PUBLISHED MAGAZINE ARTICLES
To order back issues of Family Tree Magazine see www.family-tree.co.uk/
To order back issues of Family History Monthly see www.familyhistorymonthly.com
For more information on The Family & Local History Handbook see www.genealogical.co.uk
- Recommended URL:
Allan Jackson's Facts about Durban
Allan Jackson's Facts about Durban is a growing site dedicated to interesting facts and stories about Durban and is currently receiving about 5000 visits a month. It began as a means to publicise his book Facts About Durban but has since grown to have a life of its own and contains a lot material which will probably never find its way into print. The site is mostly concerned with the history of Durban but Allan quite often turns his attention to the present which will, after all, become history in time. It contains articles written by Allan and a wide variety of contributors on many aspects. Allan invites contributions on any topic ranging from articles on topics researched by the contributor to personal memories of times gone by.
Material published on the site has already formed the basis of a second and third edition of the book.
FACTS ABOUT DURBAN
FAD Publishing is proud to announce the launch of Facts About Durban Third Edition by Allan Jackson.
A cover picture can be downloaded from http://www.fad.co.za/images/3ed-cover.jpg
Facts About Durban was first published in 2003, with a second edition appearing later that year. The two editions of the book have sold over 3500 copies in the last four years.
This new edition includes all the content from the first two editions and is packed with almost 75 per cent more interesting facts and information. Among the new additions are articles about Durban's whaling history, Scottish ironwork in Durban, the visit of HMS Durban to the town [as it was then] in 1926, and war graves in the city.
The book will be available online at www.fad.co.za at R130 (incl. P & P) or at the recommended price of R100 from Adams, Exclusive Books, Fascination Books, the Botanic Gardens Shop, the NSA Gallery, and other outlets in Durban.
Facts About Durban arrived quietly on the scene in mid-2003 at a time when there was very little in the way of printed material on Durban available to inform locals and tourists about the history of the city. There had been a number of books over the years, but all of them had been long out of print when Allan Jackson decided to try his hand at putting together a book containing interesting historical and current facts about the city.
Facts has been very popular with tour guides and tourism students, who use it to inform visitors to the city. People come here because they are curious about the city and the book has played an important role in informing them. At least one guide is known to have translated short sections of the book into German for the benefit of her tourists.
Local residents have also enjoyed Facts About Durban and have been informed and entertained by the nuggets of information it contains. It has been available in many of the libraries in the city and has assisted the young in completing their projects and reminding the older ones of things which took place here.
Facts About Durban does not pretend to be a comprehensive history of the city but it is a good starting point for finding out how it grew from a tiny settlement on the shores of the bay, into the powerhouse of today. The author hopes that the new edition will continue to add value to life of the city.
-
THE PIG AND WHISTLE
A History of a Settler Hotel in Words and Pictures
by Marion G. Moore
The book is 56 pages and has about 60 black and white photos and a centre fold of 8 colour photos. It traces the history of this historical hotel and its owners from its beginning in the 1820s until the present day. It was built by Thomas Hartley and later bought by Jeremiah Goldswain. It has some interesting anecdotes and legends.
[The Pig and Whistle Hotel is in Bathurst, E. Cape. 175 years old in 2007.]
The price is R50 each plus R5.50 postage and packing for 1 or 2 books if posted to S.A. Postage and packing for overseas is R16.00. If you would like to buy a copy, notify Marion (by e-mail) of your order with your name and postal address. She will supply with with details regarding depositing the payment into her Bank account.
Contact details:
Marion G. Moore
P.O. Box 139
BATHURST 6166
Tel. and Fax: (046) 625-0904
Cell: 083-254-4564
E-mail: ian.marion@xsinet.co.za
-
Bill Bizley and Patrick McKenzie have just released their book
"AN HISTORICAL MEANDER - Through the Midlands of KZN" published by the Midlands Meander Association.
It consists of eleven chapters over 153 pages, with postscript, bibliography and references, and covers subjects stretching from the early Methodist settlers in 1864, the Zulu War, Anglo Boer War, The Methley and Barter families, Dargle Hotel, Shafton Church, Cedara College, and characters such as Charles Dickens of Howick, Jack Lidgett of Lidgetton, and an assortment of interesting stories and anecdotes surrounding these settlers and 'clans' who were the pioneers of the area we now refer to as "The Meander" (roughly the area from Hilton to Estcourt).
