James Phillip MCKEOWN in South Africa from c.1890

[graham44]

Hi everybody

I have a new McKeown who, I have just discovered, went to South Africa.

James Phillip McKeown was born, like most of my other McKeowns, in Jersey, Channel Islands of Britain, in his case, in 1860. He is on the 1871 and 1881 censuses there, but after that, nothing was known of him.

Now there has appeared on Ancestry, in the war records, Eugene Gavey McKeown, who was b.1894 in Johannesburg, and is buried in Mawnan, Cornwall, England (d.1917). Since Gavey was James' mother's maiden name, I quickly assumed for the moment that he was James' son.

Furthermore the father is given on the death record for Eugene, as James P McKeown of Penhalonga, via Umtali (today Mutare) Rhodesia. It appears that Eugene was an engine room fitter on HMS Foyle, which hit a German mine outside Plymouth. He came to London from Cape Town in 1915 on the Llandovery Castle and lasted barely 2 years.

There is another record for Mr J P McKeown, manager age 58, Mrs M J (possibly) McKeown, age 52 and daughter Miss P McKeown, age 17, who travelled from South Africa to London in 1920 on the Grantully Castle; this may well be him and his family.

However, I couldn't quickly find any other records of McKeowns in Mawnan Cornwall, or anything decisive for any of them in the UK. Can anyone in South Africa find any more information on this family?

I was really impressed last time I posted here, about John Thomas McKeown,  by the knowledge and helpfulness of other posters, and I hope that someone will be able to help this time

Thanks, Graham

[graham44]

Hi

Further to this post yesterday, I have just found that James Philip McKeown of the Geldenhuis Main Reef Gold Mining Co. near Johannesburg, was the inventor of, and patented, a gold mining tappet setter in 1899. Here is the link

http://www.google.com/patents/US638642

Presumably this is the same person? I had believed he was involved in the mining industry, as the address in Rhodesia in the previous post is a mining village.

Graham

[graham44]

Hi

I now also believe he was married to Margaret Josephine Chappell, and there is a document dated 1925 that I have just ordered, possibly his death certificate?

Graham

[Nookie]

On familysearch under Zimbabwe I came across the following deaths:
James Philip - born +- 1860 died 9/2/1925
Margaret Josephine - died 19/9/1952
William Lawrence - d 2/8/1973
Berlien - born and died 1933
Susan Jacoba born Rennicher - died 28/2/1934

Looks like maybe the two Margarets' are the same!

[graham44]

Thanks for that post, Nookie
You are saying all these people are McKeowns? Don't know who the last 3 are.
Co-incidentally, I just received today the death certificate for James Philip McKeown and it confirms that he died in 1925, and his wife was Margaret Josephine Chappell.
I will try and attach it here

Graham

[Nookie]

That is so interesting.  The James Philip that I found was a farmer!  It did say he was married but the name of his wife was not mentioned. 

If you go onto familysearch you will find the scans there.

[DACH]

Just found this post after a google search re Eujene Gavey McKeown

I happened to be in the Mawnan churchyard yesterday while out waking. It appears Eujene (spelt with a J on the grave stone) was onboard HMS Foyle off of Ramehead, Cornwall, when the ship HMS Foyle was torpedoed by the Germans. His body was found washed up some days later on the beach at Meanporth, a short distance from Mawnan.
His grave stone consists of a fairly large granite cross with in tact lead
lettering detailing his parents names
Hope this helps

[Nookie]

The marriage certificate for James Phillip and Margaret Josephine shows that he was born in Jersey +-1860.  They got married in Johannesburg on 7/11/1893.

I also found Margaret's death notice which states that they only had one child. This must be the Phyllis mentioned on the death notice for James. Going on the ship list which you found it is likely that Phyllis was born round 1903.