Sarah Elizabeth Emma Mitchell was born in 1853 at Great Swanport on the East Coast of Tasmania. She was the daughter of John and Catherine (Keast) Mitchell of Lisdillon.

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Sarah kept a diary from the age of 13 years, she also collected letters, cards, pressed flowers, and other curios, some of which she kept in her museum at Schouten House, Swansea.

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Her scrapbooks document her family and her life on the east coast of Tasmania during the 19th and 20th centuries. Sarah died at the age of 93, leaving behind a legacy to be admired by future generations.

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Mr. Eddie Smith of Lisdillon donated one of Sarah's many scrapbooks to East Coast Heritage Museum in 2011.

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