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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: wilcoxon on Saturday 26 January 19 17:04 GMT (UK)
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Rupert Snape born 1879 sailed from Plymouth to Cape Town in 1896 on the Ionic. What was his occupation, there are many more on the same page but I can`t make it out.
I though miner, but it just doesn`t fit with him, he came from a wealthy well educated family, and was last seen in the 1891 census in a Private School.
He served in the South African - Second Boer War and died in 1903. Lourenco Marques Mozambique.
If you can help with any other info that would be great.
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Well it certainly looks like miner to me too.
It is possible he was going to S.Africa to mine gold.
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I agree, looks like Miner. Maybe he was intending to join the gold rush, thinking he could make himself a fortune. He wouldn't have been the only one attracted by the thought of finding a fortune!
Regards
GS
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What threw me was the position of the dot, it's not where you'd expect it ti be ???
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What threw me was the position of the dot, it's not where you'd expect it ti be ???
It looks as if most of the is are to the right. I'm sure I position my dots like that when I'm writing quickly.
Gadget
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It may have been a clerical error as his name is with 3 others who were miners.
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Could it be minor,ie not yet 21.
Perhaps not yet started work,if at a private school that might fit,they could have been 18 and not yet started work,the age would be right for a private School.
Viktoria.
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I'd thought the same as Viktoria. However all the other men listed as miner/or were adults.
I also thought "minister" as in clergyman but Rupert was too young.
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Looking further down the page there is Drap er with the same break in the word and quite fancy e as Min er. Another Draper has it joined up.
I enlarged it.
What do you think?
Viktoria.
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Well I'm pleased I didn't wade in earlier as I thought it was a shortened "Minister" as all the others ending in er are joined ::) ;D
Carol
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I find it a bit odd that me was a presumably a miner whem he left, not at all in keeping with the family. Father was William Snape died in Wrexham,
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1891 he was in St Oswald's College, Ellesmere. . It just doesn't seem to fit he would be a miner,
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1891 he was in St Oswald's College, Ellesmere. . It just doesn't seem to fit he would be a miner,
Perhaps he was in search of excitement. A tad drastic.
I think clerical error more likely.
Was he travelling with anyone or to anyone?
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Are you sure that it is the correct Rupert? I've found another listing, which was probably the original, where some of the ages are given as 'a'. The listing shown in the first post shows that the a has been rubbed out at ages added.
The death records him as being 30 - i.e. b 1876.
These might well be just approximations but I think worth mentioning.
Gadget
Added - he is shown as having fought in the Boer Wars and dying in Mozambique though :-\
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On BMD I've only found mine , 1879, Wrexham. Headstone reads died July 15 1903 aged 23.
At Lorenco,Marques,Africa.
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I see that his father is recorded as a Tailor and Auctioneer on the 1881 census. Have you traced a will for him? There is one for his mother on the same page as the probate.
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The Findmypast index of his time in the infantry has a small bio taken from the records which states he was a storekeeper by trade when he enlisted 30-11-1899 at Pietermaritzburg into the Colonial Scouts at age 22.
The source noted was WO126/30, 63 which is held at National Archives in Kew:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3322681 It is not yet digitized, but perhaps they can do a lookup.
The bio also states that he died at Lourenco Marques in 1903 and his next of kin was his mother, Mrs Snape, residing at Ruabon Road, Wrexham, North Wales.
I am wondering if a mining company was opening up a new area and enticing workers with cheap passage, so regardless of what job they would do, the men were just generically listed as miners if their ticket had been subsidized by the mining company.
There is a minor mention of R. Snape in a diary of another Colonial Scout here:
http://disa.ukzn.ac.za/sites/default/files/pdf_files/thn2264.pdf scroll to image page 15 (which should be page 11 of the actual diary)
This gives no genealogical value but if you read a bit of it, you can "relive" a bit of his life.
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Thank you all very much. I was thinking about the fact that they were all miners, and that perhaps they had signed up while still at home, that does seem likely.
The diary looks to be very interesting.
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Re diary. (Off-topic) I found interesting the writer's use of slang expressions "A1" and "OK" (to describe food and beverages). Staple diet seemed to have been "mealies". (A 2xgt. uncle served in Boer War.)
The first article in the journal was about the "New Europe", written 7 years after founding of E.E.C. or Common Market.
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Not relevant to the question of his occupation but this newspaper item may be of interest.
Wrexham Advertiser of 7 Feb 1885
BOROUGH MAGISTRATES COURT
Monday Feb 2nd
Charge of Assault on School Teacher
Long article about parent against Miss Annie GRAINGER, infant mistress at the Tenter’s National School
A witness - “Rupert SNAPE, a sharp little fellow, who said he was “thickth” years old, described, with naive simplicity, the “caning” administered to the boy Ledsham, and said, in reply to Mr ACTON, that if he (witness) had received the same himself he :”wouldn’t have cried” - he’d “have done nothin’.” (Laughter.)”