Thomas John Melvill

He was born in Cape Town and baptised at the Lutheran Church in 1813. His father John Melvill, Chief Surveyor of the Cape until the early 1820s, subsequently became a missionary and worked at Griquatown, Philippolis, and Hankey in the 1820s and 1830s, and founding the Dysselsdorp Mission near Oudtshoorn in 1838. Latter is between Oudtshoorn and the Meiringspoort pass.

The earliest record of Thomas after his birth is that of him and his sister (aged 2 and 1 month respectively) being left with his mother at the Genadendal Mission in March 1816 while his father, John, accompanied Rev Christian LaTrobe as his guide to prospect for a suitable location for another Moravian Mission in the Eastern Cape. This has been written up in Rev LaTrobe's work Journal of a Visit to South Africa, published in 1818 in London. In the book, two of John's sketches were etched and reproduced using aquatint colouring, namely Kayman's Gat (see his profile) and The Paerdekop. On the trip it was noted that at Knysna (Melkhoutkraal) George Rex hosted them and particularly enjoyed the company of John Melvill, finding a number of areas of common interest such as surveying.

Then Thomas fought in the Sixth Frontier War against the Xhosas in 1835 alongside Frederick Rex (born 1811), son of George Rex. In Sanni Metelerkamp's George Rex of Knysna, she writes that after many years of friction between the Xhosa and the colonists, "in December 1834, 12 000 Xhosa warriors poured over the Border, plundering and pillaging from their own territory to Algoa Bay and Somerset East, driving the terror-stricken inhabitants before them." Frederick Rex joined up in Uitenhage. In one of his many letters to his family he writes on 9 May 1835 from Grahamstown to his sister Anne "... Our patrols, which are constantly going, move up and down the Amatola and Buffalo Kloofs and seldom return without killing some [Xhosas]. During the last patrol, Tom Melville, who is a volunteer ensign, greatly distinguished himself, having killed five out of eight [Xhosas]; three of these were lying within ten yards of each other. I have no doubt he is a regular ensign by this time." Thomas was 21 at the time. The war was over by 1836. Interestingly, like Thomas, Frederick Rex went on to become a land surveyor.

In 1837, Thomas married Eliza Jane Harding in George. She was the daughter of Capt William Walter Harding (d. 1831) and Elizabeth (nee Herrick), both having hailed from Cork, Ireland. William was a military veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, who came to the Cape in 1813 and later sold his commission to Henry Somerset son of Lord Charles Somerset, after which he took up positions as Deputy Landdrost in Cradock, Government agent in Plettenberg Bay, and Magistrate of Beaufort West. He died in 1831. His wife, who lived for another 35 years, subsequently moved to George.

Thomas John apparently became a land surveyor in the George-Knysna district and was also a friend of John Rex, second son of George Rex. In her book, Sanni Metelerkamp writes of John Rex's trading voyages in the brig The Knysna to the mouth of the Buffalo River, then known as Port Rex and subsequently renamed East London (late 1830s and 1840s). On p.120, she writes "On one of these trips John Rex took his friend Mr Thomas Melville, the land surveyor, with him, and together they took soundings and made a survey of the bar and river." It is assumed that Thomas learnt his surveying skills from his father John and perhaps even some sounding/navigation skills were passed down from grandfather Captain Thomas (Progenitor) through his son John!

In The Romance of Cape Mountain Passes Graham Ross, when covering the construction of the Meiringspoort pass, notes:

"The route was surveyed at various stages by a Mr Woodifield, Adam de Smidt, Andrew Bain, and later Thomas Bain, and in August 1856 work commenced with 93 hired labourers under the supervision of Thomas J Melville, Sub-Inspector of Roads in the George district."

In 1856, Thomas Melville was 43 years old. It seems that he spent most of his adult life in the George area.

On 28.2.1863, while camping on a fishing holiday at Herold's Bay, his son Thomas (aged 16) drowned.

Thomas John Melvill, wrote this poem for his son and namesake, Thomas Frederick.

Elegy by Thomas Melvill

Oh, cruel sea! why didst thou tear From parents' hearts the child, To friends and Kindred ever dear So kind, so meek and mild? Just 16 years and four months old In youthful bloom and might More precious by far than Ophir's gold He is vanished from our sight

Exhausted, O! for help he cried He struggled but was drowned. The foaming sea all aid defied Though many stood around. A younger brother safe was thrown By God's good power on shore While he whose loss we most bemoan Then sunk to rise no more

Oh sea! give up the breathless body Could parents cease to weep Whilst ever from them hidden lay His body in the deep. On his dear bones so far away Where feet of man ne'er reach To birds and beasts become the prey On some storm-beaten beach

We turn to where his now bright soul Is landed and at rest Where storms of sorrow never roll Across the peaceful breast, We wait till at the trumpet's sound The sea shall yield its dead And graves to earth's most constant knell Wide open shall be spread.'

On 2 November 1863, Thomas is recorded as being present at the baptism (in Beaufort West), of his granddaughter Eliza Geesie Bantjes, daughter of Eliza Jane (nee Melvill) and her husband Matthys Bantjes. See attachment under Media.