Thomas Alcock Fowler, SV/PROG

1820 SETTLERS

SV/PROG = Suid-Afrikaanse Stamvader / South African Progenitor

1820 Settler to South Africa.
https://www.1820settlers.com/genealogy/index.php

Butler's Party, departed Cork, Ireland on 12 February 1820 on board the "Fanny". Arrived South Africa 1 May 1820. Party leader: Thomas BUTLER of Baltinglass, Dunlavin, County Wicklow, Ireland. See: https://www.eggsa.org/1820-settlers/index.php/pre-1820-letters/b-me...

Thomas Alcock FOWLER is NOT listed as a member of Butler's Party on the latter's FIRST return of Settlers. He is however listed on Butler's SECOND return of Settlers (See: https://www.eggsa.org/1820-settlers/index.php/settler-returns/1910-...)

On the above second return of Settlers, Thomas Alcock FOWLER is listed as being 36 years old (birth year = 1784). However, on his marriage certificate in October 1827, he gives his age as 32 (birth year = circa 1795) - see marriage certificate attached under SOURCES. In view of the conflicting information about his age, and with reference to his parents' marriage date in 1790, it is submitted that he might have been 26 years old at the time of his departure from Ireland, and not 36.

His age might have been listed as 36 on Butler's return in order to accommodate for the fact that he had a "son" aged 13. This "son" - listed as John FOWLER - was in fact one John MONTGOMERY who attached himself to the party shortly before it embarked. He was listed as the 13-year-old "son" of Thomas FOWLER to avoid paying a deposit, and worked his passage as a seaman in order to draw a full food ration. The practice of listing "family members" in order to avoid paying (full) passage was not uncommon at the time. (Also see notes below).

Thomas Alcock FOWLER is the progenitor of the Orange Free State FOWLERs in South Africa and is not - as far as is known - related to any of the other 1820 Settlers named "Fowler" and whose descendants mostly live in the Eastern Cape today.

Thomas Alcock FOWLER was one of a group of British Settlers that came to South Africa from Great Britain in 1820 as part of a settlement program agreed upon by the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Cape Colony authorities.

Collectively these settlers have become known as the 1820 Settlers.

Thomas married into a Dutch [Boer] family in 1827. Both children, a son and a daughter, from this marriage to Geertruyda Elizabeth LAMPRECHT migrated to the Boer Republic of the Orange Free-State in the mid-1800's.

It is unclear whether Thomas Alcock FOWLER was committing bigamy at the time of his marriage to Geertruyda Elizabeth LAMPRECHT since it is known that he left behind a wife and children in Wicklow at the time of his departure for the Cape in 1820. (See LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT attached under SOURCES.)

Whether his first wife, Jane MATHERS / Jean MADDERS, was still alive at the time of his marriage to LAMPRECHT in 1827 is not known.

According to his will, Thomas alcock FOWLER had interests in the properties BOGGY MEADOWS and BREWER's HILL in Wicklow at the time of his death in 1833.

BUTLER'S PARTY

A party of 27 from Wicklow led by Captain Thomas BUTLER, Dublin Militia, sailed in "Fanny". They were located in Jan Dissels Valley, Western Cape.
Most of them were shortly transferred to "East Indian", for re-location on the Assegai Bush River.

This was a proprietary party. BUTLER's labourers were recruited in Wicklow, and by the terms of their agreement BUTLER was to supply each family with 10 acres of land, 'to build a house on it, to crop it and stock it and to support each family until the crop comes round'. In return he was to receive 200 days' work every year for four years from the head of each family.

Arrangements were made for all four Irish parties (under BUTLER, INGRAM, PARKER and SYNNOT) to sail from Passage West, Cork. Under BUTLER's supervision, his labourers made the journey from Wicklow to Cork on foot, marching alongside the baggage wagons. Deposits were paid for 12 men, and the party embarked in the "Fanny" which sailed from the Cove of Cork in company with her consort, the "East Indian", on 12 February 1820.

The ships anchored in Simon's Bay on 1 May. It was official policy to locate the Irish settlers separately from the main body of emigrants, to avoid friction between people of 'different habits, tastes and manners', and in mid-May the ships were sent on to Saldanha Bay where the settlers were disembarked.

