Complex sentence: The Lilydale area was settled in the 1850s; when the land was cleared for saw milling, many of the original settlers were of German origin, although a number of families changed their Anglicised surnames to escape vilification.
Split into simpler sentences: The Lilydale area was settled in the 1850s, when the land was cleared for sawmilling. Many of the original settlers were of German origin, although a number of families Anglicised their surnames to escape vilification.