3. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Project Background 4
Authorship 4
Research Access 4
Research Aims 4
Research Scope 5
Desired Outcomes 5
Parameters and Limitations 5
Methodology 6
Achievements 10
Research Findings 11
Research Significance 12
Acknowledgments 12
Appendices 13
A. Mary Ann Williams (nee Cowan) – detailed findings 14
B. Williams Family Tree 24
C. King Harry Neville – detailed findings 25
D. Arthur Devlin – detailed findings 30
E. Continuing the Search – Future Research Directions 34
F. How to ‘Read’ the Breimba Lindt Notebook 37
4. 4
Project Background
In 1873 and 1874 German-born, Grafton-based photographer John William Lindt took a series of
photographs of some Aboriginal residents of the Clarence Valley. In 2004 an album of 37
photographs (32 of which contain Aboriginal people) were bought at auction by Sydney
philanthropists, Sam and Janet Cullen, and donated to the Clarence Valley community. They are
held at the Grafton Regional Gallery.
This significant donation was followed by an increasingly concerted effort to identify the
Aboriginal people depicted in the famous photos. The first research project in 2010 was carried
out by local historian Nola Mackey, and supported by the Clarence Valley Council. In October
2014 a seven month research project, Breimba – looking for you: Lindt Research Project (aka
Breimba Lindt Project), was launched. This project was supported by the University of New
England (UNE), Armidale, the Clarence Valley Council (CVC), Grafton Regional Gallery (GRG), the
Gallery Foundation, and Friends of the Gallery. The project’s aims and directions have been
overseen by the Lindt Research Group, a committee of local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
community members who have an interest in the identities of the Aboriginal people in the J.W.
Lindt photographs. Jude McBean, Director of the Grafton Regional Gallery, administered the
project. Dr Eliza Kent, UNE, was the research supervisor of the research team, consisting of
Annika Korsgaard (lead researcher) and Roberta Skinner (research assistant).
Authorship
The Breimba - looking for you: Lindt Research Project Final Report and the Breimba Lindt
Notebook (including all sections and pages) have been written by Annika Korsgaard. Research
documents collected in the Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection were collected and
collated by Annika Korsgaard and Roberta Skinner, with assistance from members of the public.
Video footage was filmed by Simon Hughes Photography.
Research Access
The complete Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection will be made publically available by
early-mid August 2015 at the Sir Earle Page Library & Education Centre (Grafton Library). The
library will have all of the digital collection and the paper files containing some research
documents, which are also available in the digital collection. Members of the public will be able
print or copy part or all of the research collection. There are to be no limitations on access. The
digital files will be locked to prevent people from deleting or altering the core data. They can
modify their own copies.
The University of New England and the Grafton Regional Gallery will also have a copy of the
Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection. A copy of the Breimba Lindt Notebook will be
available online from the Grafton Library and the Grafton Regional Gallery by early-mid August.
5. 5
Research Aims
The two key aims of the Breimba Lindt Project were:
1. To continue research into the identity of the Aboriginals portrayed in the J.W. Lindt
photographs that are held in the Grafton Regional Gallery
2. To maintain the research database relating to the search for the identity of the
Aboriginal people in the J.W. Lindt photographs in the Grafton Regional Gallery
Research Scope
Time period: 1800-1900
Region: None defined (enabling the research to follow the movements of the people being
researched)
Identify the individuals in the photos - where they came from and where they went. Collect
anything and everything relating to the individuals in the photos
Gather information on the immediate family members of the photo subjects
This includes people's parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, 1st aunts,
uncles and cousins. Also include date of birth, residence, relationship to subject,
employment, movements/ mobility. What places related to what people. What activities?
Gather information on key events for the Aboriginal people: e.g. arrival of timber industry,
massacres etc
Look at other photo collections - Ehlers, Kerry etc, and see if any of the GRG photo subjects
appear in other photos/ collections
Collect information on other known Aboriginal people, including key Aboriginal families and
individuals (Kings, prominent people etc)
Desired Outcomes
The tangible outcomes desired for this project were threefold:
1. To provide a digital research tool for people to easily access research materials collected in
the Breimba – looking for you: Lindt Research Project
2. To provide information for a new J.W. Lindt Collection Catalogue for the Grafton Regional
Gallery
3. To provide information for a book about the Aboriginals of the Clarence Valley region, based
on the search for the identities of the people in the J.W. Lindt photographs
Parameters and Limitations
The role of the lead researcher was to collect and collate information relating to the search for
the Aboriginal people in the Lindt photographs. The research directive was that I focus on
collecting information outlined in the 'Scope', and that I was not required to conduct any
qualitative analysis of the materials collected except in the aim of identifying people in the
collection. Other people are to be engaged to extract information from this research in order to
write a new J.W. Lindt Collection catalogue for the Grafton Regional Gallery, and possibly a book
about the Clarence Valley Aboriginals. The catalogue will only have three new entries, pertaining
6. 6
to the research finds discussed below, but there is no new information for most of the
photographs in the collection. The content and structure of the proposed book, and the themes
to be addressed in it, are outside the scope of my role as lead researcher.
Time was the major constraint on this project. Six months' finance was allocated for the lead
researcher to fulfil the research aims (above). During this time thousands of documents were
viewed and over 1000 were captured in the digital collection However, we only eliminated a
small amount of documentary resources from our investigation. An educated guess would be
that the documentary research and data management alone would require another 1.5 years. In
the six month period it was not possible to research collections outside of the Northern Rivers
area, nor was it possible to review or examine the extensive archives at UNE. It would have been
possible to examine more archives if that had been the only task, however, there were multiple
aspects to this project (see 'Achievements', below), and so the breadth of archival research had
limitations. There were also some issues with accessing some archival collections owing to
internal restructuring.
Methodology
The three desired research outcomes necessitated the collection of different types of
information (see Research Scope, above), and different ways of structuring that information.
Therefore the methodology I designed and employed sought to meet the requirements of each
research outcome.
