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From: Alec Whitfield <>
Subject: Thornton
Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 06:55:15 -0400


Hi All,

To introduce myself, I am retired, and have never (to my regret) been to
SA. However my grandfather vanished there in 1923!!

He was Albert Claude Thornton, born around August 1880 allegedly in Chelsea
London. However I have never been able to find his birth certificate. His
date and place of birth are consistent in the 1901 census, his Boer War
enlistment papers, his two(!) marriages to my grandmother and his marriage
certificate to his second wife. He was a bone-setter (ie. osteopath).
Hopefully there may be some more recent documents that might help.

His second family when he left England consisted of Caroline Frances
Thornton (nee Littleton), born 1884 and their son Albert Hugh Thornton born
1920 in London. The only real clue I have is an address in my Mother's
far-from-clear handwriting, dated around the late 30s - early 40s, that
could be Umbukwane, Mblosinga Siding, P.O. Hlukluwe, Zululand. Apart from
all the changes since then, my interpretation of the writing is probably
wrong!

Where do I look for any more recent documents relating to him - death
certificates, etc.?

Should anyone have similar problems with relatives who disappeared in the
direction of Herefordshire, drop me an E-mail. Our local County Record
Office also has the UK birth, marriage and death indexes for 1837 to 1920.
I would be happy to check on the occasional event.

Regards, Alec


writing from North Herefordshire UK at 21:31 , on 02 August 1997

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