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Research in Other Countries => South Africa => Topic started by: pjreill on Monday 02 May 16 08:06 BST (UK)
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Hoping for some help as I have hit a dead end here.
Maria Johanna Gebhard/t born Cape Town, South Africa about 1873. She married Alexander Bingle McLean on 13 November 1894 at the Wesleyan Church Johannesburg.
1. I don't know who her parents are or her exact date of birth.
2. I don't know when or where she died.
Alexander Bingle McLean was born in Grahamstown or Kariega 14 December 1863 and I don't know when he died or where either.
I am hoping that someone out there may have some snippet of information that might help please.
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Hi
I think this may be your Alexander Bingle McLean. Not much information unfortunately. Looks as if wife may have remarried
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS9T-X3TD-Q?mode=g&i=472&cat=188051
Do you have a copy of the marriage certificate? Not finding anything for Maria....
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Thankyou so much, yes that is him. ;D I do have their marriage certificate which I have attached. I tried to find this information at familysearch too but I must be such an amateur at it.
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The death notice was on NAAIRS our online archives. Once you have the ref. no. it can be traced on Family Search. But still nothing for Maria. It may be hard to track if she remarried, but a search on Naairs using her maiden and married names gave nothing. Usually the death notices will list a female's married and maiden names including previous ones.
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Ok, I have now found out there is a possibility that she remarried and her new husband may be named Joseph Briggs. That is not firm information though but a possible lead which I am trying to check out.
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On searching Naairs I found some fies for the deaths of James Briggs but no Joseph. Some files are in Cape Town the others are in Johannesburg. Any idea which province she may have lived in?
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I believe it is probably Johannesburg. I now know (thanks to the kind members of this forum) that Alexander Bingle McLean died in Turffontein, Johannesburg on 13 October 1918 and I know that Alexander and Maria's son Charles Henry McLean was born at Elandsfontein, Johannesburg on 8 September 1901. I see on Alexander's Death Notice that his wife (presumably Maria) had deserted him 12 years before his death which would make her leaving about 1906.
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I don't see anything on the archives for Maria under the Briggs surname either. As mentioned previously even searching with her maiden name has turned up nothing. But that may just mean that no estate was left.
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Who was Victor Bingle Briggs?
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Victor Bingle Briggs is apparently the son of Alexander and Maria born maybe about 1896 but I don't know if Briggs or McLean is his right surname or if Briggs is a third christian name. I know that Victor married May Mary Owens and she died in Johannesburg in 1984. Alexander and Maria's other son Charles Henry McLean married Florence Briggs but not sure what date. Florence Briggs was apparently born in England possibly in 1894 but I don't have confirmed details about her except that she died 2 February 1975 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Charles Henry McLean died 28 February 1972 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
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Is it possible Maria died in Rhodesia?
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It is possible that she moved to another country like Rhodesia or England but I don't really have any information on that. If she left Alexander in about 1906 then she must have taken all of the children with her. The only child that I am sure about is Charles Henry McLean born in 1901. The other children that I suspect are theirs but not too sure about are Victor Bingle Briggs born about 1996, Alexander McLean born about 1898, Mary McLean born about 1899, Verna McLean born about 1901, William McLean born about 1902 and Harriet Elizabeth Mary McLean born about 1904. I have very little information on these other children so maybe there are some clues there too. The fact that Charles married Florence Briggs might also be throwing me off because I don't know if Florence's surname is just a coincidence or not or is directly related to others that were obviously close to the family at the time.
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Woops, Victor Bingle Briggs 1896, not 1996 ;D
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Try typing in Briggs and search when you open this link https://familysearch.org/search/collection/location/1927049?region=Zimbabwe
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Ok, I have been digging some more and found out who I think is Joseph Briggs. His name is Joseph Clarke Briggs born in Ulverston, Lancashire, England in 1868. His niece Florence Briggs married Maria's son Charles Henry McLean (although I don't have a marriage date or record but it must have been in South Africa or maybe they never actually married). I know that Joseph Clarke Briggs was living at 31b Bezuidenhout Street, Troyeville, Johannesburg in 1918/19. I got this information from Florence Briggs military documents in the British National Archives. She was in the Women's Auxiliary and she asked to be released on compassionate grounds to go and live with her uncle in South Africa after her father died in early 1918 and she had no other support. Unfortunately I still can't find out any more information about Joseph Clarke Briggs within South Africa so I am still at a bit of a dead end. I searched in Zimbabwe to but no luck.
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I should also add that Florence Briggs had been married to Maurice Townley in 1914 in England but they seem to have separated fairly quickly so her name was Florence Townley in military records.