Fascinating archival photographs bring to life these times when ox-wagon was the accepted mode of travel until the early decades of the twentieth century when, at first, steam locomotives and then the 'internal combustion engine' revolutionized travel immeasurably.
Contact details:
To reserve your copy please e-mail or call:
Steven Duckworth
Imagine Books & Gallery
imaginegallery@absamail.co.za
031-7652012
The book costs R160.
-
THE HODGSON SURNAME - published by Martlet Books
The Hodgson Surname shows how the Hodgson surname evolved from Viking roots and where the main clusters of Hodgsons are located. The book is in hardback and would make an ideal Christmas present.
Geoff Hodgson (Director, Martlet Books) is pleased to announce that Martlet Books has established a PayPal facility that greatly reduces the price of The Hodgson Surname for customers outside the UK. Currency conversion costs are dramatically reduced.
Contact details:
Please go to the Martlet Books website ( www.martlet-books.co.uk ) for information on prices and how to order.
-
'NATALIA', published by Natal Society Library (1971 to present)
Titled 'Journal of The Natal Society' on the cover of the first edition in September 1971, the series has faithfully recorded articles of interest, book reviews, lists of publications, obituaries etc ... every year since, and vol.36/37 will be on the shelves shortly.
Articles are submitted voluntarily (mainly by local historians and university associates) and over the years have covered a wide variety of subjects such as: battles, early settler accounts, historic buildings (churches, schools, libraries), agriculture, the Arts, photography, ornithology, sociology, museums etc ...
Natalia is published in softcover format, and with the exception of about seven volumes (now out of print), all are available from a small handful of bookshops dealing specifically with 'Africana'.
It is strongly recommended you start your collection with Vol.31 (Dec 2001) as it contains a very helpful author/subject index to the preceding thirty editions.
At the very affordable price of only R40 each, it is an invaluable collection that anyone interested in Natal history would do well to have on their bookshelf.
Copies are always available at Imagine Books, Heritage Market, 031-7652012.
-
Just Done Productions - Publishing would like to announce the publication of A Reflection of my Past - The life story of John Baird, the First Landdrost of Beaufort West 1796 - 1845.
The author, Lindi Baird has the following to say:
The name of the Scottish Bairds is woven into the early history of South Africa. The Baird surname has strong ties to the Battle of Blaauwberg, to the opening of the interior in the Great Karoo and personal ties with Lord Charles Somerset. Courage, arrogance, deep trusting friendships and mystery add enigma and spice to this family's rich history in South Africa!
The Baird story involves a British nobleman who was hailed as one of Scotland's finest soldiers. Another who was appointed as the Commandant of the Navy Intelligence in Simon's Town and a cousin who became the First Landdrost in the interior region and a grandson, who might have been the first explorer to discover a 'fossil' in the Great Karoo.
For many years our hero's history remained a myth in South Africa, with endless dead-ends and very little information to research. I, myself became an adventurer, an explorer who set sail to unravel the mysteries of his past.
This manuscript is a tribute to a wonderful man - my great grandfather, four generations ago - to the life of John Baird, a Baird forefather and the First Landdrost of Beaufort West. These pages will take you, the reader, back in time. His life at the Southern tip of Africa will be relived as you experience his adventures and travels during his 39 years stay in the Cape Colony.
John Baird was an honorable man, a man who saw the best in people. This is his story.
A Reflection of my Past is available from Just Done at R130.
Purchase from http://www.justdone.co.za or for those who do not have internet access contact:
via fax 086 505 2478
or John 083 3888 290
International buyers may order on http://www.lulu.com/content/1473751
For view of the above book please click on the following:
A Reflection of my Past
-
SHIPWRECKED IN THE ATLANTIC? - by Rosemary Dixon-Smith
The wreck of the Union RMS American on 23 April 1880, including passenger and crew lists. News reports of shipwrecks are an excellent source of information for family historians.
Family Tree Magazine (published in January 2008)
- More to follow ...
