Help tracing John James Caswell of Boston, Natal

[Paul Caswell]

Thanks Derek,

I found the same entries in the nominal roles. It is so exciting when these little nuggets turn up!!

If I come across the Alborough name I will certainly make contact. It is such a small world.

I still haven't found out whether he left any children!!  He died on 11 Aug 1906 in Greys Hospital, Pietermaritzburg. The documentation suggests that he WAS married and there is a tantalising entry on IGI for a marriage to a Lillian Howard in 1901 so plenty of time for children. Strangely, just six months before his death he had received a cheque for £25 in settlement from his fathers will so if there had been any family they would have been quite well off at the time.

Paul

[prince2010]

Hi Paul

Another option you may wish to follow up on.....

Our local newspaper today had a story on the Tanglewood Hotel as it claims it has links to one of the Jack the Ripper suspects who may have stayed there in the 1880's. This hotel is in the Dargle area which borders Boston and Impendle (to the east/north east). Probably not too far (about 15 miles maybe). Apparently the hotel was called the Singleton Hotel back then.

Dargle doesn't have it's own registry office or police station and the nearest now would be Lions River (which I think was mentioned with the Police force in the Boer war post) because that is the direction of todays main road. Back in 1900 the road wouldn't have been there and Boston may have been more accessable.

Just an idea.

 

[Paul Caswell]

Interesting idea ... tried to contact them ... the e-mail system on their site is broken for me. 

I'll try again later.

Paul

[prince2010]

This is Africa, everything is broken.

Try the old fashioned way, I will try get an email address ....

CONTACT DETAILS

Tanglewood Country House
Dargle Road
Dargle
KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa
 
Contact : Miss Nichola Mann

[Paul Caswell]

This is Africa, everything is broken.

LOL 

[prince2010]

Hi Paul

Some feedback for you in the meantime.

My wife and I were in the area today, went to deliver something to Calderwood Hall and visit a friend in Boston.

Apparently on the road from Boston towards Dargle (where Tanglewood hotel is located) is where the hotel you are looking for was located. It was demolished some time ago and nothing exists there to see today.

I was given the name of a lady to contact whose family were one of the first to settle in the area and hopefully she will have some more details.

If you go to 29deg 40'46.15"S and 30deg 01' 18.62"E on Google Earth that is the dirt road where the hotel was located. I don't know how far along that road, hopefully we can find out for you. About a screen width to the right of the intersection of the main road and the dirt road is the village of Boston (petrol station, trading store, farmers hall, moth shellhole, grave yard and probably a church and that is it). I have never been more than a couple of kilometers up that dirt road but it heads in the direction of Impendle. A few years back there was an offroad motorcycle race out there and the riders went up a rocky road that the original settlers there had cut into a mountain/hill side a couple of 100 years back. The bikes struggled getting up there so the old ox wagons must have really battled.

Glenn

[Paul Caswell]

That is brilliant Glenn. This is a wonderful favour for me.

I'm off exploring up the track and around Boston. I look forward to anything more you can find. This certainly all seems to fit together. Do pass on my thanks to your patient wife and the Calderwood Hall people too.

Paul

[prince2010]

No problem at all.

Patient wife - she thinks we are all nuts on this forum (maybe she is right), probably had something to do with me wandering around the local boer war cemetry looking for someone's relative's cross.

From Google Earth you can't see anything unless you have a clearer version than we get.

[Paul Caswell]

You're right ... there isn't much to see ... but I'm looking anyway.

Paul