Genealogical Society of South Africa
Durban and Coastal Branch
Volume 26 Issue 3/2010
We would like to extend a
very warm welcome to our new member Lynne Kisch and wish her lots of success in
her research and a fruitful association with the Society.
Further, we are sad to announce
that we will not be seeing Dave Honour at our meetings for at 12 months as he has
been transferred to Mauritius for up to 2 years. Although Dave will remain a member of our branch we will miss his
enthusiasm, charm and of course his very enjoyable presentations. Thank you Dave for all your support as an
active member of our committee.
***
Report Back
Meetings
Due to the 2010 Soccer
World Cup it had been decided that the meetings in June and July would be
dedicated to personal research.
With
regard to the planned August outing to Warrior’s Gate and the Old Fort
unfortunately the outing had to be postponed at the last minute due to the venue
being used for M.O.T.H. functions on the day. The outing has now been firmly
booked for the morning of Saturday 11 September. The time of the tour would be around 09:30
finishing at 12:00 where refreshments will be served. A nominal fee will be charged as a donation to Warrior’s
Gate. Family and friends are most welcome
to join us.
***
Family History Research
in South-West of England
Malcolm Wright
Bristol Genealogical Services
Malcolm is
an experienced genealogist with over 15 years experience specialising in the
south-west of England (particularly the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset,
Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall and the cities of Bristol and Bath). He also
regularly attends the Record Offices in the region and also the Public Record
Office in Kew, London.
Malcolm
would be happy to conduct short searches of the records for any of our members
with ancestors in this part of the country. If he can send the results of such
searches by e-mail, he will be happy to do this without charge and if a paper
copy of a record is required, he only requests that he be reimbursed the cost
of making the copy (around R6-00 for printing from microfilm or microfiche) and
the postage.
If
you are interested in commissioning more extensive research into your
south-west English ancestors, he would be very happy to conduct this at a
competitive rate.
If you are
interested you can e-mail Malcolm with a brief overview of your requirements -
he will aim to provide a quote within 48 hours.
You can email Malcolm on info@bristolgenealogy.co.uk if you have any queries or requests.
Stellawood Cemetery
Registers Indexing Project (SCRIP)
(Eleanor Garvie, Project Leader)
I would like to applaud all the
transcribers who have managed to stay committed to the project, without you we
would not have progressed as we have.
Thank you to you all for your support!
We are now 98.66 %
complete with the transcribing of data from the handwritten records to
computerised spreadsheets- Maureen
Schnittker and Larry O’Donoghue are completing those images that haven’t been completed
and then we can in all earnest start checking.
I am busy doing
clean ups to get the data into one format. Ken and I are looking at some way of setting the data on one
computer and the transcription on the other and then sitting side by side
comparing the transcription against the images. Ken and I will be doing
the first check and then passing it on for someone to do spot checks!
At the moment we are looking
at around 94,000 on the data base once we have finished the burial index
registers. It should go fairly quickly
once we have picked up the rest. We
should be complete by December 2010.
If you can assist, Eleanor
is still looking for volunteers who could help with the checking once the first
check has been done. So if you are available to do some
checking around October/November please contact Eleanor at
email address : garviek@dbn.stormnet.co.za
***
Bulletin Board
v
New Opening Times at Family History
Centre
In
reviewing the numbers of people who attend the FHC during its current opening
times and in an effort to best serve current needs and resources that are
available, it has been decided that the FHC will be open on Wednesday mornings
instead of Tuesday mornings. The opening
times therefore as of the 4 August 2010 will be :
- Wednesday
between 09h00 - 15h00
- Thursday
between 09h00 - 12h00.
v
Natal Marriages Indexing
Project
The Index has now risen to 340,706 names transcribed
and now contains Natal marriages within the period 1845 to 1946.
The following email was received
by Adrian Rowe from Stephen L Nickle, Multi-Area Manager, Asia/Pacific/Africa,
Family History Department, Family Search which tells it all :
“ I have read the report of the great work you
and your team have been, and are doing with the Natal Marriage Index
Project. I would like to congratulate you on behalf of
FamilySearch/GSU. I have been involved in the world of genealogy for the
past 12 years, but have only recently joined FamilySearch. The number of
quality people who are selflessly engaged in this great work never ceases to
amaze me. And, the Natal Marriage Index Project is a prime example of
this amazing worldwide effort.
Congratulations again for all your
contributions!”
Thank you to Adrian Rowe and his team and to all our
members who have volunteered to assist with this project. A special mention goes once again to Lyn
Paul who has transcribed 165,759 names, almost half of the total Index, which
is an incredible effort! Well done Lyn!
v
Knight Family History – Part 1
Our member Prof. Ken
Knight has had Part 1 of his Family History printed in the latest copy of
GENESIS. Congratulations and well done Ken
on a very interesting article. We look
forward to Part 2.
v
Second Boer War Records
go online
A comprehensive
database containing the records of more than 55,000 British soldiers killed,
captured or wounded in the Second Boer War goes online
http://bbc.co.uk/news/10390469
v
Register of tombstones in Cemeteries in
KwaZulu-Natal
Attached is a list of cemeteries
in KwaZulu-Natal of which there are registers of tombstones.
