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Research in Other Countries => South Africa => Topic started by: maria99 on Saturday 03 September 16 17:09 BST (UK)
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Hi ,
Does anyone have a copy of the 1838 Annual Report of the Children's Friend Society . I require information on Thomas Cook who was sent to South Africa aboard the Abberton in 1837 .
He was ca 12 years old .
Many thanks
Maria99
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This could be him?
Document 5 of 29
DEPOT KAB
SOURCE MOOC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 6/9/98
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 9409
PART 1
DESCRIPTION COOK, THOMAS. DEATH NOTICE.
STARTING 1862
ENDING 1862
Or this one.
Document 8 of 29
DEPOT KAB
SOURCE MOOC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 6/9/660
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 484
PART 1
DESCRIPTION COOK, THOMAS. DEATH NOTICE.
STARTING 19110000
ENDING 19110000
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You may find this of interest. Are you sure he went to South Africa and not South Australia? Link http://www.eicships.info/ships/shipdetail.asp?sid=811uy
My ancestors came to South Australia on the "Lady Emma" (1836), the "Abberton" (1846). Found on the net.
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Here are the links to the documents in the first post from pampoen
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQF-XSMY-Z?i=507&cat=331262
You don't say where he was born, but this one may fit with the approximate age born in Ireland.
I had a look at the other document and that Thomas Cook was born in the Cape, so doubtful he's your man.
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Here is a link showing the Bretheren had a place at Klaas Smith River near Queenstown Eastern Cape mentioned in the death notice given by 3silly dogs. I would say this is definitely the Thomas Cook. Link https://books.google.com.au/books?id=X8oWAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=klaas+smith+river+south+africa&source=bl&ots=eOIQFFGS93&sig=OXb-lGLUJsMeEo2Y2gI7zJXdGIQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQoc2wpvnOAhVCFpQKHYkxAFIQ6AEIIzAD#v=onepage&q=klaas%20smith%20river%20south%20africa&f=false
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Hi there, :)
Thanks so much for trying to help.
Unfortunately non of these Thomas Cooks are the one I am looking for.
I am hoping that the Children's Friend Society Annual Report 1838 has some information .
Greetings, Maria
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Hi,
I have a copy of "The Children's Friend Society" book by Geoff Blackburn as I too have an ancestor who was sent to S.Africa by the Society. Your Thomas Cook is listed as being sent to Cape Town on the "Abberton", which sailed 13th January 1837. He was apprenticed to C.F. BEYERS to work as a farm servant. Hope that might be of some help.
Waddy
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Hi Waddy ,
Thanks so much for looking up this info in Geoff Blackburn's Book.
Totally fascinating
What is the name of your ancestor who was sent out to South Africa by
the Children's Friend Society?
Have you had any luck tracing additional records ?
Greetings,
Maria
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Hi Maria
I had another look at Geoff Blackburn's book and C.F. Beyers took 2 other boys from the "Abberton", Arthur J Read and Wm Cowling, but that was the only time he took any of the Society children. I think C.F.Beyers may be Christiaan Frederik Beyers, 21.03.1786-10.08.1886 who lived at Uityk, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. He was a Boer farmer. I had a quick look on familysearch.org, and found a Thomas Cook buried at Wynberg Cemetery, together with his wife Ellen, and son James. Thomas b. 12.05.1823, d. 18.08.1877; Ellen b. 20.04.1832 d. 15.03.1909; James b. 31.07.1857, d. 17.07.1876. Thomas' date of birth 1823 would put him at about the right age for your ancestor, and if it was he who was sent to Stellenbosch he may well have married and stayed in the Cape Town area.
My ancestor was Charles Dubber, one of the first children sent to South Africa. Fortunately it is a fairly unusual surname plus I was working backwards from the present day which made him easier to trace. However, it has taken a few years and I can't get back further than Charles. Most of the children the Society took were destitute or vagrants so finding any record of their parents is very difficult, and quite possibly the children didn't know much either. The "Abberton" landed at Cape Town on 29.03.1837.
Good hunting
Waddy
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Many thanks Waddy :)
The Thomas and Ellen buried at Wynberg Cemetary are indeed my ancesters.
We also cannot get back any further.
I am trying to find the documents of the Childrens Friend Society . Not just the yearly reports but the actual day to day running of the home and the individual reports on the children and where they came from etc. They must surely be in the archives somewhere.
No luck so far .
Greetings,
Maria
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Hi folks
I've been wanting to know what was in Geoff Blackburn's book so thanks, Waddy, for clearing it up! I despair because, as you say, the boys sent out by Children's Friend Society were mostly destitute so tracing my ancestry back from 1822 has had me stumped for years. Guess I was hoping there'd be a rainbow leading me to more info on how the boys came to be on those ships..
My G G Grandfather came out in 1833 on the BOLTON (GEER- WILLIAM H) and fortunately thanks to this info I managed to trace my GG Grandmother's grave on the farm where William was sent to work as an 11 year old apprentice. By all accounts he was happy working on the farm (still run by the same family 7 generations later!) so that gives me comfort when I think of him as a frightened, poor 10 year old. :'(
I have found 2 possible matches for my William but nothing exact. As the society preferred to send boys from 14 I'm not sure whether his DOB stated on his death certificate (11 Nov 1822) is accurate as that would've made him 10 on sailing and 11 on arrival. Not even sure it's worth asking someone to do the 2 lookups as it won't confirm anything. I'd need to find a match for anything to be certain.
Take care and please post if you find any more info on these boys!