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Author Topic: Cape Town 1898 - Immigration records  (Read 84 times)

Offline Simon Ford

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Cape Town 1898 - Immigration records
« on: Friday 12 December 25 21:07 GMT (UK) »
Hello, my Great grandparents went by steam ship to Cape Town in Jan 1898. James and Rosalind Ford both born in 1872. I have searched the National Archives of South Africa and found that Rosalind petitioned for divorce in 1915 before returning home to Worthing in the UK in 1920 with her son Max Ford (born in Cape Town 1907). On the 1921 UK Census Rosalind is back living at home with her parents in the UK and it states Widowed. I am keen to understand more about what happened to James Ford and if he really died or if that's what she told people to avoid the shame of divorce in the early 1900s.

Offline jorose

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Re: Cape Town 1898 - Immigration records
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 13 December 25 09:58 GMT (UK) »
It is a very high chance that she simply said "widow".  It was considered more respectable and especially after WWI, was unlikely to be questioned - as long as your ex was safely overseas and not likely to turn up to contradict you!

It looks like there was the beginning of seperation in 1911 and divorce from 1915. In 1915 a James Ford, divorcee, married Annie Pollock in Johannesburg (middle name is indexed Baun but I think might be Bann).  He has shaved a couple of years off, making himself a round 40. His new wife was just 25.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP4R-BM4B?lang=en

They had at least one child born 1919, although for some reason she wasn't baptised until 1934:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:88JM-813Z?lang=en

The second marriage of that daughter:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:D4XP-74ZM?lang=en
view=fullText&keywords=Annie%20Bann&lang=en&groupId=
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Simon Ford

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Re: Cape Town 1898 - Immigration records
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 13 December 25 11:41 GMT (UK) »
Hi Jorose! This is unbelievably helpful. I have been searching for years to unblock this story and you helped in 24 hours! There were so many James Fords in that time it is hard to say that it is Definately our James.. however, then I saw that their daughters name is Mary Lettice Pollack Ford… Lettice is not a common name… as it happens our James Ford’s mother was called Lettice Ford! I feel this could well be our James Ford… I can’t thank you enough …. Now I have this information I will dig a little deeper. It seems we may have relatives in SA!
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