| 6. |  Joseph Weakley, 1820 Settler was born on 27 Jun 1790 in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England; died on 27 May 1863 in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Other Events and Attributes:
- 1820 Lineage: Yes
- Settler ID: 830
- Name: Joseph Weakley 1820
- Occupation: a Gardener
- Settler: 7 Jan 1820, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Notes:
Marriages at St John the Baptist, Frome, 1813-1821, transcript by Yvonne Scrivener we have -
Item 160
Date 25 Oct 1814, by banns
Joseph WEAKLEY Batchelor of this parish
Emma KINTON Spinster of this parish
Witnesses John MISON Wm CHUBB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STORY OF 1820 SETTLER'S FAMILY - TOLD BY LAST SURVIVOR
Mr. James WEAKLEY, uncle to the editor of this paper, died in England in February last, aged eighty years and three months. Before his death, at our request, he wrote a sketch of the early history of the family of which he was the last survivor (that is of that generation) and though it was never intended for publication we publish it hereunder. It contains a good deal that is of little interest to anyone but the clan itself, now pretty numerous in South Africa, but there are also references of general interest.
The "George" mentioned in the narrative was the father of the present editor of the Heidelberg News.
MR. JAMES WEAKLEY'S NARRATIVE
Father was born at Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, on June 27th 1790 and Mother at Farleigh, Wiltshire on November 5th 1791. I am told that variations of our family name, such as WAKELY, WHEATLY etc abound in the neighbourhood of Bradford-on-Avon - our correct name, however, is WEAKELY - as the birth certificate proves - but Father ran away from home during the French War and joined the Navy, and was prisoner in France for two years, and his name was entered as WEAKLEY. This spelling has been retained ever since, partly I expect as prize money was expected after the termination of the war.
Father and Mother (Joseph WEAKLEY and Emma KINTON) were married on November 3rd 1814 and lived subsequently at Frome, Somersetshire, where Father earned a livelihood as a weaver of West of England cloth. They afterwards, in 1820, went out to the Cape with the British Settlers, several children having previously been born. On landing at Algoa Bay the only shelter provided was tents, permanent buildings not having been erected there. From Algoa Bay they trekked to Bathurst, each settler in their party being allocated a certain extent of land in that neighbourhood. Father, however, soon commenced trading up country, using bullock wagons, and received cattle in exchange for the commodities he supplied. On his periodical returns to Bathurst, where Mother and the children remained, his drove of cattle were killed, the hides and tallow realizing far more than the live animals cost him. From Bathurst a move was made to Grahams Town, the farm house on West Hill being bought and converted into stores, so that they might almost be said to have been the first inhabitants of that flourishing city. A successful trade was carried on there, principally with the Dutch farmers (who came periodically to the Nachtmaal etc).
When Father and Mother first lived there, droves of elephants used to feed in what is now the centre of the town and lions etc had also their homes close at hand. Their family increased to a total of eleven, seven sons and four daughters, George being born when mother was about 49 years old - but two sons Benjamin and Joshua died in their teens. In 1845, the five elder children being married, Father and Mother and the four youngest bairns (Samuel, James, Emma and George) sailed for England in the "Owen Glendowe", a large sailing East India liner, and after a pleasant seven weeks voyage landed in London. The Great Metropolis looked so dirty to us youngsters, although it was then at its best being the month of May, that some of us cried to be taken back to the Cape. Those also were Joe's (Chamberlain) good old protection days and the poverty and misery of the working classes was heartrending. We resided first at Barking and afterwards at Woodford, both near London, till about 1848, when leaving Samuel to manage the shipping agency, the rest of us removed to the island of Jersey in search of a warmer climate, and from thence, in 1851, to Bordeaux in Southern France. George and I were sent as pupils to the Lycee of that city to pick up the French language, but unfortunately after a fifteen months stay, the climate not suiting Mother and Emma, we returned to London and from thence removed to Birmingham in 1853 to superintend the shipping of guns from that town.
Whilst residing there Father built a small chapel and school room underneath in Hope Street, entirely at his own expence, for the poor of the neighbourhood, which was afterwards vested in trustees of the Baptist denomination, the principal condition being that all seats should be free and the Ministers have no salary. I may add that this little chapel, of about 300 seatings, has flourished ever since and hundreds of similar ones should be erected all over the large towns of England, as our working classes will not attend the Grand Churches and chapels now existing. Father and Mother too had sweet voices and were fond of leading the singing at chapel. Father also played the violoncello and flute and he often sang favourite hymns and accompanied himself on his bass-viol as a hobby at home. In 1854 Father and Mother and the two youngest children returned to Grahams Town, leaving James in Birmingham and Samuel in London. After george and Emma were settled in the Colony the seniors made several voyages to and from the Old Country till on May 27th 1863 Father died at Grahams Town of apoplexy seized while having his morning's cold bath. Mother died there also after a long and useful life, beloved by all, on February 17th 1876, leaving very numerous descendants even reaching the third (or fourth) generation and counting over one hundred and twenty souls.
Father had an only sister and Mother an only brother in England, the latter died young and unmarried and if the former, who left one son and one daughter, has any grandchildren living they have quite vanished from our knowledge and probably emigrated to Canada or the United States as they were brought up on farms.
Although I have been away from South Africa nearly sixty years I still have a vivid recollection of its grand scenery and especially Grahams Town and neighbourhood. I can also remember being christened by the Rev. William SHAW in the Old Wesleyan Chapel Grahams Town when only six years old. Father and Mother took George for the same ceremony, being then a babe in arms, and occupied a front pew. Emma, aged three years, and I however sat at the back of the chapel, along with an elder sister, until Mr. SHAW
announced the christening as follows: "Those parents who have any children to be baptised will now bring them forward." Whereupon I took Emma's hand, no doubt having been thoroughly drilled previously, and led her up the aisle; and I can remember to this day how the people leant over the gallery grinning at us both, or rather I expect at such a young father having such a fine baby.
To show how cheap livestock was in the colony in 1845, let me tell you that 50 woolled sheep were offered on the Grahams Town market on the day of our departure by a farmer at 1s 9d each. Father offered eighteen pence which he accepted, and as my brother Joseph was standing by he said "Here Joe is a present for you", and we heard afterwards that the little flock did wonderfully well on Joseph's farm in the Somerset district.
The above is thought to have been written about 1905
Birth:
Sensitive:0
Occupation:
Sensitive:0
Settler:
Hyman's party on the Weymouth
Died:
Sensitive:0
Buried:
Sensitive:0
Joseph married Emma Kinton, 1820 Settler on 25 Oct 1814 in Frome Church (St John the Baptist), Frome, Somerset, England. Emma was born on 5 Nov 1791 in Farleigh, Wiltshire, England; died on 17 Feb 1879 in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
|
1858 - 1929 (70 years)
