William Charles Kingsford Smith was a clerk and real estate agent. He lived at 1935 Comox Street in 1908.
William Charles Kingsford Smith was born in Sydney, Australia in 1852. (He was born William Charles Smith; he added the Kingsford to his name somewhat later.) His parents were Richard Sheppard Smith and Elizabeth Eldridge. Richard Smith died in 1856 and Elizabeth married Richard’s brother, William Smith.
In 1874, William became an employee of the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane, Australia.
In 1877, he went to Cairns to open a branch of the bank.
On April 17, 1878, William married Catherine Mary Kingsford in South Brisbane.
Catherine was born in Brisbane in 1857. Her parents were Richard Ash Kingsford and Sarah Southerden. Richard Kingsford was a clothing salesman. In 1875 he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly. In 1876 he also became the mayor of Brisbane. He later operated a poultry farm and invested in other businesses.
![Far North Queensland, Australia, Pioneers & Settlers Registers, 1825 -1920, page 26; Volume: Pioneers and Settlers Register Far North Queensland to 1920; Ancestry.com. Far North Queensland, Australia, Pioneers & Settlers Registers, 1825 -1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.](https://westendvancouver.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/richard-ash-kingsford-far-north-queensland-australia-pioneers-and-settlers-registers-1825-1920-page-26.jpg)
He later started business as a general merchant, along with his brother, Edward.
In the early 1890s the Smiths went to Launceston, Tasmania. In late 1892, they returned to Cairns, where William became the manager of the Bank of North Queensland.
In 1896, the bank transferred William to its office in Brisbane.
In 1898, William became the manager of the Bank of North Queensland’s branch in Sydney.
In 1899, William resigned from the bank. He had guaranteed a loan to a customer without obtaining security. The customer could not pay the debt and killed himself instead of trying to re-negotiate the loan. William said that he would pay the loan, although he did not have the money himself. Catherine arranged for her father, Richard Kingsford, to pay the debt.
While William looked for work, the family moved from one rented accommodation to another.
In December 1902, William sailed from Australia to Vancouver. After six months, he found work as a clerk with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Two of his sons, Leofric and Eric, joined him in 1903. Catherine arrived in Vancouver in August 1903 (some sources say 1905).
William first appeared in the Vancouver directories in 1904. He was living at 1334 West Seventh Avenue and working for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
William lived at the following addresses in Vancouver.
| 1904 to 1906 | 1334 West Seventh Avenue |
| 1907 | 1061 Barclay Street |
| 1908 | 1935 Comox Street |
| 1909 and 1910 | Not listed in Vancouver directories |
In 1906, he was a voucher clerk in the claims department of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In 1906, Catherine went back to Australia for eight months, along with several of the Smith children.
By 1907, William had started a firm called Kingsford Smith and Company, which carried on business as auctioneers and realtors. His son, Richard Harold Kingsford Smith, was part of the firm.
In August 1907, Catherine returned to Vancouver, along with her son, Charles.
In July 1908, the family moved to a new house in North Vancouver.
In January 1909, the family moved back to Australia. Charles worked at a series of jobs until he retired.
William died on November 2, 1930. His son, Charles, who was a famous aviator, scattered William’s ashes over the Pacific Ocean.
Catherine died in Sydney on March 18, 1938.
William and Catherine had several children, who lived either in Australia or in the United States.
Richard Harold Kingsford Smith
Richard Harold Kingsford Smith was born on May 2, 1879 in Brisbane, Australia.
On May 19, 1903, in Sydney, Australia, he married Elsie Kathleen St Clair Johnson.
He worked with his father in Vancouver for a short time.
In 1908 he moved to California, where he was an executive with the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. He died in Oakland, California on October 16, 1939.
Winifred Kingsford Smith
Winifred Kingsford Smith was born on November 15, 1880, in St George, Queensland, Australia.
In 1924, in Manly, New South Wales, she married Robert Lucock Sealby (1864–1947).
