In the late 1800s and early 1900s, women’s names could easily disappear from the public record. Official documents often listed them only as “wife of” or “daughter of”, and many everyday details of their lives went unrecorded. That’s why small newspaper items — wedding notices, social snippets, obituaries and human-interest stories — are so precious.
Finding these written words is like finding treasure! During my family tree research, I discovered a handful of such clippings that not only named a group of women related to each other and to me, but described their homes, their work, and even the jewellery they wore. Together, these newspaper clippings allowed me to follow an unbroken female line across four generations of the same family located in Lismore, New South Wales.
Our common ancestors are: James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.
When Peggy Eleanor Fraser (my paternal 3rd cousin once removed) walked up the aisle of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Lismore to marry Lawrence Harold Stumbles, the local newspaper - The Northern Star - published a short article that made a point about her “something old”, highlighting the fact that Peggy wore a wedding ring that had once belonged to her great-grandmother.
That small circle of gold linked four generations of Lismore women:
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Peggy Stumbles née Fraser 1924 - 2004
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her mother, Minnie Isabel Fraser née Atkin 1885 - 1962
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her grandmother, Eleanor Jane Atkin née Jones 1863 - 1957
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and her great-grandmother, Harriet Jones nee Lancaster-Exton (later Harriet Brown) 1833 - 1915
Their lives can be traced through a series of Northern Star newspaper items, each one adding more valuable detail about this family line on my family tree.
Let's begin with the great grandmother mentioned in the article ...
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Harriet Jones née Lancaster-Exton
– the pioneer matriarch
(my paternal 2nd great-grandaunt)
After emigrating in 1844 from Lincolnshire in England to the Richmond District as a child with her step father James Exton and mother Susannah Lancaster, she spent about seventy-seven years in the area.
A few months before her fifteenth birthday, she married convict John Jones, with whom she had nine children. After his death she later married Henry George Brown, and had two more children.
A detailed feature on the Exton family, printed in the Northern Star in 1995, adds rich context to Eleanor's life.
- Harriet's working life centred on sheep stations during her early teenage years, where she worked alongside her parents.
- In 1860, thirteen years after her first marriage, her husband John Jones built a home for his growing family on the bank of the Richmond River at North Lismore, near what later became Arthur Park.
- That house, lined with cedar panels and a teak floor, was known as 'Lochiel Cottage' at that time.
- From this home base, Harriet worked as a midwife for the surrounding countryside, riding out on horseback to attend women in labour.
- The Jones home later became known as 'Lochiel Hospital', a private and maternity hospital. Significantly, the tradition of caring for local mothers and babies was carried on by her daughter and granddaughter at 'Lochiel' until 1927.
A much later clipping, written in 1981, when a reunion was being organised for people born in the house, confirms that 'Lochiel' operated as a private and maternity hospital between 1911 and 1927.
This Northern Star newspaper item explains
- that Mrs Jones (Eleanor) “became the midwife for the surrounding countryside, making many of her visits on horseback,”
- and that one of her daughters (Minnie) married Joseph Atkin, continuing the family’s involvement in the hospital.
Returning to the matriarch of the family, Harriet, her long life is described in her 1915 obituary in the Northern Star. It describes her as one of the oldest links with Lismore’s past history.
Her obituary notes:
- She passed away at the home of her daughter Mrs Joseph Atkin (Eleanor Jane Atkin nee Jones) in North Lismore, the same daughter who continued her midwifery and nursing tradition at 'Lochiel'.
- By the time Harriet died in her late eighties, she had nearly 200 descendants – children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren – and was remembered for her bravery and hard work during the earliest days of settlement.
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Eleanor Jane Atkin née Jones
– “Mrs J. Atkin” of North Lismore
(my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed)
Eleanor - whose name sometimes appears in the records as Elena - was one of Harriet's daughters, and known to family and friends as 'Lena'.
It is easy to imagine that at some point that treasured wedding ring of Harriet’s passed to this daughter Eleanor, and then further down the line.
A short family notice from and edition of the Northern Star published in February 1882 records Eleanor's marriage:
This tiny notice tells us several important things:
- Eleanor / Elena married Joseph Atkin in 1882, when she was 19 years old.
- The ceremony was held at her mother Harriet's home (Lochiel) in North Lismore - the cedar house where Eleanor had grown up.
- Eleanor's father, John Jones, was deceased by the time of her marriage.
