Tracking details of a ship arrival

By patiently going through, column by column, a relevant time-frame for the arrival of a ship in South Africa it is sometimes possible to put together a detailed account of her history from the moment of her embarkation until reaching her destination.

In the case of the Jan van Brakel, a Dutch emigrant ship, we find a report in the Natal Mercury of 23 June 1859 of her arrival at Simon's Bay (Simonstown in the Cape) on her way to Natal:

Then there is a reference on 14 July to her 'standing off the port' (Durban) and in some danger as a result - she had lost both her anchors:

There follows a mention, on 21 July 1859, of her lying at the outer anchorage off Port Natal. A long wait aboard after a lengthy voyage from Holland for her cargo of immigrants (given variously as 75 or over fifty).

Reading each separate report as well as the shipping column once she had officially arrived at Durban we find she had left Amsterdam on 15 March, so her voyage lasted four months.

Finally we find an advertisement published prior to her departure, homeward-bound:

The press had a few tries at the Captain's name but appear to have finally settled on De Roever.

Cost of digitization

https://blog.findmypast.com/valuable-historical-documents-at-risk-due-to-1625541556.html


The very relevant post linked above focuses on US records but applies equally to records in South Africa that may disappear forever - including my favourite soapbox subject, the Natal newspapers.

Originals held in Pietermaritzburg have deteriorated with public handling and will undoubtedly continue to do so. But it would be a mammoth and costly project to preserve them in e-format.

Americans are far more alive to heritage and preservation issues than we are in this country and they have the population - and wealth -  to support such endeavours.

Souvenir Saturday: Dacomb

The Dacomb family interests me because one of them, Charles, farmed next door to my husband's Smith ancestor at the Dacomb farm named Dunragit near Umzinto on the South Coast of Natal.

Charles was notable for having ridden a zebra to his canefields, an unusual idiosyncrasy in the 1880s/90s. It conjures up an agreeable colonial image and it was in all likelihood the original settler, Charles Dacomb, who indulged in zebra-riding.

This portrait by photographer Benjamin Kisch may be of Charles William Dacomb, his son. Three original Dacomb brothers - William, Joseph and another Charles - emigrated to Natal in the 1850s.

The farmer in the portrait, Charles William, was son of Charles, and married Elizabeth Hall in 1894. The costume, what little of it appears in the photograph, points to the 1890s so may have been taken on the occasion of the sitter's marriage, when Charles William was in his thirties.

Unidentified gentleman riding zebra

Steerage passengers

Steerage passengers, surely a rich hunting ground for ancestors, were unfortunately often not named, this privilege being reserved for the 'cabin' and 'second class' passengers.

In this Cape newspaper shipping column of April 1837 4 people are travelling steerage on the Conch (Capt Bell's ship) but we are left guessing as far as their names are concerned.

In later years, when settlers were arriving in numbers, it is sometimes possible to find a separate passenger list for steerage or 'government immigrants' as in the one below in March 1862 from an original register in Natal. Occasionally a separate list of steerage passengers would be published in the local press.

Arrivals and Departures: Port Natal

Passengers departing on Carisbrook Castle for Cape ports; Natal Witness 18 Feb 1905. (Copied from microfilmed newspaper and not very clear.)

Arriving at Port Natal ca 1880s

Durban harbour from the Bluff, showing the Point at right, sailing vessels at anchor, with a tug in the centre of the photo, the buildings of the settlement of Durban spread out along the shores of the Bay, and the Berea hills in the distance. This sight met many an ancestor's eye as he or she sailed into the port. It must have been very welcome after long days at sea.

SA passenger lists: the Bottom Line

If you're looking for an ancestor's arrival by ship in South Africa, this is the Bottom Line:

If your ancestor was part of organised emigration schemes such as the Byrne Settlers to Natal, there is a good chance that his arrival is well-documented.

If he was a Lone Ranger, travelling on his own or with wife and family, having paid for the passage out and under no obligation to settle in any particular location, it is more difficult to identify him on passenger lists - the original registers are not complete, press columns may not give initials, neither do they generally give children's names. See the example left.

