Research Notes

Lee Cahill, 21 January 2013 (Last updated 26 July 2013)

Collaborators: If you'd like to add to these notes, please do so in a separate section below as I'd like to preserve the integrity of my original notes. Thanks.

• Abraham Nell (my grandmother's brother) was married three (possibly four) times. The information about his wives that I've managed to obtain is given below.
• He had two sons and apparently also a daughter, whose name is unknown.
• Abraham re-located to what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with three of his brothers (Joseph, Ben and Daan) in 1948. He later returned to South Africa and, shortly before his death, lived for some time with my grandmother (Maria Petronella Nell Wallace) at her home in Johannesburg.
• As best I can remember, he died in or near Sishen in the northern Cape Province in the late 1980s.

Baptism Information

From the Upington Doopregister, supplied by Jan Jacob de Klerk, 1 April 2013: Jacobus Hendrik Louw NELL »» Kinders (1): 4982 x Martha Jacoba DEEDLIFS 4982 b1 Abraham Gert NELL (4981/x), ∗ 01.08.1911, ≈ NG Kerk, Upington 14.01.1912 »≈ gedoop deur: doop getuies en nota’s: Abraham Gert Willem NELL Christina Jacoba KOTZE »α Ouers se name en spelling volgens oorspronklike doopregister: Vader: Jacobus Hendrik Louw NELL Moeder: Martha Jacoba DEEDLIFS

Marriage Information

Information received from my aunt, Hilda Wallace Keyte, about Abraham Nell's wives (26 July 2013):

No.1: DOLLY VIVIERS of Fairlands (her name was definitely not Catharina Lavinia). Dolly was the mother of his first son, Awie (sp?) who went to and stayed in Rhodesia when Uncle Abraham returned to South Africa. Her parents also lived in Fairlands with her sister Hannie. I think she lived with Hannie after the marriage break-up.

No.2: We knew her as KATE. Olive (my aunt Olive Wallace McGregor) believes he left her during her pregnancy and that she had a little girl whom Uncle Abraham only met when she was 12 or 13.

No. 3: LILY, whom we all loved and was the mother of BRAAMPIE. I wasn't sure of this but Olive assures me that is was so. Braampie visited her in Cape Town on his return from England where he had been a circus performer. She said he went on to do something on vegetarianism at the University, but lost touch with him

I think that after Uncle Abraham and Lily split up he went to Durban. Olive said he got married again - maybe she is right as this happened after I came to Canada. I do know that at one time or another there was a woman by the name of Cora (or Kora) in his life. Maybe this was the 4th wife.

I know he returned to Jhb. and lived with Gran for a while before he died. Doop: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKX-99ST-F?cc=147...