[ZA-EC] My SMITH Line
Sha Redfern
4/23/2008, 2:06:17 AM
Hello everyone,
I too am trying to sort out my SMITH's so decided to post what I have in the
hope that someone may have a lead for me.
Thanks
Sha Redfern
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1 George "Willie" SMITH b: Abt. 1836 in Dublin, Ireland
d: 24 Feb 1892 in Thornhill, Easternn Cape, South Africa
+Sarah MARTIN b: 03 Jun 1824 in Port Elizabeth, Cape
Province, South Africa m: 15 Oct 1870 in Port Elizabeth, Cape Province,
South Africa d: 06 Aug 1882 in Thornhill, Eastern Cape, South Africa
2 George Charles "Joe" SMITH b: 03 Jul 1866 in Gamtoos
Ferry d: 25 Jun 1914 in Thornhill, Eastern Cape, South Africa
+Jessica Victoria SHEPHERD b: 13 Feb 1863 in Port
Elizabeth, Cape Province, South Africa m: Abt. 1885 d: 04 Oct 1948 in
Thornhill, Eastern Cape, South Africa
3 George Charles SMITH III b: 19 Dec 1887 in Thornhill,
Eastern Cape, South Africa d: 14 Apr 1945 in Thornhill, Eastern
Cape, South Africa
+Edith Mary LE BRUN b: 08 Jun 1902 in Port Elizabeth,
Cape Province, South Africa d: 24 Jul 1967 in Thornhill, Eastern
Cape, South Africa
4 George Charles T SMITH IV b: 04 Feb 1922 in Hankey,
Port Elizabeth, Cape Province d: 30 Nov 1965 in Thornhill, South
Africa
+Winifred SATTERLY b: 27 Jan 1925 in South Africa
4 Mabel Joyce Creigh SMITH b: 31 May 1923 in South
Africa
+Harry BIGGS b: in South Africa m: in St Mark's
Church, Humansdorp, Cape, South Africa
4 Ainslie Thornhill SMITH b: 12 Feb 1928 in South Africa
d: Abt. 2005
+Pam DANGER/S
4 Donald Owen Maxwell SMITH b: 06 Nov 1934 in South
Africa d: Abt. 1998
+Marlene MASSEY-HICKS b: in South Africa
3 Mabel Ainslie SMITH b: 16 May 1886 in Thornhill, Eastern
Cape, South Africa d: 17 Jan 1951 in Thornhill, Eastern Cape,
South Africa
+Thomas HATTLE b: 19 Feb 1876 in Berwick-upon-Tweed,
Northumberland, UK m: 08 Mar 1911 in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape, South
Africa d: 31 Jul 1955 in Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, South Africa
4 Thomas Noel Ainslie HATTLE b: 11 Nov 1911 in Somerset
East, Easternn Cape, South Africa
+Gertrude LEER
4 John Burgon HATTLE b: 09 Apr 1914 in Thornhill,
Easternn Cape, South Africa d: 09 Jun 1980 in Salisbury/Harare,
Zimbabwe
+Margaret Mitchell GRAY b: 09 Jan 1909 in Port Elizabeth,
Easternn Cape, South Africa m: 15 Jan 1937 in Port Elizabeth, Eastern
Cape, South Africa d: 19 Oct 1981 in Gwelo, Gweru
4 James Charles Owen HATTLE b: 21 Feb 1916 in Easternn
Cape, South Africa d: in Port Elizabeth, Easternn Cape, South
Africa
+Joan ? b: in South Africa
4 Rex Haigh HATTLE b: 16 Oct 1918 in South Africa
+Marjorie BOTHA b: in South Africa
4 Beryl Jessica HATTLE b: 28 Jan 1921 in South Africa
+John Robert Wallace PRINGLE b: 08 Jun 1916 in South
Africa d: 29 Jun 1968 in South Africa
4 Nancy Isobella HATTLE b: 21 Aug 1923 in Uitenhage,
Easternn Cape, South Africa
+George GREEN b: in South Africa d: Abt. 2005
in Bushmans River Mouth, Easternn Cape, South Africa
3 Owencroft Gregg SMITH b: 26 Oct 1892 in Thornhill, Eastern
Cape, South Africa d: 28 Nov 1947 in South Africa
2 Mary Ann Georgina SMITH
+William Jones JAMES
Sha Redfern
4/23/2008, 2:10:23 AM
Hello all me again.
This is some of the information I have managed to find on George "Willie"
SMITH and thought you might find it interesting.
THORNHILL HOTEL
In 1864, long after the last elephant was shot, George "Willie" Smith owned
a large tract of land in the area, part of which was Thornhill's former
estate. He established an inn for travellers known by the insalubrious name
of Modderkantien (Mud Canteen), derived from the material used in its
construction. With the building of the Van Stadens Pass, traffic increased
and the success of George Smith's venture was assured.
