scarce's wedding. Mary Smith is kneeling on the left, Elsie Cracknell on the right. Bill and Annie Smith are the couple on the extreme right. Rose Smith is 5th from the right, first row standing, with Harry Scarce on her right. Don White who later married Rose Smith is 3rd. from the right back row.
Elsie's recollection of this event: "When I was about 10 years old my Mother's sister Florrie got married to Harry Scarce of Kangaroo Ground. It was to be the most fashionable wedding ever seen in Panton Hill, as Florrie had been working in the city and was full of grand ideas (of course I didn't know this at the time - it was all a wonderful happening to me). Mary Smith - Uncle Ted's (Mum's older brother) daughter, and I were to be Train bearers followed by the Bridesmaids. Mary lived close-by but I had to go over to Grandma Smith's the day before and stay the night, to get ready for the big day. I loved going over there - there was a wattle and daub dairy (which is still there) surrounded by pepper trees to keep it cool, and in between the two front bedrooms and the sitting room was a long, wide, dark passage where Grandma kept her jams and preserves. I realize now that it must have been a verandah before the two front rooms were added on, but to me, it was a magic place. Off the sitting room were two small bedrooms with the walls lined with hessian covered with wall paper. Mum told me that when she was young the walls were lined with calico. Grandma - it seemed to me - was a dark, big bosomed lady, always dressed in black, with high collars and a big oval brooch. Anyway, to get back to the wedding.
Mary and I had - I think - pale pink long dresses with a frill at the bottom, and our hair set in rags the night before, combed out, with a pink ribbon and a rosette at each side. In one hand we held a shepherd's crook - I think it was made of cane covered with milliners straw. It was white and decorated with asparagus fern and flowers. Mary who was a bit older than me, held the end of the long satin train properly, but I didn't, and the bride was half way up the aisle before I managed to catch hold! From old ptotos Auntie Florrie had a flouncy white dress with her veil held by orange blossom and her long train trailing behind. But the main topic of conversation and amazement was that she arrived at the Church in a CAR - the very first bride to do so, in fact, it was the first car that the majority of people had ever seen. I was about 10 at the time, so it could have been in 1914 or even a year earlier. The car made many trips to Queenstown (now St. Andrews) that day as guests tried out the new method of transport." My mother Elsie was born in 1904.
The lady at the piano is Louisa Georgina Smith nee Purcell, mother of the above Smith's - my Great grandmother, and the man is Edwin Smith her husband. The young lady is my grandmother Alice Mary Smith later to become Mrs. Samuel Arthur Cracknell.
The families of Louisa and Edwin were among the first to take up land in Cherry Tree Road, Panton HIll. Edwin married Louisa in 1873 and settled in Cherry Tree Road and raised their family of 11 children. Louisa was a seamstress and Edwin built homes of wattle and daub. Louisa's parents arrived in Australia in 1853 and after a while they set out for the Andersons Creek goldfields where her father kept the Caledonian Inn near a creek of the same name, and later a hotel at Diamond Creek and finally the Evelyan Arms at Eltham. The Smith family arrived in 1850 and they journeyed to Queenstown and set up a general store. In 1855 the gold rush arrived and seeing that there was no supply of fresh meat for the thousands of miners who came, Edwin's father Samuel set up an abattoirs there.
[edit] Sources
Picking up the threads: the story of John and Ann Cracknell and their descendants 1650-2003 researched and compiled by Lois Kennett (Samuel Cracknell 1847-1933 and Caroline Griffiths 1855-1921)
Wild wood days at Panton Hill by Marjorie Motschall
Newspaper articles in "Diamond Creek News" by Marjorie Motscall
