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From: "David Moon" <>
Subject: Myth and Reality: Munro
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 05:20:40 +0200


Family stories handed down by word of mouth must contain some true facts
and some details that enhance the dramatic incidents of the story.
The story that follows, is one told to me about the events surrounding the
death of my G/G/father Hector Munro, born 1835.Rosskeen,Rosshire Scotland.
He died on the 31/8/1871.
He had left his wife and three small sons in Pietermaritzburg and was
travelling to the Kimberly diamond mines. The wagons outspanned outside
Ladysmith. On the next leg of the journey from Ladysmith the wagon train
was moving towards the Drakenberg, he walked ahead and drank cold river
water, when the wagons caught up with him he was very ill, with some sort
of stomach cramp, and he died. His body was taken to Nicolaas Smidt's
farm in the Drakenberg foothills where he was buried.

In trying to consolidate a family history is there any point in trying to
verify details in this or other stories like this? And secondly does
anyone have any idea on how one would even start to trace details of events
like this one.

David Moon
Scottsville
Pietermaritzburg.

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