The digital research tool, Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection, was designed to collect and
categorise large quantities of information in different formats, including word documents, pdfs,
jpegs, tiffs, spreadsheets, and mp4 (videos). The research tool has three primary functions:
A research platform from which future J.W. Lindt researchers can commence their
investigations into the identities of the people in Lindt's photographic series Australian
Aboriginals (thus enabling them to not repeat pre-existing research);
A document repository;
An Aboriginal family history and Clarence Valley Aboriginal history resource
The Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection is the umbrella for all of the data (information),
which is divided into six folders:
Breimba Lindt Annotated Bibliography
Breimba Lindt Documents
Breimba Lindt Notebook
Breimba Lindt Photographs
Breimba Lindt Video Footage
Lindt Research Project 2010
The flow chart (below, page 9) shows the relationship between, and contents of, the different
folders.
7. 7
The new J.W. Lindt Collection Catalogue for the Grafton Regional Gallery will draw its
information from the research findings presented in the Final Report and the Breimba Lindt
Notebook, and it may draw from sources in the Breimba Lindt Annotated Bibliography for some
contextual information on the Aboriginal history of the region since colonisation.
For an author to write a book about the Aboriginal people of the region, and their links to the
Lindt photos, the author would require a wide range of information from various sources, so the
Breimba Lindt Annotated Bibliography was designed to capture this information. This would be
used in conjunction with the information provided in the Breimba Lindt Notebook and the
Breimba Lindt Documents.
The primary aim of identifying the Aboriginal people in the photos directed the research
trajectories. Even when an individual was identified it was not possible to put all the focus on
trying to find out as much about that one person as possible, or on building up their complete
family tree. Core datasets (such as births, marriages and deaths) were investigated, but there
was not the time to go into an in-depth search for additional information. Rather, basic
information was collected and the search for other people resumed. It will be up to future
researchers to fill in the missing gaps about those people we identified.
The first task of the research process was to read all of the pre-existing research that had been
done. After assessing all of the documentation I determined that the best research strategy was
to commence with the known and progress to the unknown. I started by consolidating the
information that was already known about particular people in the photos and set about finding
out more information about them, and by doing so then believing they would lead me to more
possible photo subjects. I also applied a broad approach by casting the net wide and appealing
to the public for information. Roberta and I conducted extensive research into Births Marriages
Deaths, historic newspaper articles, and prison records, to build up a database of Aboriginal
people who were known to be living and working in the region at the time the photos were
taken.
From the little that is known about the people, they seem to come from three main areas –
Grafton, Swan Creek and Ulmarra (see Research Findings, below). Therefore our research was
somewhat spatially contained to trying to find people who were living on or around these
properties in 1873/74, but not limited to this.
I also conducted a photo analysis of the Grafton Regional Gallery J.W. Lindt Collection and
determined that there seems to be several family and tribal/clan groups visible in the photos,
based on a comparison of their facial features and body scarring (see Breimba Lindt Digital
Research CollectionBreimba Lindt PhotographsReexaminationOfLindtCollection). A facial
recognition software (FRS) expert from the University of Queensland, Prof. Brian Lovell, said that
the dataset was too small to analyse and that it is not designed for this type of analysis. He also
stated that FRS would not be of great value to this project, therefore leaving it up to the human
eye to determine any family relationships in the photographs.
The research also required finding or generating family trees to understand the
interrelationships between people known to be, or suspected of, living on these European
properties. The strong links between certain key families suggests that not only did the people
come from a few key locations, but also that they seemingly derived from a few key family
8. 8
groups, however it is too early to confirm this theory. This theory led us to closely investigating
some of those key families (see the 'Research Journal' section of the Breimba Lindt Notebook for
more details).
The overall methodology on this project was to collect and collate as much information as
possible in a short amount of time. The information collected was based on the points identified
in the project's scope. The research followed quite an organic path, whereby one lead or piece of
information naturally led to the next, which was either explored or rejected based on its
relevance to the scope. This fluid yet controlled approach has enabled an informative and data-
rich outcome.
10. 10
Achievements
A great deal was achieved between October 2014 and April 2015, including:
Project design and establishment of data management protocols
Collection of oral histories
Collection and management of documentary and photographic records (over 1000
records were included in the digital archive)
Creation of an annotated bibliography
Positive identification of three people in the Lindt photographs
Creation of a working research journal for future Lindt photo researchers
Creation of a digital research and archive collection for public access
Collection of video footage for possible follow-up Australian Story
Media interviews (newspapers, radio and television - see web links, below)
Social media engagement (Facebook page establishment and maintenance)
Community connections and engagements (regular liaising with members of the public
and delivery of four public lectures)
The success of this project cannot simply be measured by the number of Aboriginal identities
that were revealed. A large component of this research has been about creating a resource that
will help future researchers continue the investigation into the J.W. Lindt photos, and the
general public to conduct local and family history research. It will also provide a great deal of
information for a future author to write a history of the search for the people in the photos, and
of the Clarence Valley Aboriginals.
The Breimba – looking for you: Lindt Research Project will, I believe, be an ongoing endeavour.
Each new researcher and research project will build on the information and ideas of the previous
one. Discovering the identities of even one or two of the people in the Lindt photographs was
always a wishful ideal. It was never expected that all of the people in the photos would be
identified in this phase of the research. Rather, this phase has positively identified three people,
and, equally important, it has served to partially map some archive collections and eliminate
large quantities of research materials from future research projects, making it easier for the next
person to pick up where this stage has finished off. These results are considered by the research
team to be a great success.
Media Links
Radio
https://soundcloud.com/abc-open-north-coast-nsw/joanne-shoebridge-talks-to-annika-
korsgaard-about-the-lindt-photographic-collection
Television
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/mystery-of-historic-photographs-solved/6402456
11. 11
Research Findings
The research positively identified three people in the J.W. Lindt photos: Mary Ann Williams (nee
Cowan), King Harry Neville, and Arthur Devlin. See Appendices A-D for the detailed findings on
each of them.
