Genealogical Society of South Africa
Durban and Coastal Branch
Volume 25 Issue 2/2009
We would like to extend a very warm
welcome to our new members Barbara Askew-Hull, Carolynne Butler, Sally Fletcher,
Graham Hammond, Rose McArthur and Wendy Vineall and wish them lots of success
in their research and a fruitful association with the Society.
We also bid farewell to Dave Sutcliffe who has
recently immigrated to the UK – and although we will not be seeing him around he
still remains a member of the eGGSA Durban Branch. We wish you lots of happiness and success in your new home in
England Dave and hope you will keep in touch with us.
***
Message from the
Treasurer
Membership Fees
Please
note that the cut-off date for the renewal of membership and payment of fees
for 2009 is 31 May 2009. After
that date your name will unfortunately have to be deleted from our membership
list and you will no longer be receiving our newsletters. You would by now have received a friendly
reminder from our Treasurer, and we ask you, should you not already have done
so, to kindly advise us whether you wish to either resign or remain as a member
of the Society. We value your
membership and sincerely hope that you will renew.
Please
note that even though you may not have renewed your membership, you will still
be eligible to receive the first issue of Familia for 2009 and this will then
be the final newsletter of the branch that you will receive. We look forward to hearing from you.
***
Report Back
Visit
to Killie Campbell Museum & Library
Saturday
14 March 2009
(by Dave Honour)
A good
turnout of 18 members enjoyed a very informative visit to the Killie Campbell
Museum and Library in Durban on Saturday 14th March 2009.
A conducted tour of the building was lead by the very charismatic guide
with the wonderful name of Muzi Wandile Hadebe who introduced us all to some
facts of how life was in the emerging years of the city of Durban. Admitting to
the fact that he had only been at the Museum a few weeks Muzi still managed to
bring to life the many fascinating stories of one of the founder families of
Natal.
The Campbell family arrived in Durban in 1850 from Scotland as part of
the Byrne settlement scheme and although starting with absolutely nothing
managed to create an empire by farming sugar. The fame of the family was
established with the naming of Kwa Mashu after part of the family estate had
been donated for settlement during the days of the Group Areas act. Mashu being
the name that Marshal Campbell was known as by the local inhabitants.
The house that now serves as the Museum was built in the late 1800s and
is of Cape Dutch style. The grounds were designed and planted by Killie
Campbell who used many indigenous trees many of which still thrive today. Such was her love of the gardens we were told
that she would spend many hours sitting on the branch of one of the larger
trees reading. The tree was pointed out
with the epitaph that after her death Killie’s ashes were scattered under the
branch.
Moving in to the house many artefacts were pointed out of the Campbell
family with the personal collections of books and Africana taking centre stage.
Most incredible probably of all of the
collections was a complete set of postcards depicting the procession coronation
for Queen Victoria. It’s probably the
only one in the world in its entirety.
Nearly everyone commented on the amazing collection of artwork in the
house especially some of the detailed close ups of African life in an era long
gone.
From the living part of the house we entered the museum proper and the
collections of Africana from all parts of the Southern Continent. Here Muzi was in his element describing the
various parts of African life in great detail.
After a welcome tea and coffee with some lovely home-made biscuits some
of the members stayed to visit the Library section and to take advantage of the
massive collection of African literature available.
Members wishing to visit the Museum again are advised to call the museum
first to arrange a guide, this can be done by phoning 031 2073432 or
031 2091622. Alternatively they can call the Museum administrators UKZN
University on 031 2601727. E-mail
for the Museum is campbellcollections@ukzn.ac.za.
“Grow
your Family Tree”
Saturday
9 May 2009
(Presentation by Dave Honour)
The presentation held on Saturday
9 May, which was attended by 23 members and guests, was a great success. Once again Dave’s presentation was well researched and presented, and was backed up with handouts. The slide presentation was an easy guide for
our beginners to follow with lots of great tips and anecdotes, and of course was
a refresher for the rest of the 23 member.
Thank you for all your hard work and for a very enjoyable presentation
Dave. A thank you too to Jenny Harries who
supported Dave in his introduction to the PAF software!!
If anyone is interested in obtaining
copies of the handouts please contact me at kdee@mweb.co.za.
***
“Piecing together the
Past”
World War I Cards Found
(BBC News Website – 18 March 2009)
Detective work by a
British historian has unearthed information that could enable thousands to
piece together their family histories.
Historian Peter Barton was commissioned to carry
out research into the identities of World War I casualties discovered in a mass
grave at Fromelles in France. He had been commissioned by the Australian
government to carry out research, following the discovery of a mass grave on the
World War I battlefield. That trail led
him to the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, and to the card indexes and registers
compiled between 1914 and 1918; during that period the Red Cross had acted as a
go-between, logging, and passing on information to 30 countries drawn into the
conflict.
