Mary Brooks, SM

A Dictionary of British Surnames by P. H. REANEY, 1970

p. 32

BEW:

Robert LE BEU, LE BEL 1242 AssSo; John LE BEU (BEW) 1327 SR (Ess); OFr bel, beu 'beautiful, fair'.

AssSo: Assize Rolls. Somerset. (Som. Rec. Soc., 4 vols.), 1897-1929.

SR (Ess): Subsidy Rolls. Essex.

OFr: Old French

Added by Y. DROST on 20 NOV 2014, Kloof Library.

Note: No entry for DEW.

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http://www.familiebande.co.za/tng/getperson.php?personID=I2917&tree...

Ursula Ann BROOKS (1810 - 1876)

Birth 1810

Female

Died 29 JUN 1876 Cape Town

ID I2917

LCJOUBERT modified 26 DEC 2010

Father: William BROOKS, b. c. 1786, d. 29 JAN 1826, Grahamstown

Mother: Mary BEW, d. 28 JUN 1818, Great Marlow, England

Family ID F799

Spouse: Henry Torrance BRAMWELL

Family ID F1282

9 Years when father immigrated.

Widow H. T. BROMWELL [BRAMWELL]

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1st Wife. Mother of his children.

Died Great Marlow, England.

Grave in Marlow Churchyard, High Street, Great Marlow.

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WILLIAM BROOKS AND MARY BEW/DEW : BIOLOGICAL PARENTS OF CHILDREN AND ANN GUPPY : STEPMOTHER

WILLAM BROOKS was an 1820 British Settler in South Africa. William arrived with his family which included his wife, Ann, and 4 children, commonly assumed in many sources to be the children's biological mother. However, further detailed research points to the fact that Ann was the stepmother of William's children and that the children's biological mother was actually Mary DEW a.k.a. DREW or BEW.

Below I have concisely set out for readers of this section my proof of the above statement.

Yours sincerely,

Y. DROST

7 JUNE 2012

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William BROOKS, b. 1786, d. 1826, was the son of William BROOKS and Mary BIRD.

Source: www.familiebande.co.za

Added by Y. DROST, 7 JUN 2012

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William BROOKS married (1) Mary DEW.

Mary DEW died at Great Marlow, England on 28 JAN 1818.

Source: www.familiebande.co.za

Added by Y. DROST, 7 JUN 2012

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William married (2) Ann GUPPY [1] and arrives with the 1820 Settler Parties in 1820 in South Africa, with Ann and 4 children, the youngest aged 6. [2] The children would therefor be William BROOKS's first wife, Mary DEW's children, as William and his second wife, Ann GUPPY, have been married for less than 2 years.

BROOKS, William, 31

Party: THORNHILL

Ship: ZOROASTER

Wife: Ann, 40

Family: Eliza, 12; Ann, 9; William, 10; Joseph, 6.

Sources:

1. www.familiebande.co.za

2. The Story of the British Settlers of 1820 in South Africa by Harold Edward HOCKLY, Second edition SEP 1966, Juta & Co. Limited.

Added by Y. DROST

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The Settlers Handbook by M. D. NASH

p. 127

Summary of Thornhill's Party

The leader of the party was Christopher THORNHILL from Durham. He had 16 men under him, and sailed on the ship Zoroaster, which embarked in DEC 1819, then left Gravesend, then left Downs on 12 FEB 1820 for South Africa. The ship reached Simon's Bay on 30 APR 1820.

The ship also carried the parties DYASON and WAIT and was chartered to sail to Simon's Bay only; therefore the settlers had to be transshipped via the ship Albury to Algoa Bay which they reached on 15 MAY 1820.

THORNHILL and his party were located between the Kowie and Rufane Rivers and named the settlement Thornhill.

William BROOKS and his family arrived with the THORNHILL party in Algoa Bay.

Family of WILLIAM BROOKS:-

William BROOKS, aged 31, born 1789, Britain

Ann, aged 40, wife, born 1780, Britain [Also known as Marian]

Elizabeth, 12, daughter, born 1808, Britain [Also known as Eliza]

William, 10, son, born 1810, Britain [Died 6 OCT 1866, m. Eva Johanna LUCK]

Ann, 9, daughter, born 1811, Britain

Joseph, 6, son, born 1814, Britain [Died 6 OCT 1867]

Added by Y. DROST, 3 FEB 2012

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Further evidence that William's children were Mary DEW's children, and not Ann's, is found in the Death Notice of his daughter Ursulla Ann. Ann was therefor the stepmother of William's children from his marriage with Mary DEW.

KAB/MOOC/LEER/6/9/156/01/2944/1 Ursula Ann BRAMWELL born BROOKS. Died 1876.

Ursulla Ann BROOKS, widow of the late Henry Torrence BRAMWELL, b. England. Par. William BROOKS and Mary DEW.

Source: Western Cape Archive

Added by Y. DROST, 7 JUN 2012

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William BROOKS died in January 1826 at Grahamstown, just 6 years after arriving in South Africa. His second wife, Ann GUPPY, the stepmother of his children with his first wife, Mary DEW, is now left to take care of her stepchildren on her own.

BROOKS, William

Occupation: Labourer

Residence: Grahamstown

Age at death: 40 years

Buried: Jany 29th 1826 by Thomas Ireland Chaplain

Source: Grahamstown - St. George (Anglican), Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Burial register, 12 April 1823 - 26 July 1826. Repository: Cory Library, MS 14 877-1. Transcribed by Richard Ball as part of the eGGSA Project, from photographs by William Jervois.

Source: http://www.eggsa.org/cgi-bin/searchBurials.pl

Y. DROST, 10 MAR 2012

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Ann BROOKS, born GUPPY, the widow of William BROOKS, and stepmother to his children with his first wife, Mary DEW, dies on 24 OCT 1858 at the Alms House, Papendorp, South Africa. Her death notice indicates that she had no children, again confirming that the children of William BROOKS were her stepchildren and the children of William's first wife, Mary DEW. Ann's stepdaughter, Ursula Ann, now married to Henry Torrence BRAMWELL, signed her death notice as Ann BRAMWELL.

DEATH NOTICE

Ann BROOKS

Born Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England

Parents not known

Age at death = 82 years

Had no employment

Widow of the late Wm [William] BROOKS

Died on the 24th October 1858 at the Alms Houses, Papendorp

Had no children

Had no property, saving a Mortgage Bond in favor of the late Henry BRAMWELL, which she had cancelled-£20 in the Savings Bank, some cash [in hand?]

Signed by Ann BRAMWELL.

Source: Western Cape Archive:- KAB/MOOC/LEER/6/9/84/01/5523/1

Added by Y. DROST, 23 APRIL 2012

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Contributions for this profile have also been received from Linda WILSON per e-mail on 11 JUL 2010.

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