Uncovering a family's story

by Nick Rowe
A simple curiosity about where her mother's family came from led Judy Hopkins into three years of research, resulting in a book preserving more than 170 years of her family's story.
Written primarily for her family, A History of the Lindsay and Clarke Families 1852–2025 traces Judy's maternal ancestry from England and Ireland to Australia.
"I never knew where my mother's parents came from," Judy said.
All she knew was her mother had been told the family was of Irish descent.
Judy knew her grandparents, but said her grandmother's parents had both died while she was young. Little was said about the family's earlier history or background.
Judy said people of that generation learned to simply get on with life and survive rather than worry too much about genealogy.
She began piecing the story together with help from a cousin who was experienced in genealogy.
Her research traced the Lindsay family to two brothers from Ireland who arrived at Port Phillip, although she was unable to establish which ship brought them to Australia.
"That's the one gap in my information," Judy said.
The first documentation she found was dated 1852.
One brother was a saddler who married in Melbourne before moving to Castlemaine, where he established a saddlery during the gold rush. The other joined the police force and died after accidentally shooting himself in the shoulder with a musket.
Research into the Castlemaine family tree branch was helped by the Castlemaine Historical Society and a website called Bones in the Belfry.
Judy also uncovered records from a Martin, Farrow and Crump family reunion held in Ballarat in the late 1990s — all names from her maternal family.
"That was a great leap forward, really, in finding it," she said.
When asked if her research had uncovered any surprises, Judy said there were "no skeletons in the closet."
"They were just really hard-working, dedicated people.
"A shared love of music also ran through the family," she said.
Another ancestor who captured Judy's attention was Charles Newman, who served with English forces in India before travelling to Tasmania, where he guarded prisoners.
He later selected land at Templestowe, established a farm and several businesses, and imported racehorses from England.
He also leased adjoining Crown land where, Judy said, gold was first discovered in Victoria.
"I found him very interesting," she said. Judy discovered late in her research that Newman achieved much of this while almost blind.
Central to the story are Judy's maternal grandparents, Frances Reita Lindsay, known as Reita, and Arthur Thomas Newton Clarke, known as Newton.
Judy used the couple as the reference point connecting the many generations and branches of the family.
"Nana and Gramps were the anchor to everything," she said.
"One of my aims about writing this book was not to lose the reader," she said.
Descending family trees at the beginning of each chapter showed the relationships to Reita and Newton.
Judy also drew on death notices and newspaper reports, including the Mount Alexander Mail and Castlemaine newspapers.
The research and writing could become all-consuming, with Judy sometimes continuing until one or two o'clock in the morning.
"You just become absorbed," she said. "I've somehow skipped meals while undertaking this project."
Her daughter Susan and son-in-law Jamie who are experienced in the publishing industry helped with publishing and editing, while her husband Brian edited the first draft.
Only a short run was produced for the family, with no ISBN (International Standard Book Number) or plans for commercial sale.
"I wanted a sturdy book, something that will stand a test of time," Judy said.
Despite completing the book, Judy said there were still questions she hoped to answer. "I need to do a little bit more digging around," she said.
One mystery was why Reita and Newton married in Hay, New South Wales, when both had connections to Castlemaine. Judy hopes the Hay Historical Society may reveal what brought them there.
She also hopes the book will give future generations something on which to build.
"Someone in the future will find something here that they will pick up and carry on. If I can do this much now … then they can add to it later on," she said.