Breaking Brick Walls - Finding Dennis Clarke's real birth certificate

 Hi Guys!

            It has been a couple of years since I posted on my blog, but things have been so exciting that I had to let everyone know.  Our family brick wall has tumbled down. I found DENNIS CLARKE's birth certificate!

            Dennis Clarke had 10 children, and therefore has many descendants, and we of the Clarke family have been bugged by not being able to find his birth certificate for many years now. The Clarke  parents were JOHN CLARKE and MARY McNAMARA.

            My search for answers started in about 2014. I was intrigued when I searched Trove and found a notice in the Geelong Advertiser in the Missing Friends column from a John Clarke to a James Edmonds, saying :

                                        "JAMES EDMONDS, of Bellerine, is earnestly requested to return and take charge of his two children, as the undersigned is not in a position to maintain them any longer. If he does not do so, they will be handed over to the authorities.  JOHN CLARKE  April 28th 1859."

            I wondered if this was my John Clarke, and so I researched as widely as I could at the time, but due to multiple JOHN CLARKEs and JAMES EDMONDS in Geelong, I abandoned the search. 

            Then in 2016, another family historian Lynette emailed me, telling me a family story that I did not know.  Apparently Dennis Clarke had spent time in an orphanage, along with another boy. There were two. This didn't seem to make sense. Again I chased the Edmonds angle. I researched for hours and couldn't pin anything down.

            In 2017 I contacted someone on Ancestry at that time who I thought was likely to be another Edmonds descendant. Again my research was stymied by the commonality of the name James Edmonds. I resolved that I needed clarifying information, something I could pin down as definite. Occasionally over the years, I looked again and found nothing.

            That brings me to a month ago. With the virus shutting me down and leaving me bored, I decided to revisit Trove and search the Edmonds angle another time. Bingo! I found a similar notice to John Clarke's in the Geelong Advertiser in the Missing friends column later that same year. This time it was to James EDMUNDS (different spelling) from his wife:

                                    "JAMES EDMUNDS.- You are earnestly requested to communicate with your wife, who has returned home quite well."

            The new and more accurate spelling gave me something to go on. From that I found a James Edmunds marrying a MARY HILLARY. Mary was from Co. Clare in Ireland, which is also where Mary McNamara hailed from. I found the couple had three children at Indented Head near Geelong:

• Thomas EDMUNDS b. 1856 d. 1857 - 5 months old.
• John EDMUNDS  b. 5th August 1857
• James EDMUNDS Jnr. b. 1858.

              This means that when John and Mary Clarke put the notice in the Geelong Advertiser in 1859, John was 2 1/2 years old and James was about one. Their own daughter was only 14 months old, so they had three under three.

         

                 Sadly, I discovered that James Jnr. died in St. Augustine's Orphanage in Geelong in 1865, aged only 7 years old. So two of the Edmunds children had died, which left JOHN EDMUNDS as the potential Dennis Clarke. I contacted Mac Killop Family Services and they responded the next day by phone. Their brief look at their records confirmed the two Edmunds boys, staying multiple times at St. Augustine's. But I would have to wait my turn to get details and copies of the documents. 

                Weeks dragged by and I filled my time by researching more about the Edmunds family. I found that Mary Edmunds had a warrant out for James for abandoning her and the children.  Mary obviously had a breakdown after the death of her baby only 5 months old and being abandoned by her husband.  She struggled with mental illness which seemed to spiral increasingly. She had been in and out of care. It explained her "returned home quite well" notice.  Eventually I found her records in PROV - she had been taken to Yarra Bend Asylum, spent 30 years there, and died there in 1900, aged 73. I've found no further trace of James Edmunds Snr.

           Yesterday, McKillop Family Services contacted me back, and sent me their records of the two boys. Unfortunately the admittance papers have been lost in time, but their registry records remain. Only two weeks after his brother James' death in 1865, JOHN EDMUNDS was discharged. The terse registry entry only says "Returned to his friends."

            Indeed, John and Mary Clarke were his friends.  John Edmunds became an integral part of the Clarke family. As the Clarkes already had a son called John Clarke, John Edmunds changed his name to Dennis, who was his biological maternal grandfather's name. I think this is a story of love. Dennis embraces John and Mary as his parents absolutely, and they in turn embrace him.  Dennis was a pillar of the Terang community where he settled as DENNIS CLARKE, and he achieved innumerable good deeds for his community.

            So now all the Clarke family historians need to adjust their records. Dennis Clarke, birth name John EDMUNDS, born 5th August 1857 at Indented Head, Victoria. Father: James EDMUNDS. Mother: Mary HILLARY (or HILLERY).  Adoptive Parents: John and Mary Clarke. Lots of work to do now!

1857 - James Edmunds' signature from John Edmunds/Dennis Clarke's birth certificate.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=amazingmazy

Rescue boat Alwyn Tamo

Today I went to Hastings, Victoria and accidentally stumbled upon a piece of my family history.