She died on July 14, 1964 at “Ladstock”, Saratoga, New South Wales, Australia.
Wilfred Kingsford Smith
Wilfred Kingsford Smith was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on March 12, 1882.
In 1910 he married Ernestine Lovell Slatter (1890–1977).
Wilfred died in Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia on January 13, 1960.
Elsie Kingsford Smith
Elsie Kingsford Smith was born in Cairns, Queensland, Australia on May 9, 1883.
In 1921, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, she married Albert Pike (1888-1959).
She died in Mittagong, New South Wales, on March 16, 1940.
Leofric Kingsford Smith
Leofric Kingsford Smith was born on September 15, 1884, in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
On October 10, 1917, in South Brisbane, Queensland, he married Elfreda Ruth Martin (1887-1982).
Leofric died on August 11, 1948 in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Judith Kingsford Smith
Judith Kingsford Smith was born in Australia, possibly in 1886. Further information is not available.
Eric Kingsford Smith (son of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Eric Kingsford Smith was born on February 27, 1887, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
He served in the Royal Australian Navy.
In 1914, in Randwick, New South Wales, he married Mary Josephine Connah (1884–1965);
He died on July 27, 1968, at Mount Hagan, Papua New Guinea.
Charles Kingsford Smith
William’s and Catherine’s most well-known child was Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (“Smithy”) (1897–1935), who was an early Australian aviator. He served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War and worked as a pilot after the war. In 1928, he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia. He later made a series of record-breaking journeys, including one flight from Australia to London in ten and a half days.
In 1935, Charles and his co-pilot John Thompson “Tommy” Pethybridge disappeared near Burma (Myanmar) during a flight from England to Australia.
Sources
William Charles (Kingsford) Smith
William Charles (Kingsford) Smith (1852–1930); Birth: 26 MAR 1852, Newtown, Victoria, Australia; Death: 02 NOV 1930, Private Hospital, Longueville, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: William Charles Smith; Birth Date: Abt 1852; Birth Place: Newtown, Victoria; Registration Year: 1852; Registration Place: Victoria, Australia; Father: Thomas Smith; Mother: Julia; Registration Number: 24923.
Ancestry.com. Tasmania, Australia, Index to Marriage Notices in The Mercury, 1854-1962 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Original data: J & F O’Shea and K & A Whitton, comp. “Indexes to Birth, Death and Marriage Notices.” Tasmanian Family History Society Inc., Hobart Branch. Name: William Charles Smith; Spouse Name: Catherine Mary Kingston; Marriage Date: 17 Apr 1878; Other Details: Queensland; Gender: Male; Publication Date: 4 May 1878.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGN-V6NJ : 13 December 2015), William Charles Kingsford Smith, 1930; Burial, , , ,, ; citing record ID 123485931, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123485931: “William Charles Kingsford Smith; Birth: 26 Mar 1852, Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Death: 2 Nov 1930 (aged 78); North Sydney, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia; Burial: Cremated, Ashes scattered, Specifically: Ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean; Memorial ID: 123485931.”
Richard Ash Kingsford (father of Catherine Mary Kingsford)
Richard Ash Kingsford, Wikipedia article; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ash_Kingsford: “Richard Ash Kingsford (1821–1902) was an alderman and mayor of Brisbane Municipal Council, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Australia, and a mayor of Cairns, Queensland.”
Richard Ash Kingsford (1821–1902); Birth: 02 OCT 1821, Canterbury, Kent, England; Death: 02 JAN 1902, Esplanade, Cairns, Queensland, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Catherine Mary Kingsford (wife of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Catherine Mary Kingsford (1857–1938); Birth: 05 JUL 1857, Queen St, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Death: 18 MAR 1938, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGN-R9M7 : 11 July 2016), Catherine Mary Kingsford Kingsford Smith, 1938; Burial, North Ryde, , New South Wales, Australia, Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium; citing record ID 123484396, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123484396: “Catherine Mary Kingsford Kingsford Smith; Birth: 1857 Queensland, Australia; Death: 18 Mar 1938 (aged 80–81); North Sydney, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia; Burial: Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium; North Ryde, Ryde City, New South Wales, Australia; Memorial ID: 123484396.”
