MAGSON NEWSLETTER
EDITION NO. 3
AUGUST 1999
Greetings Friends
We have been reading in our newspapers about the hot weather the Northern Hemisphere has
been having, just thought you would like to know it will pass! Our spring is on the way,
our days are getting longer, the weather is improving and some lambs are being born. There
seems to be lots of news for this newsletter. Firstly in May/June I visited Canada and
England, which was very exciting, and managed to meet lots of Magsons. We have not worked
out what relationship we all are, but know it is there somewhere, even if a long way back.
The stories of the Magson meetings in Toronto and Fairford, England have been sent to Ken
Magson, who will put them onto the Magson website soon. Hopefully you all visit the site
regularly? Just a reminder, as it has been updated recently, it is Upon my return I
checked the computer for my e-mails, but had two unfortunate things happen. Firstly, the
cat jumped onto my keyboard just as I had started reading an e-mail from Lei, and somehow,
I do not know how, the message was deleted. That was rather upsetting, but mailed Lei, who
sent the message again. Upon reading the mails I saw a short message from A C Magson of
England, but when I went back to answer it, it was not there. Somehow it was deleted too,
so if anyone knows who A C Magson is, please apologise to him/her, and ask them to write
again. There was also the excitement of finding a new Magson contact, David Barron of
Canada, who has an extensive family tree with photos on the Internet. It is well worth
looking at, it appears his family tree has connections with Ken Magson and Joan Pendleton,
so exciting things are happening! http:~www.netcom.ca/~jdbarron I just tried this website
a few minutes ago, and could not get it, if you have any trouble with this, send an e-mail
to David at jdbarron@netcom.ca A Magson contact has been found in Australia. Christine is
very interested in her family history but does not have a lot of information, so she is
calling for some assistance. Her father was Ronald Henry, and his father was also Ronald
Henry Magson, born Ca 1896 in Greet, Birmingham England, and his parents were Henry John
Magson (a gunsmith) and Lucy Sharp. It is believed the parents of Henry John were Henry
(Harry) Magson and Emma Slater, married at St Jude, Birmingham, England. Three children
were baptised in February 1873 at Bordesley, Warwickshire, England, Charles Magson, Ellen
Magson and Harry John Magson, it is believed that the Harry John is the same Henry John
who married Lucy Sharp. Ronald Henry (born 1896) had served in the Royal Navy (England) in
World War One, and in the Royal Australian Navy in World War Two. If anyone has any of
these names on their family trees, or know anything about them, the family would be
delighted to hear. Either write to Miss Christine Magson, POBox 228, KippaRing 4021,
Queensland, Australia or alternatively send information to the writer at
raejohn@xtra.co.nz Alan Magson has sent the address of a remarkably fast and thorough
Internet search engine at He says if the surname Magson is typed in it will give over 400
references to look at. Worth having a look, after all a long lost relative may be there.
One interesting young person that I found was Gemma Magson bringing new skills to her
mother's floristry business, the Topiary Tree. The newsletter, Ancestry Daily News
announced the addition of 2 million name biography database, which is a massive collection
of biographical records, the data comes from many sources. The address is Worth a
look, it told of a firm named Scratton and Magson in Fenchurch Street, London, from 1785
1790, also that Robert Magson, of London, was an oil man, soap/candles/glue etc. in
1790. It also seems that Samuel Magson, of Halifax, Yorkshire, was a commerce dealer, but
according to the Gentleman's Magazine, in October 1769 he was bankrupt.
