A history of the Bennett family and their endeavours

This website has been created to capture and share a plethora of interesting information about our family. We are also hoping that it will facilitate a family collaboration.

Our starting point will be 19 January 1841, a fine warm day in Sydney when Samuel and Eliza Bennett sailed into the harbour as bounty immigrants on the barque Alfred. Not that we won’t be going back in time if we want to. But there is so much information to share about events which occurred after their arrival, that this is our plan.

We will tackle a particular event or topic, not necessarily in chronological order. And we will attempt to create some logic about how we publish information; navigate to this page to see what’s new. We will definitely welcome input in the form of corrections, new information or suggestions for topics to research.

We hope you enjoy the journey through our history

• Home
  • Recently published pages
• The Bennett family
  • The Voyage to Australia in 1841
  • Samuel and Eliza in Australia
  • The Next Generation
  • The Memoirs of Emily Bennett
    • The Memoirs of Emily Bennett – Faces of Friends (Preface)
    • The Memoirs of Emily Bennett – Burglars
    • The Memoirs of Emily Bennett – Pitt Street Church
    • The Memoirs of Emily Bennett – Emigration
    • The Memoirs of Emily Bennett – The Garden Palace
• The Newspapers
  • The Australian Sporting and Dramatic News
    • Sporting and Dramatic – covers
  • Newspaper Premises -1857 to 1931
    • The Empire Office in Parkes’ Time
    • Hanson and Bennett’s Empire Office
    • Samuel Bennett, sole proprietor – the move up Pitt Street
    • Expansion of the Pitt Street Office
    • The Office that never was – the Kent Street office
    • Market Street
    • Elizabeth and Castlereagh Streets
    • The Evening News Garage
    • The Final Days
• Homes
  • Homes of Samuel and Eliza
    • Phillip Street, Sydney
    • Domain Terrace, Sydney
    • Bourke Street, Sydney
    • Wilson Street, Newtown
    • Ashmore House, Kent Street, Sydney
    • Mundarrah Towers, Little Coogee (Clovelly)
• Other business and personal interests

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which our stories take place. While most of the places mentioned are located in the country of the Eora, we already know that in documenting the history of our family we will also be passing through country of the Bundjalung, Wiradjuri, Gumbainggir, Dharug, Tharawal and Gundungurra people, and perhaps many more.

We pay respect to all these countries and to their Elders — past, present and future – and we also celebrate their history as the world’s oldest living culture; which dwarfs the mere two centuries we will be covering in our own story. Please be aware that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images and information provided by now deceased persons.

Please be aware that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images and information provided by now deceased persons.