He was given access to the basement of the Red
Cross headquarters high above Lake Geneva. There, he was allowed to examine records that have lain virtually
untouched since 1918.
Those details included whereabouts of prisoners,
their condition or injuries at the time of capture, and the location of field
burials. Details which no longer exist
in the UK; but here, in dusty cardboard boxes Peter Barton found the original
indexes; thousands upon thousands of cards; dozens of registers. He estimated
that there could be 20 million sets of details, carefully entered on card
indexes, or written into ledgers.
They deal with the capture, death, or burial of
servicemen from over 30 nations drawn into the conflict; personal effects, home
addresses and grave sites cover page after page. All were passed to the Red Cross by the combatants; volunteers
logging the information by hand before sending it on to the soldiers' home
countries.
According to Peter Barton, the UK's copies no
longer exist, but the originals are still here and are immensely important.
"To a military historian, this was like finding Tutankhamen's tomb
and the terracotta warriors on the same day," he said. Peter Barton cannot understand why no-one
has ever realised the significance of this archive, but the Red Cross told him
that he was the first researcher who has asked to see it.
The records could potentially reveal the
whereabouts of individuals whose remains were never found, or never identified.
Grave after grave in the World War I cemeteries mark the last resting place of
an unknown soldier.
But that presents the Red Cross with an
unprecedented challenge; the paper records must now be conserved, and
digitised. More than £2m has already
been set aside for a project that will begin this year, and which is likely to
involve experts from all over Europe.
The Red Cross hope to have the archive online by
2014, 100 years after the start of World War I. They believe that the care and patience of their volunteers during
the conflict coupled with today's technology will provide a key to unlock the
past.
In the World War I cemeteries, headstone after
headstone marks the last resting place of an unknown soldier. The names of the missing line the walls of
memorials across France and Belgium, and until now, the trails followed by new
generations ended with family histories still incomplete.
***
Stellawood Cemetery
Registers Indexing Project (SCRIP)
The
Stellawood Cemetery Registers Indexing Project has begun in great earnest and
is making good progress. 2 560
images (pages) have been photographed and ready for transcribing. Still in its
infancy, already 50 images have been transcribed.
However with the registers of the crematorium still to be photographed,
Jaq has indicated that the number of images will probably climb to around 4000.
He also estimates that the project
should take another 12 months if our transcribers go the distance!!
A big thank you to all who have volunteered to assist with this
project. At present the SCRIPT Working
Group consists of past-chairman Jacques Benadie (Project Leader), Carolynne
Butler, Eleanor Garvie, Dave Honour, Adrienne Kitchin, Liz Marson, Shirley Richardson,
Maureen Schnittker and Dawn and Matthys van Niekerk.
Should you wish to be a
volunteer please contact Jaq Benadie direct at jaqb@tekomsa.net.
***
Bulletin Board
v
SA Huguenots
Retired psychologist
and author, Kenn Joubert has written a prize-winning novel in North America on
the HUGUENOTS and has invited us to read the first chapter on his webpage: http://members.shaw.ca/kvjoubert
The book is also listed
with the publisher on www.tafford.com/05-2075
The novel portrays the
life of any Huguenot who escaped France and the sequel, “FOLLOW THE WIND” will
lead the adventure to the Cape. His
novel was published in October 2008.
v
10 Most Fascinating Graveyards!!
While still considered a strange destination on holiday, a
growing number of people are seeking out cemeteries to visit! There is an inherent fascination in
cemeteries that should be embraced. They must be genealogists!!!!
Visit http://listverse.com/travel/10-fascinating-graveyards-you-must-see
v
ABC Bookshop
Have
you visited the ABC Bookshop yet??
You can
visit them at either shops at Lower Quarry Centre, Hilton KZN, or at Great
Books - Granada Square, Chartwell Drive, Umhlanga, KZN or you can contact them
on www.abcbook.co.za or email books@abcbook.co.za.
v
Family Name Database
Below is a list of our new members and their family
name interests. If you can assist them with
any information kindly contact them direct.
Carolynne Butler
Bamber, Ross, Wilson, Lee, Van Reenen, Parr, Bowen, Butler, Lepine, Crouch, Relph.
(email: jbutler@telkomsa.net)
Sally Fletcher
Crawford, Mason, Montgomery, Thompson, Steel.
(email: fletchers@eastcoastweb.co.za)
Liz Marson
Sparks, Bleske, Siebritz
(all from the E. Cape)
(email: busiliz@telkomsa.net)
Graham
Hammond
Hammond, Whitaker, Darcy,
Fraser, Hook, Redman,
Bohan, Cox.