Richard Harold Kingsford Smith (son of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Richard Harold Kingsford Smith (1879–1939); Birth: 02 MAY 1879, Brisbane , Queensland, Australia; Death: 17 OCT 1939, Oakland, Alameda, California, USA (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Richard Harold Kingsford Smith; Birth Date: 2 May 1879; Birth Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1879; Registration Place: Queensland, Australia; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catherine Mary Kingsford; Page Number: 13889; Registration Number: B024761.
Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. Name: Richard Harold Kingsford Smith; Gender: Male; Marriage Age: 24; Event Type: Marriage; Birth Date: abt 1879; Marriage Date: 19 May 1903; Marriage Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Parish as it Appears: Mosman St Clement; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catharine Mary Smith; Spouse: Elsie Kathleen St Clair Johnson.
“United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH3Q-4KP : accessed 19 July 2018), R H K Smith, Oakland, Alameda, California, United States; citing ED 79, sheet 8A, line 43, family 211, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 89; FHL microfilm 1,820,089.
“United States Census, 1930,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X42Q-VK7 : accessed 19 July 2018), Richard H K Smith, Manhattan (Districts 0251-0500), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 271, sheet 13A, line 47, family 71, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1559; FHL microfilm 2,341,294.
“California, San Francisco Passenger Lists, 1893-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXH7-9D6 : 12 March 2018), Richard Harold Kingsford Smith, 1937; citing San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1410 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 2,381,131.
“California Death Index, 1905-1939,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKS9-7KTL : 8 November 2017), Richard H Kingsford, 1939; citing 59401, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento; FHL microfilm 1,686,049.
Winifred Kingsford Smith (daughter of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Winifred Kingsford Smith (1880–1964); Birth: 15 NOV 1880, St George, Queensland, Australia; Death: 14 JUL 1964, “Ladstock”, Saratoga, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Winifred Kingsford Smith; Birth Date: 15 Nov 1880; Birth Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1880; Registration Place: Queensland, Australia; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catherine Mary Kingsford; Page Number: 13924; Registration Number: 000061.
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Winifred K Smith; Spouse Name: Robert L Sealby; Marriage Date: 1924; Marriage Place: New South Wales; Registration Place: Manly, New South Wales; Registration Year: 1924; Registration Number: 8550.
Early Days of Cairns, Cairns Post (Queensland), July 14, 1939, page 12; https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42190471. (refers to Kingsford Smith family history).
Robert Lucock Sealby (husband of Winifred Kingsford Smith)
Robert Lucock Sealby (1864–1947); BIRTH: JAN 1864, Maryport, Cumberland, England; Death: 21 MAY 1947, Manly, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Wilfred Kingsford Smith (son of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Wilfred Kingsford Smith (1882–1960); Birth: 12 MAR 1882, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Death: 13 JAN 1960, Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Wilfred Kingsford Smith; Birth Date: 12 Mar 1882; Birth Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1882; Registration Place: Queensland, Australia; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catherine Mary Kingsford; Page Number: 13912; Registration Number: 004784.
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Wilfred K Smith; Spouse Name: Ernestine L Slatter; Marriage Date: 1910; Marriage Place: New South Wales; Registration Place: Hunters Hill, New South Wales; Registration Year: 1910; Registration Number: 1696.
Ernestine Lovell Slatter (wife of Wilfred Kingsford Smith)
Ernestine Lovell Slatter (1890–1977); Birth: 01 JAN 1890, St Leonards, New South Wales; Death: 10 FEB 1977, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Elsie Kingsford Smith (daughter of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Elsie Kingsford Smith (1883–1940); Birth: 09 MAY 1883, Cairns, Queensland, Australia; Death: 16 MAR 1940, Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Elsie Kingsford Smith; Birth Date: 9 May 1883; Birth Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1883; Registration Place: Queensland, Australia; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catherine Mary Kingsford; Page Number: 13799; Registration Number: 001454.
