Bridget CASSIDY, daughter of Joseph (possibly Andrew) Cassidy was born 1831 in County Cavan, Ireland, died 19 August 1896 at Woodstock-on-Loddon. They both were buried at Newbridge cemetery. Bridget, assisted immigrant and orphan arrived in Sydney aboard the DIGBY in 1849 aged eighteen years. 

Joseph had run away to sea whilst in his teens and went to America spending some time working on the California goldfields and the Panama railway construction which began in 1850. He was one of the 300 whites amongst a labour force of 1590 men. Hundreds died of cholera, dysentery, fever, smallpox etc. Many more suffering of melancholia, an after effect of malaria, committed suicide. He is said to be the only white of the original crew to survive. His own account is supported by facts in the publication "The Path Between the Seas - The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914" by David McCollough 1977. He signed on as a crewmember of a ship destined for Australia. He was stranded for sometime in Tahiti, when he missed the ship. He caught a later ship and proceeded to Sydney where he and others deserted in 1952.

After their marriage Joseph and Bridget sailed to Port Phillip. They set off immediately for the Bendigo diggings having engaged a driver of a horse and dray to take their luggage and possessions to the fields however these were lost along the way. They made a home a California Gully and without much luck on the diggings built the California Hotel on the Upper road and resided there. In 1859 they turned to farming.

With his long time friend from the California goldfield days, John Brown, they brought blocks of land at the first sale in the Woodstock-on-Loddon area. They lived there on Smokey creek for the rest of their days raising their children - three who had been born in Bendigo and the others at Woodstock. Joseph and his friend John Brown were very close friends and it is reported that throughout their lives remained almost inseparable. The first land was sold for two pounds an acre. Whilst engaged in mining Joseph built the first puddling machine in California Gully. The first school in the Woodstock area was in the kitchen of the Holland home and then later in Brown's paddock

Little is known of Bridget's family from Dublin. The history of Ireland and the migration of orphans and young women is well documented. As with all our predcessors the did not keep diaries and most of the oral history has been lost with the years.

 In 1992 my mother, Gloria (Holland) Andrews and I visited Clarence Holland in Bendigo. He took the time to drive us around to point out several significant "Holland" sites. Bendigo was known then as Sandhurst, and California Gully was a suburb. The California Hotel mentioned was on the north corner of Upper California Gully Road and Speedy Street. It is long since gone. A modest house now occupies the site.

Woodstock is about 40 km. west of Bendigo. A pile of stones and a pepper tree is all that remained of the farmhouse. The land has been consolidated into larger farms. The town is now only a signpost on the road. The property was on the west side of Church Road just north of what is now called Little Creek. A modest headstone at the Newbridge cemetery marks grave of Joseph and Bridget.

Wikipedia References
Panama Rail Road
California Gold Rushes
Bendigo
Irish Porato Famine
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Recent photos from Woodstock-On-Loddon

Joseph and his family arrived Port Jackson N.S.W. about 1836/7 He was a  Soldier in 80th Staffordshire  Volunteers  Regiment The regiment went to Malta then Ireland where they were stationed in Mallow then Parramatta. It is thought that they came out on a convict ship. This has to be confirmed. He is mentioned  on roll call 1836 - 1837 as a private. The last listing of his name found 1843. His regimental number is 1235. It seems that Joseph either took a position with the New South Wales Police force as a constable or took money and land when he decided to stay in Australia.

