Putney district were often related by marriages and this included the Weavers, Wicks, Benson, Cox, Hicks and Heard families of North Ryde. Henry Heard came to Sydney from Devonshire and acquired four acres of land on Twin Road and planted an orchard. He and his wife Mary Jane had nine children, four sons and five daughters born between 1859 and 1876. Apart from the first child, William, who was born and died in 1859 and registered in St Leonards, all the other children were registered in Ryde. Therefore, the growing Heard family must have come to the district just before 1860. He continued to acquire more acreage and expand his orchards and vineyards. After his death one of his sons obtained a further 24 acres, bounded on the north and north-east by Joseph Cox's property, on the south and south-east by Wicks Road, on the south-west by Twin Road. In addition to this orchard he also obtained 12 acres of bush land which was further cleared to expand the farm. The Heard's orchard was named the Model Farm. Two of Heard's cottages survive to this day, the main house at 505 Twin Road and semi-detached Orchard House (1890) and Heards Cottage (1895) on the corner of Cox's and Wicks Roads, North Ryde and is listed on Ryde Council's Heritage List (No. 97). Around 1868 Joseph Cox and his brother William, originally from Kent in England, purchased 21 acres of land in North Ryde for £1425. William left to pursue farming on the other side of the Parramatta River. Joseph, along with his wife persevered and named their homestead "Pomona". They had six children. With extensive orchards and vineyards, Joseph was also a skilled winemaker. Around 1880 Joseph built an impressive three storey manor from locally quarried stone, and a private carriageway with entrance and exit to Cox's Road via ornate iron gates hinged on skillfully dressed stone pillars. From the upstairs verandah they had an excellent view of Sydney. "Pomona" was located near the North Ryde Public School on the opposite side of Cox's Road. George Wicks was the Mayor of Ryde in 1876 and he and his wife Sarah Goulding had a total of 12 children. Henry William Watts (Sarah Weavers’ son from her second marriage to William Watts) served as an alderman on Ryde Council and was Mayor from 1886 to 1887. These descendants of James Weavers were