Author Topic: Smith family, Newlands, Cape Town, 1880s  (Read 910 times)

Offline Keston

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Smith family, Newlands, Cape Town, 1880s
« on: Tuesday 20 September 16 23:52 BST (UK) »
Hi,

I have done quite a lot of family research for relatives in other countries, but am now trying to find out more about some South African connections. 

Thanks to the helpful posts of others on this site, I have located a Baptism record for Florence Jane Smith, daughter of Thomas and Hannah Smith, b. October 1882, baptised July 1883 at St Andrew's, Newlands on the Familysearch site.

On this, her father is listed as a mason. 

I have done quite a bit of research on this family and understand that Thomas and Hannah emigrated to South Africa sometime after 1880 (when their previous child, Leonard, was born in Droylsden near Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire), spent some time in South Africa, and returned to Lancashire in time for the birth of their next child, Sydney in 1884.

We had always been told that Thomas and the family went out to South Africa because he got some form of contract but that they did not like it and returned to Lancashire. 

Thomas had been a bricklayer in the UK, working for at least some of the time in the coal mines.  I am keen to find out any more that I can about his time in South Africa, what would have drawn him there and what he would have been working on at that time as a mason in the Cape Town area.  I understand that there was a lot of building going in the area at that time.  I'm also keen to understand where there would be any other sources of information on the family's location / address in Cape Town such as voters lists, censuses etc which I would be able to source without a trip to the archives.

The family apparently had an ongoing relationship with South Africa as Thomas's sons, Harold (b. abt. 1879 in Ahston) and possibly Leonard (as above, b. 1880 Droylsden) and Fred (b. 1894 Shaw), who were also bricklayers, returned to work there in the early 20th century.  Harold's daughter Elsie Smith was born in Natal in 1907 and we have family stories that when my great grandmother Nellie came to New Zealand in c. 1910, and her sister Florence a few years earlier they came via South Africa, where they met up with their brothers.

Any help or suggestions for next steps very gratefully accepted!
Thanks,
KESTON.



 
- Anderton - Walton le Dale & Heskin / Eccleston / Croston / Bispham Green areas Lancashire; Bombay NZ
- Smith - Harworth, Nottinghamshire; Ashton under Lyne, Shaw, Lancashire; Cape Colony, Natal, South Africa
- McDowell - Raloo, Antrim; Garthland, Galloway; Drury, Maketu, NZ
- Hall - Cavan, Ireland
- Bell - Fermanagh, Ireland; Papakura, NZ
- Hanna - Tyrone, Ireland & West Coast NZ
- Burns, Johnston(e), King and Moffat - Peebles, Traquair, Selkirk, Scotland
- Rugg - Kumara, NZ
- Dick