In many instances, first class or 'cabin' passengers only are named, while hundreds of steerage passengers may be ignored. Rank and file of the military are not individually named.


The British BT passenger lists begin at 1890 which cuts out several decades of arrivals in South Africa. So while the online facility provided by findmypast etc is useful for finding ancestors destined for SA, this only applies after 1890. Earlier records were destroyed by the Board of Trade.

No cohesive effort has been made to index all passenger arrivals in South Africa. It is perhaps an impossible task to contemplate. EGGSA provides a welcome selection of arrivals at www.eggsa.org/arrivals/eGGSA%20Passenger%20Project.html but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Mole's Blog gives some Natal passenger lists. Local newspapers do have shipping columns but these are randomly offered and time-consuming to find.

Conclusion, it may not be the best place to start looking for an ancestor. Instead, try searching NAAIRS for a deceased estate which would contain the Death Notice.

Bluff Lighthouse pre-1930s

Durbanites were proud of their lighthouse and it featured on many a postcard similar to the one above. Unfortunately the postmark is illegible. The photo can be dated to pre-1930s when the tower was encased unattractively in concrete, due to fears of the structure's deterioration.

The Bluff Light flashed in unbroken service from its opening in January 1867 to July 1922 when the optic equipment was replaced. A third order triple flashing optic mounted on a mercury bath pedestal with clockwork drive was installed. This optic, equipped with a petroleum vapour burner, exhibited a group of three white flashes every twenty seconds, the candlepower being approximately 150 000 cd. On 15 September 1932 electricity was installed. A 4 kw incandescent lamp replaced the petroleum vapour burner and the candlepower increased to
3 000 000cd.

This increase in the candlepower brought favourable as well as unfavourable reaction. In the local press appeared: 'Coming up the coast last night, with exceptional visibility, the loom of the Bluff light was picked up over 60 miles from Durban by officers of the steamer Contractor. The cycle of the flash and the intervals rendered it impossible to mistake it for any other lighthouse on the coast. This is the furthest the loom has been seen since the light has been increased'.

Further comment followed: 'When the power of the light was increased there was a considerable outcry from the residents of Durban who complained that the bright beam shining on to the white walls and through windows disturbed their slumbers'.

Screens were erected to prevent the light travelling inland between certain areas.

The writer of the above postcard states that 'a most lovely view is displayed before one's eyes from this lofty place - a breeze is delightful'.

Military passengers not named

I am often asked about arrivals of military men travelling by ship with their regiment and the extract below from the Natal Mercury of 14 April 1859 perfectly illustrates the difficulty encountered in identifying such ancestors.

Aboard the Himalaya transport were 'officers and 450 rank and file of H.M. 85th Regt.'

Rank and file were never named individually in newspaper passenger lists - and one can lose numerous ancestors in one fell swoop! Of course, one can appreciate the logistics of trying to list all the soldiers. 

The only way to track one of these men down would be to find his service record where his various postings around the world would be reflected. The men on the Himalaya may not have been bound for South Africa but for India or other points east. Check the India Office records for that possibility.  http://indiafamily.bl.uk/ui/Home.aspx

Shipping and Passengers Port Natal 1859

This snippet from the Natal Mercury 21 July 1859 emphasises that once the ancestor's ship reached its destination, Natal, there could still be any number of complications before he actually set foot ashore. The Reliance dragged her anchors and nearly came to grief, but was eventually hauled to safety.  The Jan Van Brakel lost both her anchors, spares being supplied from the shore. Apparently this incident led to a lawsuit. On board the Van Brakel were nearly fifty Dutch immigrants destined for New Guelderland on the Natal North Coast, part of Colenbrander's scheme. Note that they are merely given as a group, no individual names being supplied. These are however available in other contemporary sources. 

See molegenealogy.blogspot.co.za/2012/06/dutch-immigrants-on-jan-van-brakel.html

The Princeza, incidentally, nearly brought about the end of Captain Bell who with other men went out to this vessel in the port boat which capsized in the surf on its return nearly drowning all those on board.