DIARY OF A NATAL MOLE
February 2005

1 Plans afoot to include a section on the Anglo-Boer War on the Genealogyworld site. This will include a brief guide to tracing ancestors who fought in that conflict, and various muster rolls and rolls of honour of regiments will gradually be added. Looking for a suitable picture of a Queen's South Africa medal (the campaign medal awarded to most men who served on the British side during the war) I finally take a photo of the QSA in my own collection - that awarded to William DIXON-SMITH, Lieutenant Quarter Master of the Border Mounted Rifles, who died of enteric at Intombi hospital outside Ladysmith during the Siege in January 1900. His stepson, Trooper A O ANDERSON ("Alick"), also of the BMR, died shortly afterwards in similar circumstances. Their letters written during the Siege make enthralling reading.

2 Query received from Australia regarding a Trooper of the Natal Police, John LEE, who drowned while crossing the Insubeni Spruit, Babanango, 8 March 1904. This provides a reason for a few hours in the Natal Police records held at PMB Archives. They are a treasure trove of information on this unit, and more about what is available in these registers will appear soon on Genealogyworld. Two volunteer transcribers are currently busy extracting the names of men who served in the NP ... a most useful index to look forward to at some future date. Another NP Trooper, HAY, also drowned on the same date and at the same spot as LEE.

3 News from the Society of Genealogists, London: researchers looking for their ancestors in England now have another 700, 000 census records to search in the London area. The London-Surrey 1871 census collection covers a major portion of London south of the River Thames, with full information about each household and full image collections. More information on the 1871 census and other English genealogy collections at British Origins
http://www.britishorigins.com
Also available via The Origins Network
http://www.originsnetwork.com
Origins Network services include subscription access to exclusive English genealogy related collections on British Origins (URL above) and to Irish genealogy related collections on Irish Origins
www.irishorigins.com,
expert Scottish Old Parish records research on Scots origins
www.scotsorigins.com,
plus Free access to a state-of-the-art specialized search engine for genealogy,
Origin Search www.originsearch.com

4 Mole's birthday and a surprise delivery of yellow roses and chocolate shortbread from the two sons overseas makes her day.

Intriguing enquiry on the enigmatic WOODWARD brothers: Robert Blake and John Deverell Stewart WOODWARD were Anglican missionaries and ornithologists who published their book "Natal Birds" in 1899. The hunt is on for more detail on their lives and careers, and especially for a photograph of either or both of these reverend gentlemen. In my search, I use for the first time Crockford's Clerical Directory; look-ups in these volumes can be ordered on Roger Vaughan's site (5 pounds per name).
http://www.cartes.freeuk.com/history/crockfords.htm
Roger's other site
http://www.rogerco.freeserve.co.uk/
has amazing collection of some 3 000 Victorian and Edwardian photographs, helpful for costume dating.

5 The Natal heatwave not letting up, Mole exchanges usual velvet suit for asbestos survival outfit. Pietermaritzburg is not the place to be in this weather.

Continuing the search on Private William JONES V.C., defender of Rorke's Drift, and his wife Elizabeth nee GODDARD, who died of phthisis in Durban 11 October 1878. It was after this personal tragedy that JONES went to rejoin his regiment (2/24th) and happened to be at Rorke's Drift for the battle on 29 January 1879. The rest, as they say, is history.

8 The final 6 Byrne passenger lists uploaded on Genealogyworld Maritime Pages.

9 At PMB Archives researching WHITE, BREWER and FRANKISH families, also LUNDY, and more excursions into Natal Police records.

An estate file claimed by Archives staff to be held at the Master's Office, whither I went, turns out to be at Archives after all, causing irritation all round, embarrassment for Mole and a hot walk for archivist Peter Nel. Theoretically-speaking, any deceased estates up to 1974 should be found at PMB Archives ... but there are exceptions. And when looking for estate files, it should be borne in mind that due to lack of storage space at the Master's, some files from mid 1970s to approximately mid 1980s are languishing in the PEBS Building in PMB until the Master's Office moves to proposed new premises ... just when that will happen no-one can tell me at the moment. The mills of Government grind exceeding slow.

10 Find some useful CSO (Colonial Secretary's Office) marriage declarations ... it's always worth checking the card index at PMB Archives for these ... they are Natal civil marriages up to about 1880s. Note that sometimes couples opted for two ceremonies, the civil one followed by one at the church of their choice.

