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Does anyone have tips on research in Africa?

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  • Does anyone have tips on research in Africa?

    Hi,
    My great grandfather did a runner to South Africa in the early 1920's and got married but after this I really struggled to find any record of him. Then yesterday I discovered a record of an attempt to extradite him from Mozambique! I can't find any more details and have found nothing online to allow me to search records in Mozambique but I'm hooked! Does anyone have any advice on how I can find out more? I'm not very experienced with this so any tips or recommendations would be great.

    Thanks!
    Ben

  • #2
    Have you tried the British Newspapers Archive?

    From a quick look on findmypast, I can see that some news from Mozambique is picked up by the British newspapers. If you can be reasonably sure of his age, i.e born before 1918 it will be okay to post his surname here and we can look for you.
    Caroline
    Caroline's Family History Pages
    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for your fast response! I've not checked the British Newspapers Archive, very good idea I'll take a look.

      His name was Ewart Morley Jepson, born in Lancashire in 1901. He left the UK in 1922 and got married in South Africa in 1924. After that the only record I found is from the extradition record in 1931. All a bit strange!

      Comment


      • #4
        I've found some SA records on FamilySearch.org. Including actual death certificates, so worth checking there
        Anne

        Comment


        • #6
          We have some links for South Africa in our reference library: https://www.familytreeforum.com/cont...1-South-Africa

          I've had some success in the past searching the National Archives of South Africa (NARS)

          UPDATE:

          Eureka!!



          Depending on where they are held, you can get documents copied through http://www.eggsa.org/

          Caroline
          Caroline's Family History Pages
          Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

          Comment


          • #7
            Amazing, thank you for all your help! I've requested the extradition documents from the national archives, hopefully the researcher will be able to photograph them next week. I can't wait!
            Less luck with the newspaper archive but hopefully soon I'll have more to go on to refine the search.

            Comment


            • #8
              I just thought I'd let you all know that I went ahead and got a researcher to photograph the files in the South African national archives, very interesting information! I'm now continuing to search a little more based on the extra info I now have. Thanks again for your help!

              Comment


              • #9
                Originally posted by BenBackhouse View Post
                I just thought I'd let you all know that I went ahead and got a researcher to photograph the files in the South African national archives, very interesting information! I'm now continuing to search a little more based on the extra info I now have. Thanks again for your help!
                That's great news. Glad to help. Just shout if you need us to help any more.
                Caroline
                Caroline's Family History Pages
                Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                Comment


                • #10
                  Originally posted by BenBackhouse View Post
                  I just thought I'd let you all know that I went ahead and got a researcher to photograph the files in the South African national archives, very interesting information! I'm now continuing to search a little more based on the extra info I now have. Thanks again for your help!
                  Hi Ben, tried to private message you but wasn't able to. I too am related to Ewart Morley Jepson and was looking to have some communication with you with regards to what you found out about Ewart, he seems like an interesting guy 😁 Can you let me know if you see this?

                  Thanks

                  Dave

                  Comment


                  • #11
                    Hi, Dave - new members can't send messages initially, but in Ben's case, he has turned off receiving messages (I tried to send on your behalf). If you look at his profile page, he did not remain an active after joining.
                    Best wishes in your research - hope ftf can help with your quest!

                    Comment


                    • #12
                      Thanks for the information there. Some help from anyone on here would be great.

                      What I know so far about Ewart Morley Jepson is that he was born in Darwen, Lancashire, England in 1901. He appears on the 1921 Census as still living in Darwen and working at the "Lancashire and Yorkshire bank". In 1922 he went to South Africa and I have the outward passenger list showing this. I've heard from an older family member that there was an "embezzlement scandal" before he left and the family didn't hear from him after he went to South Africa.

                      I have a South African marriage certificate for him marrying an Alice Mary Hill in South Africa on the 1st of January 1924. She then remarried in 1930 and is down as a Divorcee on that marriage certificate.

                      There is then some extradition documents from 1931 that Ben referred to earlier. Looks like he was in Mozambique. The links for that information is here





                      Those links just give basic information and I think I'd need to go, or get someone to go, to the archives in SA to actually look up the original documents.

                      After that the only thing I have is that in 1946 a friend of the family was apparently in South Africa and bumped into Ewart. Ewart apparently denied he was who the family friend said he was (Ewart Morley Jepson) but the family friend told a member of our family they had seen him in SA in 1946.

                      Any thoughts / hints / information on how I can take this forward? I'd be really keen to see if he had any family (Ben said he was his great grandfather I think) and where he went to and died etc.

                      Many thanks.
                      Last edited by Davey_b; 26-06-22, 10:09.

