South Africa to Bilston

[rosi]

Hi Peep, Marion and John,  I have unearthed two very interesting articles from some of my Dad's old family information papers - one about the original GT Hesom who arrived with the Wades and another about a Kennard from whom stem the Wades...  I will need a few moments than I have right now to type them out for you, but hopefully will get a chance sometime later on today - I can't wait to share them with you!  Cheers Rosie

[rosi]

Hi Peep, Marion & John 
Here is one of the articles I found amongst my Dad's papers.  It is a newspaper clipping with nothing to indicate which newspaper, nor the date of publication, but presumably it would have been the local Pietermaritzburg paper.
"City Streets ... No 10.  An Interesting Life.
Both his parents being deceased, George Thomas Hesom came to Natal with the Byrne settlers (in the Nile under Lidgett's scheme) with his stepfather, Mr Owen and his aunt Mrs Wade. 
In the middle 1850s, at the age of 13 years, Hesom traded in Zululand and Swaziland with his stepfather and Mr Vicar Brayhurst.  These three Europeans penetrated north of the Lebombo mountains and to many Africans there.  Hesom was the first white child they had seen.
As a lad Hesom knew the Zulu chief Chamu very well and had the almost unique experience of being held hostage by Mswazi, leader of the Swazis, on account of some alleged horse trading swindle by another white man.
Hesom was released but forbidden thereafter to enter Swaziland.  Among the boers of the Transvaal, Hesom and Brayhurst bartered draperies and groceries for farming stock and wool.  When he reached his majority, Hesom traded on his own account but heavy losses during years of depression made him give this up in favour of stock farming in the Biggarsberg vicinity.
In 1882 he came to Pietermaritzburg where he joined his brother, Robert, as a butcher.  When the latter died he took over the establishment and bought several others of like kind.
George Hesom retired from business and sat on the Pietermaritzburg City Council from 1908 to 1910.  When he died in 1920 a 75 year link with Natal's history was broken."
Isn't it fascinating and quite amazing to know what courage, tenacity and spirit young George Hesom had! 
I have another article about somebody Kennard who was the father-in-law of V Wade, will post that next time. 
Until then, cheers everyone.  Rosie

[peep]

Hi Rosi. That is just fantastic. What an amazing person G.T was. There is loads of info about him on the NASA sight. He applied for import licences, and permission to colonise various areas. I take it that it was his brother Robert that died of sunstroke. I dont think that I have any Bowen relatives in S.A, as Bernard Malim Bowen did not marry prior to his death. I am short of only one Bowen Percy St John. Can't find him anywhere. Slippery little critter! Can't wait for the next instalment. Cheers Patricia.

[rutti tutti]

Hi to all on  this posting - it has made fascinating reading , seeing I was at school in Estcourt with some of them. keep up the snippets.
Ruth

[Marion Johansson]

Hi Ruth , Which Hesom was it that you were at school with -my mom and aunt were in Estcourt High in the years before the war

[rutti tutti]

Sorry! About 40 years later in the early 70's!!! My parents still live in Estcourt.
Ruth

[Marion Johansson]

I don't know if you know any of the Albers that were/ are in Estcourt. My mom's cousin lives there he is the son of a Hesom daughter, my grandfather's sister. She married Jim Jennings who was native commissioner in Nongoma for a while I don't know the whole story, but my mom and aunt were invited to the prince regent at that time's wedding, my mom was about 10 so it must have been 65 years ago, and the wedding took 4 days, my mom was only there for the one day she said it was fascinating. Jim owned a dairy farm in Estcourt that belonged to my grandfather once and he bought it. Noel still lives there as far as I know. I have been a little absent from my computer, my kids are in Mooi River at the moment at boarding school, they should be back next week. I had hoped that they would love it but after Danish life and schools they are spoilt for the more rigid English style schooling system I am afraid.

