The Isle of Wight calls.

Isle of Wight:  Registration Districts

This map shows the approximate areas of the first Registration Districts on the Island. In 1837 the Island was divided into 5 Registration Districts: Calbourne, Cowes, Godshill, Newport and Ryde.

Information from the Isle of Wight Family History Society:
Birth record for my Great-Grandfather William Argyle: 

• 1869  (19 August) ARGYLE  William, father John and  mother: Ann SIBBICK, District:  Godshill, Isle of Wight

Marriage record:

• 1897  ARGYLE  William  to GUSTER  Kathleen  at the Register Office, Newport, Isle of Wight

Birth record for my grandmother:

• 1899 (29 May)  ARGYLE  Nellie,  mother: Kathleen GUSTAR, District:  Calbourne, Isle of Wight.

William Argyle's book on the Isle of Wight (Bertie Cornel)

A studio photo that Doreen has of Nan taken on the Isle of Wight.

An afternoon tea with Bertie and Barbara led to the wonderful insight that my Grandmother, Nellie Winifred van der Veen, nee Argyle, was born on the Isle of Wight on the 29 May 1899.

Bertie has this precious travel book in his possession from William Argyle, Nan's father.

So I spent some time looking through the family records from the Isle of Wight Family History Society.

How wonderful to find the birth records for Nan and her father as well as his first marriage to Kathleen Gustar.

Doreen has some photos in her collection that were illuminating too, one was taken of Nan in Freshwater, a town in the Calbourne District on the Isle of Wight and this one taken by the photographer C. Hudson.

Information that Mom left us was that William's father John, was a gardener by profession on the Isle.

We are still not clear what transpired with Kathleen Gustar, Nan's mother and there is no death record for her on the website I was looking at.

William Argyle, centre, second row from the bottom.

Another wonderful old photo of Doreen's now has meaning too, its a work photo, likely the Railways in Pretoria of our Great-Grandfather, William Argyle.

Bertie identified him easily by his deep set eyes, large ears and a quite superb moustache.

I like his dapper hat too.

William died in Pretoria on the 10 March 1919, age 50, and Bertie has his grave as number 1760.

The Isle of Wight calls.

Willim Argyle, second row sitting third from the left.