Ladkyis
30-06-2012, 8:45 AM
I have now discovered that my Great grandmother, Bessie Nathan, was a part of Captain Disney Roebuck's company that took Shakespeare to the Cape! He began doing this around 1875 ish and Bessie was in the company that left this country in December 1876. This closes a gap in my knowledge of her career because I have a copy of a letter dated 13 July 1875 inviting her to work at the Theatre Royal, Liverpool but could not find anything about her until 1878 when she was in a play there that received a good review. To now discover that she went to South Africa for a minimum of a year - that was the usual contract with Captain Roebuck - is just fantastic.
I already knew that the man she married in 1879 also went to SA but not until the 1890s
I have also found that eldest daughter Harriet was on the stage with her mother for several years. Now all I need is to sort out the years between 1896 and 1905 and I can then, perhaps, stop obsessing about her.
I already knew that the man she married in 1879 also went to SA but not until the 1890s
I have also found that eldest daughter Harriet was on the stage with her mother for several years. Now all I need is to sort out the years between 1896 and 1905 and I can then, perhaps, stop obsessing about her.