In addition to the information discovered about each of these people, there were some general
observations that were noted.
There are only approximately 33 individuals depicted in the Grafton Regional Gallery J.W. Lindt
Collection, and several are used more than once, or appear to have a close resemblance to other
people in the photos (see the Breimba Lindt Digital Research CollectionBreimba Lindt
PhotographsReexaminationOfLindtCollectionPhotoAnalysisOfGRGLindtCollection). The photo
analysis suggests that there are definite family groups, and the very similar body scarification on
the men denotes the same clan (pers. comm. Arlene Hope, 2015). Most of the people in the
photographs are believed to be Gumbaynggirr people, and certainly King Harry Neville is.
While the newspaper descriptions of the Lindt photos identify some of the people as being from
Orara, Bellingen and Kangaroo Creek, there is no evidence that they were specifically living in
those areas at the time the photographs were taken, which are 25km+ out of Grafton. The
people may have been born at those places, or have been living there for long periods, but I
believe they were living closer to Grafton at the time that Lindt took the photos. So far, we only
have evidence for some of the Aboriginals living at the McLachlan property at Ulmarra, the Small
property at Swan Creek, and the Bawden property 'Trefusis' in Grafton. This would suggest that
Lindt chose his subjects from a small and easily accessible pool of possibilities. It would make
sense if he had asked his friends who had Aboriginals camping or working on their properties if
he could 'borrow' them for his photo shoots, or if he had developed close enough personal
ties/friendships with some of the Aboriginal people (most likely the ‘Kings’) so as to get them to
sit for him and recruit others. All three families were known for their support and kindness to the
Aboriginal people (compared to other contemporary European families), so it seems unlikely
that the McLachlans, Bawdens or Smalls would have allowed Lindt to force the Aboriginal people
against their will.
A by-product of the research has shown how complex the movements of the Aboriginal people
were in the 1800s and early 1900s. Many were driven off their traditional lands, firstly by the
cedar getters and then the pastoralists. Brutal massacres all around the Northern Rivers meant
that survivors fled to other areas, and some clans were completely annihilated. This created a
displacement of people from their country. A difficulty in tracing the Aboriginal people was that
they often did not register their children's births as it wasn't safe to do so, as the Aboriginal
Protection Board would take children away or relocate entire families and communities onto
state or church-run mission stations such as Ulgundahi or Cabbage Tree Island. Complex family
and clan connections, various naming issues (see Nola Mackey’s 2011 Lindt Project Report), the
movement from summer to winter camps, relocation for safety reasons, and other factors,
means that trying to track the Aboriginals of the Clarence Valley is convoluted and requires a lot
more research. This current research is just the tip of a very large iceberg. The findings from this
phase of the project are a small sample of the kind of information that is available to future
researchers.
12. 12
Research Significance
John William Lindt acquired international recognition and acclaim for his album Australian
Aboriginals, and yet the people who made the photos so powerful and beautiful - that is, the
people in the photographs, were left unnamed. From a humanist perspective the Breimba Lindt
Project is about making an effort to identify and honour the Aboriginal people in the photos, and
to reinstate their identities. From a historical and heritage perspective the research is about
enriching our knowledge of the Aboriginal history of the region, and adding to the growing body
of information about local Aboriginal families and community networks.
The Lindt photos are a starting point from which other conversations can be had about topics
such as how colonialism dramatically altered the lives of the local Aboriginal people, through
land alienation, massacres, and the dissolution of tribal law, to name a few, and all the social and
cultural problems that arose from these events. These struggles and social problems can be
detected in the lives of some of the people in the Lindt photos, such as Arthur Devlin, who I
believe was a direct product of his socio-cultural environment. Therefore these photos are no
longer simply static, romanticised images of "the noble savage". By knowing something of the
history of the people in the photographs, the photographs themselves become a narrative of the
hardships, struggles and confusion that the Aboriginal people of the 1800s, and beyond, have
had to endure.
Acknowledgements
In addition to the project supporters discussed in the 'Project Background' I would like give a
heartfelt thanks to the following individuals, associations and communities who have generously
contributed their time and information, and made this research possible:
Robyne Bancroft, Baryulgil School and Community, Roy Bowling, Bundjalung Community,
Clarence River Historical Society, Jo-Ann and Wendy Clarke, Sandra Davidson, Grafton
Community Centre staff, Grafton Library staff, Grafton TAFE, Gumbaynggirr Community, Ron
Heron, Arlene Hope, Helen Kennedy, Maclean Historical Society, Hazel Mason, Colin McLachlan,
Dorothy Pholi, Richmond River Historical Society, David Rooke, Roberta Skinner, Tracy Skinner,
Elizabeth and Matthew Smith, Quentin Taylor, Shirley Williams, Yaegl Community, Yamba
Historical Society.
13. 13
APPENDICES
A. Mary Ann Williams (nee Cowan) – detailed findings
B. Williams Family Tree
C. King Harry Neville – detailed findings
D. Arthur Devlin – detailed findings
E. Continuing the Search – Future Research Directions
F. How to ‘Read’ the Breimba Lindt Notebook
14. 14
G. APPENDIX A: MARY ANN WILLIAMS (nee Cowan)
“Mary Ann of Ulmarra” Photo courtesy of Jo-Anne and Wendy Clarke,
State Library of New South Wales: PXA432Vol4 Mary Ann’s great granddaughters
See the ABC news report and online story on the discovery of the identity of Mary Ann Williams (nee Cowan)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/mystery-of-the-lindt-photographs-mystery-solved/6402254
Mary Ann Williams (nee Cowan)
In the late 1990s, artist Ken Orchard discovered a photo in the State Library of NSW of a young woman with the
name “Mary Ann of Ulmarra” written in pencil on the back. It was not known who wrote the inscription or when,
so it was very difficult to prove definitely if that was her name (this photo with the inscription has since gone
missing).