The volumes are held at the Family
History Centre in Durban.
***
Certificate of Irishness open to 70 million people worldwide
(Irish Times – 21
June 2010)
THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has announced plans to introduce a
certificate of Irish heritage for up to 70 million people of Irish descent
around the world who do not qualify for citizenship
The certificates will
be issued by a third party agency acting under licence from the Department of
Foreign Affairs, which is considering charging a fee for each document issued. The price charged for the certificates has
yet to be set.
The exact size of the
market for a heritage certificate is not known. But it is anticipated that many
descendants of Irish emigrants would wish to buy one to display in their homes
or as gifts for their children.
Some speakers at last
year’s forum were critical of the disconnection between Ireland and members of
the diaspora, particularly those unable to qualify for citizenship by virtue of
having a parent or grandparent born in Ireland. The forum also highlighted the
role the emigrant network could play in helping Ireland improve its economic
fortunes.
The Government had
taken a broad and inclusive approach to defining Ireland’s global
community. They stated that the Irish
diaspora is not limited to Irish citizens living abroad or to those who have
activated citizenship. Instead, it encompasses all those who believe they are
of Irish descent and feel a sense of affinity with this country.
The process of
selecting a service provider for a trial one-year period is under way, and the
issuing of certificates is expected to start later this year, according to the
minister.
Operators are likely to
have a background in heritage or genealogy. The department is investigating the
possibility that certificate-holders would benefit from discounts while
visiting Ireland as tourists.
Nurse in Iconic WWII Photograph Dies Aged
91
(BBC News – 23 June 2010)
A 91-year-old who said she was the nurse photographed being
kissed in Times Square in New York at the end of World War II has died. Edith Shain said she was grabbed and kissed
by an unknown American soldier on 14 August 1945. The picture by Alfred Eisenstaedt was taken as people celebrated
Japan's surrender, and it became an iconic image. The identity of the sailor remains disputed.
The identity of the
nurse in the photograph was not known until the late 1970s when Ms Shain wrote
to the photographer saying that she was the woman in the picture.
And
this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the
other Edith Shain. However, Eisenstaedt, who died in 1995, said
he was never sure who the woman in the picture was.
Recalling the famous
kiss, she said she could not identify the man.
"I went from hospital to Times Square that day because the war was
over, and where else does a New Yorker go?
"And this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way
and he turned the other."
Ms Shain
returned to the scene of the kiss at the head of a group of WWII veterans
during the New York Veterans Day parade in 2008.
She then
said it was thrilling to be back in New York and "see the street where we
had been when World War II was over, when that marvellous feeling was flooding
the nation".
***
Book Corner
There are some wonderful books in
our library at the FHC. We notice that
the members are not making use of this resource which also holds GSSA CD’s and
DVDs. I am sure you will find something
of interest which will enhance your family history and which you will find
enjoyable. One such book is -
Cornish Immigrants To South Africa : 1820-1920
(Graham
B Dickason)
(GSSA
Durban Library Ref. No. 372)
Though some Cornishmen
accompanied the 1820 Settlers to SA the majority by far arrived in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries.
The discovery of
minerals, especially of copper, diamonds and gold, was the attraction; and
these discoveries took place at the very time that the tin mines in Cornwall
were rapidly being depleted of their payable loads.
So that many of the immigrants
were miners, born and bred with the traditions, the skills, the dangers and
physical risks involved in mining; “Cousin Jacks”, they were named in the
Witwatersrand of their times.
They came at first to the
Namaqualand copper mines, to Kimberley and the diamond fields, to the
goldfields of the eastern Transvaal and finally to the Witwatersrand in
considerable numbers.
The Cornishman has left his
legacy; not only in mining techniques and development but also in the social
and cultural life of SA – in speech, in cookery, in place names, and especially
in commercial life. All these are
described with much detail and with rich anecdote.
Finally for the genealogical and
biographical record, the names of approximately 1300 Cornish settlers are
listed; where known, the name is followed by birth place and dates, and by
additional relevant data available.
“This list”, says the author of this book, “should be regarded as the
visible tip of an iceberg”, and in no sense conclusive – nevertheless a list
that will be of immense interest to the descendants of the early immigrants.
This book incorporates Cornwall
background and history / 1820 settlers / miner-immigrants to Namaqualand,
Kimberley, Witwatersrand and Lists of names of immigrants.
A few distinguished SA Cornishmen
were Charles Chudleigh, John Wevell, Samson Rickard Stuttafrod, Billy Matthews,
Bishop Colenso, John Baragwanath, the Pascoe family, to name but a few.
***
Websites –General
www.londonlives.org (London 1690
– 1800)
“London Lives” contains
enough documentary material to reconstruct the lives, or significant portions
of the lives, of hundreds of thousands of Londoners who lived in the eighteenth
century, including both plebeians and the officers who manned the institutions
of government and social welfare.
www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk
A
collection of web pages about the Royal Navy historical matters.
