Johannesburg Newsletters Archived

In our last Newsletter for the year, you will find all the usual suspects such as news on our meetings, a bit of humour, a list of new library acquisitions and a book review. We also tell our member about the exciting competitions that are planned around the GSSA's 50th birthday celebrations.

Read Dave Kinghorn's overview of the activities of the branch. There were a few outstanding contributions.
He also addressed the membership status of the branch, something of value for all members of the GSSANeed to ask questions like
− What contribution have I made to the branch?
− What have I learned and what new skills have I developed?
− How can I improve in terms of my own research and furthering the good of the GSSA as a body?
− To start off with, it is important to recognize why people join non-profit organizations and what causes them to be fully functioning and effective board members. People join non-profits out of a passion for the issues or cause, personal experiences or because someone they know asked them to join.

“Henry Bowe’s widow and children stayed at the “Thatched Tavern” next to the old TownHall, about the last inn in Cape town to have a sign board.”This quote from family papers sent me on a quest – where was the Thatched Tavern and what happened to it? Originally built in 1757 it survived in various forms until the late 1900’s when it succumbed to “progress”. Join us for an illustrated story of the building over the 200 years of its existence – a presentation by Margaret Gundry

" Mother's Day Falls in May - read about how and when it started. Florence Nightingale celebrated her birthday on the 12th May  read some snippets about her life and service to humanity. And the there is an ectract from the Bangkok Post - the last British POW to work on The Death Railway at The River Kwai dies."

Natalie has put together a collection of íïee sites to be found on the Internet. Can you addmore? This will be an open meeting and we would like members to participate - Tell us aboutyour favourite free sites. Read about the Clarendon High School for Girls, East London.

This edition is full of advice on how best to use Google in your research;  the 50 best solutions to breaking down "brick walls";  an article on Port Shepstone lighthouse.  Our trip down memory lane includes Addington Hospital and a "Welcome to Durban" pamphlet from WWll.

Inhoud o.a die volgende:

Verlief oor die loop van ’n geweer;Adriaan Frans Roscher – Die grondlegger van Ventersdorp; En dan wonder ek: Waar is dié Ventersdorp; My “unexpected” connection to Klerksdorp; Plekname van weleer: Die verowerde gebied”; Restourasie van plaasbegraafplaas in die Oos-Kaap skep ’n eerbiedwaardige rusplaas; Martin en Linda Zöllner; Sosiaal; Riglyne vir publikasies; Agterblad: Tronk toe met ’n ompad.

Read about the Talbot family, who were ennobled in the 15th century as the Earls of Shrewsbury, owned most of Sheffield and rose to become one of England's most influential families under the Tudor dynasty.
The GALWAY CASTLE was built in 1911 by Harland & Wolff (think Titanic!) at Belfast. She had a short but exciting life! She was the last ship to be delivered before the company was taken over by Royal Mail. The following extract is from “Bird of Paradise” by Daphne Saul. Read the fascinating story of José who was a passenger on the Galway Castle. At 07.30 hrs on 12th September 1918 when two days out from Plymouth, she was torpedoed by U-82 and her back was broken. At the time she was carrying about 400 South African walking wounded, 346 passengers and 204 crew members.

A Grave story. This weekend we went to Machadodorp and armed with some co-ordinates from the Cemetery DVD we headed off to Carolina hoping to take photographs of some of the graves and memorials that had been transcribed but not photographed.This should have been a simple exercise and the first was a piece of cake - a Boer War memorial.There it was on the street corner, large as life.Then it was off to find the Volunteers War Memorial. But it was not where I expected it to be. Just a new shopping centre. Well we drove up and down Kerk Straat, now Church Street on the GPS, and never did find anything that could possibly be a memorial........... read more in the Newsletter.

Sue Mackay, whose name avid researchers subscribed to the various immigrants list will know well, writes via the south-africa-immigrants-british@rootsweb regarding selected SETTLER correspondence.She was able to photograph selected correspondence housed at Kew recently, and will gradually be transcribing them to e-ggsa.
FreeBMD Information from http://www.freebmd.org.uk/search-help The FreeBMD database is an electronic version of the index created by the GRO (General Records Office)All Births, Marriages and Deaths are recorded in Registers.
Bungled Newspaper Headline? The public is to be allowed to inspect the Crematorium on Sundays. Other amusements will be found advertised in the local press. From a Canadian newspaper