80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot, 1836-1844

Before serving in Australia the 80th Regiment was stationed in Ireland following many years of service in Malta. Assembling in Cork before embarkation, the Regiment was divided into seventeen detachments, which were assigned to convict ships. These detachments sailed at various dates between 13th November 1836 and 18th December 1838. The Regimental Headquarters of the 80th was first established at Sydney but was later moved to Parramatta. The Regiment provided a number of officers and fifty-six of its rank and file for Mounted Police duties. Detachments were hosted to most of the stations and outstations including Norfolk Island where the men faced the task of putting down a convict riot. In April1840 a detachment embarked for the Bay of Islands to become the first British Troops to be stationed in New Zealand. A number of these troops were present, as a military escort, at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The detachment remained in New Zealand until November 1843 when it returned to Sydney to join the main body of the Regiment which was preparing to embark for India. The 80th is the only British Regiment to have served in New Zealand which does not include the battle honour 'New Zealand' on its colours because it took no part in Maori wars.
After long delays the 80th Regiment marched out of the old George Street Barracks in Sydney and embarked in the vessels Royal Saxon, Briton, Lloyd and Enmore. After lying in the harbour for three days they sailed to Calcutta on 16th August 1844. In December 1845 the Regiment suffered very heavy causalities at Ferozeshah, the deciding battle of the wars after the Sikhs. In 1881 the 80th Regiment became the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment.( How to trace your military ancestors)
The 80th regiment embarked from for Australia at Cork in 1836. It was then broken into seventeen detachments being sent to New South Wales, Norfolk Island and New Zealand. In 1844 it concentrated in Sydney before embarking for India. (British Regiments in Australia 1788-1870 Website)
RICHARD CLARKE  was born 25 September 1833 in Kilshanig by Mallow Cork Ireland, and died 16 April 1914 in Beechworth.  He married MARY MCANANLY 29 August 1859 in Beechworth Catholic Church, daughter of OWEN MCANANLY and ISABELLA MOSS.  She was born 26 January 1843 in Shoalhaven  New South Wales, and died 11 May 1916 in Beechworth. Richard was born in Kilshanig in the Barony of Duhallow, 3 miles from Mallow County Cork Ireland on the 25th September 1833. He was 18 months old when the family emigrated to Australia in 1836. The Clarke family moved to Beechworth at the time of the Gold Rush in the 1850s. Joseph and Daniel Richard's two elder brothers sent for him to come to the Ovens District.They operated the "Pride and Stringer" mine. The brothers ran a stamping battery at Twists Creek and mined in the Stanley district where Long Dick's Gully was said to have been named after Richard.
When Richard and Mary married in 1859 they both gave their address as Clear Creek. Richard was 22 and Mary 16 years of age. Catherine could not write, her marriage certificate is marked with a cross. This was common at that time. The last known address for Richard Clarke was Finch Street Beechworth.He and Mary are buried in the Beechworth Cemetery R.C. Section A 1229

Notes for MARY MCANANLY: Mary  Baptised Parish of Wollongong County of Camden by John Brettell
Holliday Roman Catholic Priest. Mary gives Illawarra as her place of birth on her marriage certificate. Her usual address is given as Clear Creek. Burial: Beechworth Cemetery  Death Reg Number: 4478  Grave No.: Roman Catholic section A 1229
Thank you to Margaret Stickland for this info

The 1850s were the time of the great goldrush in Victoria. Prospectors swarmed all over Victoria searching for their fortune. Daniel started mining at Beechworth with his brother. He is next noted as a carter at Bridgewater in 1853, later a miner and farmer. In 1854 he was in Ironbark and then Sandy Creek. and then noted at Arnold ('s Bridge) in 1873.

Margaret Maroney came from Clare, Ireland. Her father, Thomas, is noted as a farmer. It seems she worked initially, at the Sarah Sands Hotel (in Sydney Rd. Brunswick).

She married Daniel Clarke at St Francis Melbourne in 1854. Her address at the time was Pentridge (not the gaol but the now suburb of Coburg); his was Tarringower (near Maldon). They travelled to gold fields by bullock dray. They finally settled on a farm at Arnold. The property was in Rheola Road, on the south side, about 2 kilometres west of Arnold. The farmhouse is gone with the land consolidated into surrounding properties. In 1993 a few stones and a pepper tree survived. Daniel and Margaret are both buried at Tarnagulla. I could not find headstones.

Two sisters of Margaret also came to Victoria. Jane Maroney married a George Sowlsby (spelt Soulsby in some later generations). Bridget Maroney married Henry Horatio Raven.

For more on the history of Tarnagulla see http://home.vicnet.net.au/~tarnagul/

Margaret Hayhoe moved to the city at the same time. The family lived for a while at 5 Canterbury Road Middle Park. Later they next door to number 3. For many years George's mother, Mary Clarke, lived with the family as did "Uncle" Dan Holland and "Uncle" Bob Hayhoe. 

George was very active in community service. He was a long time member of the Australian Labour Party, serving as local branch secretary. He was also an office bearer of the Australian Natives Association, rising to president. He served on the South Melbourne council from 1938 to 1948 and was Mayor in 1942-43. He also served on the board and as president of the Working Man's College (now RMIT University). George was a keen supporter of the South Melbourne Football Club (now the Sydney Swans).