Mole's Genealogy Blog

The Annabella, 200 tons, was a British-built barque wrecked on Annabella Bank - named after the ship - on 21 January 1856 at Durban. No...

Is Your Ancestor listed here in 1878? The Natal Almanac and Yearly Directory is a mine of information on the Port and Town of Durba...

The schooner Conch was making regular sailings carrying colonial produce and passengers between Algoa Bay and Table Bay, and other port...

Durban Docks circa 1887. Extremity of Point Wharf showing original Wharf Shed A erected in 1881 (with curved roof) and the Sheers erected...

From the South African Commercial Advertiser 27 April 1844: the death, on 23 April, of Ellen Selwyn Sophia Still, aged 1 year and 8 mon...

This is not the widely-known photograph of Bell taken some years later but it is taken on the same spot, with the same anchor...

Conch is noted as then under command of 'J' (should be 'T') Cobern, agent J Smith (later to be William Bell's agen...

The Great Gale, Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth 1888: ship founders while people look on. After the Great Gale - Algoa Bay 30 Aug...

This report from the South African Commercial Advertiser shows the Conch arriving at Table Bay under command of Cobern - with the Captai...

Apparently a routine visit of the Conch to the small port of Knysna was deemed worthy of mention in the shipping columns - no captain i...