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From: Stef Coetzee <>
Subject: Re: [ZA] RE: Harrison (also Steele, Booker, Watt and Jinks)
Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 09:28:11 +0000
References: <41A58AE8.3070508@coetzee.org>
In-Reply-To: <41A58AE8.3070508@coetzee.org>


Hello John

Thank you very much for your reply. It will be very interesting to see
if there was a connection between your Joseph Jinks as part of the
MORGAN party and the Jinks line I am tracing.

The original Jinks in the line I am tracing coming to South Africa as
far as I have been able to ascertain to date was Hubert James Turner
JINKS (* 19 November 1880 †23 October 1915 X 3 August 1909 to Inez
Etheldreda BOOKER (*11 Feb 1884)

Hubert was in the Navy in Britain. He was appointed as a Naval Architect
in Portsmouth but was later boarded on medical grounds some time about
1905 (his grandfather's Naval dress sword is with my brother-in-law).
Hubert was diagnosed with consumption (TB). In those days apparently
nothing could be done for this condition, so he was sent to SA as the
dry air was considered beneficial for his condition. In SA he met and
married in Lusikisiki - Transkei - (his wife lived in Lusikisiki, as
part of the Booker line). There Hubert served as an accountant to the
Bunga (the original Transkei black government apparently established by
the British administration before Union.)

The next trace I have of him is on the S.S. City of Karachi which left
London Monday ? September 1914 for Cape Town, Algoa Bay and East London.
My brother-in-law's father was with his parents. By late 1912 Hubert's
health had deteriorated and he and his wife and son decided to make a
trip to the UK to say goodbye to the family. They spent about 9 months
in the UK.

A snippet of early WW I history - note the date of sailing of the
Karachi. Once World War I broke out Mike's Grandfather decided to cut
the trip short and get the first available boat home, as he realised
that soon most passenger traffic would be halted. Shortly after entering
the Bay of Biscay, the Karachi passed a German cargo ship on it's way
home to Germany. The German ship didn't have radio, so was not aware
that the war had began the crew waved cheerfully to all aboard the
Karachi. Too bad the Karachi had a Marconi man and was able to notify
the Royal Navy who did their duty and sunk the luckless freighter.

The backward trail goes back to a James Jenks who was born in 1790 in
Aylesbeare Devon. No parish records of James parents or siblings exist,
possibly his parents were transient workers or could possibly have
drifted over to Devon from Wales (as indicated by the Welsh surname?).
James was a labourer and married Sarah Livermore in Hatherleigh, Devon.
He & Sarah produced ll children. The changed spelling of John's surname
leads us to believe that James had little education as country folk
often had the vicar complete birth certificates etc. so if James had a
Welsh, or other strange non local accent, the vicar could easily have
transcribed it phonetically.

James JENKS, a labourer. * 1790 in Aylesbeare Devon X 13 April 1812
­Sarah LIVERMORE Birth or death dates unknown. The line continues with

John JINKS A builder/mason, *2 May 1813 X Anna Maria (Mary) CANTERBURY
house keeper, *28 October 1814 of Topsham, Devon

We are not sure where John or any of his 10 siblings were brought up. He
probably lived in or near Exeter as his wife Mary, who apparently had
descended from pirate stock, came from Topsham. ( The Canterbury clan
from Topsham Devon is traceable back two generations via Mary's parents
William, *14 Sept 1777 and Anna Brewer (pos. Hanna) *6 Jan 1783 and
married on the 7 Sept 1800. William's parents were Thomas James
Canterbury (pos. Canterberry) *1722 and Ester ? Anna's father was John
Brewer, mother unknown.)

John's siblings were:

Mary Ann, then John followed by George *21 May 1815, Samuel *31 August
1817, Martha *16 May 1819, Samuel Richard *4 Mar 1822, Richard *18 Mar
1824, Ann *11 May 1826, Elizabeth *25 Sept 1828, William *23 July 1831,
James *7 Nov 1834

John & Mary who it seemed lived in St Tomas, Exeter had 9 children as
follows:
1. William *1836/7, Ellen *1839, 2. Charles James *Jan 1841 †12 Feb
1841, 3. Emily *Nov 1841, †Oct 1842, 4. Henry *1844, 5. Eliza *28 April
1847, 6. Henry Blake *5 Sept 1849, 7. *Robert*, 8. Emma *23 Feb 1854 and
finally Mary *1856.

