Thomas Gemmell and Esther Margaret Homan

[3sillydogs]

If you have more information I can try and find out....

[3sillydogs]

I have found the Death Notice for Marion's brother William, he was indeed unmarried and a sugar planter and there are 7 siblings listed with parents William and Elizabeth.  The Armstrong name appears among the pioneers of the sugar industry in Natal.

[3sillydogs]

I have had a look at the will for William and he seems to have left everything to his one brother Robert a sum of more 143 thousand pounds.  In 1925 that was an enormous amount of money.  I also notice that it took until 1950 to settle, 25 years.  I wonder if the rest of the family contested the will..

[3sillydogs]

I've had a look at Robert Armstrong's will, died 1941, also a sugar farmer and miller but he had money invested all over, the brother who inherited from William, he mentions a Tom Gemmell born in 1906 as his nephew and living in Vryheid.  His file is a large one.....

[3sillydogs]

Robert and Grace Alice Armstrong

http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=669259

[Kerra]

I am overwhelmed with what you are finding!  Amazing thank you.
My original source for Thomas Gemmell b1854 and his son b1906/7 was a handwritten note written by a cousin of my father's many years ago.   Some years ago I have searched for Marion Armstrong's birth in Scotland but could find no trace.   I found a likely marriage of a William Armstrong and an Elizabeth Shearer 15 Jul 1853 in Kippen Stirlingshire which matches up with 1851 Census which has a William Armstrong, who was a blacksmith in Kippen;  I had thought that they were possibles for Marion's parents.  As I mentioned earlier, Marion's parents were supposed to have emigrated from Stirlingshire to Australia first so maybe she was born there? 
The will is also interesting.   Marion and son Thomas were in Scotland but are supposed to have returned to South Africa during WW1 to stay with her two brothers.   My source wrote 'Tom was said to be the heir to the unmarried Armstrong uncle.'   So maybe the will was contested.   
Marion must have had some wealth as she had a nurse/nanny for her son.   
Thomas b.1906/7 wrote to my great uncle at some point - in the early 1930s I think - wanting to come back to Scotland but was advised that farming was difficult in the depression.
Where is Vryheid?  Is is near Durban?
Thomas senior was a trooper in the Scottish Horse during Boer War.   That is an avenue of research for me next - I have his service number and he apparently received some medals.    My source wrote 'was a guide as he knew the country well between Kimberley and J'burg.   He was said to have been in J'burg, drilling with Uitlanders at the time of the Jameson Raid.'

[3sillydogs]

I can download and let you have those wills etc if you like.  The Death Notices for both list siblings and children.  The name "Shearer" appears in one of the childrens names as a middle name.

Vryheid is in Natal, but it about a 3-4 hour drive from Durban towards the Midlands of Natal.

Thomas Gemmell is mentioned as Robert Armstrong's nephew in his will.

As I said William, unmarried, left everything to his youngest brother Robert, and Tom only got a stipend from Robert when he died....

Lots of money, the family would have been considered well off...

Williams estate is only a few pages, but Roberts file is very large.

Let me check on Thomas and the Boer war.....

Added:
Gemmell   Thomas   365   Trooper   1st Battalion
Source: QSA Medal Rolls   Scottish Horse

Gemmell   Thomas   365   Corporal   Served 04 Feb 01 to 06 Jun 01. Discharged J'B
Source: Nominal roll in WO127   Scottish Horse

Seems he got a promotion

Nominal Roll Image:

http://www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/south-african-units/469-scottish-horse?showall=&start=1

[Kerra]

I do not want you to go to any bother!  The little snippets that you have posted will be fine thank you.
I have just found a birth on family search for a Marion Armstrong in Victoria.
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AMarion~%20%2Bsurname%3AArmstrong~%20%2Bbirth_place%3AAustralia~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1855-1857~%20%2Bgender%3AF&collection_id=1770729
Some general questions.
What information do death certificates in South Africa give?  Do they give dates of birth?   Are they accessible for searching/buying?
Yes that is the Thomas Gemmell 365 I was thinking was 'ours'.    Going to have a look at the link now.

[3sillydogs]

The death notices give full name, place of birth, parents, spouse, date of death and children or siblings in the case of unmarried folk.

If the person filling in the death notice is on the ball then you can even get the spouses of the children's names and sometimes grandchildren.

It's no bother I can let you have only the death notices if you like, no need to order them.... pm me you email and I'll get them off to you.

That looks like the right one. Same parents for the two boys, so definite match...

The boys seem to have been with the pioneers of the sugar industry in Natal, there is a Gillespie Street in Durban and an Armstrong Drive in the suburb of La Lucia, Durban.  Victoria County was what is now part of the northern suburbs of Durban across the Umgeni River.