England To South Africa how did he get there?

[Hackstaple]

Hi all i have an ancestor that has me intrigued,

Francis Gladston Forsyth
Born : 3 Aug 1878 Chipping Barnet England to
James francis Forsythe 1836 - 1908
Charlotte Sarah Field 1865 - 1896

Married Elizabeth Westman 28 Sept 1910 Johannesburg Sth Africa

Died  3 Aug 1956 Gymea Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Apart from his birth certificate (i have from GRO) i can find no other record of Francis in England or of him leaving England to Sth Africa. Family story goes ( may or may not be correct ) he went to Sth Africa looking for gold and met Elizabeth in a hospital she was volunteering in nursing soldiers from the Boer war and followed her home.

I looked in the 1891 Census and cant see him or his family. I cant seem to find him on any outgoing passenger list i have access to. 

Is anyone able to help me find him ?
Thanks in advance

Young Frank Forsythe age 12 is a boarder in East Dulwich in 1891, mother Charlotte S, age 45, is a visitor to the house of James Borland, an iron merchant, at 8 Strathdene Villas. RG12/468

I might say that the chronology of the events you describe is suspect. A great many young men are missing from the 1901 census because they had enlisted to fight in the Second Boer War - 1901/1902. It is unlikely that his bride was still nursing sick and injured of that war much after 1903 and they married only in 1910. That would be an abnormally long courtship for those days unless the bride had an earlier husband.

Looking for gold? The gold rush was pretty well over. Alluvial pannings at Barberton and at Pilgrims Rest has ceased and underground mines were in controlled syndicates. He may well have decided to stay in South Africa on discharge and worked on the Witwatersrand gold mines. That would place him in Johannesburg. Elizabeth may have been born South Africa as the only one of appropriate age to be found in our 1891 census is a 15 year old dressmakers apprentice.

Do you have any further details of Elizabeth?

[Rainyk]

Young Frank Forsythe age 12 is a boarder in East Dulwich in 1891, mother Charlotte S, age 45, is a visitor to the house of James Borland, an iron merchant, at 8 Strathdene Villas. RG12/468

I might say that the chronology of the events you describe is suspect. A great many young men are missing from the 1901 census because they had enlisted to fight in the Second Boer War - 1901/1902. It is unlikely that his bride was still nursing sick and injured of that war much after 1903 and they married only in 1910. That would be an abnormally long courtship for those days unless the bride had an earlier husband.

Looking for gold? The gold rush was pretty well over. Alluvial pannings at Barberton and at Pilgrims Rest has ceased and underground mines were in controlled syndicates. He may well have decided to stay in South Africa on discharge and worked on the Witwatersrand gold mines. That would place him in Johannesburg. Elizabeth may have been born South Africa as the only one of appropriate age to be found in our 1891 census is a 15 year old dressmakers apprentice.

Do you have any further details of Elizabeth?

Yes the Family story dose seem to be off doesn't it.  this is why i said may not be correct and why i want to find how he got from England to Sth Africa so we can know what is fact and fiction.

Elizabeth was born in Blanco, George, Sth Africa 27 Dec 1880

[[Ray]]

Hi

Obviously Mazi and I have same problem, so in case helps. . . . . .

1865 Mother Charlotte was not born 1865, that's when they got married (27/7/1865)
1878 Birth registered as Francis Gladstone Forsyth QDec 1878 Barnet 3a 176
1891 Francis Forsythe not Frank
         [ Father James visitting Caithness? Where he was born ]
         [ Borland born Glasgow, Connection? Was young Borland his tutor and/or family friends? ]

In case they also turn up in SA
1870 Sibling Sidney J
1874 Sibling Lionel G

Ray

 

[Hackstaple]

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk

This brilliant site does not list Francis or Frank Forsythe as a soldier in the Boer War so that theory goes out  the window.

[ShaunJ]

1871 in Brixton (71 Loughboro Park)

James Forsyth/head/34 /Meat Salesman /Scotland
Charlotte /wife/  34  /London
Sidney /son/  1 /London
Sophia Field/mother/64/ Dublin

+ cook and housemaid

[ShaunJ]

Father James is in lodgings in Kings Langley in 1901. Birthplace looks like Castlebre?  in Caithness.

He's a widower, aged 65

[Rainyk]

Ray,
James Forsythe was born 6 March 1836 Castle Brims, Caithness, Scotland.
Charlotte Sarah Feild, 27 July 1865 16 Feb 1844 london England.

the Borland name has not come up anywhere else that i know of but you may very well be right.

As far as i know none of the brothers or sisters went to Sth Africa.

Siblings:

Sidney James Forsythe
1870 –

Annie "Daisy" Sophia Forsyth
1871 – 1956

Lionel George Forsythe
1874 –

Charlotte "Poppy" Euphemia Ethel Forsyth
1883 – 1967

Hackstaple, Iv been unable to find him in any kind of military record. He really has me Confused.

[Hackstaple]

I really cannot see that Francis' mother Charlotte could have been born in 1865. That would have made her 13 when Francis was born. Also Francis had older sibs. That Charlotte may have been a sister.

The 1891 census marks mother Charlotte as born about 1846

[Rainyk]

Yes you are right they married 27 July 1865
Charlotte born 16 Feb 1844
Sorry my mind is a little scrambled with this guy.