RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => South Africa => Topic started by: pampoen on Saturday 27 June 15 04:01 BST (UK)
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I have hit a brick wall. I need to find out when Constance Harriett Groom arrived in South Africa? What I know is this. Her father was Henry Edward Groom and mother Frances (Fanny) Elizabeth Groom born Wood. Constance was born in Le Havre France on the 15th February 1879. In 1891 she is on the UK census as aged 11, in the 1901 census she is living in Camberwell London aged 21 as a Domestic servant. The next record of her is a reference letter from the head of Addington Hospital on the 8th May 1905. She then married my grandfather WP Austin at St Pauls church in Durban in 1906. Did she come over as a nurse during the Boer war? If so are there any records kept of these nurses who came over? I have found the rest of the family who travelled to South Africa using Find my past. Also looking for a death notice for Constance who died on the 5th December 1943 in Durban South Africa.
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Not sure about that 1901 census reference. I can see a Constance Groom aged 21 (born Downham Market, Norfolk), servant in Camberwell, but she is still in Camberwell in the next census.
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Thanks Shaun not her then in 1901. As you can see in 1905 she had been nursing for 2 years already. How long did nurses train for in that era and are there any passenger lists for nurses who may have travelled to South African in 1900 to help during the boer war? Regards Derek.
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Hi if she came over to SA as a Boer War nurse the records of her service would most likely be in the Kew Archives in London - maybe check some of the Boer War sites to see if they have records of nurses
Regards
Gillian
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This may help http://www.kingscollections.org/nurses/home
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Thank you
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Hiya,
Constance is too young to have been a nurse in the Boer War and I have no record of her on my database: https://boerwarnurses.com/boer-war-nurses-database/. She may have trained as a nurse and then travelled out to South Africa, many nurses did this at the time. In that case she might be in a shipping list.
cheers
Keiron
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Hi, there is a probate on Family Search for Constance Harriet Austin. I cannot see what is in the file as FS is working on the system this morning. There is a camera icon on the one listing, so a good chance of a death notice included.
Regards
Catherine
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Hi again, probate on FS is for her husband, William Percival died 14/12/1924 Vryheid, Natal. They have linked it to her as she is listed as his wife. Do you have all the children's names and his parents names and place of birth?
Regards
Catherine
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Hi again, Death Notice for her son Robert Wilfred Ivan B1910 D1942. He is unmarried when he dies and address is 68 Grandborough C(?)owel, South Beach, Durban. Constance is listed as his mother and living at the same address as him. So, in 1942 she is alive and has not remarried. Marriage for sons George and Claude (both in Durban) witness seems to be the brothers.
Timeline: 1906 Marriage in Durban
by 1917 Birth of 3rd son in Vryheid
by 1942 Death of Robert back in Durban.
Not much, hope it helps
Catherine
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Thanks Catherine