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OTHERS:
BARBARA MAGSON LECK
Could I have ever guessed what a year could bring! I mentioned that my grandfather had
come from Wales to manage a woolen mill in Chester, Pennsylvania, and that he spoke not
with an English accent but a more gaelic one. When the wedding in England took place in
June and the press was interviewing people on the street, they spoke to a woman from
Yorkshire, and there was my grandfather's accent. But I digress. Rae sent out her two
newletters, but I was no closer to finding out about my grandfather, Magson, as I had so
little to go on in the first place. Then, Alan Magson sent out his plea for information on
a Fred Magson, and all of a sudden I had a glimmer of hope. He thought he was from
Woonsocket, Florida, but I knew Woonsocket was in Rhode Island, and I remembered a story
my mother told me about meeting someone related to my grandfather at a funeral who was
from Rhode Island. After checking the Social Security records I discovered Fred had been
issued a social security card in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, but he had died in Hollywood,
Florida. So I passed this information on to Alan who then wrote back telling me I was a
cousin to a woman he was doing research for in England. She is not on the Internet, so I
sent my land address and in March I heard from her. She generously sent a year's worth of
research and a huge family tree and many, many pictures. I cannot wait to meet her. Here I
thought I had no family and no chance of ever finding them. So you never, ever know. I am
still so overwhelmed emotionally by the mere thought of it. Rae has supplied me with
pictures of this cousin, her sister, a daughter, and another cousin, as she just returned
from England and a meeting with this family and wonderful Alan. The trail of my
grandfather's brother's family and my great grandfather is stone cold. So far all
available records show a dead end in this country, so I guess I have not looked in the
right place. Am taking a course on genealogy this summer at the University, hoping for a
push in the right direction. If anyone knows of a Walter Magson, married to a Hannah J.,
who came to Rhode Island after 1891 from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, possibly
bringing with him a sister, Martha Jane, and a son, Fred, please let me know. The Magsons
in the Providence area have disappeared. I have two more to check out who are deceased,
but have not found the right records. I have come to the conclusion that in all likelyhood
my grandfather, Charles Albert, came on his own after having worked in Wales for awhile.
As a small child I did not know what questions to ask, or I would not have been full of so
much misinformation.
Barbara geoleck@bellsouth.net
ALAN MAGSON
Hello again from Alan Magson in West Yorkshire, England. For those of you who don`t know,
we had a mini-Magson gathering in England last month. Rae and her friend Shirley were
en-route to Canada, and we met up, together with Robert Thomas Magson from Bristol, at the
home of Rob & Wendy Robinson who live in Fairford, Gloucestershire. Also there were
Wendy`s daughter Sarah and Wendy`s sister Brenda. Wendy and Brenda are "
Magsons" on their maternal side, and Wendy and I "met" by letter when she
traced me through the local newspaper where I work in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and we are
currently researching to see if we are related in the dim, distant past. We had a very
pleasant day, getting to know each other, and talking genealogy. Apart from Robert and I,
who had met way back in the 1980`s, this was the first time we had all met one another.
I`m sure all those present would agree that Rob,Wendy,Sarah & Brenda made the perfect
hosts, and they provided wonderful hospitality. I live only 3 miles from the small town of
Halifax in West Yorkshire, and from Halifax it is only 2 miles to the district of Warley,
and to Warley Town, from where mine, and Robert Thomas Magson`s ( and Wendy Robinson`s
perhaps) ancestors originated. I am currently indexing a mass of information gathered, in
the main by Robert Thomas Magson during his family research in the 1980`s and since, and
when complete it will provide a very comprehensive database of Magson ancestry in this
area, where there were many hundreds of Magson families in the past centuries. I will be
happy to check this database for anyone who thinks that their ancestors may have orginated
in this area. I have no website, so I can be contacted simply by e-mail at
amagson@fdn.co.uk <> .
Bye for now Alan Magson
YVONNE MAGSON
I am Yvonne Patricia Rainier Magson (nee Pope) (born 12.5.1942) - by the way the Rainier
is as in Mount Rainier (Capt Peter Rainier). My husband is John Richard Walter Magson
(born 23.10.1938) We have three daughters: Tracy Ann Magson (born 14.10.1964) Wendy Robyn
Seifritz (born 18.1.1968) - Married to Thorsten Seifritz. 2 children: Skye and Bjorn Linda
Gail Thompson (born 25.2.1970) - Married to Sean Thompson. 2 children: Simone and Connor
John's father was Christopher John Richard Magson and he married Dorothy Halborg Jensen
(both deceased). John has a sister Heather (born 19.9.1948) and a brother Roy (born
26.1.1943) Theresa Zgerski is Roy's daughter (our niece). Peter Magson (nz) is John's
cousin David's son. By the way we live in Pinelands, a suburb of Cape Town.