Up until very recently there were several lines of inquiry I was pursuing, including an Aboriginal lady, Maryanne
Tindale, who was committed to an insane asylum in the late 1870s. However, one week ago (14/04/15) I received
an email from a woman in Sydney, Jo-Anne Clarke, who is the great granddaughter of Mary Ann Williams (nee
Cowan). She and I had been corresponding about the Williams / Cowan families, and exchanging information. To
my great surprise and delight I opened one of her emails to find these wonderful photos of Mary Ann as an older
lady.
We know that the older woman in the above photographs is definitely the same person in the 1873 Lindt photo
because Jo-Anne Clarke knew that the woman in the photograph was Mary Ann Williams, her great grandmother,
but she didn't know anything about her. Jo-Anne's pre-existing knowledge of Mary Ann's name, coupled with our
research, proved that Mary Ann Williams was the young woman in the Lindt photo. When you compare the older
and younger Mary Ann it is obvious she is the same person. Her forehead, eyes, cheekbones, rounded face, small
body frame, and her distinctive right ear that sticks out, all confirm her identity. Until a week ago all the evidence
pointed towards Mary Ann Cowan being the young lady in the photo, but we had no concrete proof. Now, as the
project nears its end, Mary Ann has finally revealed her true identity.
15. 15
Grafton Regional Gallery. Lindt Collection. Photo #11.
Mary Ann feeding her chooks. Photo courtesy of Jo-Anne and Wendy Clarke.
16. 16
L-R. Elizabeth 'Bessie' Clarke (nee Williams), Barbara or Edith Williams, Mary Ann Williams (nee Cowan), Barbara or Edith
Williams. The little girl sitting might be 'Alice' - an adopted daughter of one of the women.
Photo courtesy of Jo-Anne and Wendy Clarke.
When researching the Cowan and Williams families we had built up an extensive family tree. Now that we know
Mary Ann of Ulmarra was definitely Mary Ann Cowan we can begin to understand a bit more about the life of the
young woman in the Lindt photograph.
Mary Ann Cowan was born in 1849. No parents are listed on her marriage or death certificates. Her death
certificate states that she was born in South Grafton. Her death certificate spells her name without an 'e' at the
end of Ann, so I have followed suit. Mary Ann had at least one sibling; a brother, Jonathan/Jack Cowan, who was
born in either 1853 (marriage certificate) or 1857 (death certificate). I think that 1853 is more likely as he was
there to state his year of birth, rather than a second party giving the information for the death certificate.
Jonathan's marriage certificate states that his mother was 'Maria', and no father was listed. Jonathan was born and
lived at Swan Creek according to his marriage certificate. (See the 'Research Journal' for various hypotheses about
the parentage of Mary Ann and Jonathan.) We know nothing of Mary Ann's earlier life prior to the Lindt photo,
which was taken in 1873/4 when she was about 24 years of age. There is one mention of a Mary Anne Cowan in a
newspaper in 1863, who received a commendation for proficiency and regular attendance at the South Grafton
Sunday School. Also in the same article is a Jessie Cowan and a John Cowan. There were two Jessie Cowans in the
Scottish Cowan family, but no John Cowan. It is possible that Mary Ann and her brother received some sort of basic
education, however Mary Ann's marriage certificate from 1877 states that she made her 'mark' as a signature,
suggesting she could not write at this point in time.
17. 17
Earlier this year I found a copy of two Lindt photos paired together that were created for the German market and
had the inscription "Australisches Brautpaar aus der Gegend von Almarra" which translates to "Australian
newlyweds from around Almarra”. On the reverse in pencil it says in German "Bushman and his bride from the
area of Almarra" Although it doesn’t name the couple, they are Mary Ann Cowan and an unidentified man. There is
the possibility that Lindt took creative license and called them newlyweds for the German market to make them
more romantic. However, I believe that they were married because of the inclusion of the specific detail of them
coming from Ulmarra, which would mean nothing to people in Europe. The Germans were quite meticulous record
keepers, so it stands to reason that they are married, either in the Aboriginal or European tradition. This, however,
cannot be confirmed at this stage.
'Australisches Brautpaar : aus der Gegend von Almarra, [1876 or 1878]/ / J.W. Lindt, Photograph.
State Library of New South Wales. Digital order # a8907001
Mary Ann Cowan may have indeed had a traditional Aboriginal wedding to the man in the photo above. We know
that at the time of the Lindt photos she was a mother to a one year old son, Herbert (born 1872). The title of the
photo suggests that she was living at Ulmarra, possibly on the McLachlan property with King Charlie and his clan, at
that point. We know nothing further of Mary Ann's life until she married a non-Aboriginal, Leonard Williams, in
1877, and together they had another four children and at least ten grandchildren. Leonard Williams may have
been a Welshman but at this stage that cannot be confirmed (see Williams Family Tree for further details).
18. 18
Photos courtesy of: Hazel Mason (Herbert and Hazel) and Jo-Anne and Wendy Clarke (Barbara, Edith, Bessie).
In regards to Mary Ann's children, we do not have much information as yet. Herbert did not marry and is thought
to have lived with Mary Ann in her later years, perhaps as her primary carer. After Mary Ann passed away (or
perhaps before), Herbert went to live with Harold Arthur Cowan and his family across the road at 58 Fitzroy St,
Grafton (where the Anglican Community Op Shop now sits). He was hit by a car and killed in 1956, age 84. Mary
Ann's great granddaughter, Jo-Anne Clarke, said that her grandmother, Elizabeth 'Bessie' Williams was a talented
Scottish dancer who won awards. Jo-Anne has a postcard sent from Bessie to Mary Ann, and also a Christmas card
sent from Vernon, Bessie's husband, to Bessie during WWII that says "To My Dear Blackie". This [now offensive]
term of endearment did not make sense to Jo-Anne and Wendy until they discovered their Aboriginal ancestry.
Edith and Barbara had both passed away by the time Mary Ann died, and nothing is known of their lives at this
point.
