SMITH FAMILY HISTORY
Last Updated : 23 Feb 2016

George Milne Smith was born on the 25th of January, 1859 at Old Machar, Aberdeen, Scotland and was the son of Robert Smith and Euphemia Milne. The family were living at 30 Skene Row, Aberdeen at the time of his birth.

In 1861, when George Milne was aged just 2 years he was living with his parents at 29-31 Woolmanhill, Aberdeen. By 1871, the family had moved to 40 Blackfiars Street in Aberdeen and George Milne was a "Message Boy" aged 12 years.

George Milne Smith moved from Aberdeen, Scotland to Liverpool, England at some time between 1871 and 1881. In 1881 he was living at the home of his married sister Euphemia Barron nee Smith and her family at 66 Isaac Street, Liverpool 8. By this time, George Milne has the occupation of "Engine Fitter".

On the 20th of January 1885 George Milne Smith married his wife, Mary Elizabeth Yoxall in Liverpool, when he was still living in Isaac Street. On his marriage certificate he is recorded as a "Mariner". A marriage notice in the Liverpool Mercury of Saturday January 24th 1885, records the wedding at St. Michael’s-in-the-Hamlet, by the Rev. Canon Eyre of "George M. Smith, engineer S.S. Paraense, to Mary Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Thomas Yoxall, of this city". From entries in the Glasgow Herald and The Times, we also know that S.S. Parense arrived in Liverpool from Para, Brazil on the 3rd of January and departed Liverpool for Pernambuco, Brazil on the 24th of January.

The ship of 1697 tons S.S. Paraense was built for Red Cross Line in 1871 and survived until 1926 under a different name and owner. Red Cross Line was founded in 1869 to carry cargo and passengers from Liverpool to Brazil and in 1901 became part of the Liverpool based Booth Line. Paraense is Portugese for Para which along with Pernambuco is a state in Brazil.

No record has been found of George Milne Smith in Britain after 1885 (aged 25 years). At the time of the 1891 and 1901 census, his wife Mary Elizabeth is at home without him as "Head" of the household. In 1891 she is "Living on her own means" and in both cases is still shown as "married". A matching George M Smith died at sea on "Ethiopia" off the coast of Africa around Nigeria on the 1st of August 1901 aged 41. He was a 2nd Engineer and his address was 26 Aspen Grove Liverpool, while our Smith family were at 96 Aspen Grove in the 1901 census. Ship records indicate it was travelling to Sierra Leon at the time.

"Ethiopia" (offical vessel number 97879) was a 3 cylinder cargo steamship launched in 1891, first owned by African Steamship Co. Ltd. becoming Elder, Dempster & Co. in 1899.