Kuruman SA why might my GG father Tom Bell, have been there!?

[AntonP]

You mention that your GG grandfather was recorded in the UK as a bricklayer. The only record you have of him being a railway inspector is on his sons marriage certificate. Is it possible that his son wanted to give a better impression of his father and so made this entry? As a bricklayer's son he could have been marrying into a white collar family and wanted to 'improve his social standing' with his in-laws? After all his father was not present and could not contradict what was on the certificate.

Do you have any idea when and why he migrated to the Cape Colony? With diamonds having been discovered in Kimberley in 1869-71 and then later gold in the Transvaal, many young men came to the colony to seek their fortune. He might have decided to follow others with the intention of bringing out his wife and family once he had made his fortune or at least settled down with a viable job. I would hazard a guess that he came as a bricklayer but at that stage only tin and wood structures would be up in Kimberley so he probably turned his hand to building these structures. In 1888 the diamond mines would have been consolidated into basically one company. Again doing building work would have been a possible job.
I cannot read all of the death certificate. It would be expected that at that time and in that territory he would have a shotgun and a horse to get around on. Interesting he only owned a saddle at the time of his death. Possibly his horse was taken on his death in payment of debts?
I could not read what the name of the company was in which he held 1000 shares. It would be really interesting to find out the name of this little company. I could be very wrong but to me it indicates he might have been into mining and maybe had a share in a small mining operation (probably only a small shaft and underground workings worked by a few men and his saving had gone in as seed capital).
Kuruman, where he died, was then a  part of Bechuanaland and the HQ of the London Missionary society and from there they sent missionaries into Bechuanaland (Now Botswana) and up to Southern Rhodesia. Traders and explorers also left for up north from this area.

As I say this is all supposition on my part partly based on what I know about an ancestor who came out to Bechuanaland from London in the late 1880/90s family. Hopefully it makes your GG grandfather a bit more interesting than just BMD dates.

[BamptonHatherleigh]

Thank you so much or this, I think your supposition may well be the case! I have often wondered about the jump from bricklayer to Railway inspector!  On his widow's probate in 1921 she left only 656 pounds, but then if they had  any money  saved she would have spent to survive and bring up the 9! children, though she was a working mother, drep master,  but it wouldnt be  far stretch to think he went to seek his fortune. I have all the pages of the document from SA thought it would make the post too long? There is a mention on this doc of his shares in Nevada, and a rather sad letter from his son trying to uncover what had gone on, also referring to the Bechuanaland  war? No I dont know when he went there, I have him on the 1881 census with the family in London, thats the last I have found of him.

[ShaunJ]

also referring to the Bechuanaland  war?

Not war. It says "He tells me that when Bechuanaland was annexed all records of the master's office were handed over to the master of the High Court Kimberley"

[BamptonHatherleigh]

seem to be misreading a lot of things today! Thanks!