19. 19
Christmas card from Vernon Clarke to his wife Elizabeth 'Bessie' Clarke.
Copy courtesy of Jo-Anne and Wendy Clarke.
Postcard from Elizabeth 'Bessie' Clarke to her mother Mary Ann Williams.
Copy courtesy of Jo-Anne and Wendy Clarke.
20. 20
In addition to her own children, Mary Ann raised her brother's son (her nephew), Harold Arthur Cowan. Harold
went to live with Mary Ann when he was approximately 7 years of age. According to his daughter, Hazel Mason
(nee Williams), Harold broke his leg and his mother, Elizabeth Cowan, could not bring him into town because she
was poor and a widow, and had a lot of children, so if she came into the hospital with Harold she risked her
children being taken away by government officials. It was then that Mary Ann and Leonard Williams helped out
and raised Harold. Hazel Mason stayed with Mary Ann for a year or so when she was a child. She cannot remember
much about Mary Ann except that she was old and senile. Hazel recalls Mary Ann coming into the room holding
Stanley Williams (Hazel's baby brother) upside down by his feet and she did not seem aware that he was crying.
L-R: Harold Arthur Cowan, Hazel Cheetham (nee Williams) - little girl,
Elizabeth 'Bessie' Clarke (nee Williams) - woman.
Photo courtesy of Hazel Mason.
21. 21
L-R: Kenneth Williams, Stanley Williams and Elsie May Cox
Harold Arthur Cowan's sons and wife.
Photo courtesy of Hazel Mason.
Hazel Mason (nee Williams)
Harold Arthur Cowan's daughter.
Photos courtesy of Hazel Mason.
Mary Ann Williams appears to have lived much of her adult life at 51 Fitzroy Street, Grafton, in the centre
of where Shopping World now sits. Hazel Mason recalls the house being one of substance. She said that the
Williams family seemed quite well off as they had possessions and a good house. She said this contrasted
to the labourer's camps she and her siblings grew up in as they travelled with their father for his work as a
labourer on the roads. From the postcard sent to Mary Ann by her daughter (above) it also appears that in
1912 Mary Ann spent some time at 44 Ridge Street, Moore Park in Sydney. Whether this was a temporary
or permanent home is not clear. The postcard also suggests that perhaps Mary Ann may have learnt to
read, however, she may have had someone read her letters to her.
22. 22
51 Fitzroy St, Grafton. This is the site of Mary Ann Williams' house. Shopping World is now on the site.
Image: Google Maps.
44 Ridge St, Moore Park, Sydney (grey house). Image: Google Maps.
Hazel said that when she was growing up she was not made aware of the Cowan side of the family. Harold Cowan,
her father, went by the name of Harold Williams, hence Hazel and her sibling's surname being Williams rather than
Cowan. She was of the belief that Herbert was her uncle (her father's half-brother), when in fact Herbert was
Harold’s first cousin. Hazel and Stanley Williams never knew what Aboriginal clan they descended from. Harold
Arthur never talked about his parents or siblings, and all they knew was that prior to living with Mary Ann, Harold
had grown up in the bush outside of Grafton, although it's not known where. (For further information on Hazel's
recollections of her childhood see the interview footage.) I believe that Mary Ann Williams and Jonathan Cowan's
children were most likely Gumbaynggirr people, as a number of Jonathan's descendants identify as Gumbaynggirr,
and the link to Swan Creek and Ulmarra suggests that they were connected to the group of Aboriginals who had
moved north from around Nymboida, Coutts Crossing, Orara, Corindi and other Gumbaynggirr lands.
23. 23
Although the Williams children were never aware of the existence of the Cowan side of the family, (as Mary Ann
and Harold seemingly did not discuss the Cowans with anyone), when you compare Mary Ann’s photos to that of
relatives on the Cowan side of the family, you can see some very strong resemblances.
Photos: Top L-R. State Library of NSW PXA432Vol4; Courtesy of Jo-Anne Clarke
Bottom L-R: Cowan File RRHS FC-8; Roberta Skinner; Cowan File RRHS FC-8
Mary Ann Williams died on 12th May, 1935, age 86. Her death certificate states she died of senility and was buried
in the Church of England section at South Grafton cemetery. We have looked for her headstone but could not find
it. Her plot, and that of her brother Jonathan Cowan who died in 1900, are not on the South Grafton cemetery
online register, which suggests their plots may have been reused (Roberta Skinner is currently looking into this).
As a researcher I can’t explain the excitement and delight I feel at finishing this project in such an extraordinary
way. It feels like this phase of the research has come full circle. Mary Ann of Ulmarra was always a tantalising
mystery for many people. She had become the poster girl for the Lindt photographs, and had intrigued researchers
and the public alike. Now we have a sense of who she was as a person and a better understanding of how her life
unfolded after the Lindt photograph was taken.
25. 25
APPENDIX C: KING HARRY NEVILLE
'King Harry of Swan Creek' State Library of New South Wales a627021h
Grafton Regional Gallery. J.W. Lindt Collection #24.
King Harry of Swan Creek was known to us from previous research conducted by Ken Orchard in 1998. Ken
compared another Lindt photo from the State Library of NSW of a man wearing a legible breastplate (above) and
found them to be the same man - King Harry, who lived on the Small property at Swan Creek, as noted by his
breastplate. Beyond this, nothing was known about King Harry. Research conducted by Jennifer Feller and Nola
Mackey identified two possible men (see 'Research Journal'). However, neither of these could be proven to be
King Harry from the Lindt photos.
In March 2015 Roberta Skinner found a photo in a local history book about Nymboida of a 'King Harry Neville'.
The photo was taken in 1897 and the book copy a poor quality image, but there was a definite resemblance to
King Harry of Swan Creek. On 28th April, days before completing this research, I located the original copy of the
King Harry Neville photo in the Clarence River Historical Society. An examination of a high resolution scan shows
that the men in the two photos are very similar looking. A third photo that I identified in the State Library of
Victoria online collection depicts a man wearing an illegible breastplate. This photo was taken around 1890 and
also looks remarkably like King Harry Neville. The breastplate in the photo above and the one in photo in the
State Library of Victoria are clearly not the same, however there are documented occurrences of Aboriginal Kings
losing their breastplates and being awarded with another, so this anomaly isn't too concerning, particularly as
17+ years had passed since the photo above was taken.