When George "Willie" Smith died in 1892 the business was taken over by his
son George "Joe" Smith and his wife, Jessica (Shepherd). They made many
improvements and very wisely insisted that from now on the business be known
as the Thornhill Hotel. Thus it was that when the Governor of the Cape
called in five years later, he refreshed himself with a cup of tea at the
hotel. One can hardly imagine him condescending to patronize a
"Modderkantien"
Sha Redfern
My HATTLE, SMITH, SHEPHERD links to the E Cape
Mr Alan Hattle
7/29/2005, 10:53:51 AM
Since the start of the stories of links to the E Cape started, I've
enjoyed reading the contributions, but was too busy to post mine, but
here goes.
My grandfather, Thomas HATTLE arrived in PE in 1901 via train after
having sailed from UK (origins Berwick-on-Tweed) to Cape Town. He was
in a group of about 6 young men who came out to work in the
postal/telegraph services, and he writes that 2 stayed in Cape Town, 2
went 'inland' and he and another (unfortunately no name given) came by
train to PE.
During the ship voyage and with arrival in Cape Town and then PE, he
wrote long letters home, which were published in the local newspaper in
Berwick. I have copies of most as published in the paper and
they make fascinating reading. I am not sure about copyright so I am
reluctant to reproduce them fully, but will make extracts and put them
on the List. His description of the train journey (the security at the
time - it was during the anglo-boer war), and early days in PE give a
lovely insight into those times.
There was also a posting recently on the life aboard the early ships to
the Cape. Well, my grandfather's descriptions of the 1901 voyage sound
like luxury in comparison.
Does anyone know whether his trip is likely to have been an assisted
passage programme? I have not been able to find out anywhere why he
alone of ten children left the fishing village on the Scottish border
to come all the way to SA.
Thomas HATTLE married Mabel Ainslie SMITH in Humansdorp in 1911, and I
have too little info going back along my grandmother's line, so maybe
someone on the list can assist.
Mabel's father was George Charles SMITH, born at Gamtoos Ferry in 1866,
and there are family bible notations to say his father was George
SMITH, who established the Thornhill Hotel (my Dad, John Burgon HATTLE
was born in a room at the Thornhill Hotel in 1914!) and the Gamtoos
Ferry, but came from England in 1864. This is where I run into
problems, as on the NAAIRS site, I find several references to SMITHS
and the Gamtoos ferry area back into the 1840s. I just cannot draw the
link between my gggrandfather George SMITH, and these Smiths in NAAIRS.
Distant cousins tell me that ggrandfather George Charles SMITH (b.
1866) had a brother William SMITH, who 'moved to Baviaanskloof, and
became very Afrikaans'.
Ggrandfather George Charles SMITH married Jessica (Jessie) Victoria
SHEPHERD in PE, possibly around 1885. Here my research really gets
murky.
Ggrandmother Jessie SMITH (nee SHEPHERD) was born 13 Feb 1863 in PE and
died either 3rd or 4th October 1948. I have no idea who her parents
were or where they came from, but she had an elder brother Henry (but
also referred to as Harry in one family letter I found)Ainslie SHEPHERD
(died about 1937), and 2 sisters, Emily Elizabeth SHEPHERD (who became
a Mrs KING) and Alice Maud SHEPHERD (who became a Mrs BROTHERTON). I
have no track of these SHEPHERD, KING or BROTHERTON cousins.
Jessie seemingly outlived George Charles SMITH, and as a widow married
George Henry JAMES.
George SMITH and Jessie had three children, my grandmother, Mabel
Ainslie SMITH (1886-1951, born Thornhill), a younger (?) brother
Owencroft Greg/Gregg/Grieg (?) SMITH (died 28 Nov 1947) and an elder
brother George Charles (Charlie) SMITH
Charlie SMITH married Edith LE BRUN and they had four children,
Georgie, Mabel (married BIGGS), Ainslie and Donald. Before her death
at Thornhill in 1967, as a widow, Edith married Hugh McLELLAND. As a
child I know of them all living in the Thornhill - Hankey - Uitenhage
area
My great-aunt (by marriage), Edith, had a brother Max LE BRUN and a
sister Joyce LE BRUN
My father married my Mom (Margaret (Rita) Mitchell GRAY) in PE, and
they eventually moved north and I was born in Lusaka, and then we moved
slightly south to what has become Harare, but as a family we travelled
the 3 days down almost every year for a holiday in the E Cape to visit
the tons of aunts, uncles and cousins there. My one uncle James HATTLE
was sports editor for the EP Herald newspaper for many years. In the
50s and 60s with Newton Park and other suburbs springing up in PE, my
Mom and Dad would wistfully recall how their parents had owned a lot of
land in those parts along the old Cape Road but 'sold it for a song'
before the suburbs mushroomed! George GREEN, who died in Kenton just
recently, and whose death report was mentioned on the List a week or so
ago, married my Dad's youngest sister, and had been my last living
uncle.
So.... if anyone has research into the SMITH, SHEPHERD, and other lines
which cross mine, I'd love to hear.
Also, I'd love to get more information on the early days of THORNHILL
and the GAMTOOS valley.
Cheers
Alan Hattle
Namibia (although now experiencing a 4-year posting to Nigeria!)
