Firth Family Archive
This collection is a microcopy of papers held by the family and is held in the microform collection (MF FY 74). Ezra Firth came to Australia in 1849 and for a while followed his trade of stonemason. He was among the lucky ones in the Ballarat and Bendigo goldrushes and with his fortune he returned to England to bring out his wife, Eliza, and their two children. In the early 1860s he took up Mt. Surprise and ran it as a sheep station. In 1873 he converted to cattle. Most of the documents in this collection are personal and legal papers from the period 1865 - 1920 but also included are station diaries and day books for 1887-1906.
Archive Location: 58L
Detailed Listing
1. Mr and Mrs Ezra Firth of Mt Surprise.
2. Application for the Albert Downs lease dated 21 April 1865.
3. Extract from District Register, Cook District re Albert Downs lease.
4. Application for the Stony Rises lease dated 24 July 1872.
5. License to occupy Stony Rises dated 24 July 1872.
6. Letter from The Treasury, Queensland, re Stony Rises dated 19 December 1873.
7. Letter from the Crown Lands Office, Brisbane, re approval of the lease of Stony Rises dated 16 January 1874.8. Letter from the Department of Public Lands, Pastoral Occupation Branch re the transfer of Albert Downs, Fossilbrook, and Stony Rises to Ezra Firth, dated 25 June 1877.
9. Letter to Ezra Firth confirming the above transfer dated 25 June 1877.
10. Letter from the Department of Public Lands, Pastoral Occupation Branch, re assessment of rent for Fossilbrook dated 27 September 1879.
11. Letter from the Department of Public Lands, Pastoral Occupation Branch, re assessment of rent for Albert Downs dated 27 September 1879.
12. Letter to Ezra Firth from the Under Secretary, The Treasury, Queensland, re payment of rent for leases, dated 6 October 1879.
13. Approval of renewal of lease for Albert Downs dated 24 January 1880.
14. Approval of renewal of lease for Fossilbrook dated 24 January 1880.
15. Application for the Rugby lease dated 29 December 1880.
16. License to occupy Rugby dated 29 December 1880.
17. Approval of lease of Rugby dated 2nd June, 1882.
18. Declaration of stocking Elland by John Firth dated 19 October 1883.
19. Application for license to occupy Elland dated 30 November 1883.
20. Application for the Rugby No. 2 lease dated 5 February 1884.
21. License to occupy Rugby No. 2 dated 5 February 1884.
22. Application for the Rugby No. 3 lease dated 25 April 1884.
23. Request for return of Rugby No. 3 license by the Acting Commissioner of Crown Lands dated 6 June 1884.
24. Amended license dated 15 September 1884.
25. Approval of lease of Rugby No. 2 lease dated 28 April 1885.
26. Letter from the Acting Commissioner of Crown Lands re the lease of Rugby No. 2 dated 6 June 1885.
27. Letter from the Department of Public Lands, Pastoral Occupation Branch, re expiration dates of leases for Albert Downs, Fossilbrook and Stony Rises dated 10 August 1885.28. Approval of lease of Rugby No. 3 lease dated 25 September 1885.
29. License to occupy Stony Rises No. 2 dated 1 August 1887.
30. ‘Character from face reading’. Mr C L Firth.
31. Letter to Ezra Firth from R Newton & Co. dated 23 April 1888.
32. Letter to Ezra Firth from R. Newton & Co. re publication of Stony Rises No. 2 dated 11 June 1888.
33. Approval for extension of the leases of Albert Downs and Fossilbrook dated 3 March 1893.34. Cattle and horse account, 1907.
35. List of particulars to accompany Schedule A; includes general stock account, 1908, and page of calculations.
36. Stock records for 1912, dated 12 April 1913.
37. Acknowledgement of receipt of Memorandum of Transfer of brand and earmark, dated 19 February 1915.
38. Letter to Messrs Firth Bros, Mt Surprise from Roberts and Roberts, Solicitors, with attached itemised account dated 26 March 1915.
39. Miscellaneous notes re cattle and horses.
40. Reference for Victor Thomas Firth dated 19 December 1921, from the Australian Bank of Commerce, Charters Towers.
41. Reference for Victor Thomas Firth dated 2 July 1923 from Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd, Townsville.
42. Reference for Victor Firth dated 5 March 1930 from Percy Roliston, Coton Vale, via Prairie.
43. Copy of the agreement on the sale of Penrice dated 14 March 1931.
44. Letters from Messrs Roberts, Leu and North, Solicitors, Townsville, re the estate of C L Firth dated 12 June 1931.
45. Letter to ‘Vic & Neel’ from ‘Flo, Fred and Cook’ dated 20 August 1944.
46. Letter to the Deputy Public Curator from Victor T Firth re the estate of Cook Leichhardt Firth dated 17 October 1944.
47. Letter to V T Firth re discharge from the Civil Constructional Corps dated 26 April 1945.
48. Certificate of discharge.
49. Letter to V T Firth from the Repatriation Commission re discharge from military service dated 28 May 1948.
50. Certificate of discharge.
51. Birth certificate of Victor Thomas Firth.
52. The last will and testament of Cook Leichhardt Firth.
53. Letter to Ezra Firth from William Kellett & Co. dated 1 August 1887.
54. Letter to Ezra Firth from the Australian Joint Stock Bank Ltd re Treasury receipt for rents dated 1 February 1898.55. Indenture dated 8 January 1903.
56. General stock accounts, 1905.
57. Accounts: livestock, rents, rates and miscellaneous.
58. Memorandum of Agreement between Firth Bros and Redcat dated 20 March 1905.
59. Indenture dated 17 September 1906.
60. Last will and testament of Eliza Firth dated 24 April 1903.
61. Probate engrossment dated 16 May 1907.
62. Circular re war census.
63. Notice of payment of interest on Commonwealth Government Inscribed Stock dated 15 December 1916.
64. Certificate of marriage between Victor Thomas Firth and Mary Ellen Manly dated 16 February 1918.
65. Memorandum of Agreement between Cook L Firth and Walter Henry Maidmettt dated 11 June 1919.
66. List returned with Income Tax for 1904.
67. Schedule A return for 1905.
68. Schedule A return for 1906.
69. Assessment for 1909 dated 3 June 1910.
70. Schedule A return for 1908.
71. Schedule A return for 1912.
72. Letter book 1908-1915.
73. Day book 1887-1908. Includes station accounts.
74. Diary 1878. Contains accounts 1882-1906.
75. Horse and receipt book 1917-1920.
76. Ledger. Branding, wages and accounts for 1918-1942.
77. Bank book for V T Firth, Australian Bank of Commerce Ltd, Charters Towers 1916-1925.