(email: gpham@telkomsa.net)
Rose
McArthur (nee Stuart)
SA : McArthur, Waters,
Fitzpatrick, Quinn, Marnewicke (+derivatives)
UK : Stuart, Marsden, Russell,
Young, Smethurst
(email: rose.mus@gmail.com)
Barbara Askew-Hull
Hayman, Roxburgh, Oosthuizen,
Poole, Askew-Hull, Peak
(email: norman01@telkomsa.net)
The above names have been added to our database. Please remember it is not too late to send
in the family names which you are researching; this is an ongoing project! Please email to kdee@mweb.co.za
v
Remembrance Ceremony
and Unveiling of Memorial for Horses, Mules and Oxen that perished in Service
The Weston Farm and the ‘Weston Common’ in Mooi River on which
Weston Agricultural College stands today, was the site of Number 6 Remount
Depot established from 1899 -1913 for use during the South African War of 1899
–1902. The Depot also served the 1906
Bhambatha Rebellion. The Depot buildings include:
A two
hundred horse stable block, Officers’
stables, Old feed sheds, and the old
toll house/post office (built in 1854), now a farm stall.
It is
estimated that approximately 30 000 horses and mules died or were
destroyed during the war and were buried on this farm and surrounding area.
The
students at Weston have helped to recover horseshoes and weld them together to
form a rounded Obelisk, which is to be mounted onto a decorated plinth that
forms the base of this Memorial.
The
Unveiling Ceremony will take place over the weekend of Saturday 30 and Sunday
31 May 2009. This coincides with the end of the war (31 May 1902). The ceremony
will begin at 14:10 to replicate the time of the final meeting during which the
Peace Treaty of Vereeniging was agreed.
A
Traditional Formal Ball and Dinner is to be held at the College on Saturday
evening at 18:00. Tickets are available
from the College at R150pp, on sale as table booking of 10 people, cash bar
available.
The
College will host the Ceremonial proceedings assisted by the Cavalry
Association representing Traditional Mounted Regiments. On this occasion Natal Mounted Rifles and
Umvoti Mounted Rifles will be the assisting Regiments.
The NMR
and UMR have also been invited by the College to assist with the Unveiling
Consecration Ceremony and outdoor Church Service.
Organisations
or individuals who wish to pay tribute to animals that perish in service will
be invited to present a ‘dressed’ original horse or mule shoe.
The
Shoe will be pre-mounted on the Wall of Remembrance, which is part of the
memorial, and will be unveiled on the day.
There will
be a number of related activities planned prior to the ceremony, including
talks by renowned Tour Guide Extraordinaire Ken Gillings, well known historian
Maureen Richards and a demonstration by the Dundee Diehards. The UMR Tent
Pegging Team, a tour of the College, its Museum, significant sites on the
property and static displays by the Society for Preservation of Militaria will
also be available. Weston gates open at 09:00 on Sunday. Entrance is R5.00 per
person.
v
Natal Marriage Indexing
Project (NMIP)
The NMIP
database now contains 200,534 names - which is a tremendous effort! Well done to the project team!!!
v
South African Genealogy
Registers
The book series 'Suid-Afrkaanse
Geslagregisters' parts 1 - 17 (surnames A to Z & addendum) which was recently
completed, has just been released on 18 compact discs. This neatly packaged set in their
recognisable covers are only available from GISA and can be ordered at R200 per
compact disc plus R30 postage or R2700 plus R100 for the whole set, within the
borders of South Africa. The contents of the set of compact discs are a replica
of the set of books and a valuable source when a specific person needs to be
traced within his family. Contact GISA
at 115 Banghoek Road , Stellenbosch, telephone 021 8875070 or send an
e-mail to orders@sun.ac.za
for more information.
v
Secret of Mass Graves
Revealed
In
1832, 57 emigrants from Donegal, Derry and the surrounding counties set sail
for a new life in America.
They
found work on the railroads, but within weeks they were all dead, struck down
by cholera - or possibly even murdered by locals who believed the immigrants
had brought the disease with them.
The men
were buried where they had died, in a mass unmarked grave along 'Duffy's Cut',
the section of the Philadelphia and Columbia railroad they helped to build.
For the
last five years, Dr Frank Watson, his brother William, and a team from Immaculata
University in Pennsylvania have been searching for the men's
remains - and in March 2009, they made the breakthrough they were waiting for, they
discovered the first two skulls.
The
first skull that was recovered was believed to be of a man who was called John
Ruddy, an 18-year-old who came over as a labourer from Donegal to work on the
railroad.
