Parents of John Henry McKenzie 1897 Johannesburg

[Lisa Jo]

Hello,
I am starting to believe that my great-grandfather must have just popped into the universe out of thin air.   I have not been able to track down anything more than this form and it hasn't panned out to much.  He was military and married Norah Cathroll of Limerick, Ireland in 1925 in Chelsea England.  Lived in Coventry after that.   I do not believe he died in South Africa but his Ashes were spread on Table mountain from what I am told.  I am under the impression he had family that stayed there.  His son George Stevens McKenzie I believe may have military ties to there also.  Any pointers would be great.

[CaroleW]

Hi and welcome to Rootschat

A copy of his marriage cert will at least (hopefully) give you his fathers name and occupation. 

Marriages December qtr 1925   
Norah Catthroll / John H McKenzie   Chelsea    1a   906    
 

[CaroleW]

There is a death in Warwickshire in September 1967 for a John H McKenzie aged 71

John H McKenzie aged 71  September 1967  Meriden Volume   9c Page 728

[Lisa Jo]

Thank you.  I have seen the death certificate index during my searches but it is just the index so I can't confirm if it is him or not and it's such a common name. The marriage certificate is obviously him so I do plan on ordering that one.  For the records I am unsure about do I just take the gamble and order them so I can at least rule them out?

[CaroleW]

Hi

Re: death cert.  If you decide to order it you can put a "condition" on the application that you only want it if his middle name was Henry.  If it isn't - they will refund your payment.  You are not going to get an awful lot of info from it though apart from the address in 1967 and the name etc of whoever reported his death

Unfortunately - there is no probate entry for him as that would have shown his full name

www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

Norah appears to have been born 1900 according to Family Search but I can't see a matching death for her

[Lisa Jo]

Thanks that is good to know about ordering documents. I am in contact with my grandmothers niece and nephew and I do remember that Norah Cathroll (and good grief there are tons of variations of her name in her records) was alive well into my childhood (I was born in 1983) but I believe she might have moved to Australia with my my great aunt and her family.  I did find her parents and siblings and even a distant cousin in Ireland who's parents were close to her.  I believe she died in 1995.   I swear they would all laugh at my frustration over this. Leave it to my feisty family to give me such a hard time and make me work for it lol.  I'm thinking I will just have to order the documents and try my luck at finding out who my Great-great-grandpa and grandma McKenzie were.

[CaroleW]

I looked for him on the incoming passenger lists which cover from 1878 but couldn't find anything.  Only one possible entry before 1925.  John McKenzie aged 26 arrived from Durban in 1924 but he was a clerk with an address in Rosshire Scotland

[Lisa Jo]

Yes. Unfortunately it's popular name and I believe there was a John McKenzie from Johannesburg born around the same time that died young in the military so most records seem to pull me in that mans direction.  The biggest source of information, besides the proof of age, I have gotten was from my great uncle George Steven McKenzie's obituary.

[Lisa Jo]

I got a fathers name from the marriage certificate. George Mckenzie. He is listed as an electrical engineer.  Attaching a screenshot.