­Robert James JINKS School teacher,* 4 October 1851 in Exeter, Devon†1
Feb 1927 X 19 September 1876 Emily TURNER in Bishops Hull, Taunton,
Somerset

Robert became a teacher and married Emily at Taunton. They taught at a
local Devon school before moving to Redhill, Surrey where their children
were born and where Robert and Emily were the Headmaster and
Headmistress of St. John's Church School. They had a total of four
children, 1. Bertha Emily Mary b 17 Dee 1887, 2. Katharine Emma, b 10
May 1879, d 28 Dee 1950, 3. *Hubert* and finally Agnes Eveline Muriel, b
28 October 1881, d 17 February 1956.

Thus we get back to Hubert - so was there a link to Joseph, or were they
from a totally different Jinks clan? If anyone has any detail or colour
to add on either the Livermore or Canterbury connection it would be
gratefully received!

// Kind regards
Stef [Coetzee]
Researching Harrison, Steele, Booker, Watt and Jinks
Also Coetzee, du Toit, du Plessis, Botha, van Graan, van der Berg,
Schoeman, Smit, Smuts, Theron

>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [ZA] RE: Harrison (also Steele, Booker, Watt and Jinks)
> Resent-Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 22:38:27 -0700
> Resent-From:
> Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 07:36:10 +0200
> From: John Morgan <>
> Reply-To:
> To:
>
>
>
> Hi folks
>
> There was a Joseph JINKS, veterinary surgeon and his wife Sarah on
> board the OCEAN who was part of the MORGAN party sailing with
> Nathaniel MORGAN - 1820 Settlers.
>
> Regards
>
> John Morgan
>
> Researching Nathaniel MORGAN
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stef Coetzee [mailto:] Sent: 24 November 2004
> 04:06 PM
> To:
> Subject: Harrison (also Steele, Booker, Watt and Jinks)
>
> Hello List
>
> A 'cap in hand' email asking for help please!
>
> My sister and brother-in-law (Jinks) asked if I could help them trace
> his family tree. His mother (née Steele) is planning to come to
> England for Christmas - due to ill-health it may be her last
> opportunity. They wanted to surprise her with some insight into their
> family history.
>
> We have made some progress on the Steele side thanks to online records
> in England.. Harry William Steele (*1879 +1967) came to South Africa
> at the turn of the last century to take part in the Anglo-Boer war
> (Cheshire Regiment) an after that went to work on the mines in
> Johannesburg as an electrician. His family came from Derbyshire - his
> mother was apparently a Harrison - Eliza (*1842 +1921). Her father was
> J. Harrison en her mother L.Straw - and that is all we have for now.
> Can anyone help with more Harrison info?
>
> Harry William Steele apparently married Anne Watt in South Africa. She
> went to Jo'burg General as a nurse in the war of 1899-1901 and met
> Harry there. Anne was born in Jamaica (*1877 +1966) where her dad was
> a customs officer. Shortly after her birth they appeared to have moved
> to Guernsey, but I cannot find any trace of them there. Anne followed
> her older sister Mary to South Africa - Mary was also a nurse. Can
> anyone help shed any light on this Watt branch, or ideas how I can
> find out more of the detail in South Africa from England using
> internet resources?
>
> We have found out quite a bit on the Jinks side of the family -
> descendants of Hubert James Turner Jinks (*1880 +1915 Transkei). We
> are lacking in information on Edward Fletcher Booker and his wife
> Margaret (* 1790? Wiltshire) together with their son Ernest Booker who
> married Elizabeth Cullimore. This looks to have been a prolific union
> with lots of offspring - does anyone on the list have Booker info that
> may link up?
>
> I will be most grateful for anything anyone has that could help me
> fulfil my brother-in-law's wish to have something memorable for his
> mother's visit.
> Many thanks for reading a long email!
> Stef [Coetzee]

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