For Dr
Watson and the rest of his team, it was an emotional moment. There was
excitement mixed with sadness that these poor men ended up in such an ignominious
site, dumped alongside a hillside at Duffy's Cut.
But it
was also joyous, because they would be able to commemorate these men and
remember them. What they hoped to do was to return some of the bones of these
Irishmen back to their native land. (BBC website – March 09)
v
Eastern Cape Look-ups
If you
are searching for ancestors from the Eastern Cape area our member Shirley
Richardson has a lot of information and might be able to assist you. Shirley can be contacted at therichardsons@telkomsa.net
v
Rifles and the
information they hide
There is a new publication out by Dave George titled
"Carvings
from the Veldt - Part Two".
Amongst others, there is the family history of the van Wyk family (a rifle
carved to P.A.R.C. van Wyk is featured in the new book). Should you be
interested in finding out about the subject of these books, you may like to
have a look at his website: www.boerwarcarvings.bravehost.com
The two "tabs" listed "Gallery Book 1"
and "Gallery
Book 2", have a selection of photos that appear in the two
books. Apart from featuring a photo of the name carved on each rifle, Dave has
attempt to write a short history about the person and wherever possible, a
photo of the burger as well.
You can contact Dave George at [mailto:david.george7@bigpond.com]
****
“We are the chosen”
Thank you to Barbara Longworth for sending in this
great article!!
"We are the chosen. My
feeling is that in each family there is one who seems called to find the
ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To
tell the family story and to feel that somehow those who went before know and
approve. To me, doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but,
instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the
storytellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called
as if it were in our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us;
“Tell our story!” So, we do.
In finding them, we
somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and
cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told my ancestors,
"You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us"
How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love
there for me? I cannot say.
It goes beyond just
documenting the facts. It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I
do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and
indifference, and saying - "I can't let this happen". The
bones, here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing
something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to
accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to
respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving up, their
resoluteness to go on and build a life to their family. It goes to a deep
and immense understanding that they were doing it for us, that we might be born
who we are, that we might remember. So we do.
With love and caring and scribing
each fact of their existence, because we are them and they are us. I tell
the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next
generation, to answer the call and take their place in the long line of family
storytellers. That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what
calls those, young and old to step up and put flesh on the bones."
Barbara writes “I don't know who wrote it, but I
wish I had!”
****
Diary Dates : 2009
Kindly
note that the talk by Prof. Himla Soodyall on DNA research was postponed until
a later date.
09 May “Grow your Family Tree” by
Dave Honour
13 June “Scottish ancestry and
everything Scottish” by Michael Jackson
11 July Personal Research
08
August Presentation by Peter
Moss, Head of the National Cemetery Recording Project
12
September Family History Fair,
Durban
10
October Personal Research /
Speaker to be announced
14
November Morning visit to
Warriors Gate / Old Fort
Afternoon Personal Research
12 December Ancestral Tea
We
will advise you timeously of any changes of events, or forthcoming outings that
do not fall on the 2nd Saturday of the month, as arrangements are
made.
****
Committee
Members 2009
Chairman
Matthys van
Niekerk Cell
: 083 338 7316 E-Mail : matthysv@iafrica.com
Vice-Chairman
David Honour Cell
: 082 906 4875 E-Mail : dave.honour@wspgroup.co.za
Treasurer/Membership
Adrienne Kitchin Cell : 083 303 1646 E-Mail : kitchin@iafrica.com
Secretary/Newsletter
Judy Letard Cell: 072-146-7922 E-Mail : kdee@mweb.co.za
Librarian
Dawn
van Niekerk Cell: 083 338 7316 E-Mail :
matthysv@iafrica.com
Committee
Nigel McFerran (past-Chairman) Cell : 083 338 7316 E-Mail: mcferran@vodamail.co.za
Cynthia
McFerran Cell : 083 338 7316 (as above)
Octogenarian
Annelise Peters
- Ph: 031-208-2910
Our Venue for Meetings
Family History Centre,
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints,
144 Silverton Road.
Entrance in Montgomery
Road
Phone: (031) 202 3024
Our meetings are held at 2.30 on the 2nd Saturday of every
month. Our AGM is held on the 3rd
Saturday in January.
For the record, the F.H.C.
is also open at the following times:
Tuesday 10 am – 12 noon.
Wednesday 1 pm – 4 pm
Thursday 9 am – 12 noon and 6.30 pm – 9 pm
Last Saturday of every month from 10 am – 4 pm
Or by appointment phone –
cell 083 661 4457
****
"Life
should not be a journey to the grave with the intention
of
arriving safely in a beautiful and well preserved body,
but
rather an invitation to skid in sideways, thoroughly
used,
totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ..
"Hey! What
a trip that was!"
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