11 British media full of the news that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles will marry soon. Not before time. Everyone very worked up over the so-called implications for the monarchy, the constitution etc and a poll of public opinion in UK shows many not in favour. Let the man marry who he likes and enjoy a bit of peace and happiness for a change, I say.

15 Considering the morbid fascination of the Victorians for making jewellery ... watch-chains, bracelets etc ... out of the hair of a departed loved one, these items might well provide the required sample for a DNA test by descendants. (A British contact of mine says that DNA stands for "Does Not Argue"!) Recently on the Antiques Roadshow there was a picture made entirely out of the hair of several of the owner's ancestors: problem was deciding whose locks were which.

Not being prone to belief in family resemblance as genealogical evidence, I'm astounded by photos of a Rorke's Drift defender and the person who claims descent (though not finally proven) from this hero. On comparing the photos, the similarity is remarkable ... same hairline, eyes, nose, even the ears are identical. The long Victorian moustache and beard of the 1879 ancestor do disguise the lower half of his face somewhat, but I'll eat my hat if these two people aren't genetically linked.

Genealogyworld's Anglo-Zulu War correspondent, "Sapper" Graham Mason, has his equilibrium shaken by an earth tremor in Colwyn Bay, Wales, measuring 3 on the Richter Scale. What with that and a local murder, it's all happening in peaceful Llangefni.

20 Robin Griffiths provides Genealogyworld with another index, this time to 'Umvoti County, Jewel of Natal', published in 1985 by the Greytown and District Council for the Care of the Aged. Umvoti County includes the areas surrounding Greytown, Muden, Seven Oaks, Hermannsburg, Kranskop, Dalton, New Hanover and Wartburg. Most of the settlers originated in Germany or England.

22 At PMB Archives reading a diary co-written by the RUNCIMAN brothers who came to Natal in the three-masted schooner, Olympia, in 1862 ... this was almost exactly a year before my Thomas Alfred GADSDEN came out on the Priscilla and the diary gives an insight into the sort of conditions such travellers faced. For example, serious mal de mer - and when they recovered enough to eat their meals, watching other less fortunate travellers throw up in the dining saloon if the nauseous ones didn't make it in time to the deck-rail. Hardly conducive to a return of appetite for their fellow passengers. Apart from being frustratingly becalmed for lengthy periods, the Olympia suffered two disasters, one a damaged topmast and the other the loss of a sailor overboard, an unwelcome tragedy since the ship was already undermanned. I find that these shipboard diaries, while interesting, seldom give helpful clues as to family origins, the diarists confining their comments to their sea-going experiences in a most infuriating way.

School tours conducted at PMB Archives tend to be disruptive for others using the Reading Room, but it is good to see children being introduced to family history in a practical, hands-on way. I'm impressed with the Archivist's approach, making it a fun experience for the children rather than dry and dusty. My generation had no such assistance or encouragement ... I don't recall the words 'family' and 'history' being mentioned in the same sentence when I was at school.

Far more disruptive to the concentration than crowds of schoolchildren was the drilling of various sorts which followed Mole during this week ... at PMB Archives where they were putting together new (smaller ... groan!) desks for the reading room and at Natal Society Library where archways are being made from the new building to the old, angle grinders at work directly above the area where the newspaper collection is held. Instant headache.

23 Successful search for a marriage entry of 1952 for ancestral visa purposes. In these cases it's advisable to note not only the entry number and precise date of the event, but also the full description of the register in which it is found, giving the dates and entry numbers covered in that volume. This should facilitate the ordering of a certificate from the Dept. of Home Affairs. Unfortunately, a digital photo of the original entry is not considered a legal substitute for the certificate. No short cuts on this one.

Find Delyse's ancestor Capt TOLLNER and family arriving at Natal on the Umgeni August 14 1867. Passenger List to go on Genealogyworld.

24 Mailing list discussions on the knotty matter of copyright and fair use. A must for every genealogist's bookshelf: "Evidence, Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian" by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Genealogical Publishing Co Inc Baltimore ISBN 0 8063 1453 1)

Still on mailing lists, their archived messages are a wonderful source of information ... other people researching the same topics as well as instant answers to frequently asked questions.

27 Receive a new offering for our Anglo Zulu War pages from SAPPER Mason, this time "The Mounted Infantryman" and the possible confusion of two people named EVANS.

28 An epitaph from Essex:
Here lies the man Richard
And Mary his wife
Whose surname was Prichard
They lived without strife
And the reason was plain
They abounded in riches
They had no care nor pain -
And his wife wore the breeches.

Mole