Sir Thomas Major Cullinan

Thomas Major CULLINAN,

Sir Thomas Cullinan was born in the The Cape Colony in 1862. He settled in Barberton, before moving to Johannesburg in 1887. He began working as a bricklayer in Johannesburg, a job he later left for prospecting.

He discovered the Premier Diamond Fields in 1898 and was co-founder and member of what became the The Transvaal Chamber of Industries. He was knighted in 1910 in recognition of his contribution to the Diamond industry and has a town and the biggest diamond ever found named after him. He married Annie Francis Harding in 1886. They were blessed with 10 children, of whom he was very fond, and he also adored his wife. He was one of the pioneers of Johannesburg, of the Gold Mines and Diamond diggings, and a most successful businessman.

Besides his mining interests, he also established a Brick and Tile Works, and built some of the finest mansions in the town. He also built his own homes, the last one being "The View", at 18 Ridge Road, in Parktown where he lived from 1894 until he died on 23rd August, 1936.

GEDCOM Note

Sir Thomas Major Cullinan (1862-1936) married Annie Frances Harding (1866-1963), the daughter of Timothy Roland Harding (b. 1835, Newcastle-on-Tyne; d. 1922 Inwe, Cape Province, South Africa), a son of Joseph Harding (1844-1918), and Sarah King.