Missing family on ionic ship 1897

[Arnside98]

Yes, the March 1989 arrival puzzled me too. (Intending to look further when I have some time.)
Yes I agree the newspapers have some responsibility in the solicitor business, but I wonder if that had been at the encouragement of some invention by his sons in NZ.
One wonders how much work there was for a hand-writing expert in court.

And other things! For instance father is-

Sir Lionel FORREST

Sue

Yes “Sir” 🙄.

We don’t actually know when he left London - just that he arrived in SA 1st March 1898. Although that date hasn’t been confirmed with travel documents. I haven’t found anything yet.

I am keeping an open mind about why John left, anything is possible. Hard to know why the marriage broke down. Maybe she knew he was leaving but expected him back on a return ship and he never came. It’s certainly odd that she only appeared to put one ad in a paper. 

Edit to add: I do think it’s plausible that jobs are a little mixed up. Who told the journalist he was the only son ? Maybe they also thought he was a solicitor. So many records seem incorrect with standard ancestors that aren’t hiding anything.

[wivenhoe]

New Zealand Times 21 Feb 1921 (from "Life", Melbourne)
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM19210221.2.13?

Letter from J E FORREST (Riversdale, Cape Province) .......about boat race on Thames years earlier, .....had a note to a friend.......when I was in Australia.....

John Edmund FORREST, in South Africa, is reading Melbourne newspaper, 1921?

[Arnside98]

Yes “when in Australia”..it could have been anytime he was in Australia but I do think the Johnsons on the ionic in1897 are them. Spent almost year in Melbourne after leaving Hobart and then on the South Africa.
Interesting ..

[maddys52]

We don’t actually know when he left London - just that he arrived in SA 1st March 1898. Although that date hasn’t been confirmed with travel documents. I haven’t found anything yet.

We don't really know that he arrived in March 1898 either. I'm not sure where the information for the South Africa, Biographical Index comes from, it may contain errors. I wouldn't be sure until a passenger list could be found. Having looked for passenger lists to South Africa recently (although for much earlier time period) I seem to recall that they are hard to find.

This may be of interest - one of many advertisements for the voyages of the Ionic, noting that you could do a "round the world tour". This ad from The Times, Tuesday,  Mar. 9, 1897.  On another advertisement the round trip was stated as costing "from £65".

[Arnside98]

This is possibly the same J E Forrest. Travelled without his boys.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DSJS-2VZM

[Neale1961]

This is possibly the same J E Forrest. Travelled without his boys.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DSJS-2VZM

See reply 220. Thought to be John returning to Sth Africa after leaving the sons in NZ.

[Arnside98]

This is possibly the same J E Forrest. Travelled without his boys.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DSJS-2VZM

See reply 220. Thought to be John returning to Sth Africa after leaving the sons in NZ.

Ahh yes. Thanks. So much great information on here but hard to keep your head around it all

[majm]

My reliable ancient rellies say:

Hand writing experts were still significant court expert witnesses until mid 1980s right around all the Westminster based justice system ( trial by jury,  not guilty until proven beyond reasonable doubt, etc).    Fraud could rest on a fake signed document. 

JM.

[maddys52]

For interest, there are many hits for J E FORREST, to do with his handwriting expertise in the South African records eg:
http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm300ds?20220125020403D31D5463&PN=00000001

I find the search function not very intuitive, however if you scroll through these results you can find numerous entries, including one that appears to be an action of libel that he took against someone.
http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm30ddf0?20220125015953D31D5463&DN=00000050

Modified to add:
I wonder what this one was about?
http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm30ddf0?20220125021054D31D5463&DN=00000021