One of the most common questions I get is from people looking for passenger lists to South Africa. Unfortunately, there is not one big database we can search for that information. Passengers lists for those going to South Africa do exist but they are not complete, most are not indexed, and are scattered across various … Continue reading South African Passenger Lists Online – UPDATED July 2023
In the 1880s my great grandfather, John Gill Keown, left the Isle of Man for South Africa. He worked as a carpenter for the De Beers Mining Company in Kimberly. A little later in his life, he bought land in the Northern Cape and named his farm, Frisco Pokwani. That farm name was key to … Continue reading Locating farm land in South Africa
Harry Joshua Davis was a seemingly complicated man. I never knew him, but the records he left often describe a man with many complexities. Living family members knew little of him, except rumors and hushed opinions as to where he had ended up. His birth in Lancashire, England in 1879, was innocuous enough. The oldest … Continue reading Finding Harry
As a young child I can remember opening my father's closet and seeing a very fancy looking sword hanging in there. I don't think I knew whose it was until I was older and learned it belonged to my mother's father. My grandfather, Harold James Davis, died about 2 years before I was born. The … Continue reading My Grandfather’s Sword
Four generations of women in my family in South Africa. There is something about taking these close up photographs and placing them next to each other that reinforces for me the familial bonds that tie generations together. Not to mention, seeing how much they resemble each other! Christina Elizabeth McIntosh was of Scottish descent, born … Continue reading Four Generations in Close Up
eGGSA is the acronym for the virtual branch of the Genealogical Society of South Africa. According to their website the ‘Genealogical Society of South Africa (GSSA) is an international organization of people engaged in the study of genealogy, family trees and family history with a South African connection’. From the first small colony established by … Continue reading Discover … eGGSA (The virtual branch of the South African Genealogical Society)
My maternal great-grandfather, Harry Joshua Davis, has generally made himself extremely difficult to find after 1923. In fact, I have not found him or his date of death or where he might have died and I have been looking for a very long time. Yes, it’s annoying and he most definitely qualifies for July’s Genealogy … Continue reading Hide and Seek with Harry
As part of this month's theme for the Genealogy Blog Party 'The Strong Will Survive!' I am highlighting my Grandfather as someone I believe was strong both emotionally and physically. He survived not only a war but a situation at home, happening at the same time, which was incredibly emotionally stressful for him. Read on … Continue reading From Cairo with Love
KindredPast 