Maria Johanna Gebhard born Cape Town South Africa about 1873

[pjreill]

Hoping for some help as I have hit a dead end here.

Maria Johanna Gebhard/t born Cape Town, South Africa about 1873.  She married Alexander Bingle McLean on 13 November 1894 at the Wesleyan Church Johannesburg.

1. I don't know who her parents are or her exact date of birth.
2. I don't know when or where she died.

Alexander Bingle McLean was born in Grahamstown or Kariega 14 December 1863 and I don't know when he died or where either.

I am hoping that someone out there may have some snippet of information that might help please.

[3sillydogs]

Hi

I think this may be your Alexander Bingle McLean.  Not much information unfortunately.  Looks as if wife may have remarried

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS9T-X3TD-Q?mode=g&i=472&cat=188051

Do you have a copy of the marriage certificate?  Not finding anything for Maria....

[pjreill]

Thankyou so much, yes that is him.    I do have their marriage certificate which I have attached.  I tried to find this information at familysearch too but I must be such an amateur at it.

[3sillydogs]

The death notice was on NAAIRS our online archives.  Once you have the ref. no. it can be traced on Family Search. But still nothing for Maria. It may be hard to track if she remarried, but a search on Naairs using her maiden and married names gave nothing.  Usually the death notices will list a female's married and maiden names including previous ones.

[pjreill]

Ok, I have now found out there is a possibility that she remarried and her new husband may be named Joseph Briggs.  That is not firm information though but a possible lead which I am trying to check out.

[pampoen]

On searching Naairs I found some fies for the deaths of James Briggs but no Joseph. Some files are in Cape Town the others are in Johannesburg. Any idea which province she may have lived in?

[pjreill]

I believe it is probably Johannesburg.  I now know (thanks to the kind members of this forum) that Alexander Bingle McLean died in Turffontein, Johannesburg on 13 October 1918 and I know that Alexander and Maria's son Charles Henry McLean was born at Elandsfontein, Johannesburg on 8 September 1901.  I see on Alexander's Death Notice that his wife (presumably Maria) had deserted him 12 years before his death which would make her leaving about 1906.

[3sillydogs]

I don't see anything on the archives for Maria under the Briggs surname either.  As mentioned previously even searching with her maiden name has turned up nothing.  But that may just mean that no estate was left.

[pampoen]

Who was Victor Bingle Briggs?