Adverts for ancestors' professions 4

Bowman the photographer, operating a 'saloon' (studio) in Longmarket St. Pietermaritzburg,  advertises the 'new cerrotype process'.

T Bond and Co  are millers, bakers and corn dealers in Durban and Shaw Bros are wool pressers in Longmarket St Pietermaritzburg, ready to receive from country friends and merchants, wool, hides and forage. Wool-pressing nowadays is done by machine.

Adverts for ancestors' professions 3

Taken from the Natal Almanac: it is surprising to see B Kisch and Co operating as Grocers and General Dealers in Ladysmith - Kisch being better known as a photographer and located in Durban. Most of the latter had various strings to their bow as at that stage there wasn't a big call for photographs in Natal. This situation was to change dramatically.
E Smith (no relation) has a wagon building business in West Street conveniently placed near the Caledonian Foundry.

Adverts for ancestors' professions 2

It is surprising what can emerge in a deceased estate file. Here, an engraving showing the ancestor's place of business, Tattersall's in Durban, taken from his letterhead. It doesn't get much better than this in family history research. And it is another reason why one should never stop at the Death Notice but peruse every single piece of paper in the estate file.

Adverts for ancestors' professions

Who wouldn't be thrilled to add this informative and decorative
advertisement to their family history publication? Mr Geo Willson was a man of many parts, it seems: cabinet maker, upholsterer, importer, coffin maker ('and all the fittings') and undertaker. The advert appeared in the Natal Almanac of 1880.

Memorabilia in Family History

Objects such as old photographs, letters and diaries have obvious significance to the family historian and may be among the most important and informative clues you have to work with during your research.

However, more solid memorabilia shouldn’t be ignored: such items as military insignia – badges etc – and, of course, medals which offer the serviceman’s rank, name and service number on their rim. 

This may lead to the discovery of his archived service papers which in turn can be a mine of information. Mementos may link up e.g. the photo of the man in uniform, letters he wrote from the field of war to family members, and his subsequent medal awards, all form a context for the individual. It is worth keeping these in a group and ignoring any mercenary urge to split them up – such as selling the medal if it is a particularly valuable one. Heaven forbid – you, as his descendant, are the only collector who should own it.

Sometimes memorabilia may be connected with the ancestor’s occupation or profession e.g. a prized possession among descendants of Captain William Bell is his brass telescope, made by the famous Dolland company. The fact that Bell handled and used this instrument on a daily basis for about forty years, I believe means it holds his personal vibrations, a stamp that cannot be duplicated. The same might be said for my father’s carpentry tools, or my mother’s violin.  

Recipe books can provide an insight into their owner’s food preferences and may, like my grandmother’s book, contain handwritten recipes – a treasure as I have no other example of her handwriting. Address books are equally valuable: my mother’s contains details of American cousins I would otherwise have known little about. She always added birth, marriage and death information to the basic postal address, and kept these updated. It is my bible.

A necklace found among my mother’s possessions proved to have belonged to my grandmother, and I recognized it immediately as that worn by my mother on her wedding day. So, two sets of vibrations there. I still wear it. It makes me feel in contact with both women.

Two wooden teak tubs, banded with brass and copper, were made by my maternal grandfather in the time-honoured method of the cooper – though he was in fact a marine engineer. The craftsmanship he put into these items is remarkable. They stand in my home today.

While the objects mentioned may not offer information per se, they provide a resonating link to our ancestors and a glimpse of their lives and times. DNA is all very well – but give me context!

  

Bluff Lighthouse circa 1910

Postcard probably taken circa 1910, judging by the costume of the people at left. It is clearly well before 1930 when the ugly concrete superstructure was inflicted on the lighthouse for strengthening purposes.

Love at the Lighthouse

A glimpse into the past. Lighthouses cast a romantic aura. 

Note the heavy raised and fielded wooden door at the base of the lighthouse.

Fascinating haunted lighthouse

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/frances-legendary-haunted-lighthouse-has-first-resident-since-1910?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

Shipping to Natal from non-UK ports 1875

Ships arriving at Natal weren't all from British ports, though they formed the greater proportion. This column published in 1875 mentions ships from Adelaide, Calcutta and Zanzibar.

The report on the Natal includes details of her voyage from Cape Town: passengers experienced a variety of weather, such as violent squalls, before arriving at Natal in fine weather. 

Durban: the Bluff, lighthouse, signal station and entrance channel