Author Topic: South African help  (Read 3169 times)

Offline boscoe

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Re: South African help
« Reply #18 on: Monday 22 January 18 23:42 GMT (UK) »
Bless you. And many thanks, truly. I, too, know of no other direct blood relatives by that name. The family had two early centers, Kent and the Berk-Hamp borderlands. Horace came from the latter origins. The others you cite I suspect came from the former. Just a guess. Amazing find. :D

Offline Robyn Laing

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Re: South African help
« Reply #19 on: Monday 22 January 18 23:52 GMT (UK) »
Glad to help out!

Interesting to see that even though Fanny married again after William died, she still ended up being buried with William.

Offline boscoe

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Re: South African help
« Reply #20 on: Tuesday 23 January 18 00:03 GMT (UK) »
Wait a minute...
I have Fanny's grave cited elsewhere with a photo off the internet.
My genealogy citation for the photo:
Fanny’s gravestone, 1926, East London, South Africa. Note how the Smiths used her grave for burial purposes afterward.
She can't be two places...



Offline Robyn Laing

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Re: South African help
« Reply #21 on: Tuesday 23 January 18 00:32 GMT (UK) »
Well, if this is the photo you have for Fanny, it may not be the correct photo:
http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=634638&g2_imageViewsIndex=1

The above-mentioned photo is for the grave of a "Sarah Fanny Smith" who died in 1925 (not 1926).
And the "John Francis Smith" on this gravestone died in 1932 (not 1920).

According to Fanny's death notice, her 3rd husband "John Smith" died 18 March 1920 (but they don't specify place of death...).
I'd have to do some hunting & pecking to see if I can find his Civil Death Report - which "might" say where he was to be buried.

But I think it's pretty clear that Fanny is buried with William. The cemetery record says:
"Buried: West St Cemetery - Register, Durban, District Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, RSA
Note: F E Wickens. Died aged 65 yrs. Buried 1926/01/25. Portion Church of England; Grave no 7; Block 12."
And Fanny died on 23 Jan 1926, at the age of 65, according to her death notice.

A burial 2 days later is precisely what you should find (in those days they went for speedy burials because it was difficult to keep the corpses refrigerated for any length of time - in January in Durban it's hellish hot because it's the middle of summer).

Unfortunately there is no photo of the Wickens grave on eggsa.org - but they have not completed photographing the West Street Cemetery (which has thousands of graves in it).


Offline boscoe

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Re: South African help
« Reply #22 on: Thursday 25 January 18 00:07 GMT (UK) »
It's marvelous what you are doing for me, so again thank you. The romantic me had some inkling that theirs was a happy marriage. I felt the same about his parents, both buried together in Southampton. My suspicion, just that, is that Fanny was an attractive woman to men. So it doesn't surprise me what you say. Too bad no photos exist of anyone.
I understand you comment about a quick burial. I was in Durban in late December years ago and the coastal beaches were thriving, everybody having a [sp?] "bri."

Offline boscoe

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Re: South African help
« Reply #23 on: Friday 26 January 18 23:10 GMT (UK) »
Reply #2...
Yes, that's the photo but so much clearer than I found. I wondered about it being too lucky a find.
Smith died in Johannesburg in 1920.
And her death certificate, I wonder if her kids filled it out. She was not 65. She lied about her age at different times. My mother always did, too, until I found her birth certificate listed in London. Fanny was born in Apr 1868 in France to an English couple. That means her age was nearly 68. Poor Fanny. Her secret is out!