George Henry Norval

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes

George married Isabel Grace Thurgood on 5 Apr 1920. Isabel was born in 1892; died in 1986. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. George Norval was born on 26 Nov 1927 in Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 21 Jan 1983 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Occupation: 'Roodipoort' ('Rooipoort'), Philippolis, Free State, South Africa; a Farmer

Notes:

Eldest surviving son of John and Mary. Farmed Rooipoort after his father.

George married Christina Elizabeth Watt in 1881. Christina was born est 1860; died in 1926. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Christina Elizabeth Watt

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: John Norval 1817
• Occupation: a Horse breeder, Farmer

Notes:

Emigrated to the Cape in 1817, with his father, John, and his two uncles, Archibald and William. Arrived on the "Brilliant". Death Notice 6/9/2232. "Roodipoort" was his dwelling place. Death Notice gives value of his moveable and immoveable property in Colesberg and Colesberg District as about 7,000 pounds.

Emigrated to the Cape in 1817, with his father, John, and his two uncles,
Archibald and William. Arrived on the "Brilliant"."Roodipoort" was his dwelling place. Death Notice gives value of his moveable and immoveable property in Colesberg and Colesberg District as about 7,000 pounds.

Extract from " Roll of the British Settlers in South Africa " by E. MorseJones

p 2
".... In the meantime some two hundred Settlers from Scotland arrived at the Cape under Captain Benjamin Moodie in this year, 1817,..."

p 17
"... The lists following are in three groups, these severally includingSettlers who landed prior to 1820,...."

"... In the case of Moodie's party where a ship's name is not given thesailing was either in " Clyde " or " Garland ".... "

p 20
".... Murray, Andrew. Farmer. p Moodie's. 1817. His wife did notembark...."


".... Norval, Archibald. p Moodie's. 1817.
Norval, John. c John. p Moodie's. 1817.
Norval, William. p Moodie's. 1817."

p 146
"... Norval, A member of Moodie's party he sailed in 1817. He bredhorses in the Colesberg district in 1848. In 1849 he launched the pont " Clyde " at Port Glasgow on theOrange River. It had a capacity of four loaded wagons or 4,000 sheep... "

It has now become clear ( 11:03:2000 ) that the John Norval( Snr ) who came out with Moodie's party in 1817 and the John Norval who married Mary Jane Murray were not one and the same person. John Norval ( Snr ) came out with a son, John Norval, as well as two brothers. No mention is made in the above mentioned book of him having had a wife with him. One can only assume that he was a widower. Our John Norval, born 1795, and therefore 22 years of age in 1817, is the one who married Mary Jane Murray. The brothers of John ( Snr ) were Archibald and William Norval. It is, of course, not impossible, that John ( Jnr ) was a younger brother of the three Norval brothers Archibald, John and William! The Settler book merely lists him as a child. This does not necessarily mean that he was John ( Snr )'s child, though he travelled with him! The chances seem pretty good that this might have been the case rather than that he was a son of John (Snr ).
I have nevertheless left my original assumption unchanged i.e. John being a son of John for the time being.

Since found the book Driehonderd Jaar Nasiebou - Stamouers van die Afrikanervolk by Dr. D.F. Du T. Malherbe. In it he refers to two brothers, James and Ernest, having come out together with John. Adds "Son James Charles (1:10:1826) is great grandfather (grootvader) of Dr.Arthur James Norval ( Pretoria ). He also states " The three brothers managed Norvalspont."

The repeated occurrence of the name James Charles Norval down the generations has also made me wonder if this was not the name of the father of the Settler brothers. It could also originate from James Murray though!

The farm Roodepoort was later also referred to as Rooipoort by some,including by Samuel Pellissier in the note to George Henry Norval in the flyleaf to his book about his father Jean Pierre Pellissier, the missionary.

My reason for having two unnamed children of unknown sex is based on a recollection of Hazel Willies. The date of marriage and date of birth of the first named child would seem to substantiate her belief somewhat!?

I have yet to work out Hazel's oft repeated 10 sons, each of whom had a farm, and 3 daughters. The facts do not seem to substantiate this.Possibly a count of the sons of the two brothers ( or brother and nephew) will give a clue?? David Barlow also refers to 13 children, the youngest according to his mother was Ellen Morrison Norval ( b. 1854 )who died very young.

John married Mary Jane Murray, 1820 Settler on 4 Dec 1831 in Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Mary (daughter of James Murray, 1820 Settler and Sarah Armstrong, 1820 Settler) was born on 10 Jan 1810 in Summerhill Bective Estate, Dublin (nr), Ireland; died on 17 Aug 1898 in 'Roodipoort' ('Rooipoort'), Philippolis, Free State, South Africa; was buried in Colesberg, Northern Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 587
• Name: Mary Jane Murray 1820
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland

Notes:

as the third child of James and Sarah. Had 13 children (Henry was the 7th). Death Notice gives her parents as George Murray and Sarah Armstrong. Will (1874) filed 1875.

as the third child of James and Sarah. Had 13 children (Henry was the 7th).
Death Notice gives her parents as George Murray and Sarah Armstrong. Will
(1874) filed 1875 [72].

Jean Pierre Pellissier arrived in Graaff Reinet from the North on 8 March1833 and 9 May when he departed for Phillipolis, Jean Pierre went to the coast ( Port Elizabeth ) and married his wife, not necessarily though likely in that order.
"By the end of 1831 ds. Murray joined in marriage at Graaff Reinet a certain Mary Jane Murray, a daughter of one of the Irish Party of theBritish Settlers of 1820, with a certain John Norval."
" The Norval's of Rooipoort, District Phillopolis, who were descendantsof Mary Murray..."

