August 1998

Greetings to Magsons and Magson connections scattered around the World. If you know of anyone who would like to receive this newsletter please either send it on to them or let me know.What a fascinating exercise it has been to try and contact you, to find out where you live and whereabouts your ancestors came from. Lots of e-mails and letters were sent out, 13 replies were received. Some letters were sent back "gone, no address".The following is some of the information in your communications. I should have asked your permission to use your names, but did not do so, so will just the first initial instead.

R lives in England, and his ancestors came from Liddenden (hear Halifax) inEngland. He told of the Burke's Peerage World Book of Magsons. The book mentions 400 households and assumes a further 100 or so that they have probably missed, of the former some 300 are in UK.

D lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, and his ancestors originate from North Yorkshire in Pickering.

B lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Her grandfather was from Wales and went to USA to manage a woollen mill in Chester, Pennsylvania. J is from USA. His grandfather arrived there from West Yorkshire in 1883 along with parents, two brothers and one sister. They lived in the Bradford Sowerby Bridge area of West Yorkshire. J (nee Magson) lives in Andover, Kansas, USA. Her childhood was spent in Reading, Berkshire and her father's hometown was Coventry.

P lives in Sydney, his grandfather came to Australia from Sherburn, Yorkshire in 1913. He tells us that in the Sydney White Pages there are only 6 Magsons listed, of which 3 are his immediate family.

T is from California, USA. His grandfather came from Yorkshire.

P has his own business in computer in Dundee, Scotland, but his family was originally from the Yorkshire area and worked in the textile industry. He has always been interested to know the origins of the Magson name and understands it to have Scandinavian connections.

J is from Potchefstroom, South Africa. His ancestors arrived there around 1858, believed to be from Scotland. He says there is more than one branch of Magsons in South Africa. BF is from Grafton, Virginia, USA. He has researched his wife's Portwood family tree, one of her ancestors was a Magson, originally from the Bradford area of Yorkshire.

S comes from Burnaby, Canada and knows that her grandfather came from the USA. She thinks there are few Magsons residing in Canada.

S (aunt of V) lives in Canada. Believes that all the Magsons in the world are related.

P is now living in Christchurch, New Zealand but was originally from South Africa. He believes all the Magsons are from the same clan.

GUEST SPOT

Hello Cousins. My name is Joan and I was born in Berkshire, England. My maiden name was Magson and I appreciate Rae's efforts to bring us together via her newsletter. My memories of growing up in England are vivid. Our life was simple then and seemingly uncomplicated. I attended school and went to work for the local County Council in Reading, Berks. Back then, all the young men had motorbikes, so that's how we travelled while dating. Never did I imagine that I would end up in the States. Then I met an American airman and ended up marrying and coming to Kansas. We had two children, a boy and a girl. I lost my son in an accident when he was twenty-five. He left a daughter and a son. My daughter lives in Missouri and has two children who visit with us often. My hobbies are square dancing, round dancing, camping and sewing. Not that I have told you all a little about myself, how about some more of you doing the same so we can get to know about one another? I have been looking for Magson's from Coventry, England area, which was my father's home town. Are any of you out there?

Joan Pendleton e-mail jimmp@juno.com

Did you find this newsletter interesting? If so, and you would like to hear more, let me know. It would also be appreciated if you would send any personal and genealogical contributions.Being aware of the Privacy Act, I refrained from using names, but if you do not mind your name and/or e-mail address being published in future newsletters, let me know this as well.The records of my branch start with Nathan Foster Magson born in Amotherby, Yorkshire, England in 1805, however we believe his father to be John Magson, born in 1764, who became a labourer in Appleton, England. Robert Magson came to New Zealand in 1864, firstly finding work in the construction of roads on the West Coast, eventually purchasing farm land in the Rakaia area (Canterbury) and there have been Magsons here ever since.