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John Thomas Todd (1856 - 1924)

John Thomas Todd
Born in Durban, Natal, South Africamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 24 Jan 1883 in Verulam, Natal, South Africamap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 67 in Verulam, Natal, South Africamap
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Profile last modified | Created 14 Nov 2014
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Biography

John was born in 1856. He was the son of William Todd and Betsey Groom.

Baptism Date: 17 November 1856
Event Place: Durban, Natal, South Africa[1]

When John was 26 he married Charlotte Spring (aged 19) on 24 January 1883 in Verulam, Natal, South Africa, Rev. Nuttall officiated at the ceremony.[2]

He was a Farmer in the Inanda area. Once the knot had been tied the happy couple betook themselves to the farm to start their new life together.

They had 6 children: Edith Nora Todd; Lucy Maud Todd; Constance Gertrude Todd; John Cuthbert Todd; William Percival Todd; and Ena Templeton Todd.

He was to prove quite an eccentric character and one feared by those of the indentured Indian peasants that had been brought to Natal to supply the need for labour on the sugar plantations that worked for him.

Labour of any description was very hard to come by in Natal and the Government had taken the decision to import Coolies from India to work in the sugar cane fields. Many of these indentured labourers came out from India in the 1890’s and were placed with sugar growers who paid them a rudimentary wage as well as providing them with a food allowance and living quarters in return for their labour. The entire arrangement was driven by and fell under the control of the Indian Immigrant Protection Office. All complaints from either servant or master; were directed to this worthy and he was, likewise, responsible for inspecting the labourers working conditions as well as ensuring that they were repatriated to India on termination of their period of engagement.

Todd must have been a prosperous farmer as he had quite a number of these Coolies (as they were called) in his employ. Records show that they had come out to Natal from Madras in India at various times in 1894 and were placed with Todd. In 1895, less than a year after they had been in his employ, several Coolies made statements alleging ill treatment and a host of other issues to the Protector of Indian Immigrants.

The Boer War was already underway and it was now the turn of Todd to be affected by it. Quite when he enlisted for service is unknown but, at the age of 44 he found himself a Conductor with the Natal Transport unit. This outfit was very similar to the Natal Volunteer Transport Service but was formed to ameliorate the deficiencies in Buller’s transport system. It was made up of civilian contractor’s (like Todd) and a total of 62 medals were issued to them. That he saw service in the Transvaal and, in June 1900, Laing’s Nek, is borne out by the award of these tow clasp to his Queens Medal issued to him at Newcastle on 5 February 1902.

The war over on 31 May 1902 with Todd returned to his farming pursuits and “his” Indians.

Todd was a Colonial man with all the idiosyncracies and penchants of a man of his times. Were he to be alive today he would be deemed to be highly incorrect politically.

Conductor, Natal Transport – Anglo Boer War

Superintendent of Police, Verulam Local Board

Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Transvaal & Laing’s Nek

John passed away in 1924 at the age of 67.

Probate Date: 1924
Event Place: Natal, South Africa[3]

Sources

  1. "South Africa, Methodist Parish Registers, 1822-1996," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2MK8-HPB : accessed 6 September 2015), John Thomas Todd, 17 Nov 1856; citing Baptism, Durban, Natal, South Africa, Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Grahamstown
  2. "South Africa, Natal Province, Civil Marriages, 1845-1955," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDCK-RQR : accessed 6 September 2015), John Thomas Todd and Charlotte Maud Spring, 24 Jan 1883; citing Verulam, Natal, South Africa; 00771; National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, Pretoria; 1,259,170.
  3. "South Africa, Pietermaritzburg Estate Files 1846-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLR2-KYTZ : 17 March 2018), John Thomas Todd, 1924; citing Probate, Pietermaritzburg Archives (Formerly Natal State Archives), South Africa.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with John by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:

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