AFR-ZIMBABWE-L Archives

From: "Jennifer Gibson" <>
Subject: Claude SMITH
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 10:36:31 +1000

G'day All,

This is my first posting to this list, but I have been researching my family for 26 years and using other mailing lists for about 6 years.

I am currently up against a brick wall with a second cousin, the Claude SMITH named in the Subject line.

He was born c. 1916, possibly in Glasgow, the illegitimate son of Martha Gibson (or Graham) SMITH and a Welsh soldier whose forename may have been Tychitus: his surname was WILLIAMS.

Claude's mother married on 2 February 1945 in Glasgow. Claude was then told by her husband that he - Claude - no longer had a home with his mother. It seems that this was the catalyst for him to move to Rhodesia. He was then c. 29 years old. I do not know what his occupation was, nor what part of Rhodesia he moved to.

He reportedly married a an English woman who was originally from the Southampton area of England. she was working as a nurse in Rhodesia at the time. I do not know her name. It is possible that the first of the two daughters of this couple was born in Rhodesia.

Claude and his wife and child returned to England to live in the Southampton area, possibly c. 1950.

Given what is happening in the country currently what records for this 1945-50 time period are likely to be extant? Is there likely to be any central record of marriages for Rhodesia/Zimbabwe that could be searched for this marriage? What about the same for birth records? And shipping arrivals and departures?

Any suggestions for trying to get further information on Claude will be greatly appreciated. Shame his surname was SMITH, just to make any possible searches all that much more difficult!

Jenny Gibson,
Toowoomba, Australia

This thread:

• Claude SMITH by "Jennifer Gibson" <>