31 March 2009 on WRY Links topic, Carole wrote:

Hi Janice .........Because of the Calderdale website link you posted last November, I was then led to the fabulous ongoing images collection at the Geograph.UK site...... etc...... You might have noticed, I already put the York Minster one.....on Smith Chat Portal, along with the Lancaster Castle one. Really lovely photos, aren't they!!

Mar-Apr 2009, from off-site chat about family history interests - Janice wrote:

.....One of my favourite places to visit in England has been York......... .....visited in 1997 and walked around the city on the old walls, went to York Minster and around the old streets, then visited some of the small villages in the Dales. I just loved the sense of history there.... ......now want to get back to the Halifax area and particularly Queensbury district to see where my Holdsworth and Smith ancestors lived.............

For the interest of others researching family history of the
same area, here's a little introduction on Janice's behalf....

Approx location of Queensbury

Janice's great grandparents both grew up in Queensbury
(mid 1800s? - but Janice will fill us in on the dates)

Hannah Smith married John Holdsworth.
A few months after marriage Hannah and John emigrated to Australia and
soon after their arrival, their son James (Janice's grandfather) was born.
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Hi Janice,

As you see, a couple of our previous posts have been copied above to create this new topic. You can please add more about your Smiths and Holdsworths of Queensbury interests here if you like, & at any time you like.

Another nice pic from Geograph.uk collections


Victoria Hall, Queensbury
© Copyright Tim Green and licensed for reuse
under this Creative Commons Licence.

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PS: Just noticed your new topic on the Australia/NewZealand Board -
thanks for that, & will be in touch again later.....
Done this now Janice - see topic Brits to Australia - Smith-Holdsworth & others.

Carole

hi janice, hi carole
what great pics on geograph i have done some exploring on that site and didn't it bring back some memories!
I lived in upper great horton for a couple of years before we emigrated to australia and my mother worked in halifax, we had to travel through queensbury to get there and i remember it as a very picturesque place, if memory serves me correctly queensbury was the highest market village in england at the time, and the trip on mums old lambretta was always quite crisp.
regards robert.

Hi Robert,

I too hope to visit Queensbury at some time as I believe from looking at various sites that it is a very picturesque area, although I think I'll choose summer to visit rather than winter and not on a Lambretta! I am getting around to adding details to my Smith connection, but basically it was through my great grandmother Hannah Holdsworth nee Smith who was born in 1834 in Queensbury. She and husband John emigrated to Australia in 1858 and they named their house in Woollahra "Queensbury". Hannah ran a general store from premises next to the house for many years and it has just received a bit of publicity recently because Donna Hay has just set up a new Home Wares store there. It was a rather trendy home ware store when we visited a few years ago and the owner kindly allowed us to inspect the downstairs area. I don't think it had been much modified in 100 years ! Looking forward to getting back to Sydney one day and seeing it.
Regards
Janice

hi janice
I just love hearing about the sort of history you are describing,we thought we were doing it tough in 62 emigrating, it must have been like a trip into the unknown in 1858, not knowing what they were coming to or what to expect when they arrived. those people have my admiration.
I would love to see the house they built here and the store, might get down to sydney and have a look one day.
if you think there is some history there, wait till you visit queensbury, it will amaze you the ageless feel about places like that in england are so different from australia (well at least to me they are!). look forward to hearing more.
regards robert.

Hi Robert,
Yes they must have been very brave or very overcrowded at home to have set out on such a journey in 1858. They were sponsored by John Holdsworth's brother-in-law Joseph Moore who had arrived in Australia a few years earlier. With them on board " The Switzerland" was Joseph's wife Hannah and her 3 children and the 2 families lived a few doors from one another in what was called Denison Street, Woollahra. I believe both John and Hoseph were both stone quarrymen and there were a number of quarries nearby.
Denison Street later became Holdsworth street - sadly no in their honour but after a Richard Holdsworth, one of the first councillors on the Woollahra council.
If you ever want to visit the Donna Hay store, it is at 40 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra and they lived at no. 38 next door. Almost next door on the opposite corner is the Holdsworth Community Centre and although they were happy to hear about my ancestors, they don't keep any historic records. I don't have any photos of them and only a few of my grandfather James, so it is nice to learn a little bit about how they lived their lives.
I really look forward to getting back to England. I lived there for 9 months in 1976-77 with my first husband, firstly in Corby, Northamptonshire then in a little village called Middle Barton in Oxfordshire near the Cotswolds - a very pretty place. My partner Vic is also from England , born in Oldham near Manchester and emigrated with his family in 1965, so we have been back a few times, but not yet to Queensbury. I too love the sense of history in England and the beautiful countryside.
Stay in touch,
Best wishes
Janice

hi janice
once again thanks for the update and the details on Woollahra, it is now on our must do list of places to visit, but finding the time is a worry! can't wait for retirement so we can do all these things.That includes a visit England and try and look up some family, which i have lost touch with. Will chat to you later, regards robert.