James Keith Joyner

James arrived in Durban in June 1850 aboard the "Conquering Hero" with his parents, brothers and sisters, as part of the Byrne Settler scheme.

He spent his early life on his fathers farms, "Dingwall," near Isipingo and "Ellangowan," near the Ifafa River.

After his mothers death, James and his brother Murdo took up transport riding as a means of earning the ready cash needed to start farms of their own. On one of these trips Murdo was killed in a tragic accident when he fell and his wagon rode over his chest.

Romance came to James when he was twenty-four years of age. He had gone to the home of Mr & Mrs Forrest at Umbilo to look for a span of oxen which had strayed from his outspan in the night. There he met Sarah, one of this worthy couples daughters and it was a case of love at first sight. They were married as soon as James had built his house on a spur of the mountain at "Ellangowan."

James and his family moved to Dumisa and then later to East Griqualand, settling on a farm near Kokstad. James and his family moved another three times, farming "Forres,""Slangfontein" and finally "Glen Edward," where he met his death, being struck down by lightening.

His wife Sarah died on the farm "Banchory," in East Griqualand.

His obituary in the Natal Witness of January 1921 reads:

OBITUARY LIGHTNING FATALITY Well known Kokstad farmer killed

The closing day of 1920 was marked by a peculiarly sad fatality, near Glen Edward farm, near Kokstad, writes a Kokstad correspondent.

During the afternoon a terrific thunderstorm raged over the district and one of the vivid flashes of lightning dealt instant death to Mr James Keith JOYNER, the well known farmer. Mr Joyner was found dead in the velt only about 20 yards from his residence. The body was badly burnt and both boots were burst open. A remarkable fact is that not the slightest trace could be found of Mr Joyner's hat, spectacles or walking stick, all of which he had with him when he left the house.

The funeral took place at Vaalfontein, Zwartkop on New Years Day. The service at the graveside being conducted the Rev. John Morgan, Wesleyan Church, Kokstad. There was a representative attendance, the chief mourners being Mr W.C.G. Joyner, Banchory and Mr T.T. Joyner, Glen Edward, sons of the deceased.

The late Mr Joyner was 76 years of age and a native of Dingwall, Rosshire, Scotland. Exactly 70 years ago he landed with his father and mother at Durban and the story of the early pioneering efforts of his parents and himself would fill a fair sized volume.

His father was the pioneer sugar planter of Natal, where he began that industry at Isipingo and Umzinto 67 years ago. It was as a young man of some 32 summers that James Keith Joyner first set foot in East Griqualand. That was 44 years ago and consequently he could claim to be among the very eldest of the pioneers. In the early days he carried on business as a transport rider, but farming claimed his devoted attention up to the time of his death. Indeed only a few days prior to the sad fatality, he had opened negotiations with a view to taking up a Government farm in the Transvaal. To the very end he was hale and hearty. His interest in everything pertaining to agriculture was always keen and practical. A pioneer of the very best type has passed away in the person of Mr Joyner.

He is survived by two sons and three daughters. The eldest son is Mr William Joyner, farmer Banchory, Kokstad and the other is Mr Tom Joyner of Glen Edward, the well known cheese manufacturing expert who has done so much to make the name and fame of East Griqualand cheese known all over the empire. The daughters are Mrs Tewson, Glen Edward, Mrs Elliot, Maritzburg and Mrs Mercer, Johannesburg.