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South African research?

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Laura

Laura Report 2 Dec 2007 23:17

It's thought that one of the men in my tree went to South Africa. Although his wife here called herself a widow and then remarried, it's possible he didn't die and just didn't come back. About 30 years ago apparently a black woman from SA came to Cornwall looking for her English White cousins, but nobody came forward or spoke to her etc. Any idea where I could even start to look into this? Sounds like a long shot, but could be quite interesting!

Laura

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 3 Dec 2007 02:33

I don't suppose the surname Coke or McCock somes into this anywhere, does it? Or Hill or Monck ...

A joke that those who have followed my travails will get. ;)

But seriously, I've wondered the same thing about my gr-grfather's sister's son, whom I have found in the Imperial Yeomanry in the Boer War. His mother was a Hill from Cornwall. He was born Coke, but his father decided sometime in the 1880s to call the family McCock. I've found a South African author named McCock, and bought one of his books used, but it says nothing; and apparently a ball-bearing business in Port Elizabeth, I think it was, was owned by a McCock in the 1950s.

Those I found by googling -- and if you don't think googling McCock is fun, well, you haven't lived.

So the woman who came to find cousins would have been -- a daughter of the man in question? Making her maybe 60 or older now, and possibly deceased?

His children, if any, might have had his surname ... and he might have had a son or sons who would still have it ...

If the name isn't common as dirt, you might try the white pages!

http://phonebook.yellowpages.co.za/search.jsp

You need to specify a location, so best to get out an atlas and try 'em all.

Otherwise, you need somebody who knows something, and that ain't me -- but I'd be eager to see what somebody who knows something might say! So I'll just nudge this thread. ;)

Researching:
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Laura

Laura Report 3 Dec 2007 21:31

Thank you :)
The names don't match I'm afraid although for a minute then you had me wondering. The man who went to South Africa was called John Wills. His wife Annie (nee Ellis) then married an Alfred Tonkin (my ancestor) and emigrated to the USA, although they moved back to Cornwall in later life.

Interesting you have a Hill and a McCock - names in my tree include Cock and Wills

!!!

Laura