As part of the SCOON one-name study, I've been trying to follow up two brothers Robert (b c 1789) and James (b c 1792) SCOON who travelled to Cape Town in 1817 on The Brilliant. They were part of a group of about 200 skilled artisans from various parts of Scotland who were indentured to Benjamin Moodie who was involved with several other groups to the same area from all over the UK. The South African records tell us a lot about the brothers' lives (and deaths) in South Africa, but unfortunately very little about their ancestry. All we know for sure is that Robert came from the Hawick area, but that James described himself as a 'native of Dumfriesshire' in his 1826 will. Robert, originally a cooper, became quite a renowned explorer before dying unmarried in 1837; James stuck to his trade as a blacksmith and farrier in Cape Town, married and fathered 3 children before dying in 1827. The most likely explanation for this is that they were they sons of Walter Scoon and Mary Elliot b 1788 and 1790 respectively at Todshawhill a few miles SW of Hawick. Their elder brother Walter moved to Langholm (1800-10) and became a master blacksmith, so it would well have been possible for his younger brother James to have followed or gone with him and learnt his trade in Langholm - hence the description in his will. However, this is very much in 'best guess' territory and I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has more information about the pair or indeed has any connections with the group of 200 as I have found it very difficult to find out where or how they were recruited - did Moodie perhaps visit Langholm or somewhere nearby? Donald Grant Scoon One Name Study (GOONS #5642) www.donjgrant.me.uk/schp.html