Transcript of letter from James Murray to his oldest daughter Mary Jane,shortly before her marriage to John Norval as published in Pellissier'sbook:-
" Hartfell, November21st, 1831
Dear Maria,
I received your letter and am happy to hear that you are quite well,I am so too and so is your Mother, thank God. I have nothing to say toyou now but what I have said before. I need not tell you that i wish youevery happyness when you change your name and your condition. Rememberyour duty to God, never forget to ask his Blessing in all yourundertakings and may God bless you and direct you in all your ways is thefervent prayer of your Father and Mother - I remain your affect. Father
J.L. Murray "
The original letter was in the possession of Mrs Isabell Barlow ofBindura, Zimbabwe, who was one of the great grandchildren of MaryMurray.

Settler:
Parker's party on the East Indian

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: John Norval 1817
• Occupation: a Comb - maker
• 1817 Moodie party Settler: 1817, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Notes:

The Norval family in Glasgow were all brush and comb makers: the names James and William stayed in the Glasgow Directory as brush and comb makers from about 1790 - 1840.

1817 Moodie party Settler:
Garland or Clyde

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 580
• Name: James Murray 1820
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland

Notes:

James and Sarah emigrated to South Africa in 1820 on the ship "East Indian" as members of Parker's party Irish group. As mentioned in his son, Richard Armstrong Murray's will (see IFB: Reminiscences) he had a brother Alexander Murray, married to Hannah, both of Clapham, Surrey, both of whom appear to have died in the late 1830s. Mary Jane's death notice gives George Murray. James went to Ireland as a young man.

James and Sarah emigrated to South Africa in 1820 on the ship "East Indian" as
members of Parker's party Irish group. As mentioned in his son, Richard
Armstrong Murray's will (see IFB: Reminiscences) he had a brother Alexander
Murray, married to Hannah, both of Clapham, Surrey, both of whom appear to
have died in the late 1830s. Mary Jane's death notice gives George Murray.
James went to Ireland as a young man.

Extract from The Story of the British Settlers of 1820 in South Africa by Harold Edward Hockly:

Settler:
Parker's party on the East Indian

James married Sarah Armstrong, 1820 Settler in 1802 in Dublin (St John's). Sarah (daughter of Andrew Armstrong and Sarah Atkins) was born in 1779. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 63
• Name: Sarah Armstrong 1820
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland

Notes:

Sarah was the fourth child of Andrew and Sarah.

Quote from S.H. Pellissier's book:-

. According to tradition Sarah Armstrong was originally from England.When we were children, we heard much of Broom Hall, an estate in Kent in southern England and of a large sum of money held in Chancery in England for the descendants of the Armstrongs. Broom Hall was apparently the seat of the Armstrongs and after 99 years, or so we were told, the heirs would be able to claim their fair share. The Norval's of Rooipoort, dist.Philippolis, who were descendants of Mary Murray and the Kleynveld's of Bethulie - Mrs Charlotte Klynveld was a daughter of Martha Murray - took the lead in connection with tracing this possible inheritance. Mr. Herman Kleynveld, an attorney at Bethulie, handled the correspondence. We, the Pellissier family, were naturally very interested in the matter but waited patiently for information. The steps which were taken, took place shortly before the Anglo-Boer War when I was a boy of about eleven. One of our relations received the English paper, The Christian Herald, weekly and it appeared regularly in our house too. In this paper there would periodically appear a long list of names of persons for whom there was money in Chancery at that stage. We as children always perused eagerly when the list appeared to see if the name Armstrong still occurred in it. Shortly thereafter the devastating three year war took place, the Christian Herald no longer appeared and in the confusion everything regarding the possible inheritance was forgotten until now."

Extracts from Irish settlers to the Cape by Graham Brian Dickason
A history of the Clanwilliam 1820 Settlers from Cork Harbour

Page 81

Appendix 1
BRIEF OUTLINE BIOGRAPHIES

ARMSTRONG, James
1791- A member of Scanlan's group, he was a bachelor farmer from Longford Town. His widowed sister Jane Miller with two children were supposed to sail withhim but did not embark.

ARMSTRONG, John
1790-1834. A broguemaker from Longford Town and military pensioner of the 6th Battalion of 60th regiment of Foot, sailed as amember of Scanlan's group. Lost his life near the Kei River in the Sixth Kaffir War.

ARMSTRONG, William
1818 Son of Moses Armstrong of Longford Townwho sailed from Cork as a member of Scanlan's group. Married Mary Gunnin 1845 and was a member of the House of Assembly in 1856."

Page 101

" The following lists are therefore a transcription of the arrival lists only as modified by the research undertaken and which, due to the fact of their certification and reconciliation, it is considered may be regarded as the most accurate that can be produced under the circumstances.

PARKER'S PARTY Total Persons
......

Armstrong, James 28 Farmer 1
Armstrong, John 30 Shoemaker. w Catherine 27, c Jane 43
Armstrong, Lawrance28 Farmer. w Anne 25, c Elizabeth 43
Armstrong, Moses 26 Farmer. w Jane 25, c Samuel 6, William2 4
....."

It is not known whether or not these Armstrongs were related in any way to Sarah Armstrong who married James Murray.

Settler:
Parker's party on the East Indian