Passenger List - UK to South Africa (ca 1850)

[straussj]

Hi,

My Great Grandfather emigrated to South Africa as a child. His name was either James Way or James White and was born circa 1835 in Dorset, England. He got married in George, South Africa in 1857 with the name James Way and his first 3 children were baptized with the surname "Way". His children were in later years (Post 1885) found in church records with the surname "Wayd" and later "White". His eldest son was William James Way (later White) and his second eldest daughter was Sarah Elizabeth Way (later White). I therefore assume that his parents were probably William & Sarah. According to a note made by my late Grandmother, James came to South Africa when he was 15 years old (circa 1850). According to a letter he wrote as part of an Anglo Boer War Compensation Claim, he came to South Africa as a child. Any help in finding a name on a passenger list that could be a possible match for the description given above, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Johann

[Sue Mackay]

Sadly passenger lists from the UK to South Africa don't start until 1890. Occasionally you may be lucky and find one in a newspaper, but these listings tended to name the captain and first class passengers and then say "and 300 in steerage". Have a look at the Passenger List Project on eGGSA at https://www.eggsa.org/arrivals/eGGSA%...20Project.html or the newspaper transcriptions at https://www.eggsa.org/newspapers/, which are both searchable, but I'm afraid it won't be easy!

[straussj]

Thanks for the reply Sue.
I have previously looked at Eggsa, but unfortunately without success. So it seems like I have reached a dead-end for now wrt passenger lists. The odds are in favour of them being part of the "300 in steerage" that you referred to. Do you perhaps know if there is a list of ships that visited the Southern and Eastern Cape (Between Algoa Bay and Mossel Bay) during the 1840's and 1850's?

[Sue Mackay]

Newspapers such as the Grahamstown Journal and others did have a Shipping News section. I confess I have never included it in my Grahamstown Journal transcriptions as it listed ships and cargoes rather than people.

You may find this site of interest
https://www.geni.com/projects/Britis...e-1800-s/16190

[straussj]

Thanks Sue, I have been stuck at this point for a few years now and think I should perhaps try a different strategy and perhaps revisit the passenger lists at a later stage. I will start a new thread to try and find a James Way or White (born in Dorset approx. 1835) with parents William & Sarah.
I am almost certain that he would have been included in the 1841 Census.
There is a realistic chance that he might have been included in the 1851 Census
And I have a marriage record in South Africa that proves that he had left the UK by 1857.

Thanks for the help thus far.

Johann

[Megsy-Magus]

Hi all,

I did see a previous and older thread (2008!!!) which mentioned a book:
"Aided Immigration from Britain to South Africa 1857-1867" by Esme Bull (Pretoria 1991)
which apparently has a lot of information for immigration to South Africa.

Does anyone know where to find a copy of this book? I'm in New South Wales, Australia and the only two libraries that have it on their shelves are in Victoria, so I can not nip out and have a look for myself!!!

I'm trying to track John AGNEW and his wife Margaret and son John S J who arrived in 1859-1860 from England. I've been told that there is a lot of "Agnew Information" available in this book!

Thanks in advance for any help and guidance!