CLARKE/STONE/OLIVE BRANCHES

CLARKE - STONE I was born Julie Joy Clarke and inherited all the baggage of the name bestowed upon me by my maternal grandmother who knew my father and made judgments on me due to his characteristics. As my foster mother she was in a position to instill in me a sense of shame in my father who she considered polluted the lineage since he had married her daughter (my mother). She wanted nothing to do with the Clarke’s so I grew up not knowing anyone from that side of the family. But where am I going with all of this? I’ve been married twice and twice the Clarke name disappeared from my identity until forty years ago when my brother located my father, who had been out of my life since I was five. I began to adopt my birth name hyphenated in conjunction with my married name by way of connecting with my ancestry. Then, after a marriage break up thirty years ago I reverted to my birth name. My older sister had undertaken some serious research on both sides our family tree, which unearthed major achievements, so I was finally comfortable. I was a Clarke. However, I was recently contacted by a distant relative who discovered that my paternal grandfather was born Thomas Winter Stone. My great grandmother Anne Connolly Neil Clarke changed his name to Charles Winter Clarke, presumably because all her other children were fathered by her husband John Timewell Clarke. What’s in a name? Well, we certainly grow up with an identity linked with the name of our father or (if female) our husband’s surname. But what if that name is counterfeit? When I received this information I felt like the lineage had been amputated and it will only be recuperated when a connection is made with the Stone lineage. For family members interested in the lineage from my great grandmother please consult the amazing blog called OLIVE BRANCHES skillfully written and researched by Dr. Belinda McKay, which may be found at the following link: https:/tetragonula.wordpress.com/