| 1. |  Harold Abrahamson was born on 19 Jan 1873 in Colesberg, Northern Cape, South Africa; died on 9 Aug 1949 in Mooi River, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Other Events and Attributes:
Notes:
Harold
* 19.1.1873, Colesburg
† 9.8.1949, Mooi River
X Helen Elizabeth Gordon Woodroffe
XX Alice Mary Fraundorfer
Harold was described as a soldier, farmer, businessman and politician.
He was the son of the one-time member of the Cape Colony Legislative Assembly, Louis Abrahamson. His mother was Ella Elizabeth Hudson.
Harold was educated at Gill College in Somerset East and then onto St Andrew’s College at Grahamstown. He then went on to study in the United Kingdom; there he qualified as an engineer.
Harold returned to South Africa in 1892 and served with Bettington’s Horse during the Jameson Raid in 1895 to 1896. In 1896 he formed part of the relief force in the Matebele rebellion with H.C.O Plumber.
Harold had always interested in farming and in 1897 he went into breeding ostriches in Somerset West. This was not successful and so he concentrated on Friesland cattle.
During his farming enrolled for duty in the Second Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902. During the First World War 1914 to 1918 he was in the officer’s reserve.
While involved with the Friesland breeding he became on of the movers towards a South African studbook, which was basically intended to add fresh names to a list of stud stock.
In 1911 he was again instrumental in forming the Friesland Cattle Breeder’s Association of South Africa; he later became president for the 1918 to 1920 and again in 1942 to 1944. Harold became secretary of the Association in 1926 to 1929. He exhibited his prize stock all over South Africa and won numerous prizes and trophies. In 1922 he took an active part in dispatching eighty-five thoroughbred South African Frieslands to the United Kingdom.
It was in 1919 that Harold amalgamated his interests with those his brother, W. Abrahamson and the Golden Valley Citrus Estates at Muden. Harold had managed the Eastern Cape Harlen Estates which cultivated, unsuccessfully as it turned out, 300 000 deciduous fruit trees in the area. After this setback he came to Mooi River and the Greytown district to farm his favourite stock. He made several contributions, particularly articles, to farming journals in South Africa and was much interested after the First World War (1914-18) in settling ex-servicemen at the Muden irrigation settlement. It would appear that he was largely responsible for writing and compiling The South African Friesland: its background and history.
It was only when he came to Natal that he became interested in the political aspect of farming and served in the Union House of Assembly for the Weenen constituency from 1929 to 1943 and then for the Drakensberg constituency from 1943 to the time of his death.
During these years he successfully fought five elections against strong opposition. In the House of Assembly he was chairman of parliamentary select committees dealing with matters of farming interest and also chairman of the 'dairy cattle group' of the United Party. In the House he also led the parliamentary 'citrus group' of approximately sixteen members. Whether the moment was opportune or not he brought to the fore in the House a host of matters affecting the interests of South African farmers as a whole. At the time of his death he was the only Natal frontbencher in the Union House of Assembly.
He had two sons and three daughters of his marriage to Helen Elizabeth Gordon Woodroffe. Later he married Alice Mary Fraundorfer. A photograph of him appears in the South African Who's Who of 1933
ABRAHAMSON, Mr. & Mrs. Harold
"Birth, - at Grahamstown on December 24th, of a Son"
Grahamstown Journal 28.1.1908 p2 c5
Harold married Helen Elizabeth Gordon Woodroofe on 22 Aug 1927. Helen (daughter of H R Woodroffe) was born est 1885. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1873 - 1949 (76 years)
(1.Harold1) was born in 1900. 
