SOUTH-AFRICA-L Archives

From: "Ken Markham" <>
Subject: Rhodie Familia ... ... ...
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1999 18:25:14 +0200

Hi All RSA Listers,

The purpose of this posting is to give some directions for
some researchers to follow. I will briefly mention a number
of items, that if of interest to you, you should seek out the
book source for yourself. I am going to going through a book
called "First Steps In Civilizing Rhodesia" by Jeannie M. Boggie,
Fourth Edition, printed 1966, [First Edition was printed in 1940].
I found the book interesting because, not only does it have much
genealogical information, but the stories behind the people. I am
undertaking to assist one American college on the list to quite
some degree. [You owe me a coke when finished !].

CHAPTER I ... "In the beginning was Mzilikazi" ... ... ...
This whole chapter in on the Moffat family. Pictures of,

1. The Rev. Robert Moffat, M.D.,
2. Mrs. Robert Moffat,

CHAPTER II ...
3. Mrs. Emily Moffat at the time of her marriage, 1858,

CHAPTER III ...
4. Inyati Mission Station,
5. Mary Meta Moffat,
6. Mrs. Annie Thomas's grave, who died 10th June, 1862,
7. Mary Meta Moffat and her mother,
8. Mrs. Emily Moffat,

The first 3 chapters are a reasonable account of this family, from
where one could expand on in their searches. So not only is there
some info on Emily Unwin, but a picture too of your
greeeeeat-gt-gt-granny !!!, as all are grannies are great !.

CHAPTER IV ... "The Second Mrs. Thomas" ... ... ...
Contains family and history and a picture of Mrs. Thomas and five
children - Thomas, Annie, Margaret, Sydney and John. The name of
Elliot crops up throughout the book.

CHAPTER V ... "Caroline Thomas (Mrs. Kirkham)" ... ... ...
Picture of her and family stories etc. Picture of Morgan and David
Thomas. Further on, info on Rees, Carnegie, and Willoughby etc.
Picture of Rev. Charles and Mrs. Helm and story.

CHAPTER I0 ...
Aaaaargh !!!. A picture of Mr. James Fairbairn and Mr. James Dawson.

"The names of Mr. James Fairbairn, the keeper of Lobengula's royal
seat, and of Mr. Usher will go down in history as the two men whom,
when Lobengula fled from his capital in 1893, he put into the care
of a trusted induna who was to be responsible with his own life for
their safety. Surely a finer example of loyalty to friends is rarely
to be found even in civilized Europe".

"James Dawson was a well-known trader in Matabeleland. After the
annihilation of the Allan Wilson patrol, he volunteered to go to
the scene of the disaster where he found and buried the bodies.
Later, he married the Scotch lady to whom Allan Wilson was engaged
at the time of his death".

CHAPTER XI ... "The Carnegies at Hope Fountain" ... ... ...
Picture of Mrs. Sykes, Mrs. Carnegie, Byo Railway station, great one
to see.

CHAPTER XII ...
David Livingstone and wife, pictures of both, and story.

CHAPTER XIII ...
Picture of ten of the wives of Lobengula.
A great picture of Mrs. Mollie Colenbrander.

CHAPTER XV ...
Mr. and Mrs. John Lee story.

CHAPTER XVI ...
Mr. and Mrs. Hans Lee story.

CHAPTER XVII ... "Concerning mother and me" by Mrs. Phoebe Taylor.
Picture of Mrs. "Bulala" Taylor and story.

CHAPTER XXII ... "The Bent's Trek to Zimbabwe" ... ... ...
Picture of Mrs. Bent.

CHAPTER XXIV ... "Those Saintly Coillards" ... ... ...
Picture of Madame Christina Coillard.

CHAPTER XVI ...
Picture of the memorial built at the summit of the Mangwe Pass.
Unveiled on Sunday, 18th July, 1954, by the Acting Governor of
Southern Rhodesia, Sir Robert Tredgold, P.C., K.C.M.G., Q.C.
Great grandson of one of the first missionaries, Dr. Robert Moffat.

CHAPTER XXVII ...
Prescott family with pictures.

CHAPTER XXIX ... "Extraordinary Experiences of the Hulley-Cawood
Trek, 1896" ... ... ...

A story that might glue you to your seats ... So stick around,

"The worst trekking experiences which have as yet to come to the
notice of the writer happened to the Hulley and Cawood families who
trekked to the Chipinga district of Melsetter to take up farming
in 1896. Mr. Dick Hulley first went to Melsetter with the Moodie Trek
in 1892, and then returned to Pretoria for his wife and family in 1896.
The main points of this trying journey were --- the ravages of hunger
and thirst, rinderpest, and travelling through Mashonaland quite
unaware that the Matabele and Mashonaland rebellion was raging"...

"Poor father grew desperate. One day he said to us children:
'Now you children, watch where the vultures go; then tell me.
You will probably find a dead animal'.

We watched, and told him. So off he went in that direction and
found a dead koodoo - dead of rinderpest and half eaten by vultures.
Father fetched the bigger children who helped him to skin the beast
and to bring the remainder of the meat back to the wagon. What we did
not immediately use was cut into biltong, and the skin was kept
for mending the donkey harness when necessary - never dreaming that
later on it would keep us alive for days. By this time it had got
very hard and dry, so we chopped it into squares of about three or
four inches and boiled it until it was soft and gluey. It was most
nourishing, and became food fit for the gods !".
[Editor's Note: Koodoo is correctly spelt Kudu. Biltong is Jerky].

CHAPTER XXX ...
The Cunninghams with pictures etc.

SOME ITEMS YOU MIGHT FIND OF INTEREST ??? ... ... ...
Quotes ... ... ...

"BABIES! How fast those little people came."

"The first Rhodesian-born baby was Livingstone Moffat. ... His mother
had also the honour in 1862, to present Inyati with its first
Rhodesian-born girl, Mary Meta Moffat, now Mrs. J.S. Loosley, and
residing at Inyati cottage, Port Alfred."

Note on the first pioneer's death, can't find it now.

Other Sources ... ... ...
F.E. Markham and Elsie Moodie, daughter of the Moodie Trek
leader, was the first marriage in Melsetter, ZIM, on New Years
Day 1894. There is confusion in records of F.E. Markham's date
of death, it was given as - d: 04-1901?, but is obviously incorrect.

Yours Sincerely,
Sir Ken Markham ... ... ...

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• Rhodie Familia ... ... ... by "Ken Markham" <>