I had been told that there was a rescue boat named after Alwyn Tamo, one of the people in my family tree.  But I hadn't registered the fact that Hastings was the place where the boat was usually docked. I got such a delightful surprise walking in the salty sea air. There was the Alwyn Tamo right in front of me!

The Alwyn Tamo at Hastings

Alwyn Tamo married the grandson of Ellen Tamo nee Clarke, whose death and burial records still elude our family historians. Ellen was the sister of my great great grandfather Patrick Clarke.  Ellen had a son called Joseph Tamo. Joseph's son, William Tamo married Alwyn. Her maiden name was Templeton.

I believe William Tamo and Alwyn Templeton married later in life and lived in nearby Warneet.

Look on the black windows for the name.

The $300,000 rescue boat was named after Alwyn Tamo because she monitored  the Westernport Safety Council radio for 20 years. The christening of the catamaran was reported in a local newspaper, the Mornington News in March 2011. The boat was christened with champagne in Hastings by local MPs and water police.

For all of you who want a detailed description of the boat, head to the Volunteer Marine Rescue Mornington website:

http://www.vmrmornington.com.au/tx1-the-alwyn-tamo

A wonderful surprise for me.

Stephen Tamo's brother, Pietro TAMO

Pietro Tamo and Alice Kendall in Daylesford, Victoria in the 1870's.

I've written a little about Stephen Tamo and his wife Ellen Tamo nee Clarke.  Ellen is the sister of my great great grandfather Patrick Clarke (1866-1902).

The reason we are so interested in Ellen Clarke is that we have no death records or burial records. She just disappears sometime between 1892 and 1895 as far as all the researchers in our family are concerned.  (Serendipitously, Patrick's wife, Louisa Salter, also has a sister called Ellen who also disappears. I spend a lot of time searching for Ellens and Nellies and Nells and Helens.)

In an effort to discover Ellen's burial under her married name Tamo, I started investigating Trove, the digitised newspaper section of the National Library of Australia.  What came up was a wealth of newspaper articles under the name Tamo, but for Stephen's brother's family.

Stephen and Pietro Tamo were born in Switzerland in the late 1830's.  After emigrating, Stephen settled in Geelong and Pietro settled in Daylesford, Victoria, and I gather (but I could be wrong) that Pietro was fairly affluent and had something to do with the mines there in 1869.  More of that to be researched.  He also married in 1869, to Alice Kendall, an Englishwoman.

They had 7 children together.  I could list all their children, but it is easier if you just read the death notice I found for Alice that summarises the children and their lives. It appeared in The Argus on 18 July, 1927 in the Family Notices section as below:

Although Alice lived to a ripe old age, unfortunately her husband Pietro did not.  He died in Daylesford in 1880, 47 years before her, at the age of 43. Although I can't find anything (so far) in the newspaper to mark Pietro's passing, I did find a photo of a memorial to him erected recently by his great grandsons. What a lovely tribute to him. We could all wish for as much.

Historically yours,
Valerius Copernicus

Article identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3867338

Page identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page455684

Clarke Descendants

Just to make sure it is REALLY hard to figure out my family tree, I've discovered that some cousins married the same bloke.

My great great grandfather Patrick Clarke (who married Louisa Salter) had three brothers and three sisters. One of his sister's names was Johanna Clarke, who married Edward William Kellaway.  One of their children was SARAH ELLEN KELLAWAY, called Nellie.

Another of Patrick's sisters was Ellen Clarke who married Stephen Tamo.  One of their daughters was ALICE OLIVE TAMO.

So Nellie Kellaway and Alice Tamo are first cousins. My great grandmother (Gran) is another first cousin of theirs.

 I found the marriage of Nellie Kellaway to a FREDERICK GEORGE ANDREWS in 1909. Electoral Rolls describe Fred's occupation as being a Railway employee. Unfortunately in 1915 at the age of 27, Nellie died, leaving behind Fred and four small children. Fred describes her death as being "a patient sufferer at rest", and thanks are given to the doctor in the Williamstown Advertiser.

A year later in 1916, an "IN MEMORIUM" piece is put in the paper by her husband Fred, mother Johanna, brother, sister and cousins, one of them being ALICE TAMO.

I discovered Nellie's burial in 1915 in the Williamstown Cemetery and Fred's burial there 42 years later in 1957.

Later on in my search I found the marriage of Alice Tamo to FREDERICK GEORGE ANDREWS in 1917.   I must admit it took me a while to twig that Alice had married her cousin's widower, and I guess she must have taken on the raising of her four small cousins once removed too.  A look at the Electoral Rolls at this time seems to confirm it - this Fred Andrews is also a Railway employee.

Alice dies in 1961, and is cremated and buried in Altona.

I don't know if Fred and Alice had children as the historical birth index stops at 1914.  But I do hope they were happy, raising Nellie's children and spending the next 40 years together.

