My grandfather was Joseph Michel PUGIN, one of the four brothers who emigrated from Mauritius to Durban around the turn of the 19th century.. Family history told of a brother who was a Chemist and a brother who left to find his fortune. (Auguste Eduoard Eugene, Auguste Pierre Gabriel, and Auguste Francois Emile.
It would appear that the 3 older brothers had married in Mauritius and each had one child.
Joseph Michel had a son Joseph Maurice Marcel born around 1900.His mother appears to have been Marie Elisa BOULLE but we have no record of his birth. The families lost contact due to possible de facto marriages: My grandmother, also born in Mauritius, was Marie Octavie JORRE DE ST JORRE in 1871. As yet we have not found a record of her birth. We know that between 1886-1890 she married James Louis JEANNOT and they were in Madagascar where he was in the British Forces. They had two daughters, Cecile and Henriette fore James died in the 4 year period. She then met Albert William BEST and married in 1903 in Durban. They had one daughter Lucy Suzan. Albert Best returned to England. The families then joined forces and this may have been the de facto relationship that caused a rift because the family of eventually 9 children moved to Pietermaritzburg.
The two oldest girls may have stayed in Durban.
Cecile married Edwin Sneedin.
Henriette married Joseph Alfred Trublet.
Maurice married Enid Bartlett and they had Faye and Michael.
Lucy married Victor Redvers Osbourne.
The new family was Joseph Marcel who married Queenie.They had William and Thelma.
Joseph Maxim had two families: Rosemarie and Wendy mother ? Stabbing.
Denzil, Peter and Graham mother Aileen Burton. Max was Mayor of Pietermaritzburg in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Raoul (Ralph) Louis, my father, married Doreen Thelma Dovey and had Derek(who died aged 4), Pamela Althea ‘41,
Rosemary Lynette. ‘44 (me), Barbara Meryl, ‘48 and Patricia Rosslyn ‘53.
Olga marred Peter Parker and had Lilian, and then Ron Collett nd had Lindi.
Joseph married Muriel and had Keith and Jennifer.
If anyone has birth records for Joseph Maurice that would be very helpful.
@ Rosemary Wood (PUGIN)