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Messages - mknz

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South Africa / Re: Roderick Barker of Barkly West/Barker Family
« on: Tuesday 24 December 19 01:06 GMT (UK)  »
Greetings Mac11767


I see that you are  a decendant  of Roderick Barker.

I am not sure when you made this post and you may have found a lot of information since you did.

I know Kevin Barker  (his great great grand son) quite well  - he is still a diamond digger in the Kimberley area of South Africa.

Although I live in new Zealand I travel to South Africa quite regularly and on the last trip (November 2019) whilst i was in Kimberley I dug out some files on Roderick Barker at the Kimberley Library but as yet have not gone through what I have found. I intend to do that some time before I travel back to South Africa - probably mid 2020.

The person who gathered most information on Roderick Barker was George Beet -  a historian on early Kimberley (and who was the nephew of Roderick Barker). He published two books - "Romance and Reality of the Vaal Diamond Diggings" published in Kimberley in 1917 and "The Grand Old Days of the Diamond Filelds"  published in Cape Town - no date given but also around 1917.

There is a very large box of information and stories of the diggings gathered by George Beet in the Kimberley Library and in 1996 the Friends of the Library published a limited edition book based chiefly on George Beets notes called "Knights of the Shovel" edited by Febe van Niekerk. This book has two pages dedicated to Roderick Barker and his role on the Vaal diamond Diggings.

I have copies of all three of these books.

If you would like more information please contact me and if you are interested I could ask Kevin Barker whether he would like to make contact.

Regards


Martin Kay

NB. I am no relation to the Barker family at all but I worked with Kevin when I was working in the diamond industry.

2
Berwickshire / Re: Liddle family
« on: Saturday 18 May 19 08:20 BST (UK)  »
Greetings pcjr

I know that this posting was probably a few years ago but have just come across it.

William Reid and Elizabeth Liddle (Liddell) are my great great grandparents. My great grandmother eas their eldest daughter Agnes Jane who married Robert Kay (Keay) in 1860 in Christchurch.

Over the years I have done a bit of research on this branch of my family but I am afraid that I have spent more time on the other legs of the family.

I have spent a bit of time over the years in Scotland looking at family history stuff as well as enjoying the place and have stayed in the Edinburgh area, Berwick (coldsburnspath and coldingham) and Fife where my Kay, Allan and Miller ancestors are from.

However the reid's have always been a bit of an enigma as the boat they arrived on (Cameo) at Lyttleton in July 1859. Robert Kay and Agnes Reid stayed in Christchurch for a short time before moving to Dunedin where they remained.

I do have some information of a court case where William Reid was accused by the insurance company of burning his 'poor quality' oat stooks whist faming near Cust in Canterbury. His two local sons in law - Wooding & Hole both gave some evidence at the inquest.

It seems that one of the sons died in a farming accident and the other son moved to the North Island (inland Wanganui area) after his father died. I have been in contact at some stage with a woman who lives in Queensland who filled me in a little on the Reid descendents on that side of the family.

But what were the Reid family origins - the Cameo ship records indicated they were emigrating from County Antrim - Northern Ireland but were the shipping records incorrect. Did he move from Scotland to Northern Ireland for a while before he emigrated to NZ ?

The 1841 Scotland census has William & Elizabeth Reid living at Edmondsdean farm in the Cockburnspath area of Berwick - at that time Elizabeth Liddle's parents were working on a neighbouring farm - (Redheugh) -Robert Liddle (65), Agnes Liddle (60), David Liddle (35), Robert Liddle (25). But no sign of any of them in the 1851 census - were they in Northern Ireland.

As for William Reid's parents - there is nothing on his wedding certificate - have not got a copy of his death certificate which may give a hint.

I am not sure just where in the Reid family tree that you fit into but would like to hear your story.

I have always had a thought that the family needs to erect a gravestone on their grave in Addington cemetery. The grave next door to theirs has a gravestone to the daughter, Janet (Wooding).

I remember my father talking of his Great Aunt Hole (Elizabeth) who lived to such a great age - have a photograph of my Dad's cousin, Cyril Kay (Of NZ and UK Air Force fame) with Graet Aunt Hole on her 101st birthday.

I hope that this note finds you and I would love to hear back from you.

Martin Kay
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