BLYTH, John Alexander

  Events

• Occupation: Farmer and Accountant. John Alexander Blyth was first a farmer and then an accountant in Beaufort West. His Death Notice MOOC KAB 6/9/655 Ref 3113 says he was a bookeeper.

• Military Service: Survivor of Rorke's Drift (?), 1879.

• Family: At the request of his brother William Low Blyth who lost his wife and two children from Diptherea, he adopted his surviving son George Clarence Blyth who thereafter lived with them in Bird St Beaufort West.

• Alt Birth, 1860. His Death Notice records that he was 49 years and 11 months old, and as his death date of 22 November 1910 is confirmed, there is an alternative date for his birth which is 15 Dec 1860.

• Historical. The BLYTH's lived at 43 (or 39) Baird St. for many years, but the name of the street was changed to Bird St for no known reason as yet. After the death of May BLYTH, the last resident of the house, it was demolished and a police station erected on the property.

• Baptism. ¹ Source of record Microfilm 1560855 Item23 Ref 19 Loc 4652 Transcribed Ellen Stanton

• Alt Birth. According to Robert Blyth he was born in Worcester, Cape Province, South Africa.

• Historical. John Alexander BLYTH (the eldest son of David Henderson Blyth) was born in Worcester, Cape Province in 1861. There is uncertainty about this as his parents were already living in Beaufort West having married there the previous year. He spent much of his life in Beaufort West. He worked first as a farmer and later as an accountant (book-keeper?) in the town.
There was a suggestion that he had won a medal at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1878 when he would have been barely seventeen. Subsequent investigation by Ralph Anderson has shown that he was not at Rorke's Drift. However he was connected with the Beaufort West Volunteer Rifles (a sort of home guard regiment )and was awarded the Cape of Good Hope Service Medal. He died at his residence in Beaufort West at the relatively young age of 48 and is noted as a book-keeeper by profession.
He had 4 children for whom data is available but Penny Sheppy has listed Dulcimer, Corinne and Ermine as three younger sisters for whom we have no details.

John married Cornelia Louisa WEEBER, daughter of Marthinus Johannes WEEBER and Johanna Catharina Magdalena DE JAGER. (Cornelia Louisa WEEBER was born in Jul 1852 in Beaufort West South Africa, died on Mar 26, 1938 in Beaufort West South Africa and was buried in Beaufort West South Africa.)