BUTLER's party was located at Taaiboskraal on the Jan Dissels River in the Clanwilliam district.

The Irish settlers were dissatisfied with conditions at Clanwilliam and were subsequently given the option of relocation in Albany at government expense.

BUTLER with nine of his men chose to move to Albany and were located on the Assegai Bush River.

FOWLER, HARRINGTON and TOOLE elected to remain in the Western Cape.

LIST OF BUTLER'S PARTY

BUTLER, Thomas 43. Captain, Dublin Militia. w Elizabeth 35. c Joseph 11, James 6, Matilda 1.

BYRNE, Murtagh 33. Labourer. w Jane 30. c Patrick 13, William 7.

DEVINE, James 36. Labourer. w Margaret 26. c William 12, Ellen 4.

FOWLER, Thomas 36. Carpenter

GOSS, Michael 21. Labourer.

HARRINGTON, James 22. Labourer. w Frances 20.

HEALEY, John 21. Labourer.

MAGEER, William 36. Labourer. c Thomas 8.

MONTGOMERY, John 16 (listed as 'John Fowler') John Montgomery attached himself to the party shortly before it embarked. He was listed as the 13-year-old 'son' of Thomas Fowler to avoid paying a deposit, and worked his passage as a seaman in order to draw a full food ration.

MURRAY, Edward 21. Labourer. w Jane 19. c a daughter born at sea.

TOOLE, Michael 21. Labourer. w Honora 20.

WALSH, Laurence 40. Labourer. c Elizabeth 8, James 7.

WHELAN, John 21. Labourer.

• BUTLER, John 19 (son of Thomas Butler).
• SADLER, Thomas 20 (son of Capt Sadler of the Fanny).
• The names of Thomas Sadler and John Butler do not appear in the Agent's Return but were both included in a list of Butler's settlers relocated in Albany (Cape Archives CO 136). It is not known whether John Butler sailed in the Fanny or joined the party later.

Main sources for party list: Agent of Transports' Return of settlers under the direction of Captain Thomas Butler, and Articles of Agreement (Cape Archives CO 6138/2, 88-92).

Further reading GB Dickason, Irish Settlers to the Cape (Cape Town, AA Balkema, 1973); The Reminiscences of John Montgomery, ed A Giffard (Cape Town, AA Balkema, 1981).

from THE SETTLER HANDBOOK by MD Nash page 51

Paul Tanner-Tremaine, British 1820 Settlers to South Africa (https://www.1820settlers.com/genealogy/index.php : accessed 16 March 2019), https://www.1820settlers.com/genealogy/settlershowparty.php?party=Butler.''

1820 SETLAARS

Thomas kom met die Fanny na Suid-Afrika, as deel van die geselskap Britse Setlaars onder leiding van Thomas Butler. Hierdie groep is gewerf in Wicklow, Ierland, en het op 12 Februarie 1820 vanaf Cork vertrek.

Hulle arriveer op 1 Mei in Simonsbaai en teen die middel van Mei seil hulle verder na Saldanhabaai waar hulle aan wal gaan.

Butler se geelskap is gevestig by Taaiboskraal aan die Jan Disselsrivier, distrik Clanwilliam.
'n Groep wat ontevrede was met toestande in Clanwilliam vertrek later na Albanie. FOWLER was een van die wat verkies het om in die Wes-Kaap te bly.

Volgens die amptelike lys was FOWLER 36 jaar oud en 'n skrynwerker van beroep. In die betrokke geselskap Setlaars was 'n 16-jarige seun, John MONTGOMERY, wat as John FOWLER op die geselskaplys aangedui is. Hy was egter nie 'n seun van Thomas nie maar is as sodanig gelys om kwytgeskeld te word van die deposito. Hy het as seeman gewerk vir sy pasaat.

H.J. Erasmus, Die Nageslag van Thomas Alcock Fowler (Stellenbosch: Privately published, July 2000), p.1

Sien ook: https://dalenefowler.wordpress.com/2019/03/17/fowler-thomas-alcock-...