Death Certificate South Africa abt 1904

[gayenz]

Hi
I am trying to locate ANY details of a child born in about 1903/4 in Orange Free State, South Africa please.

Apparently his name was Clive Malcolm born in Orange Free State, South Africa to parents John Alexander George Malcolm (ex Victoria, Australia) and Mabel Jane May Oertel (ex Abrahamskraal, Orange Free State). Jack and Mabel married in Kimberley in March 1903.
Family rumour has it that the child Clive died after 10days due to a heart defect.

Wallace Oertel Malcolm was the 1st recorded child for this couple and was born on 1st Jan 1905 and was christened at the Wesleyan Methodist Church, Bloemfontein. Because of the records and the fact that Wallace was christened, I find it strange that there are no baptism records or anything for Clive. Therefore I am unsure whether Clive was born in or out of wedlock and therefore he could have been an Oertel or a Malcolm. If he was born out of wedlock he could be Clive Oertel and his birth / death could have been even as early as 1901/2. This is a family skeleton I have hit a brick wall.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated please
Regards
Gaye

[Nookie]

I found the baptism of Wallace, but nothing on Clive.  However he might never have been baptised as he died so young, and a death certificate might never have been issued.  Have you looked through the burial certificates on familysearch?

 MALCOLM Wallace Oertel
 John Alexander and Mabel Jane of Dumia? Dist Boshof
 1905/01/01
 1905/06/17
 Sponsors: Alice ERITH? Philip George OERTEL, Frank EVANS
 

[gayenz]

Hi
Thanks for your help and yes I have searched Familysearch and various on-line sites and have found data for 3 of 7 living Malcolm children.

On Friday I emailed the Dept of Homeland Affairs and was eventually told that I needed to go to their offices and fill out a form. Unfortunately I live in Australia but hoping on Monday to get a response that will enable me to deal with it on-line.

I guess we are all ever hopeful that someone has seen or knows of a stash of documents that tell all.    

Thanks once again for taking the time.
Cheers
Gaye

[Nookie]

Unfortunately I do not think that the Department of Home Affairs will be of any help at all.  If you had the exact date of birth you could apply for a unabridged birth certificate, but without that they will not be able to assist as they do no research at all.

As they were married in Kimberley one could make the assumption that Clive was born there and could also be buried there.  I checked the gravestone photo's on eggsa.org but there was none for him.

Maybe if you put up another posting asking for a lookup in the Methodist cemetery there you would have some luck.

[gayenz]

I agree that they might not be of any help - my initial contact suggested that as there had been no computers at that time (1903/4) they would not have any records. 

The couple got married in Kimberley to avoid scandal back in Bloemfontein as the chap had had a wife and children back in Australia at the time of their meeting. She also jilted a chap at the altar in Bloemfontein to get together with Jack Malcolm. He was part of the Australian regiment fighting in the Boer War. So I think Kimberley was just a moment not somewhere of meaning.

I need to sort out a timeline of where she was living including staying with family on various farms - that might help where cemeteries / churches  might be.

Thanks once again for your help

[Nookie]

Oh I just love a scandal in the family tree!

I am sure that a time line would really help. The other thing is to look at the marriage certificate.  Did they get a special licence, or were banns called?  If banns were called then they would have been resident in Kimberley for at least three weeks.   Witnesses also often provide a clue as well.

Generally speaking marriages took place in the bride's home town, but if he was stationed at Kimberley, and her family were really miffed at her, and she was possibly pregnant, could explain why they were married there. 

However I see that one of the godparents to Wallace was an Oertel so perhaps her family was happy with the union.

Boshoff is only about 50km from Kimberley, whereas Bloemfontein is about 120km away which also could be an explanation as to why they were married in Kimberley.  I think that Abrahamskraal and Dumia are both the names of farms in the Boshoff area.

Not sure if any of this helps but hopefully it gives you something to think about.

[gayenz]

I know, aren't they great. This fact about Clive slipped out and now no-one will talk about it. Very sad. He wasn't even mentioned in a book that was written about the boer War and where the farm Abrahamskraal and Jack Malcolm were centre stage. My grandmother supplied a lot of the personal details. Even the author was unaware. But i suspect rose coloured glasses were rampent.

There is a Marriage Certificate for St Cyprian's Church in Kimberley. It was under license not banns. He was listed as a widower (incorrect - divorcee) living in Boshoff and she finally back at the family farm Abrahamskraal.

The story goes that in 1901 she had been living with her family at Bainsvlei (farm of her fiance) as Abrahamskraal was in the centre of fighting.
After the jilting of her fiance in June 1901, (also to have been married under special marriage license) who was from another well known family of standing within the community, her father had kicked her out and she had had to go and live with her sister at a farm near Modder River - could be "Perseverance" west of Bainsvlei.
Mabel remained there until after she and her father had reunited after his return from being arrested as a traitor to the Boers, (Long story), they then both returned to Abrahamskraal after the Boer War ie abt mid 1902.
Jack meanwhile went back to Australia early in 1902 to get divorced. This took awhile but he actually returned and they married in March 1903.

Upon his return to SA in late 1902, Jack initially bought a farm called Tweefontein in the Boshoff. After their marriage Mabel moved in and started their family life. Unsure when but they then moved onto Mia Mia farm in Boshoff district and then finally in 1907, Cheddar farm, part of an oldfarm called Klipdrift on the Modder River. The  Wesleyan Methodist Church - Bloemfontein must have been their local as the 1st 3 children were christened there 1905-1909.

I'll start trawling the Methodist churches I think.

Anyway I think I have bored you enough with my skeleton.

Cheers
Gaye
 

[Nookie]

So her dad was a joiner!  This was the name given to Afrikaners who fought with the English.  They were also called veraaiers (traitors). 

I found a number of Oertel baptisms - not Clive's unfortunately.  However I had a thought.  As her dad was a joiner then possibly he and his wife initially attended the Dutch Reformed Church.  If Mabel had an illegitimate child is it not possible that he would have been baptised and buried in a Dutch Reformed Church cemetery?

Maybe it would be worth looking at where her parents were married, and her sister baptised.

[gayenz]

That was the issue, he was English as his mother had come from England. He was born an Anglican and then converted to become a Methodist in abt 1888. He married within the Anglican church and then his kids from his 2nd marriage were baptised in the Methodist Church.

Charles Oertel didn't fight in the war and because he refused to take sides, the Afrikaners took issue. His farm was in the middle of it also so he couldn't just stay out of it and at one stage the English were on one side and the Boers on the other. There is an unsubstantiated rumour that one of his daughters told the English the Boers were on the other side to apparently divert a battle??? Also one of the greatest issues was that his sons tended to marry Afrikaans woman and all his daughters, English speaking chaps. So no he wasn't a Joiner and to this day the Oertel Name is mud in that area including the old family farm now owned by an Afrikaans family. Funnily enough though his 2nd wife's grave stone still is on the property. 

So looking at records, I found Methodist and even DR church records (unindexed) on Family Search and trawlled through that period for Bloemfontein and Kimberley but to no avail. My Afrikaans was pretty rusty for the old parish records but I think there were no Oertels / Malcolms.

However this has got me onto the http://www.identitynumber.org which is fabulous so spending far too much time trawling. LOL! 

Have fun
Cheers
Gaye