26. 26
L-R: Standing: Lizzie Neville (nee McDonald - King Harry's wife), Maudie White
Seated: King Harry Neville, Maudie White's son, and Winnie Ferguson
Clarence River Historical Society. Photo Album F923.
Clarence River Historical Society. Photo Album F923. Reverse side.
27. 27
Grafton Regional Gallery. State Library of Victoria (SLV) H3840. Clarence River Historical Society (CRHS).
J.W. Lindt Collection #24 Photo Album F923.
Harry Neville's death certificate states that he died in 1915, age 90. This means that he was born around 1825,
making him approximately 48 in 1873/4 when the Lindt photo was taken, 65 years old in the SLV photo, and 72
years old in the CRHS photo. These ages certainly seem to correspond to the appearance of the man in each of
the photographs. The identification of King Harry being Harry Neville is also supported by the fact that the CRHS
photo has "King Harry Neville" inscribed on the back. The identification of all the other people in the photo
suggests that whoever wrote their names knew them or had been given their names by someone who knew
them personally. An oddity is that the young lady on the left is labelled "Mrs Neville" however the photo was
taken in 1897, and Harry Neville didn't marry until 1909. This could be explained if the photo was taken in 1897
but not labelled until after they were married. We know from their marriage certificate that Lizzie MacDonald
was thirty years Harry's junior, and this age difference appears correct for the people in the photo. Winnie
Ferguson is named as the woman seated on the right, but she has also been identified as Mary Jane Ferguson by
Arlene Hope and Aunty Sue. It is possible that Winnie was a nickname for Mary Jane. Harry and Lizzie’s marriage
certificate states they were both born in Nymboida and were wed at Nymboida in a Christian ceremony at the
Aboriginal Home. Harry's parents are listed as Billy Neville and Mary, and Lizzie's parents are William McDonald
and Mary Jane Ferguson.
It is not clear how many children Harry Neville had. We know from a school application that he had at least one
son, Eric Neville, whom Harry petitioned to have educated in Nymboida. The community at Baryulgil told me
there had been a Neville living up there, but they could not recall if it was a Harry or Noby. There is also the
possibility that King Harry had a grandson named Harry. There is a news article dating to 1946 in which Harry
Neville, age 25, is in trouble with the law in Casino. This may be the man that the people at Baryulgil were
referring to. A search of Births, Marriages, Deaths has not produced results, suggesting that Harry may not have
registered his children's births. On his death certificate it states that he had no children, but this does not seem
accurate. Often informants on death certificates knew very little about the life of the person's death they were
reporting. Harry Neville passed away on 21 December 1915, age 90, on the Armidale Road, between Coutts
Crossing and Grafton. He was suffering from senile decay at the time of his death. He was buried in the General
Cemetery, Grafton.
Of King Harry, Ken Orchard recently wrote the following in an email, and which I am in agreement with "I think
that King Harry could have been an important figure for the 1870s Aboriginal community's involvement with
28. 28
Lindt - I have always had a sense that he was a kind of broker enabling Lindt to gain their confidence and to take
their portraits."
Sadly we did not have time to dig deeper for more information on King Harry Neville. It would be wonderful to
find out more about the life of this man. Another school document from the Grafton Aboriginal Home lists an
Emily Neville, (wife of Noby Neville) and her children, so it is very possible that Noby is related in some way to
King Harry. This lead is worth pursuing in future research.
School record from NSW State Archives. Copy courtesy of Arlene Hope.
30. 30
APPENDIX D: ARTHUR DEVLIN
Arthur Devlin has been identified as the reclining figure in photo #31 “Jacky and Arthur”
Grafton Regional Gallery J.W. Lindt Collection #31
I found a prison photo of Arthur Devlin dating to 1877, 3 years after the Lindt photo was taken. Eliza Kent and I
are 90%+ sure they are the same person, based on an examination of the facial features. There are numerous
news articles about Arthur Devlin. Prior to his long-term imprisonment, Arthur had a history of violence, having
stabbed a police officer and assaulted another man. He was imprisoned for attempted rape twice, once at
Ulmarra, and once at Swan Creek. This puts him in the right area for where we believe many of the people in the
photos were living. He was noted in a newspaper article as a known menace by locals in Ulmarra, suggesting that
he lived there, or close by. According to Roy Bowling there was a white man called James Devlin who was the
manager of the Small property at Swan Creek, so it is a possibility that Arthur lived or worked on the Small
property, and may have taken his boss’s surname, as was commonly done. A subsequent search of the Small
family documents at the Clarence River Historic Society revealed a telegram from James Devlin to his (perhaps)
brother, Arthur Devlin, Esquire, and is addressed care of Small and Neale, Grafton. This strengthens the theory
that Arthur Devlin lived and worked on the Small property, and had even been named after Arthur Devlin,
Esquire. This information adds weight to the theory that there was a localised spatial pattern for where the
people in the Lindt photos originated from.
31. 31
Grafton Regional Gallery Darlinghurst Gaol record
J.W. Lindt Collection #31 State Archives of NSW via Ancestry.com
Telegram from James Devlin to Arthur Devlin, Esquire. Clarence River Historical Society B354.
32. 32
This historic map, below, shows the location of the first attack that Arthur committed. In 1877, Arthur broke into
the Buchanan property which adjoined the McLachlan property at Ulmarra, and he tried to rape Elizabeth
Buchanan, mistress of the house. She fought him off and then her husband came in from working in the fields
and tied Arthur up, with the help from neighbour, Mr [Duncan] McLachlan. Arthur was sentenced to 5 years hard
labour at Darlinghurst Gaol for the assault (see historic news articles in the Arthur Devlin folder).
