Background
Boothby was the fifth son of the Benjamin Boothby, sometime Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia, was born at Nottingham on 8 April 1837. He went to the colony with his father in 1853, and in that year became Clerk in the Colonial Secretary" General’ s Office, Clerk in the Audit Office in 1854, Chief Clerk in the Audit Office in 1856, Chief Clerk in the Chief Secretary" General’ s Office in 1859, also Government statist and Superintendent of Census in 1860, Assistant Secretary and Government Statist in 1866, and Under Secretary and Government Statist in 1868.