                      Comment


                      • #13
                        OK, just had a good look at the posts again in this thread and I'm going to go and request the extradition documents from the SA national archives

                        Comment


                        • #14
                          what a shame not being able to contact Ben. Could be worth searching around and messaging a few by that name!

                          I have no knowledge of SA, but a quick look on ancestry there are a few trees and assuming they are right I can see he had a sister and she left a will, could be worth getting that at £1.50, don't know if you know you can just get them

                          https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...3?pId=21712301


                          she left quite a bit of money, so she might have mentioned nephews/nieces. I think one tree has a child

                          and also his father's will
                          https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...6?pId=13602098
                          Last edited by cbcarolyn; 26-06-22, 10:34.
                          Carolyn
                          Family Tree site

                          Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                          Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                          Comment


                          • #15
                            Originally posted by cbcarolyn View Post
                            what a shame not being able to contact Ben. Could be worth searching around and messaging a few by that name!

                            I have no knowledge of SA, but a quick look on ancestry there are a few trees and assuming they are right I can see he had a sister and she left a will, could be worth getting that at £1.50, don't know if you know you can just get them

                            https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...3?pId=21712301


                            she left quite a bit of money, so she might have mentioned nephews/nieces. I think one tree has a child

                            and also his father's will
                            https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...6?pId=13602098
                            Yeah his sister had a family who my mother had contact with. From what I understand after Ewart went to SA the family had no further contact with him or even knew where he was. I'll likely try and get in touch with his sisters relatives at some point.

                            Earlier in this thread someone mentioned that they had found his death certificate on family search. I can't seem to find that. I can find his father's (Ewart Jepson) but not Ewart Morley Jepson. Any thoughts?

                            Comment


                            • #16
                              I would still check the wills though, even if they didn't talk to him they may have known about his children. It could give you a greater insight to the family. or there maybe nothing in there. some wills can be quite surprising.

                              i think the post re death cert said that there were certs on there, so worth searching for his, but sounds like not there.

                              Do you know he definitely didn't come back. I see that there is one on london reg of electors for a while and also a marriage, an unusual name wondering if there is a connection....or even his son?
                              Carolyn
                              Family Tree site

                              Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                              Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                              Comment


                              • #17
                                OK, I'll get the wills and see if there's anything in them.

                                He may well have come back, just don't know. I have found stuff for a Ewart M Jepson who is a doctor, surgeon I think, in London but would be surprised if that's him but you never know

                                Comment


                                • #18
                                  Originally posted by Davey_b View Post
                                  OK, I'll get the wills and see if there's anything in them.

                                  He may well have come back, just don't know. I have found stuff for a Ewart M Jepson who is a doctor, surgeon I think, in London but would be surprised if that's him but you never know
                                  I guess that is the one I can see, would he be the right age to be a child of Ewart?
                                  Carolyn
                                  Family Tree site

                                  Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                  Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                  Comment


                                  • #19
                                    It is possible that Ewart amended his name while in South Africa and married twice more.

                                    Original marriage to Alice:

                                    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...A1%3A6ZHR-P7JQ

                                    Marriage 2, having now become Ewart Devonport St John Morley-Jepson

                                    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...A1%3AQG15-6QKX

                                    and marriage 3

                                    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...A1%3A6ZC9-QD9D


                                    Ewart and Beatrice had a child, Revel Warwick in 1930

                                    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...235&cc=1468076

                                    who married in 1954

                                    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...A1%3A8PRX-RM2M


                                    Mavis Barbara died in South Africa in 1999, and it looks like Revel Warwick died in 2010. This is all I could find on his death, also in South Africa. Maybe if you join that database it would give you more information

                                    https://www.gendatabase.com/estate-r...=MORLEY-JEPSON
                                    Last edited by ozgirl; 26-06-22, 11:28.
                                    Linda


                                    My avatar is my Grandmother Carolina Meulenhoff 1896 - 1955

                                    Comment


                                    • #20
                                      looks like there is a mention of him in the Telegraph, but I don't have newspaper.com so can't see article it might mention his parents, certainly too old for your Ewart, but not impossible for him to be his son

                                      Detail Source
                                      Ewart MD Jepson
                                      Male
                                      Abt 2003
                                      6 Mar 2003
                                      London, Greater London, England
                                      The Daily Telegraph
                                      Anne
                                      ClarePaul

                                      edit have found him, not directly related...bet he is a distant cousin!

                                      Consultant physician Central Middlesex and Willesden Hospitals 1963-92 (b Bentley, Yorkshire, 1927; q Westminster Hospital, London, 1950; MD, FRCP), died from retroperitoneal lymphoma and acute renal failure on 1 March 2003.
                                      Last edited by cbcarolyn; 26-06-22, 12:01.
                                      Carolyn
                                      Family Tree site

                                      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                      Comment

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