Eleanor and her husband Joseph bought and lived in Eleanor's parents' home, 'Lochiel' during their married life, and both Eleanor and her daughter used this home as both a private and a maternity hospital between 1911 and 1927.
In 1932, the Northern Star reported the golden wedding of Mr and Mrs J. Atkins of North Lismore - the surname was incorrectly recorded as 'Atkins' when it should have read 'Atkin'.
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The article tells us that:
The bride (Mrs Atkin) was 68 years old.
She was a daughter of the late Mr and Mrs John Jones.
The celebration took place at their home “Lochiel” in North Lismore, confirming that Eleanor remained closely connected to this remarkable house.
Although the article states that 'Lochiel' was built by Eleanor's brother Oliver Jones, this was of course not correct. The home had originally been built by Eleanor's father, John Jones, was 72 years old and had remained in the family.
This 1932 article included a photo of 'Lochiel', looking a little different to the photo later published in 1981. Obviously things changed over the years and the house developed with the generations.
In 1949, an article title "Pioneer Family" shows Eleanor now 85, described as a well-known pioneer and trained nurse, sitting with three generations of her descendants.
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The photograph features:
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Mrs J. Atkin - Eleanor Jane Atkin nee Jones - (on the right)
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Mrs S. Fraser - Minnie Isabel Fraser nee Atkin - (on the left);
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Mrs Stumbles (incorrectly recorded as Stimbles) - Peggy Eleanor Stumbles nee Fraser - (in the middle);
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and baby Janette Stumbles, the youngest member of the line.
Together these notices show Eleanor's journey from her 1882 wedding at her family home, through decades of nursing and midwifery at 'Lochiel', to her later years as a respected "pioneer" of North Lismore, continuing her mother's tradition of caring for local families.
Minnie Isabel Fraser née Atkin
– the bridge between generations
(my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)
The “Pioneer Family” caption names Eleanor’s daughter as Mrs S. Fraser. This is Minnie Isabel Atkin, who married Alexander “Sandy” Fraser.
Peggy’s wedding report later identifies her as “a daughter of Mrs M. Fraser and the late Mr Sandy Fraser, of Terania Street, North Lismore.”
That tells us:
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Minnie is Peggy’s mother.
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Sandy Fraser had died by the time of Peggy’s marriage.
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The Fraser family were firmly settled in North Lismore.
Minnie was the granddaughter of immigrant matriarch Harriet, daughter of the pioneering nurse Eleanor, mother of the modern young bride Peggy,and grandmother of the baby Janette .
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Given the wording of Peggy’s wedding notice, Minnie was almost certainly the custodian of Harriet’s wedding ring, passing it on to her daughter on the day of her marriage.
Minnie also appears to have been the custodian of the family home 'Lochiel', as the 1981 article notes that the house was then owned by Mrs Fraser of Brisbane, showing that the family connection to Harriet’s old home continued well into the twentieth century.
Peggy Eleanor Stumbles née Fraser
– the heirloom ring bearer
(my paternal 3rd cousin once removed)
The wedding notice for Peggy Eleanor Fraser and Lawrence Harold Stumbles supplies the final link.
From it we learn that:
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The ceremony took place at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Lismore.
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Peggy was given away by her eldest brother, Mr Ian Fraser.
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She wore a gown of white lace over satin with a coronet of frangipani, and
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as her “something old”, Peggy wore a wedding ring which had belonged to her great-grandmother.
Family knowledge identifies that great-grandmother as Harriet Jones nee Lancaster-Exton.
A few years later, in that "Pioneer Family" photograph, Peggy appears again - this time as Mrs. Stumbles (incorrectly spelt as Stimbles in the article), holding her baby girl Janette. Her mother Minnie and grandmother Eleanor sit beside her, while Harriet's memory is present in the background, symbolised in the heirloom ring.
Why these clippings matter
In eras when many women’s stories were rarely written down, these brief newspaper items are extraordinary gifts. They give me more than just names and dates; they preserve addresses, occupations, ages, and valuable human details — a house called 'Lochiel' on the riverbank, lined with cedar and teak; a lifetime of nursing and midwifery; a wedding held in a family home which could possibly have been the oldest house in Lismore; a ring passed from pioneer great grandmother to modern bride.
Because of these scattered lines of print, I can follow the female line from Harriet to Eleanor, to Minnie, to Peggy. In doing so, I can restore these amazing women to the centre of their own story — exactly where they belong.