[rutti tutti]

Hi there,
Yes the Albers lived down the road from us. We knew the Jennings - my sister was at school with Ken - I think he is living in Durban, somewhere fairly close by - i see his wife from time to time. My parents are about to move to Durban in a few weeks time after being in Estcourt for almost 40 years - not as long as most people in Estcourt!
Ruth

[rosi]

Hi Marion & Ruth
Don't you just love this .... all the dots starting to connect up and becoming an historical picture!  Wonderful stuff!  Also quite addictive - I knew it would be!

Marion, did you see the message I posted to you on 23rd August?  Were your grandparents George and Isabella and were your dad's brothers and sisters Doris, Isobel, Dudley and Norman?  If so, then your dad and mine were first cousins, my dad was the son of Robert Hesom and Ida Bowen. 

Our great-grandfather was George Hesom (the one in the newspaper article I posted last week) who married Susannah Walker.  Our great-great-grandfather was Robert Hesom of Rugby and he married Elizabeth Wade, one of 10 Wade children - Ann, Alice, Jonathan, Mary, Robert, Joseph, Elizabeth, Catherine, Sophie and William Marston.  The following is an article I found in amongst my dad's family papers:

"Notes sent to Aunt Ann Hesom by Robert Large, collected during a cycling tour of Rugby"  (no date given)

William Marston was to be married to Betsy Kibworth but they both died unmarried.

Samual Arthur became a parson.  Buried in Yardley Church.

Alice came to South Africa.  Ancestor of all Wades, also Surtees.

Jonathan went to Australia left all his money to his cousin.  Was never heard of again and the banks amalgamated and no trace could be found so the money has disappeared.

Robert Bullivant was a tanner.  His daughter wanted to become Mrs Wm Wade, nothing came of it.

Your ancestor (Elizabeth) married Robert Hesom, a builder of Rugby.

Sophie was getting ready for the Church (her wedding).  The bells were ringing but changed to tolling when Edward was carried on a hurdle past the house.

The church register went back for many more years but what with bad Latin and the Parsons using the Register, no record of what happened.

The Wades, though appearing by name as far back as 1272 could not be connected up until Robert and one of the Brudenals, ancestors of Lord Cardigan, married two sisters in 1700.  Previous to 1495 it was Stonton.  The Brudenalles wanted to call it Brudenell.  In 1495 Robert Brudenall married Margaret Wyville, and that is where Stonton Wyville got its name.

In 1760 one of the Brudenells was created Baron Brudenell of Stonton Wyville, subsequently Lord Cardigan, leader of the Light Brigade in the Crimea.

Previous to 1820 the Hall near the church was three times as big as now and the seat of the Brudenell (Stonton) at least four times bigger than it is now and a thriving village.  He moved practically all Stonton to Deane Hall (Deen) and only left one third of the church.  He took the peal of bells to Deene on leaving, one bell of which is inscribed William Wade - Church Warden.

From 1834 all registrations of births and deaths and marriages came under Government control and recorded at Somerset House.  Previous to 1834 the records were kept by the Parsons; some neglected and some very good."

I have copied it exactly as I have it in front of me (spelling and all!) and there are some things I can't tie up, eg who was Samuel Arthur?  He doesn't appear as one of the Wade children, but maybe he was.

My dad had told us that Lord Cardigan (he of the Charge of the Light Brigade fame!) fitted in somehow, but will need to read the article again slowly to understand where and how he is connected, but it seems it is through marriage and not an ancestor.

My sketchy family tree goes back to two generations before Elizabeth Wade (Mrs Robert Hesom) dating back to about 1700.

Marion - the Aunt Ann mentioned above was our grandfathers' (George & Robert) sister.

I can see that a large piece of A2 paper would come in very handy right now, so that the family can spread out a little and become easier reading!

John (SW19 on this site) has given me the name of someone who is working on a Hesom family history, so I will get in touch with him in the next week or two and see what he has been able to find.

I have one more article to post, but need to get going now, so will have to save that for another time.

Until then, regards to all.  Rosie