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Letters of Charles Edward NELSON to His Parents, from the Frontier Wars

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Letters (1878-1881) of Charles Edward NELSON Transcribed by Warrick Nelson Cover: Charles Edward NELSON 1853 – 1934 Publishing at Zenodo by Warrick R. Nelson 1 Mar 2020. Acknowledgements Bev Nelson for advice, checking and resolving illegible sections, and many hours of genealogical sleuthing and advice. My father who compiled a comprehensive family tree and family history, containing extracts from these letters (Thomas Nelson, A brief history of an 1820 Settler and his descendants, 1991. ISBN 0- 620-15715-1). In addition, unknown to me at the time I began transcribing these letters, he had also transcribed them fully in typed format. I have drawn on these transcriptions to resolve some of the less legible sections of the letters. References I have used readily accessible current electronic resources as references, especially Wikipedia. These were all accessed during February 2020 and the hyperlinks are in footnotes. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3692090 Examples of signatures of Charles Edward NELSON CONTENTS SUMMARY......................................................................................................................1 GEOGRAPHICAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT.....................................................................1 PLACES...........................................................................................................................2 FAMILY..........................................................................................................................6 LETTERS.........................................................................................................................6 1878, JANUARY, KING WILLIAM'S TOWN........................................................................9 1878 MARCH, TOISE RIVER...........................................................................................15 1878 MARCH, TOISE RIVER...........................................................................................18 1878 MAY, TOISE RIVER...............................................................................................23 1878 MAY, TOISE RIVER...............................................................................................26 1878 JULY, HENDERSON................................................................................................29 1878 AUGUST, HENDERSON..........................................................................................33 1878 OCTOBER, TYLDEN...............................................................................................36 1878 OCTOBER, TYLDEN...............................................................................................38 1879 JANUARY, QUEENSTOWN......................................................................................40 1879 APRIL, QUEENSTOWN...........................................................................................43 1879 APRIL, QUEENSTOWN...........................................................................................46 1879 JUNE, QUEENSTOWN.............................................................................................48 1879 JUNE, ALIWAL NORTH..........................................................................................50 1879 JULY, THOMAS SHOP............................................................................................52 1879 AUGUST, PALMIETFONTEIN.................................................................................54 1879 SEPTEMBER, THOMAS SHOP CAMP......................................................................55 1879 OCTOBER, ALIWAL NORTH...................................................................................57 1879 NOVEMBER, THOMAS SHOP CAMP.......................................................................58 1880 JANUARY, BARKLY...............................................................................................60 1880 FEBRUARY, BARKLY.............................................................................................62 1880 FEBRUARY, BARKLY.............................................................................................64 1880 MAY, GRAHAMSTOWN.........................................................................................65 1880 JULY, KIMBERLEY................................................................................................67 1880 AUGUST, GRAHAMSTOWN....................................................................................68 1881 APRIL, BARKLY....................................................................................................70 1881 JULY, PALMIETFONTEIN.......................................................................................74 1881 NOVEMBER, PALMIETFONTEIN............................................................................76 Figure 1: Eastern Cape Frontier region. Darker areas in Albany are 1820 Settler settlements. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3278426 Summary This series of letters is written by a son to his parents. They cover an interesting period during various wars in South Africa (Cape Colony) from 1878-1881. While largely not in a fighting unit, he was nevertheless posted and spent time in a number of remote military camps. We get an idea of development of the Colony with new towns being founded, difficulty for business as a result of wars, but also new opportunities to support the growing economy. The interactions and descriptions give a personal viewpoint of historical events. At a personal and family level, the letters include many insights into temperance, religious thinking and personal relationships. They also indicate a closeness of contact, if only by letter, between friends and family widely separated both within South Africa and in England. Geographical and Political Context Conflict between peoples with competing interests is a common theme throughout human history. Southern Africa has been no exception. European settlement into the Eastern Cape region of southern Africa prompted conflict with Xhosa tribes migrating southward, resulting in a series of nine wars between Boer and/or British forces on one side and Xhosas on the other, between 1779 and 18791. These have been variously recorded as Kaffir/Caffre Wars, Frontier Wars, Xhosa Wars or Wars of land dispossession. Even after the 1856/7 cattle killing event2 (a prophetic vision by a young girl (Nongqawuse) in which an estimated 40 000 Xhosa tribes people died, clashes continued. Land between the Bushman’s and Great Fish Rivers was found to be highly suited for the type of extensive cattle farming then practised in these frontier regions. Known by the Boer settlers at the time as the Zuurveld (sour grass, which reflects grass good for grazing in summer but unpalatable (sour) to animals in winter). The 4th Frontier War (1811-1812) was the first under British control of the Cape of Good Hope. The 5th Frontier War, or War of Nxele, of 1818-1819, was instigated by Makhanda Nxele (also Majana, Mahana), a significant spiritual leader attached to the Xhosa tribe of Chief Ndlambe. In the Battle of Grahamstown3 (April 1819) the Xhosa warriors were ultimately repulsed and Makhanda was captured, although some sources suggest he voluntarily surrendered himself “in the interests of promoting peace”4 and was imprisoned on Robben Island. He died in an escape attempt later that year. Lord Charles Somerset5, Governor of the Cape Colony, had long sought to reduce the costs of military maintenance of the borders by encouraging British settlement, but to no avail. However, the shock of the near loss of Grahamstown and subsequent military success required urgent attention to resolve establishing a larger population in this border region to save further military expenses. Unusually, and testament to his persuasive powers, the House of Commons approved an appropriation of £50 000 in July 1819. To this end, land was granted under a large settlement scheme, subsequently 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngqika_people https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/eastern-cape-wars-dispossession-1779-1878 2 https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/cattle-killing-movement 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grahamstown 4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makhanda_(prophet) 5 https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/lord-charles-henry-somerset-governor-cape-colony- born-badminton-england CE Nelson letters 1/81 known as the 1820 Settlers, of some 4 000 people into this region, renamed Albany (Figure 1). These people thus served as a buffer between the Colony to the west and the Xhosa tribes to the east. The scheme was not without controversy6 particularly relating to the poor value of the land for crop farming7. Grahamstown has had a name change this year to Makhanda8. Ironically, while recognising an undoubtedly influential Xhosa leader, it also recognises the person probably most influential in setting in place the political will to establish the large English settlement and setting on track for the little military headquarters of Colonel Graham to become the city of Grahamstown, the main city associated with these 1820 Settlers and many of their descendants. The 9th Frontier War, or Ngcayechibi's War, began in late 1877. By this time, largely as a result of previous Frontier wars, land under British (Colonial) control had been extended to incorporate much of what subsequently became known as British Kaffraria, hence the first letter of this series was written in King William's Town. The various
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