33. 33
In 1882 Arthur again attempted to rape a woman, one month after his release from prison. Elizabeth Mary Ann
Want was riding a horse and dismounted to water some cattle about one mile from the main house. Arthur
grabbed her and tried to rape her. He let go when she fought him and told him he would hang if he raped her.
Arthur escaped but was finally captured at Saltwater Creek near Corindi. Arthur initially resisted arrest but the
arresting officer fired three shots at him, at which point he jumped in a river. He was arrested when he emerged.
Arthur was transported back to Ulmarra, then sentenced to 10 years hard labour on the roads by the Grafton
Court. He was returned to Darlinghurst Gaol and served 1.5 years of the 10 year sentence but then died of
tuberculosis on the 10 October, 1883, age 29, in the prison hospital. Arthur was buried at the Church of England
Necropolis; modern day Rookwood Cemetery. So far I have not identified any of Arthur's ancestors or
descendants.
Unfortunately there is little else we can add to the history of Arthur Devlin. We don't know who his parents
were or any other information about him. Arthur is a sad reflection of the disintegration of tribal laws, and the
dispossession of many Aboriginal people, which was in full effect by the 1870s. He was a product of colonisation
and his actions reflected greater social concerns that had robbed the Aboriginals of their connection to their
people and their land.
34. 34
APPENDIX E: CONTINUING THE SEARCH – FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
(Extract from the Breimba Lindt Notebook)
PREVIOUS RESEARCH
If you would like to continue the search for the Aboriginal people in the J.W. Lindt photographs it is advisable
that you first read the contents of the Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection, in particular the Breimba Lindt
Notebook, so you are familiar with all the research that has been done to date. This may help you avoiding going
over the same archives and sources we have already covered. The Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection is
housed at the Grafton Library and is available to copy in its entirety.
INDIVIDUALS and FAMILIES
Once you have read those materials it is suggested that you commence your research with the names that were
under investigation at the end of this phase of the Breimba Lindt Project in April 2015. These are:
Whitton family - Charlie, his wife Nancy, and his sister Lucy. Try to work out if they are definitely the people in
photo # 17 "King Charlie and his mother and wife". There is compelling evidence to suggest that this is the
Whitton family. See the 'Research Journal' section for details.
Larrigo family - Old Larrigo is known to have been in one of the photos from a news article. Someone needs to
find out which man he is. Some people believe he is Orara William (photo # 28), but there is no proof other than
people thinking that a Larrigo descendant bears a resemblance. Arlene Hope believed that photo # 14 was of the
Larrigo women. Tracy Skinner also independently posited this theory about 'Four Generations' (#14) being
Larrigo women. Apparently there are family resemblances. See the 'Research Journal' section for details.
Louis / Jacky / Snowy - see the 'Research Journal'. Snowy may have been Snowy Webb according to Arlene
Hope. This could not be investigated so close to the end of the project. See Arlene's personal documentation in
the folder:
Breimba Lindt Digital Research CollectionBreimba Lindt DocumentsArchive Contributions Private
CollectionsArleneHopeArchivalCollection_AssortedDocuments
I also have a theory that they are either the same man, or closely related. I also see a similarity between Mary
Ann Cowan and these young men. See 'Research Journal'.
Mick and Tommy - Photo # 10 - Millera Mick? This is worth pursuing as there wasn't time to investigate this at
all.
Orara William - no leads except for the Larrigo theory and Arlene Hope thinks he may be a McDougall. She
believes he looks like Mick McDougall.
Richard "Lefty" Ferguson - Arlene Hope believes he is the man in photos in 15, 18 & 37. Lefty was the son of
Mary Jane Ferguson, brother Gingger and Alex Ferguson. From Nymboida.
Arlene Hope has made several other suggestion, and these are in the 'Interviews' section of the Breimba Lindt
Notebook.
There are other family groups that keep cropping up in the research and are considered worthy of further
investigation. They are not definitely in the photos, but they do appear frequently in newspapers at the time, and
/ or are friends or relatives of the Cowans, Whittons, Larrigos, and other people linked to our inquiry. To assist
you building up your inquiries it is useful to see if descendants of these families have had their family tree done
35. 35
for Native Title claims. This may help identify which generations and individuals were alive and in the area in
1873/4 when the photos were taken. A lot of time can be spent trying to connect family members and work out
the different generations, marriages and children, as the same names are used over several generations. Having
family trees can greatly reduce the time spent working these out.
Bennelong ("Jenny" thought to be a Bennelong in photo #9 - Arlene Hope suggestion)
Blakeney
Boney
Cameron
Cowan (Hugh Cowan and his ancestors & descendants - I cannot find a connection between Hugh, and
Mary Ann & Jonathan Cowan)
Ferguson
Lardner
Laurie
Layton
Linwood (some believe photo # 12 has facial similarities to the Lindwood family)
McDonald
McDougall (suggestion that maybe photo # 19 - the woman on the right)
PHOTOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
I conducted a visual analysis of the Lindt photos in the Grafton Regional Gallery collection. There are strong
indications that there are family groups in the photos. One woman looks very much like Mary Ann Cowan, only
older, so this may have been a sister. Also there are resemblances between Mary Ann and the young man/ men
names Louis/ Snowy/ Jacky. I would suggest using this photo analysis as a starting point from which to build up
more theories, and to help direct the research you undertake. I believe that somewhere there will be more
documentary information that will shed light on these family groups. My photo analysis is not absolute. They are
thoughts and theories and need to be proved or disproved by future researchers.
<<ReexaminationOfGraftonRegionalGalleryCollection.ppt>>
<<PhotoAnalysisOfGRGLindtCollection.xls>>
<<ProfBrianLovell_UniQLD_EmailCorroReFaceRecognition.txt>>
BIRTHS, MARRIAGES and DEATHS
Nola Mackey compiled a volume of BMD certificates for her 2010/11 research. I have purchased additional BMD
certificates, and these are filed under the individuals' names in the Breimba Lindt Documents folder that is in the
Breimba Lindt Digital Research Collection. Check both collections prior to purchasing any. See also the 'Births
Marriages Deaths' page in the ‘Research Journal’ section.
