Tracing family Nellie L Donahue nee Brenkley

[wrekin6]

Can anyone help.

Nellie l Donahue nee Brenkley born 8th December 1921 in Oswestry Shropshire married a G I from California USA on 4th December 1942. Have traced Nellie arriving Southampton from South Africa in 1949 and returning in 1950. Does anyone know of any South African sites that can help me . Maybe she has died or left for another country.

Many Thanks

Arthur Brenkley

[Sue Mackay]

You could try some of the sites mentioned here (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php/21140-On-Line-Sources-for-South-African-Genealogy), though your search may be too recent for many of them.

Please remember that details of living people must not be posted on the open forum, so if anyone has information about this lady and she may still be alive, please send the information to Arthur by private message.

[wrekin6]

Hi Sue, All this is new to me and the computer never know what to press first, am trying hard to find mother in South Africa. Would like to speak to you could i give you my tel no and would it be safe to do so.

Many Thanks Arthur&Carole Brenkley

[Sue Mackay]

Hi Sue, All this is new to me and the computer never know what to press first, am trying hard to find mother in South Africa. Would like to speak to you could i give you my tel no and would it be safe to do so.

Many Thanks Arthur&Carole Brenkley

Never post your telephone number on the open forum. I am in the UK and have no access to modern South African records, so I regret I cannot help personally. I will send you a private message with a link to the South African White Pages telephone directory. I can also post a link to this thread on a South African mailing list that I subscribe to. There are quite a few South Africans who owe me a favour due to transcriptions of 19th century records I have made, so hopefully some of them would be willing to look at recent directories in SA and send you a private message.

[wrekin6]

Hi Sue, Many many thanks for trying so many ways to help us.Bless You

Kind Regards

Arthur&Carole Brenkley

[Sue Mackay]

As you have given the exact time and place of the marriage to Charles Donahue, does this mean you have the certificate? If not, this can be obtained here (http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/)
Registration District: Repton
December quarter 1942
Volume 1249 Page 7b

The certificate should give you Charles' age and details of his father. If he was a GI this might help to track down where he was from in the US, in case they returned there at some point. However, I have looked at the original image of the passenger list you refer to in 1950. Nellie's intended country of permanent residence was given as SR, which I imagine stands for Southern Rhodesia, and would explain why she doesn't show up on South African directories.

[wrekin6]

Hi Sue, Yes I do have a copy of Charles and Nellie Donahue's marrige certificate and it gives the residence in USA as 3625 Harrison Avenue, Los Angeles, California. (Father Denis Donahue - deceased.) Married 4th December 1942 age 32 years.

Nellie had a sister Lilian who was born in 1927 and brother-in law James (Jim), surname being Paul, living in Bulawayo. Unfortunatey they are dead, but had two sons I and J.P. I have not been able to trace any of the sons. I feel that if I could find them they may be able to point me in the right direction as to the whereabouts of Nellie. I know it is hard tryng to trace individuals in Zimbabwe but there must be some records of births marriages and deaths or if someone leaves the country.

Kind regards, Arthur and Carole Brenkley