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- Kept a Ladies school in Grahamstown at her residence, the Retreat.
Harriette Joanna Rowe is the unsung heroine of a branch of the Cloete family
Harriette Rowe born in c1811 to a prominent English naval family , had married an eminent London stockbroker John, in 1829.
Somewhere in the 1830's.John Eedes lost his fortune and was ruined.. and at around late 1830's John And Harriette and their family of four young children arrived in Port Elizabeth.
The strong Harriette established a school for Girls, 'The Retreat for Young ladies', in Western rd PE in Algoa house
At some point the Eedes family moved to Grahamstown because in 1845 she advertised her school in the Grahamstown journal. The family rented the property Retief had built on the corner of Port Alfred rd and Somerset rd., after1821 , which was then owned then by Major Selwyn, a military engineer, now working in Canada for the English army.
The property was sold to the son of the famous Rev Shaw, Martin B Shaw, whose estate was declared insolvent soon after in 1848..
It is at this point that a deed of kindness is shown by two prominent Grahamstown citizens who in the name of the Eastern ProvinceTrust Co , purchase the property from Shaws insolvent estate in Trust with the specific Goal for Harriette Joanna Eedes and her two daughter's, Harriette 17 and Emily 16 to carry on the work of their school.
And thus the school, the family's source of livelihood and the home for Oom John, 47, and his sons John 15, Matthew, 9 and ZA born Henry 5 and the strong teaching women of the Eedes family was saved.
Young Harriette married SV Cloete around, 1855 .
The Eedes Cloete matriarchy delivered 6 children 1 dini, 3 ProGenitors ,and two lasses.
Sadly, Harriette Eedes Cloete 34, died on 6 May 1865, a few days after giving life to her namesake , who lived to die, a 92 year old Cloete vd Spuy matriarch.
The Eedes family suffered great loss from 1865. Harriette Cloete passed in 1865, her mum Harriettè Joanna, The Rowe Eedes matriarch , died in Nov 1866 at only 55. Her dad oom John died six months later in June 1866 at Blanco, and sister Emily 34 in Oct 1867..at The Rectory, Knysna...where her brother Rev John Eedes was working for Bishop Gray
And so sadly , ended a period of feminine bravery, family leadership and strong family values...and determined women
This whole Cloete family branch can thank God for the fortitude and resilience of a matriarch Harriette Joanna Rowe Eedes who never Retreated {per Rob Cloete} [1]
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