Oosthuizen, Lourens Daniel (L D)

James Kerr (mistakenly given as John kerr in the photo file-title) was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1866. His parents were William Kerr, a Master Draper, and Annie Hislop - married in Tradeston, Glasgow in 1864. In 1877 James, his parents and siblings set sail on the Tantalon Castle and at Cape Town transferred to the coaster called the Melrose which brought them to East London with several other families in a scheme to settle farms in the Gonubie area. Shortly after James' father William was killed in 1880 in one of the Border Wars. A letter from James to his sister Margaret (who he called 'Tootie') dated 1895 on Cape Mounted Rifles letterheaded paper reads "C Sqn div CMR, Flagstaff, 13th June 95. Dear Tootie, I received your welcome letter and was glad to see that you were well and going to get married. I am extremely sorry that it is impossible for me to be present at the interesting event as there is every likelihood of war with the Pondos very shortly, so of course leave is out of the question. Sigcan the Chief won't give Himself up and the Government won't accept the 1000 head of cattle He has offered. He has to be taken dead or alive. So we are just waiting for reinforcements and as soon as they arrive we will open the ball. He sent in word yesterday to say that He wouldn't be taken alive so I expect by the time you get this letter, the fun will have commenced. However if the Pondos doi fight I don't think it will last long. I wish it were over. I am sick of the way we have been humbugged about lately. My leg is not quite better yet but it is getting on nicely. Well dear Tootie I must now close hoping yourself and your husband enjoy health and prospertity during your married life, with kind love to all at home I remain your Aff Bro, James." James' oldest sister Mary Hislop Kerr was my Great Grandmother. I was given a photo of Annie Kerr and her children - from which the picture of James Kerr has been extracted - by my Grandmother. moira macdonald