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Elsie K Smith; Spouse Name: Albert Pike; Marriage Date: 1921; Marriage Place: New South Wales; Registration Place: Sydney, New South Wales; Registration Year: 1921; Registration Number: 4895.
Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Elsie Kingsford Pike; Death Date: 1940; Death Place: New South Wales; Father’s name: William Charles; Mother’s name: Catherine Mary; Registration Year: 1940; Registration Place: Mittagong, New South Wales; Registration Number: 2653.
Albert Pike (husband of Elsie Kingsford Smith)
Albert Pike (1888–1959); Birth: 06 MAR 1888, Salford, Lancashire, England; Death: 11 NOV 1959, Bowral, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Leofric Kingsford Smith (son of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Leofric Kingsford Smith (1884–1948); Birth: 15 SEP 1884, Cairns, Queensland, Australia; Death: 11 AUG 1948, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Leofric Kingsford Smith; Birth Date: 15 Sep 1884; Birth Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1884; Registration Place: Queensland, Australia; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catherine Mary Kingsford; Page Number: 13859; Registration Number: 001700.
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Leofric Kingsford Smith; Spouse Name: Elfreda Ruth Martin; Marriage Date: 10 Oct 1917; Marriage Place: Queensland; Registration Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1917; Registration Number: B 020695; Page Number: 1855.
Elfreda Ruth Martin (wife of Leofric Kingsford Smith)
Elfreda Ruth Martin (1887–1982); Birth: 09 APR 1887, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Death 14 APR 1982, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
[Possibly Judith] Kingsford Smith (child of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Child Kingsford Smith (1886–); Birth 1886, Australia; Death: Unknown (ancestry.ca).
Judith Kingsford Smith (1886–); Birth: 1886, Australia; Death: Unknown (ancestry.ca).
Eric Kingsford Smith (son of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Eric Kingsford Smith [Commander RAN] (1887–1968); Birth: 27 FEB 1887, Brisbane , Queensland, Australia; Death: 27 JUL 1968, Mount Hagan, Papua New Guinea (ancestry.ca).
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Eric Kingsford Smith; Birth Date: 27 Feb 1887; Birth Place: Queensland; Registration Year: 1887; Registration Place: Queensland, Australia; Father: William Charles Smith; Mother: Catherine Mary Kingsford; Page Number: 13802; Registration Number: B038432.
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: Eric K Smith; Spouse Name: Mary J Connor; Marriage Date: 1914; Marriage Place: New South Wales; Registration Place: Randwick, New South Wales; Registration Year: 1914; Registration Number: 3007.
Mary Josephine Connah (wife of Eric Kingsford Smith)
Mary Josephine Connah (1884–1965); Birth: 1884, Manly, New South Wales, Australia; Death: 20 JUL 1965, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (ancestry.ca).
Judith Kingsford Smith (daughter of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Judith Kingsford Smith (1897–); Birth: 9 FEB 1897, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Death: Unknown (ancestry.ca).
Charles Kingsford Smith (son of William Charles (Kingsford) Smith)
Smithy: The Life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, by Ian Mackersey; London, Little, Brown and Company (UK), 1998.
Charles Kingsford Smith, Wikipedia article; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith.
Howard, Frederick. Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.; Kingsford Smith, Sir Charles Edward (1897–1935), by Frederick Howard; http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kingsford-smith-sir-charles-edward-6964.
Charles Edward (Smithy) Kingsford Smith Sir Air Commadore Mc AFC (1897–1935); Birth: 09 FEB 1897, Riverview Terrace, Hamilton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Death: 08 NOV 1935, Body lost at sea – Specifically: Off the southeast coast of Burma, near Aye Island (ancestry.ca).
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