Historically yours

Valerius Copernicus

Citations:
Memorial article:   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87747977
Death Notices:   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69981179
photo:   http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/Alice-Olive-Andrews/9795578#given_names=Alice&family_names=Andrews

Ellen Tamo nee Clarke

Firstly, let me thank all those people who have expressed their love and concern for me whilst I have been so sick with pneumonia for the last two weeks. While I've been stuck in bed, I've tried to do a little more investigating.  So here's what I found out....

My great great aunt Ellen Clarke married Stephen TAMO in 1876 and lived in Malop Street, Geelong.

A court case was reported in the Geelong Advertiser in October 1885.  The article was called "Life in Malop Street East."

Three women who also resided in Malop St. east were the defendants.  One of them was called Mrs. Jessie McDonald who was charged with being the "occupier of a house frequented by idle and disorderly persons, having no lawful visible means of support."  In 1885 terms, running a brothel.

A couple of local constables had been given the duty of observing the house, and gave evidence. Constable Croucher deposed that he had seen quite a few men get admitted to the house, and named many of the men's names.  He had visited the house sometimes in the company of Constable Overend, and even had a glass of beer there. Mr. Toohey the prosecutor mentions that " it is usual for constables when going into these kind of houses to be asked to shout."  Mr. Dwyer responds incredulously "At two shillings a bottle?"  Constable Croucher says "The woman asked me to shout beer."  Constable Croucher also mentions in his evidence that he knows the neighbours around the house (including my TAMO relatives) and a Mrs. Miller, who seems to be the main complainant.

There seems to be a lot of different accusations flying around, including that the constabulary got drunk and did some name calling.  All the men who were named were incredibly surprised to find out that the house was, in fact, a brothel.  Not one of them had gone for an improper purpose.  Some had just gone to find others and happened to be there.

One of the men named was interesting to me.  His name was Henry Martini, and one of the girls goes into the bedroom with him and calls out, referring to him as Jack. A Jack Martini was well known to our family, but I don't know if this man is the same Jack Martini. Anyway, Martini deposed that the police were lying and he didn't know that the defendant's house was a bad place.

Mr. Pardey J.P. states that he "cannot see any reason why such a large number of respectable young men should have been brought here and accused of being idle and disorderly persons.  They have been ruthlessly and unmercifully brought to the court to try and prove a case for the police."

The bench decides that the case has not been proven that the people who frequented the house were not idle and disorderly. The court then turns its attention to Mrs. McDonald.

Constable Croucher swears that he had a conversation with Jessie McDonald, telling him that she was making a good living with the other two girls.

Mrs. Miller, the main complainant, was blind and lived with her daughter near the McDonald house, and had often been woken by drunken men banging on her door asking for Jessie.  Mrs. Miller said: "Mrs. Tamo lives near me; she is a respectable person."

Stephen Tamo deposed: "that he resided close to the defendant's house for eleven years.  He had no reason to complain of the conduct of Mrs. McDonald.  He had a family, among whom were daughters.  To Mr. Toohey - He had seen a man and woman sitting in the house when he went there to complain of some fowls having been poisoned.  He had never heard any rows in the defendant's house.  He did not know if the house was a brothel.  The defendant, he believed, was the wife of Jimmy Whitely.  He knew Whitely for six or seven years.  He had frequently seen him in Geelong.  He had signed a petition stating that he did not consider the defendant's house a nuisance."

James Whitely then deposed that he was a butcher and married to Jessie, supported his wife and had a house for her.  There seems to be more to the story though. "To Mr. Toohey - I have been working at Allen's for five weeks.  I reside at Tamo's.  I was married to the defendant by Mr. Couves this morning.  In the presence of Mr. Tamo and the girl Giles [one of the other defendants]. I slept at the defendant's house last night.  I do not know what is being done in the house, but I have been supporting the defendant."

Confusingly, the court rules that despite it's previous decision that no disorderly conduct was proven and the people were not idle and disorderly, Mrs. Jessie McDonald is guilty of being the occupier of such a house.

The court is immediately notified that the case would be appealed.

This isn't the end of the story however, Less than two weeks later, Ellen Tamo would take proceedings against Jessie McDonald for using insulting words in a public place.  More on that in the next article.

Historically yours,
Valerius Copernicus



Trove Citations
Article identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890
Page identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page17553557
APA citation
LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST. (1885, October 13). Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926), p. 4. Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890
MLA citation
"LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST." Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926) 13 Oct 1885: 4. Web. 24 Oct 2015 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890>.
Harvard/Australian citation
1885 'LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST.', Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926), 13 October, p. 4, viewed 24 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890
Wikipedia citation

{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890 |title=LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST. |newspaper=[[Geelong Advertiser |Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926)]] |location=Vic. |date=13 October 1885 |accessdate=24 October 2015 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}