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. Most notably, Sarah collected her sister Kate's drawings and collated them in a scrapbook adding stories to accompany the images. 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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