Our December 2014 summer road trip between Cape Town and the Loft in Toti was an opportunity to pop past Bathurst, Salem and Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape to learn more about my 1820 Settler forefather, Christopher Wedderburn, his wife Ann and their five children.We overnighted at the historic Pig and Whistle Hotel in Bathurst and first thing in the morning, after a restless noisy night, started to explore the church grounds for graves.
Nothing at the Methodist Church which left the St. Johns Anglican Church off the main street in Bathurst.
We found Elizabeth's gravestone against the back church wall.I had an instant body reaction and tears just ran. Her gravestone is the oldest in the churchyard, August 1839, she was the fourth of the five children born to Christopher and Ann Wedderburn.
It was interesting to open Mom's Wedderburn Book at the Loft and see her and Dad making the same trip in 1989. Mom and I are standing at the Toposcope in Bathurst, both pointing in the direction of the farm land allocated to the George Smith party from the host the Stentor, of which Christopher and Ann were a part.
After red velvet cake and a vast mug of coffee, we popped into the History Museum in Grahamstown to see the 1820 Settler Exhibition. There were quite a few references to the Wedderburn's, even Christopher's flute, all donated by Mrs Ward (nee Wedderburn) ex Salisbury, but I just loved seeing this plate in the bottom righthand corner of the cabinet, custom made, with an insignia, John Wedderburn Grahamstown.
Covet! How I would love to own one of these plates.
The Wedderburn Book also provided the clues on where to find Christopher's grave at Salem, we had missed it first time round, Dad is standing in front of the grave in a photo Mom has in the book. No problem second time round, the headstone is facing away from the church front door and obscured by a scrub.
This man's tenacity and courage almost 200 years ago, is the reason I find myself here in South Africa.
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