South Africa births help HANKS

[iwonder_who]

My Grandmother and her 2 sisters were born in South Africa, 
 

• Edith Muriel Florence     Jeppestown, Johannesburg   26/8/1899
• Irene Agnes                 Durban  23/2/1900
• Evelyn Violet                 Jeppestown, Johannesburg  28/12/1905

Their father was Harold  HANKS  whom we believe managed a gold mine but unconfirmed.  Their mother was born Agnes BROWN...... BUT she had escaped a mariage in England to a STANTON and had 2 sons to him before the girls were born.   I cannot find a marriage for Agnes BROWN and Harry HANKS anywhere but the three girls took his name.

I would love if anyone could help trace details of them whilst in SA,  birth certificates schooling where they lived etc.   I have a photograph I have attached of Muriel at school.  Unfortunately it has no school name,  but may be recognised by someone?

[Danchaslyn]

 

Hi iwonder_who

What an absolutely fascinating photograph and wouldn't it be wonderful if someone not only recognized the school, but also, possibly some of their relatives in the photo??!!   

I wish I could help you here, but I can't, but one thought,  are we to assume the school was in Jeppestown, Johannesburg?  During the early 1900's there couldn't have been more than a handful of schools in that area.

Also, do you think you have the birth date correct for the second sister?  As Irene Agnes appears to have been born six months only, after her elder sister, Edith Muriel Florence??   And, I'm also wondering, why Durban?     

Durban and Jeppestown are about 400 miles apart and no mining takes place, or did take place in Durban, so could they have moved temp to Durban?

Good luck     

Cheers

Danchaslyn

 

[iwonder_who]

Thanks Danchaslyn  I too found it fascinating!

The photo also proved the family lived for quite some time in South Africa therefore there should be some records I can glean from that time hopefully.  I would say Agnes Muriel looks about 12 in that photograph.

Harry Hanks appeared on the Electoral Roll in Western Australia in 1915 on his own,  then in the 1925 roll he and Agnes are both there with Violet.  Going on these dates one would assume Harry left South Africa between say 1911-1915   possibly on his own with wife and children joining him then or at some later stage before 1915.   The only passenger list I found him on was in 1929 on the Orsova returning to England when he was  64 & she 63 after they won a lottery in Western Australia.

I had another photograph that shows the family that could possibly have been from South Africa too,  maybe someone could view the license plate on the vehicle and tell me if its from SA or Australia.

[Danchaslyn]

 

Hello iwonder_who

What a charming photo and I certainly think that the house, possibly a farmhouse, and the garden layout and flora, are definitely, during that era, in South Africa.   

Of both photos, which is Agnes Muriel?   

The vehicle's licence plate also looks S Africa, I can only see the numbers, not lettering for the region, do you have more info on the possible regional lettering of the plate?   

Just a thought,  as it appears that Harry Hanks went on ahead on his own, from SA, to W Australia, leaving his wife and daughters, temporarily behind, firstly to establish himself, but, then possibly, could the womenfolk  have been delayed by the terrible 'flu epidemic in South Africa, of 1918?   

Cheers

Danchaslyn

 

[iwonder_who]

Agnes would be the eldest of the girls in the photo.....  thats why I put her age at around 12,  she looks quite tall next to her mother and the boy looks quite a bit older.  I tried hard to place her in the school photograph as it wasnt labelled but really am not sure.

The school does look to be varying ages dont you think?  I dont think all the children there would be in the same grade.   Did schools keep records that are accessible I wonder?

Ahhhh if you think the license plate and photo is definately in SA I have a close up of Harry and Agnes on that bike I will attach.

As I said I am making the assumption Harry came to Western Australia on his own only because I found him on the census alone and on the next one 10 years later Agnes appears.  I know her 2nd son Bertie Stanton died in South Africa and William the eldest came to Australia which prompted both Harry & Agnes to come.  Have no info on what Bertie died from only that he was about 16.  In a cousins notes he said things were as bad then as they are now so harry and agnes took the girls and came out to see william who had left eariler and was in adelaide  He also said he thought they came out in 1913.

PS dont you LOVE the hat!   I was so chuffed this family kept some of the old photos and shared them with me,  puts faces to the names

[Danchaslyn]

 

Oh iwonder_who

Aaaaahhhhhh what a wonderful photo, they just keep getting better and better!   

And the hat!!!!!     And the lovely, big dog, snoozing in the dust!      So the licence plate had no regional lettering.........

The school photo I think is of the    whole school.  They did that in those days, even classes and ages were mixed up.  Could Agnes Muriel be the tall girl next to the teacher, fourth from right, middle row?   

If we assume this school was in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, I know of St Stithians in Johannesburg  (where my cousins went and more jnr cousins still are) has been going for a very long time, def from that era.  What about emailing the school with your pics and asking if they might have any ideas?   

Oh, so if they leave SA in 1913, that obviously is ahead of the 'flu epidemic, but, as you say, wonder what the poor 16 yr old, Bertie Stanton died from, and when?  If you knew where, maybe someone in JHB could look in the cemetery records for that graveyard?   

Cheers

Danchaslyn

 

[Danchaslyn]

 


St Stithians College,  Randburg,  Johannesburg............ on the www       

With phone numbers as well.....................
 
Cheers

Danchaslyn

 

[Danchaslyn]

Hello I wonder_who

Aaaa  St Stithians, to 'young',  established, 1940.

Anyway, google  Love2Know  Johannesburg  1911, absolutely fascinating!  Jeppestown was  THE  place for mining magnates to live.     

Also, google, Wikipedia    Jeppestown Boys High, the school has a wonderful history and I feel sure, should you email them your pics they would identify them for you.  The school was in Jeppestown, and round about your family's era, they moved to another suburb of Johannesburg, Kensington.   

Hope this helps?   
Cheers

Danchaslyn

 

[iwonder_who]

Just as a subnote in case anyone reads this.... I found a school in Jeppestown I thought may be a possibility for this photograph and emailed them.

The principal of John Mitchell school replied

If they lived in the Jeppestown area I am sure that they must have attended John Mitchell. The other schools in this area were only built much later. The buildings that we are in are not the same so therefore it is very difficult to identify  However studying old photos the style of the building looks similar

I can’t give you any guarantee but I am about ninety percent sure that you have found the school  that they attended