Hello, Please can I ask for some advice as this is the first time I have contacted such an online discussion forum tracing family trees. I have looked into family history research in England and Wales but not ventured outside the UK resources before so am unaware as to what possible sources are available in South Africa and the Cape. I would appreciate any advice as to how to trace a George Alexander Thorne - born abt 1854 in Cape Town South Africa (British citizen) according to the 1891 E&W Census - then living in Liverpool, UK as a port messenger. He must have arrived in Liverpool prior to 1879 when he married Charlotte Louisa Johnson of Liverpool. He is listed as a mariner and no Thornes witnessed his marriage, only Johnsons. I cannot find him on the 1881 census - possibly he was sea at this time - but can find his wife and daughter in Liverpool. His father is listed on the marriage certificate as also George Alexander Thorne - Gentleman (am unsure as to what exactly this means). I would be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction to find out more about both George Alexander Thornes or if a Thorne family settled in the Cape. Much interest seems to lie in settlers to the Cape but what of movement back to Europe: is this possible to trace? Family oral history speaks of some vague German connection along this male line, linked to the blade industry and steel works, so to suddenly find a South African connection has rather thrown us, in a most interesting direction. Any advice would be most gratefully received. Thank you and best wishes Penny Price [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>

Hi Penny I have had great difficulty in tracing English family who emigrated to South Africa (1850 - 1900) as the passport and ship passenger lists are very difficult to find and unless you know for certain which ship and date of departure you are left with a list of names which could / could not be the ones you are looking for . If born in SA then I would suggest that you look in UK at port arrivals , shipping lines as their records can only be better than those of SA . German : a group of Germans emigrated to SA in 1850-1870 . Look on the site "German Immigrants to South Africa" --- managed by Keith _____ . in East London . Cape Town : National and Cape Archives are pretty well organized but response may be slow . I would suggest that you contact Anne Clarkson [email protected] . She has helped me greatly . Regards Kevin -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Penny Price Sent: 26 May 2010 11:05 To: [email protected] Subject: [SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN] Request for advice in researching Thornefamily in the Cape Hello, Please can I ask for some advice as this is the first time I have contacted such an online discussion forum tracing family trees. I have looked into family history research in England and Wales but not ventured outside the UK resources before so am unaware as to what possible sources are available in South Africa and the Cape. I would appreciate any advice as to how to trace a George Alexander Thorne - born abt 1854 in Cape Town South Africa (British citizen) according to the 1891 E&W Census - then living in Liverpool, UK as a port messenger. He must have arrived in Liverpool prior to 1879 when he married Charlotte Louisa Johnson of Liverpool. He is listed as a mariner and no Thornes witnessed his marriage, only Johnsons. I cannot find him on the 1881 census - possibly he was sea at this time - but can find his wife and daughter in Liverpool. His father is listed on the marriage certificate as also George Alexander Thorne - Gentleman (am unsure as to what exactly this means). I would be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction to find out more about both George Alexander Thornes or if a Thorne family settled in the Cape. Much interest seems to lie in settlers to the Cape but what of movement back to Europe: is this possible to trace? Family oral history speaks of some vague German connection along this male line, linked to the blade industry and steel works, so to suddenly find a South African connection has rather thrown us, in a most interesting direction. Any advice would be most gratefully received. Thank you and best wishes Penny Price [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message