Yvonne
ROY MAGSON
Hi Rae, I received the Magson newsletter of August last year as well as the image of the
crest, via daughter Theresa Zgerski (nee Magson) who lives in Cape Town RSA, and was
enthralled by both. I would certainly like to receive any further information which might
be forthcoming in the future. I have lived in Namibia (South west Africa) for the past
twenty years but was born and grew up in the Cape province of South Africa. To My
knowledge my forebears arrived in Africa in the 1820s and seem to have settled around the
small harbour town of Knysna on the eastern seaboard. Some Magson grave stones I've seen
in the old Knysna cemetery date back to the mid-1800s. My understanding was however that
these original Magsons might have come from the Hebrides. My grandfather, Richard Magson,
was a road builder who travelled extensively in Southern Africa during the latter part of
last century plying his trade and eventually ran a toll road going out of Knysna towards
Port Elizabeth. This old gentleman married my grandmother late in his life and my father,
the second eldest of four children, was born in 1908 when his father was past fifty. I
have no objections to my name/or e-mail address being published in any future newsletter
and would be very glad to correspond with any Magsons who might be interested.
Regards, Roy Magson. PO Box 3314, Vineta, Swakopmund, Namibia.
SYD TRANMER Syd has sent a copy of his family tree showing the Magson and Kilvington
connection. If anyone wishes to have further information please contact Syd at
stranmer@bfree.on.ca Syd writes My mother, Ruby Irene Magson used to tell me that her
father's family came to Hovingham from Sunderland, County Durham and that they returned to
Blaydon leaving him, his uncle and a sister (Polly) in Hovingham. Annie Bowman Magson, my
mother's sister was named Bowman after her aunt who emigrated to Australia about the date
she was born. During their passage to Australia their son died of typhoid fever I believe.
On searching Kilvingtons we find a Frances Bowman married to a Christopher Kilvington in
Sunderland, County Durham. The two Kilvington brothers emigrated to Australia.
Syd
NEW ZEALAND MAGSON FAMILY NEWS:
My sister and I recently took the opportunity to visit two of my father's cousins, who are
now aged 85 and 90 years. My sister is writing the Magson history for a book which is to
be published next year for the planned reunion. I learnt that there is a Magson Family
Bible, it is in the possession of my grandfather's sister's grandson, it is hoped he will
bring it to the reunion. The sisters could recall a cousin from England coming out to
stay, probably in the 1920's, there was a photo of him, but somewhere it has been lost. He
was the son of their grandfather's sister, Mary Southerby Magson, and they seemed to think
his surname was Rickard, although they were not sure. Does anyone have any names like that
on their family tree? The sisters told of their great-nephew, Alan Magson who is visiting
England to work for a few months on a farm, south of London somewhere. Yes, another Alan
Magson!
PLANNED REUNIONS:
Would you like to meet up with your Magson relatives/connections?
Here are two opportunities for you to think about.
NEW ZEALAND:
There is a reunion in Ashburton, South Island, New Zealand planned for late October, 2000.
This is a combined McPhail/Magson reunion, as long ago Catherine McPhail married Robert
Magson, so it was decided to combine and have the two reunions in one. There are not many
Magsons in this area of NZ you see. A book is being written and will be available nearer
the time. No details are available yet of the reunion, however if you are interested let
me know, and I will send you details as they come to hand. To look at Ashburton on the
Internet go to ??
ENGLAND:
There is a proposal to have a Magson reunion in Yorkshire, England, probably in the late
Summer of 2001. We would like to have some idea of how many people may be able to attend,
and what ideas you have for the get-together. If you are interested in this reunion please
let the writer know. That seems to be all the Magson news for now. Remember visit the
website, and do let me know if you are interested in attending either or both of the
planned reunions.
Regards to all. Rae Magson
raejohn@xtra.co.nz
|
