Origin of Michael George Doubell, SV/PROG

There are several conflicting accounts regarding the origins of Doubell progenitor Michael George.

According to "Suid-Afrikaanse geslagregisters" he was born in Kent, England, the son of Michael George snr. and Maria.

However, no record has been found of a Michael George Doubell being born in Kent c.1800.

In addition there are many legends regarding M.G.'s arrival in South Africa; this is just a sampling collected by Millicent Emslie: "he 'jumped ship' and landed up in SA; he killed a man in an illegal boxing tournament & was sent here by his commanding officers; he was incarcerated on Robin Island & swam ashore." - http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/DOUBELL/2002-09/10328...

At the moment, the first known record of M.G.'s presence in South Africa is his 1827 marriage record to Aletta Maria de Lange. According to Millicent: "His name is recorded as "George Dobell"", with his first name, Michael, in brackets.

Another possibility is that his original surname was Double; a MyHeritage.com tree has the information that he was born George Double, c.Dec 1799, allegedly deserting his ship at Gibraltar - http://www.myheritage.com/person-1000162_1_44586681/Michael+George-...