| Note |
- Notes from Nan:
Louis's house burnt down they lost everything.
Lewis died from a fall from a horse. This is now confirmed. Awaiting the inquest report from Anne Clarkson my researcher in SA.
Research to come from Anne Clarkson
2. Inquest of Louis MOSS
I have established that The Daily Dispatch is available on microfilm at the SA Library. I will make an appointment for next Friday. They also hold a copy of “The Frontier Directory and Diary 1880”, which might be worth looking at to see if Lewis MOSS is mentioned. It will also contain information for Queenstown, so it would be worth looking to see if there are any MOSSes in Q’town who might be Lewis’s parents. This would take about an hour, I think.
Anne has found this and awaiting a report. She will send in the post.
3. Louis & Ellen’s grave
As I said, I have written to the cemetery people in East London. I don’t know how long it will take for them to reply. If I don’t hear from them within a month, I can ask my cousin in East London to go to the cemetery office to enquire. If there is a grave with a stone, I would ask to get her to photograph it & pay her – say £5
Anne has found Louis grave but nothing for Ellen
4. St Saviour’s records
I have found that the St Saviour’s registers are still with the church. The secretary at the church that I spoke to said they didn’t do searches, but would allow people to conduct their own searches. I have arranged with my cousin that she will go to the church when she has the time (it should be fairly soon) and do a search. I have asked her to search for
•Marriage of Lewis & Ellen
•Baptisms of their children
•Burial of Lewis
•Burial of Ellen
I think this will probably take her 1½ - 2 hours. She will tell me how long she spends doing it. I have asked her to photograph any MOSS entries.
If we draw a blank at St Saviour’s, the next most likely church is St John the Evangelist in the Quigney. I am sure my cousin will help out again if it is necessary to have a look at these registers.
6. Baptism of Lewis
I have started making enquiries, but really can’t give you an estimate on this one. I have been trying to telephone the priest at St Michael & All Angels in Queenstown, but so far have not been able to get hold of him. I shall keep trying. I will keep you updated on progress, and check with you before going to any expense.
The Queenstown registers are also in the Cory Library. I got my Grahamstown researcher to check, but there is nothing. He checked the baptisms from 1854 to 1875 and there were no entries for MOSS at all.
Email Dated 15 Feb 2007 From Anne Clarkson
Hello Paul
I've done my bits in red so we can see where we are.
What you owe so far:
Inquest Lewis MOSS 1 hr £10
Queenstown registers check (my Grahamstown researcher's fee) £10
St Saviour's marriage (my Grahamstown researcher's fee) £2.50
Births of John Lewis MOSS's children in East London half an hour £5
Estate papers of Henry Godfrey MOSS (my Pretoria researcher's fee) £7
Lewis MOSS file £5
That's £39.50 altogether. There is no immediate rush to pay. Also, if you would prefer to pay over a couple of months, that's fine.
I have quite a bit to send you, including an old map of East London, pages from a book on the trams in East London, old photos of East London, entries in birth register, etc.. I will post copies of all this, with the newspaper report when I receive it.
How long are you at home for before going off again?
Also attached is a photo of 30 Tennyson Street. Apart from the wall, it would have looked the same when John MOSS was living there. I thought you'd like to see it. (My cousin again.)
I hope I have included everything.
Best wishes
Anne
St Saviour's early records had been sent to the Cory Library in Grahamstown. Nothing in there for Lewis or Ellen, but I have a copy of the marriage of John Lewis MOSS & Vera Lilian GODDARD.
I wonder if Lewis and Ellen were married in Kings William Town?
Let's wait and see first if they were perhaps married in the church in the Quigney. My cousin is going to check these registers, but will have to wait until she has time off.
The Queenstown registers are also in the Cory Library. I got my Grahamstown researcher to check, but there is nothing. He checked the baptisms from 1854 to 1875 and there were no entries for MOSS at all.
So I wonder where he was baptised then if baptised at all?
Perhaps in the Wesleyan Church, perhaps not baptised at all (although that is unlikely I think). I am checking out the Wesleyan possibility. Will keep you posted.
I have the entries from the register of births in East London for four of John Lewis MOSS's children: Vera Ellen, Edna Kathleen, John Lewis Alexander and Phyllis Pearl.
That means the other children where baptised in Vereeniging.
Yes. And if you're going to ask if I can get the Vereniging births/baptisms, don't even THINK about it!!
I found the report in the newspaper of Lewis MOSS's death ('Fatal horse accident') and the inquest. Digital photos are not allowed, so I have ordered a copy from them, and it should arrive by early next week at the latest. My reading of the 'cause of death' in the death register was correct - I think I sent you my 'guess'. The report mentions his wife & children, but no names were given. Anyway, you'll soon be able to see it for yourself - I will post it on to you as soon as it arrives.
I received your guess and I agreed with it. I even had all my friends at work try to translate it. Was there any pictures of him?
Sorry, no photos. No illustrations at all in newspapers at that time.
I got hold of the estate papers of Henry Godfrey MOSS who died in the Transvaal in 1969. He IS the son of Lewis & Ellen MOSS! His wife was Ethel PAYNE and he had two children: Lorna Faith and Leon Henry.
I have found a reference to a file in the Cape Archives for a Lewis MOSS who died in 1899. I am going in to the archives tomorrow to see it. I am hoping very hard that it is your Lewis MOSS and that it will give some clues about his parentage.
This is good news. I really hope we find his parents as I'm thinking they are the link which ties them into the UK.
See attachment
Finally, I have discovered that a family called MOSS arrived in South Africa in 1860 on board the ship 'Sedgemoor I'. John MOSS aged 28, wife Mary aged 29 and children John aged 5, James aged 3, George aged 1 and William an infant. John MOSS was a sawyer and the family settled in Fort Beaufort. This might be your family, and Lewis might be the first of their children to be born in South Africa.
Lewis was born on 25 Mar 1860 according to the entry in the birthday book and the death register entry which gave his age as 39 and he died in 1899. So I don't think this is his family. I have however traced this other family all the way back to Oxford and have a great amount of information on them. If it turns out to be correct then bingo! Jason Moss who is also listed on the Sedgemoore is John's brother.
Yes, the death notice rules them out. Pity.
On the negative side, I have not managed to find the death of Ellen MOSS. She is not recorded as being buried in East London.
This is annoying not being able to find out when Ellen died. I wonder if she went back to Kings William Town where she was born.
But why would she leave her children in East London? A real puzzle. I will check out the KWT death register if you like. SHouldn't take long, because I think there is a rudimentary index.
Lewis MOSS was buried in the East London cemetery on 4 August 1899 in Section 5B, Grave No. 430. I asked my cousin about looking for the grave. The trouble is, it is a dangerous cemetery to visit - it is the old cemetery and there are all sorts of people living, drinking and drugging all over it. She has promised to see what she can do, but I have told her not to take any chances.
If this is too dangerous to undertake then please tell your cousin not to attempt it.
She is hoping to round up half a dozen large muscular men as an escort, but we'll see. Of course, seeing that Ellen was 'virtually destitute' he might not even have a stone
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1860 - 1899 (39 years)