Casualty
lists of the Royal and Dominion Navies 1889-2009.
www.ww1photos.com/photoArchivehtml/
This site
has photographs and obituaries as well as a collection of WW1 postcards.
www.Archives.timesonline.co.uk
“South Africa” – Over 300 000 results
English County Genealogy
http://Vocopvarenden.nationalarchief.nl
VOC Dutch Research site
***
Old Kearsney chapel’s links with the Hulett name
(Extract from the Hulett Diffuser
– Sept 2001)
Kearsney College takes its name
from a small Kentish Village and owes its existence to the foresight and
generosity of Sir Liege Hulett who gave his family home on Natal's North Coast
near Stanger to the Methodist Church.
In 1864,
Sir JL Hulett with his wife and two eldest children took up residence at
Kearsney near Verulam. He was a local preacher
in the Verulam circuit, and since there was no place to worship nearby, the
family altar was erected in the Hulett family home, where friends and
neighbours gathered for worship.
The
development of farming in the area attracted an increasing number of families,
which also meant a larger number of worshipers. By 1869, a decision was taken to build a church to accommodate
the growing congregation.
With
generous donations of money, building materials and labour, a church building
was erected in 1870. For the next 38
years, this structure became the place of worship, until it was replaced in
1908 by the present building.
In
fact the original 1870 structure was enlarged in 1881 under the superintendence
of Rev John Limon. This addition of a
new chancel was necessitated, once again by an increasing number of
worshippers. But, in the fact of an
expanding congregation, this enlargement only offered a brief respite.
In
1905 plans were drawn up for a new church building by Pietermaritzburg-based
Messrs Stotts and Kirby, architects and surveyors, as a donation.
As
the clerk of works, Mr ASL Hulett was responsible for construction and
fundraising. Unfortunately, both the
construction and the fundraising that preceded it had to endure the disruption
brought about by the eruption of the Bambatha rebellion, in 1906.
But
the rebellion was not all bad news for Kearsney. After being declared a laager by the government, at the end of
the rebellion, the men were remunerated by the government for their services as
volunteers. At the suggestion of Mr AE
Hopkins, the men generously donated their modest earnings totalling £80 to the
chapel building fund.
As
the storm of the rebellion receded, the Durban-based construction firm, Rorvick
and Sons, commenced building in 1907.
The chapel was finished in 1908 followed by the dedication service on 23
May 1908. Thanks to the hard work of Mr
ASL Hulett the construction cost a lot less than the £1600 initially estimated.
Among
the historic highlights of the Kearsney chapel was the solemnisation of the
marriage of Sir Liege and Lady Hulett’s elder daughter Mary to the Hon. Walter
Clayton in the old chapel. This was the
first marriage solemnisation in the building.
As history would have it this couple’s eldest daughter, Maisie had her
marriage to Egbert Hopkins solemnised in the new building. This was the new chapel’s maiden marriage
solemnisation.
In
1921 the chapel served as a chapel college.
This followed the decision by Sir Liege to give his home for the
establishment of the Kearsney College.
The college subsequently moved to Botha’s Hill in 1939.
From
1950 the chapel was hardly used. This,
plus the lack of proper maintenance, and a tornado in 1955, left the building
in a state of dereliction.
Two
decades later, in 1970 the Hulett Corporation bought the chapel, including the
graveyard and garden. A director of the
company, Dr Graeme Shuker, his wife, colleagues and staff of the company
undertook to restore the building.
The
restoration meant everything from the re-slating of the roof to the retiling of
the floor. The restored chapel was declared a national monument in 1980 and
rededicated at a Kearsney College Silver Jubilee Service on 9 August 1981. As befitting an occasion of that magnitude,
the service conducted by Rev Cyril Wilkins was attended by staff, old boys and
boys of the college together with members of families who had been associated
with the chapel.
****
Diary Dates : 2010
14
August Personal Research
11
September Morning visit to
Warriors Gate/Old Fort
09
October Speaker to be
announced
13
November Visit to Amanzimnyama,
family home of the Saunders family in Tongaat and now the Tongaat Hulett Group
office (to be confirmed)
11 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 2010
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
Dawn van Nierkerk Cell:
083 338 7316 E-Mail : matthysv@iafrica.com
Secretary/Newsletter
Judy Letard Cell: 072-146-7922 E-Mail : kdee@mweb.co.za
Librarian
Liz
Marson Cell:
08 698 0961 E-Mail : busiliz@telkomsa.net
Committee
Nigel McFerran Cell : 083 229 8788 E-Mail: mcferran@vodamail.co.za
Cynthia
McFerran Cell : 082 927 3701 E-Mail: mcferran@vodamail.co.za
****
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, after the
World Cup, the F.H.C. will be open at the following times:
Wednesday 09h00
- 15h00
Thursday 09h00
– 12h00
Last Saturday of every month by appointment ONLY.
****