John Little to South Africa ?

[littlealison]

I am still looking for the voyage of my ggrandfather John Little to South Africa.

Three branches of my family agree that it was in 1896, but I have never found a record.
A bunch of Littles went on the 'Harlech Castle' in that year, but I have managed to sort out who they were - brothers of John and their families. Not John.

Trouble is I don't know where he went from - he had been living in Dublin - and although I think he went to the Cape, I am not even sure of that. The others went from Southampton.

Another query - when did the others come BACK? I know they did, fairly quickly. Before 1901.

Can anyone help? - Alison.

[LesleyB]

Hi Alison

I am still looking for the voyage of my ggrandfather John Little to South Africa.
Another query - when did the others come BACK? I know they did, fairly quickly. Before 1901.

I wonder if the Boer War would have had anything to do with people coming back>? Just a thought, maybe nothing to do with it.

Best wishes
Lesley

[littlealison]

Lesley - I don't think they were part of the war. Ritchie Little had a child die there in an accident, which may be why his family came back.
And maybe they didn't expect another war when one was not that long over!

(And sometime then, his son Ritchie, then 14, got separated and was found and taken into custody in Waterval Bowen, on the same trail that Churchill followed to escape, the week before - possibly he was trying to copy that trip, which had been in all the newspapers.....!)

john Little, however, with wife Isabella, four daughters and a son, stayed.
(sorry, I forgot to include them. Matthew, Elizabeth, Agnes, Grace and Jean.)

[LesleyB]

As the second Boer War was 1899–1902 I was more thinking of people just trying to get out of the country and away from trouble, rather than stay somewhere potentially dangerous, but maybe as you say, family events had more to do with it.

I'm sure you have already checked all the John Littles on FMP who appear to travel to SA. As you mentioned, none on the date you have been given. At least some indicaiton of year of birth is mentioned, so that would help you rule out a good few, I would think.

Best wishes
Lesley

[littlealison]

Actually I have already been alerted to the fact that ages here can be way wrong - I only Identified the other (11) Littles by looking at the childrens ages, and realised who they were by the combination of names.

Readers beware:
The two men's ages were a lot younger than they actually were....possibly deliberate....
They were also down as 'miners' which they weren't, but maybe intended to be.

Bottlemaking might have been a good preparation! The son Matthew did become a miner.
There are an awful lot of J.Littles in the records....and no other names with them that fit!

Still looking - Alison.

[littlealison]

I just thought I'd say I am still looking for this record......

[Russell]

Good idea Allison. 3 years down the line lots more folk have started their search for family and an active post stimulates Google and the other search engines. Who knows maybe another searcher will pick it up

Russell

[MoyraL]

Hello - I'm back after several years under a new name. (Had to re-register)

Same query:
I am still looking for the voyage of my ggrandfather John Little to South Africa.

Three branches of my family agree that it was in 1896, but I have never found a record.
A bunch of Littles went on the 'Harlech Castle' in that year, but I have managed to sort out who they were - brothers of John and their families. Not John.
Trouble is I don't know where he went from - he had been living in Dublin - and although I think he went to the Cape, I am not even sure of that. The others went from Southampton.

Another query - when did the others come BACK? I know they did, fairly quickly. Before 1901.
john Little, with wife Isabella, four daughters and a son, stayed.
(Matthew, Elizabeth, Agnes, Grace and Jean.)

Can anyone help? - Alison.
Researching:
LITTLE - Scotland, Lancashire, Dublin and South Africa. And Canada.
RITCHIE, BARR - Scotland
ANDREWS, MEMERY, DOWSE and BIRMINGHAM - Dublin
PRICE, JACKSON, ROGERS, ALLEN - N. Wales