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Family Homes - No 2 - Franklin Tasmania

The three photographs below are of a house in Franklin, Tasmania that my great great grandfather, Dr William Lee Dawson had built in 1861.

Home of Dr William Lee Dawson, Franklin, Tasmania

Side view of the home

According to his diary, William Lee Dawson, his wife Emma (Seabrook) and their two eldest children Catherine Ellen and William Henry moved into the house on Wednesday 20th March, 1861. Two further children, Lousia and Robert were born while the Dawsons lived here. They continued to live in this house until William's death in 1871. Shortly after his death, Emma rented the property to a Robert Walker and moved to Hobart Town and later to Melbourne.

The house cost a total of £236 3s 6d to build. From the ledger in William Lee Dawson's diary we can ascertain that the house had a green baize door. The baize would have been attached to the door that separated the servant living quarters from that of the family. Baize had the effect of quietening the noise. (Wikipedia) There was calico on the shop ceiling (I assume this was his surgery) and the rooms were papered. There was a stone hearth and steps, a stove in the front room of the house and the chimney was whitewashed. The front door had a bronze knocker and handle. Out the back there was a shed and an orchard of fruit trees of various descriptions.

The ledger contains more than 120 entries for costs associated with building the home. These include: shingles, palings, nails, hinges, paint, oil, turps, cartage, room paper, stone, lime, calico for shop lining, varnish, green baize for door, bronze knocker, scraper for door, timber and labour including cartage,  lathing, plastering, painting.

Unfortunately the house is not standing today and efforts so far have been unable to locate the block on which it once stood. 
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