Introduction to Genealogy (Part 2)

Continuing with Genealogy,  I would also recommend that you check out the following articles:

reference: http://familyhistorydaily.com/free-genealogy-resources/this-smart-new-tool-from-google-is-the-perfect-genealogy-research-assistant/

reference: http://familyhistorydaily.com/free-genealogy-resources/european-ancestry-free-genealogy-sites/

reference: http://familyhistorydaily.com/genealogy-help-and-how-to/7-little-used-tricks-for-finding-that-missing-maiden-name/

reference: http://www.familytreemagazine.com/Article/25-best-genealogy-websites-for-beginners

More sites which are not mentioned in the various articles above:

reference: http://sagenealogy.co.za/

reference: http://www.ancestorhunt.com/mormon_church_records.htm  - (On the right hand side of the screen you have a list of Search Engines and Contents which includes links to Census Records, Marriage Records, Surname Search Portal etc.).

And so my story continues.....

As I knew my fathers mothers name, I then proceeded to search, using the various sites mentioned, to see what I could find on her.  Lo and behold, I found her Death Notice which happened to have her spouses name and using that I managed to find my grandfather.  All the stories told to us were wrong.... he was not a Principal at a Stellenbosch school but a Farmer and Market Gardener.  I discovered that he stayed in Somerset West and died in 1936.  I managed to get copies of his Estate Files and at the same time discovered that my father had two brothers as well.  

My grandparents got married in the South of Johannesburg - he lived in Eikenhof and she lived with her parents in Elandsfontein, Heidelberg, Transvaal.  It was just as my father used to tell me, on numerous occasions, that they owned land in Eikenhof.  They then most probably moved to the Western Cape where my father grew up in his youth.  The tragic part of the story is that my grandmother divorced my grandfather a year before he died.  He died from cancer nodules on the spine.  See reference below.  

Based on the court proceedings (yes, I managed to get a copy of this) they were arguing quite a bit and she left him.  I honestly believe a lot of this was because he was in pain and she could not deal with it.  My father at the time was 20 years old and the court granted my grandfather as the guardian over two of the children until they turned 21.  In those days, you were still a minor until you turned 21.  To cut a long story short - there were some differences of opinions and my father was cut out of the will as he decided to leave with his mother.  She returned to Johannesburg where my father took care of her before she passed away from a heart attack.

So my world was beginning to expand a little bit by little bit.  What fascinates me is how they lived, what they did for a living and most importantly, how they died.  What also makes researching your family difficult is that at one stage they changed their surnames or names as and when it suited them.  Our surname was changed three times before it remained the same on the fourth change when they finally landed in Cape Town in the 1820's.  It is rather tragic to read though that a lot of the family died before they even reached the age of 60.

To-date I have managed to go right back to the 17th Century on my fathers side of the family.

I am now busy trying to put together my mothers side of the family .... a totally new mystery but recognition and thanks have to go the people on the South African Genealogy site as all I had were the initials of her parents and I knew absolutely nothing about them.  They found the Death Notice of my mothers father which gave me the name of my grandmother and also my mothers brothers and sisters.  But that story is still on-going, frustrating and a lot of researching but I am sure it will all be worth it in the long run.

Courtesy of: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-tumor/home/ovc-20117315 -  Spinal tumors or growths of any kind can lead to pain, neurological problems and sometimes paralysis. Whether cancerous or not, a spinal tumor can be life-threatening and cause permanent disability.

Treatment for a spinal tumor may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or other medications.

reference: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7627302901/files/

Believe these are my great-grandparents

My grandfather

Me as a baby