Maria Ann (Sherwood) Smith (1799-1870) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Maria Ann "Granny Smith" Smith formerly Sherwood

Born 5 Nov 1799 in Peasmarsh, Sussex, England

Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling(s) unknown]

Wife of Thomas William Smith — married 8 Aug 1819 in Ebony, Kent, England

Descendants

Mother of Stephen Smith, Charles Smith, Sarah (Smith) Wilcoxson, Maria Ann (Smith) Spurway and William Smith

Died 9 Mar 1870 at age 70 in Ryde, New South Wales, Australia

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Profile last modified 23 Nov 2021 | Created 7 Dec 2016

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Biography

Maria Ann Sherwood was born at Peasmarsh, East Sussex on 5 Nov 1799.^[1] ^[2] and then baptised on 5 Jan 1800 to John and Hannah Sherwood. ^[3]

The origin of the Granny Smith apple is surrounded by many conflicting claims but the fruit growers of Central Cumberland seem to have the most credible story. The Spurways, Smalls, Lovells, and Gallards among many others, all grew fruit in the area until the creep of suburbia changed it all.

THE GRANNY SMITH APPLE. - Sunday Times, Sunday 2nd November 1924. ^[4] The Story of Its Origin, Of locally grown apples, none is more esteemed than Granny Smith attractive both in appearance and flavour, and unexcelled as a keeper. Evidence as to its origin has been collected by Mr. H. J. Rumsey, who, on June 25, 1924, contributed an article to the N.S.W. "Farmer and Settler," in which he wrote as follows:- I have recently interviewed Mr. E. H. Small, a retired fruit-grower, now living at Burwood, and Mr. Harry Johnston, of Dundas, both of whom remember the original Granny Smith after whom "Granny's apple" was named. Though no actual dates are available, the memories of these two well-known fruit-growers coincide to a remarkable degree on the facts as I am here relating them. "Granny" was the wife of Mr. Thomas Smith, of that part of Ryde now known as Eastwood, N.S.W. Mr. Smith had an orchard fronting the Great Northern road, down by the creek. One morning, in the year 1868, Mrs. Smith asked the late Mr. E. H. Small to look at a seedling apple that was growing down by the creek and to express an opinion about it. Mr. T. Small, then a 12-year-old boy, went down with them. The tree was growing among ferns and blady grass down by the creek, and had a few very fine specimens of apple on it. Mr. Small, senior, tested it critically, and remarked that it was a good cooking apple, and might be worth working from, though Mobb's Royal and several other good cookers seemed to fill the demand at that time. The boy, however, remarked that it was also a good eating apple, too, as he sampled it. Mrs. Smith worked a few of the trees, and not long afterwards Mr. Edward Gallard, another member of the family, planted out a fairly large bed and marketed a crop annually from them up to the time of his death. Mr. Small, senior, asked "Granny" how the apple came there, and she replied that she had brought some gin cases back from Sydney Markets which had contained the remains of some Tasmanian apples in them; these were rotting and she tipped them out down the creek. It is thought that Mrs. Smith mentioned that the remains in the cases were of French Crabs. The greasy skin and keeping qualities of the "Granny Smith" point to this being correct. There is no evidence as to the length of life of the original tree; in fact, Mr. Small thinks that the whole creek was cleaned up not long after the first orchards from it came into bearing. "Granny Smith" proved a saleable cooking apple, but its value for dessert was not known until some fruit agents began storing a few cases away, and found that they kept better than any other varieties. Mr. S. W. Webb, of Nana Glen (formerly of Bathurst), has stated, on the other hand, that he was under the impression that the apple in question was raised in the Bathurst district. The matter was lately referred to Mr. A. H. Benson, now Director of Fruit Culture in Queensland, but at one time Fruit Expert in the New South Wales Department. Mr. Benson replied as follows:-The history of the Granny Smith apple is as stated by Mr. Rumsey in the "Farmer and Settler." Although this apple was grown to a small extent in the Parramatta River district when I came to New South Wales in 1892, it was not grown outside that area to any extent, and I believe that the first planting, other than possibly individual trees, was made by me at the Government farm, Bathurst, in 1895, as I then recognised the value of this variety both for cooking and dessert purposes. The apple was certainly not raised in the Bathurst district. In an article by Mr. Benson in the N.S.W. "Agricultural Gazette" of August 1895, page 599, entitled "Fruits to Export and How to Export Them," the apple, is referred to as "Granny Smith's Seedling - a New South Wales seedling raised from seed of the French Crab near Ryde, on the Parramatta River." The above coincides with the information in the possession of the Fruit Expert Mr. W. J. Allen.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 10th March 1870. ^[5] FUNERAL.-The friends of the late Mrs. THOMAS SMITH are invited to attend her funeral ; to move from her residence, Northern Road, Ryde, on SATURDAY, at 10 o'clock. J. GORDON, Undertaker.

Research Notes

Some online family trees suggest that Maria's christening record has her baptised and living at Chatham, Kent, a short journey away from Peasmarsh, Sussex on the 24 Mar 1799, under the name Shearwood. ^[6] However, this is a different Maria, whose father was named John, not William. Baptism records prior to 1834 for parishes are not always freely available. Maria's actual baptism record was held by the Parish of St Pauls and St Peters at Peasmarsh, East Sussex and the index is not accessible without a membership