Hi Jorose thanks for the info so far, sifting through it I have made up a list of the family as follows.
1871 Census:
6 Mansfield Villas, Hampstead (RG 10/192 58/24)
Robert Groom, 60, merchant, b. Hessett, Suffolk in 1811
Martha Elizabeth, 58, wife, b. Jamaica West Indies in 1813
Henry E, 22, son, clerk to merchant, b. Clerkenwell in 1849
Chas, 21, son, clerk to merchant, b. Clerkenwell in 1850
Henry E married to Fanny have the following children.
Gertrude M Groom 16 scholar b. London (1875)
Mabel E Groom 14 do. b. do. (1877)
Maud M Groom 13 do. b. France Havre BS (1878)
Constance H Groom 11 do. b. do. BS (1879)
Claud A Groom 9 do. b. Brussels BS (1882)
Charles E Groom 8 do. b. Kent ? Broad.or Bruoghton ? (1883)
Leon J Groom 7 do. b. do. (1884)
(What is meant b do. b. do. above as well as BS?
)
C. A. and a C. L. heading to SA in 1906 of the right age to be the boys Claud Albert and Charles Lancelot. In 1892 there's also an H. E. (the father?) with an Elizabeth (possibly second wife), and two of the girls shown on the 1891-- "Gertrude M" and "Mabel E". SA archives show an entry for Charles Lancelot Hessett Groom (wife Adeline Rose) (think this is his estate notice from 1958), so other members of this family did go to SA.
Christening in 1892 for "Constance Harriet Groom", parents Harry and Fanny, in Herne, Kent. She probably wasn't born 1892 - this is one of a set of baptisms presumably late baptisms for the whole family.Is this possible as the above says HE Groom sailed for South Africa in 1892!!!!
I am convinced this is the correct family for the following reasons.
Constance and her husband William Austin had 5 children, one of them was my father, however the first son was named William Reginald Hessett Austin.Secondly he was involved in shipping all his life, now I see where he got his taste for this type of work from.Other Iinformation :
• Managing Director Cayzer, Irvine South Africa (Proprietary) Limited.
• Director African Associated Agency and Stevedoring (Proprietary) Limited.
• Clan Line South Africa (Proprietary) Limited.
• Standard Caterers (Proprietary) Limited.
• Joined Union Castle Company, 1926, and stationed in various parts of South Africa.
• During war was Port Representative of British Ministry of War Transport at Mombasa.
• Appointed agent Union Castle Company, Mombasa 1946 and Cape Town 1951.
• Appointed Deputy Manager for South and East Africa on 01 January 1954 and General Manager on 01 January 1959.
• President Mombasa Chamber of Commence and Agriculture 1948 and 1949.
• Chairman Inter-Territorial Harbours Committee of the Transport Advisory Council 1948-50.
• Chairman Mombasa Missions to Seamen 1949-50.
• Member of Executive Committee East Africa Tourists Travel Association 1948-50.
• Norwegian Consul for Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar from 1946 to 1951.
• Member Cape Town Harbour Advisory Board and Clubs: City, Civil Service, Master Mariners' Club, Cape Town, Western Province Cricket and Royal Cape Golf, Western Province Sports Recreational Swimming.
• Address: care of Union Castle Company, Cape Town.
Please have look at the family tree and see if I have it correctly set out.
Regards Derek