Nola Mackey's BMD volume.
<<06_Mackey_2011_LRPR_CertificateTranscriptions.pdf>>
Annika Korsgaard BMDs
<<BMD_CertificatesOrderedByAnnikaKorsgaard.pdf>>
DOCUMENTARY SOURCES - PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
See the 'RESEARCH JOURNAL' page 'REPOSITORIES - FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS'.
36. 36
The Research Journal contains numerous lists of libraries and archives that still need to be examined. The list is
not exhaustive, but it is a good place to start. There you will find information on what archives have already been
searched.
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
A research priority is to try and locate some diaries of European landowners in the 1870s around Grafton/
Ulmarra/ Swan Creek. According to Roy Bowling someone is in possession of a McLachlan family diary, but at the
time of this project's completion it had not been possible to view it. I do not know who is in possession of the
diary, nor what time period it dates to. This is the only known diary belonging to the McLachlan family of Ulmarra
because a house fire destroyed all their documents in the 1940s.
I also suggest you search for diaries belonging to the following families: Bawden, Small, Want, Buchanan, and any
family living in the Ulmarra/ Swan Creek area in 1872-4. They may have mentioned Lindt and his photos, as they
would have known many of the Aboriginals in the photos. The Aboriginal population of Ulmarra in 1884 was 30
people, so it was quite small and probably very interconnected. We know that some Aboriginals lived and
worked on the Bawden, McLachlan, and Small properties, and that events involving Aboriginals happened on the
Wants and Buchanan properties, so it would be a good place to start there. Farm account books may also be of
assistance in determining which Aboriginals were working and perhaps living on which properties.
Another informative source is Arlene Hope who lives near Coffs Harbour. She has a vast amount of archival
information and this needs to be inspected more thoroughly. Unfortunately Arlene was very ill and we could not
visit her until close to the end of the project. I have made an effort to work my way through some of her
suggestions and research materials, but this requires more time and research verification. See the section
'Interviews', page 'Arlene Hope', for more information.
Another person to contact is Steve Morelli at Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Cooperative
http://www.muurrbay.org.au/
Apparently Steve has, or has access to, the John Perring papers. These papers apparently contain lots of
information about Aboriginals of the Clarence Valley, in particular the Gumbaynnggirr people (whom I believe
make up the majority of the people in the Lindt photos). I left two messages for him but did not get a response.
GOOD LUCK!
All the best in your search for the Aboriginal people who feature in J.W. Lindt's photos. I believe that more
evidence is out there to identify more of the people. This page has offered you some suggestions for starting
your search, but you will discover your own leads and need to follow your own intuition. It is an exciting and very
rewarding project, and one that needs to continue. Please give the Grafton Library any research materials you
collect during your investigation so that they can add it to this growing body of information that is of immense
value to the Aboriginal and wider communities.
All the best,
Annika Korsgaard
25 April 2015
37. 37
APPENDIX F: HOW TO ‘READ’ THE BREIMBA LINDT NOTEBOOK
(Extract from the Breimba Lindt Notebook)
The Breimba Lindt Notebook is a digital way to capture and share the research conducted into the
identities of the Aboriginal people in the J.W. Lindt photographs that are held in Grafton Regional
Gallery collection for the Breimba – looking for you: Lindt Research Project (2014-2015).
The notebook is divided into SECTIONS and PAGES.
There are six SECTIONS which each have a different colour at the top of the screen:
1. About the Project
2. Grafton Regional Gallery J.W. Lindt Collection
3. People Identified
4. Research Journal
5. Interviews
6. Research Resource
Each section has a number of pages, each consisting of different types of information relevant to that
section.
1. About the Project
This section has pages relating to the project's process. That is, how and why the project came about,
and its aims, methodology and achievements (see 'Introduction & Summary Report'). It also includes
a page 'Continuing the Search' that offers suggestions about how and where to start looking for the
remaining identities of the Aboriginal people in the Lindt photos. If you do find any of the people in
the photos we ask that you add your information to this database via the Grafton Library, and also
advise the Grafton Regional Gallery so they can update their records.
2. Grafton Regional Gallery J.W. Lindt Collection
This section contains the Lindt photos held in the Grafton Regional Gallery. It provides you with their
titles, photo numbers, and pre-existing information about them. It has an 'About the Photos' page
which provides you with some information about how the photographs were named, and some very
informative journal articles about Lindt's Australian Aboriginals series.
3. People Identified
This contains the key information gathered about the three people that were identified during this
investigation: Arthur Devlin, King Harry Neville, and Mary Ann Williams (nee Cowan).
4. Research Journal
This is the research journal of lead researcher, Annika Korsgaard. It contains detailed notes on the
research process, including theories, lines of inquiry, research eliminations and archives examined.
This journal provides the reader with an insight into how this phase of the research evolved and
justifies why certain avenues were pursued and others dismissed. The first part focuses on family
groups, including the Cowan/Williams families and the unfolding of information relating to them, as
well as other key people and families prominent in this phase of the investigation. The second part
contains the PowerPoint slide presentations that I gave at four public lectures, and the accompanying
notes. The third part contains information on what archives were examined during the course of this
investigation and makes suggestions about where to recommence the documentary research.
38. 38
5. Interviews
This section contains interview notes for interviews conducted between October 2014 and March
2015. If the interviews were filmed then there is information about where to locate the video.
Interviews conducted by Nola Mackey in 2010/11 are not kept in this archive. They are held on CDs
at the Grafton Regional Gallery.
6. Research Resources
This section contains websites that I came across and/or used in this research that I thought may be
of interest (and use) to people researching the Aboriginal history of the Clarence Valley, and beyond.
There are only a few websites as it was not the aim of this project to create an internet research
directory.
