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World War 1 centenary tribute to the Anderson and ...

  World War 1 centenary tribute to the Anderson and Blackburn family ancestry of Mauritius World War 1, known as the Great War, officially commenced on 28 July 1914 and lasted four years until 11 November 1918. The United Kingdom entered the Great War on 4 August 1914, which in turn implicated all British Allied Nations, of which Mauritius was one of the Indian Ocean islands to show allegiance. According to Daniel Elie...

Gallanty of Mauritius: how a queen named a family

 A fallen handkerchief. Gallanty of Mauritius: how a queen named a family   Chris Canter, 2014   Imagine you ran into a queen and she gave you a nickname which became your family name as well as that of your descendants. Here is the story of such a family.     Three hither, three thither Times were hard for Mauritian sugarcane planters – let alone the labourers they employed – in the latter...

The Lagesse Family Name in Mauritius

The Lagesse Family Name in Mauritius A numerous family today in Mauritius and with members scattered in various parts of the world, the Mauritius branch of the Lagesse family are all descended from Antoine Lagesse, originally from Troyes, in Champagne, France. According to the Dictionary of Mauritian Biography, Antoine was born in 1733 and enlisted at Brittany in the Bombardier company of the Isle of France legion in 1766....

REMEMBERING OUR ANCESTORS

REMEMBERING OUR ANCESTORS As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for all you genealogists to reflect on the passage of time, your achievements and those of your ancestors. Here are two poems to remind us of what we owe our ancestors! Were you scared to cross the vast sea of blue, only knowing where you were going by the stories of others?  Did you go in hope of a new and better life, or because you...

The Blackburn Family Name in Mauritius

The Blackburn Family Name in Mauritius The story of the Blackburn genealogy is typically Mauritian, with different individuals of the same surname settling on the island, and the consequent creation of family trees, of ‘white’ and ‘coloured’ ancestry. Historically, the most well known Blackburn on Mauritius was EDWARD BERENS BLACKBURN [1786-1839] Born in Bush Hill, Middlesex, England, Edward was appointed to the post...

The Jones Family Name in Mauritius

The Jones Family Name in Mauritius Jones as a family name is fairly common and it is not surprising that after the British take-over of the island in 1810 a number of soldiers by the name of Jones are recorded as having resided in Mauritius.   Henry Berkely Jones. First child of Reverend Robert Edward Jones. Painted 17 July 1827. Among them a few died and are buried on the island, having fallen victim to diseases such...