Journal of Reverend John Jennings Smith of his voyage to Australia on the barque AMELIA THOMPSON
Author
Reverend John Jennings Smith
(English, 1784 - 1846)
Date1839 - 1869
Object number00006039
NameDiary
MediumPaper, ink, boards
DimensionsOverall: 229 × 19 × 14 mm, 450 g
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection
Description'The Journal of a Voyage to Australia in the bark AMELIA THOMPSON, Captain William Dawson. Commencing on the 11th day of June and terminating on 19th day of September AD 1839. Handwritten journal by the Reverend John Jennings Smith M.A. - of Catherine Hall Cambridge - Colonial Chaplain - of - New South Wales'.
The journal starts 11 June 1839 to 29 September 1839. The last few days of the voyage (25 - 29 September 1839) are actually recorded by the son, H Selwyn Smith, of the author, Rev John Jennings Smith. This recording was done in 1869, after the death of his father in 1846.
HistoryJohn Jennings Smith was born in 1784 in England. In 1823 he enrolled at St Catherine’s College Cambridge in a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then took his Holy Orders and after spending some years performing local parish duties and running a boarding school, Reverend Smith applied for a colonial posting in New South Wales, Australia.
He and his family of ten children arrived in Australia in 1839 and settled into the Patterson River region north of Sydney. It was a small parish at that time but Smith committed himself fully and built a small stone church and school house. He also oversaw works on St Paul’s church in Paterson. Unfortunately after only seven years, Smith was killed in an accident at the age of 62.
There is a memorial plaque and window at St Pauls to commemorate Reverend Smith’s contribution to the area.
SignificanceThe journal of Reverend John Jennings Smith and his voyage to Australia on the barque AMELIA THOMPSON provides a valuable and interesting insight into the experiences of migrants travelling to Australia in the mid C19th. The Reverend was already 56 when he bought his large family to New South Wales and chose to settle in a region far removed from the colonial centres.
He played a significant role in the early days of Paterson and the building of St Paul’s church there, which still stands today.
1890-1950
