Joseph Rudolphe CLOSEL

GEDCOM Note

<p> <a href="http://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-213361621/closel-madge-f...">http://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-213361621/closel-madge-f...</a></p> <h2 class="FL_LabelLargeBold ProfileBorderBottom" style="border-left-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-right-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; border-bottom: #ccd5db 1px solid; text-transform: none; font-weight: bold; color: #105a83; padding-bottom: 3px; font-style: normal; text-align: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin: 0px 0px 8px; letter-spacing: normal; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; border-image: initial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Biography</h2>ont-size: 12px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: normal; color: #105a83; font-style: normal; text-align: left; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">olphe Closel left Switzerland in c.1888 to live in Mauritius.</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">In 1893 he established his business as "Importer of hardware and estate supplies, glass and china ware, and general domestic goods" in Royal Street, Port Louis. Ten years later, on February 1st 1913, he opened a branch in Curepipe. (1).</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">In March 1912 the Duddon schooner Greyhound was purchased by Joseph Rudolphe Closel from her South African owners, and he put her into the inter-island guano trade. The Greyhound was lost on 15th June 1913, when she struck a reef at Raphael Island of St Brandon. She loaded 206 tons of guano at Albatross Island and was travelling to Raphael to complete loading, but strong tides caused her to strike a reef. All the crew and two passengers were saved. (2).</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">Joseph Rudolphe then purchased the Wanetta from Perth, Western Australia, and sailed her to Port Louis with a Chinese crew. He then dismissed the crew and replaced them with local sailors, under the captaincy of Captain Isaac(?). The boat was used to trade between the islands of Reunion, The Seychelles, Diego Garcia, Madagascar and Mauritius. Joseph Rudolphe rarely went on these trips. He stayed on shore looking after the general wholesale and retail business. This part of the business ended when the Wanetta was caught in a storm off the coast of the Seychelles Islands and was wrecked on the reefs. Fortunately there were no casualties. (3).</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">His next business started as a leisurely pastime and ended as the most clever investment he made. He and four of his close friends were very keen deer hunters, so they bought a 1000 acre bush property at Tamarind Falls which they developed and managed as an exclusive deer and wild pig hunting ground. Part of the contract between the five partners stated that if any one of them died, or decided to pull out of the partnership, the others were bound to buy off his share so that the venture would remain within the group of friends. As it turned out, five or six years later, Joseph Rudolphe was the last one to own the lot. But to carry on by himself proved to be expensive, and his business could not support it. So he sold off 500 acres, half of the property, for the price they paid for the lot 5 or 6 years earlier. He used this money to develop the remaining 500 acres into a plantation partly of pine trees (a long term investment), tea plantation (a medium term investment), and charcoal production for immediate income. In those days charcoal was the main fuel for heating and cooking. At the same time these allowed him to retain the deer hunting which he loved so much.</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">Joseph Rudolphe liked to travel. In 1926, and again in 1928 and 1929, he travelled to France, Germany and his native Switzerland. Healways managed to mix business with pleasure. In Europe he visited all the wonders that these countries had to offer, and also managed to close some very good business deals. The 1929 trip was to be his last; on his return home he was struck by a severe bout of gout which left him bed ridden for nearly three years, ending with his passing away in 1932. He is buried in a private family vault in the Cimetiere de L'Ouest in Port Louis, Mauritius.(4)</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">Unfortunately nothing is known of his life in Switzerland. He left nothing in terms of writings or documents. His two surviving sons, Joseph and André, never spoke about it, and the archives in Mauritius are in such disarray that no information can be obtained from them.</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">When Joseph Rudolphe died in 1932, his two sons, André and Joseph inherited the two businesses with André managing thewholesale and retail store, and Joseph managing the plantation.</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">(1)"Mauritius Illustrated:Historical and Descriptive" by Allister Macmillan, published in 2000 by Asian Educational Services, ISBN: 8120615085.</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">(2)"Brief History of the Duddon schooner Greyhound" published in "Through Mighty Seas" on their website "www.mightyseas.co.uk".</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">(3) Anecdotal from Joseph Closel, and the Seychelles Weekly "The Lovely Schooner Wanetta" October 2011.</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">(4) "AMA-ASSOCIATION MAURICE ARCHIVES"</p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px;">Joseph is thought to have sold the Tamarin Falls property to Rene when he left for Australia. The property was then split between Rene's children. Edmund lived at the falls and sold off a large portion of his share. The remainder was split between his surviving six children who sold their shares to Daniel Closel who created the Seven Cascades guest lodge and resturant which he then sold in 2015.</p> </div>