John Patrick Lynch
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John Patrick Lynch (1873 - 1964)

John Patrick "Jack" Lynch
Born in Reddersburg, Orange Free Statemap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 28 Feb 1905 in Bethulie, Orange River Colonymap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 90 in Kimberley, Cape Province, South Africamap
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Profile last modified | Created 27 Dec 2018
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Biography

Early Years:

John Patrick 'Jack' was born in Reddersburg on 19 August 1873, the fifth of the Patrick Lynch and Catherine (Mandy) Lynch children. He was baptised on 2 December of that year; John and Bridget Kelly were his baptism sponsors.[1]

Baptism of John Patrick Lynch
 

Little is known of Jack’s early years at this stage but his interview with the columnist Renier that was published in the Volksblad on 12 November 1956, gives some insight.[2] 

Jack recalled that Springfield had been one of the most hospitable of places. Come Christmas and New Year celebrations, the young folk would dance for weeks on end.  Jack, who was still living in the farmhouse in 1956, would have it that they literally danced through the floor one year and that Old Patrick had had to have it replaced!

Jack was the Baptism sponsor to John, son of James and Elizabeth de Scally, at the child’s baptism in 1993.  James was a blacksmith who was acquainted with the Lynch clan and whose daughter, Helen Pauline de Scally, would become Tom’s wife in later years.

Anglo Boer War:

Jack would have been about 26 years of age at the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War.  He said that, at the onset of hostilities, Patrick Lynch of Springfield gathered his sons and told them that they were free to do as they wished, but that he would prefer to see them not let down the country of their birth in its hour of danger.  Jack and his brothers required little further encouragement and, at the first opportunity, joined and went on commando.
The four Lynch brothers and a cousin, John Thomas Patrick Lynch, became despatch riders for General Cronje.  Jack shared with Renier, the journalist, some of his despatch riding experiences on the west front shortly after the outbreak of war; at Belmont, Rooilaagte and Magersfontein.  Brothers Tom and Stephen were stationed as report riders at Luckhoff and Colesburg respectively while Jack was stationed at Olifantsfontein between Boshoff and Kimberley. He took more than one report from there to Tweeriviere.  One night while he was en route with a report to Tweeriviere, two Boers who served under Willie Coleman, another Irishman, apprehended him.  As they did not trust him, he was first taken to the Commandant to confirm that he was not a British spy.  By this time Uncle Jack was really the hell-in, as he wished to deliver the report!
Jack mentioned that during the siege of Kimberly, a brother and married sister found themselves trapped in the diamond city and were forced to eat donkey and horse meat with the rest to survive.  He added that, while they were whiling away the time at Jacobsdal, his younger brother O’Dillon paid them a visit there but was shot dead in an accident shortly after his arrival.  (This means that either Martin or Francis must have been the brother in Kimberley and, of course, Mary Lynch was the married sister.  Ironically, James Coghlan was in the Home Guard on the side of the British during the siege of Kimberley.)
Jack recalled that he saw President Kruger in the vicinity of Abrahamskraal after the defeat at Paardeberg.  Even his attempts to stem the burgers were fruitless and the retreat later degenerated into wild flight.  After the capture of Bloemfontein he rejoined his parents on Springfield and because his father believed, as did many others, that the war was already lost. Jack then stayed at home to support his father.
Patrick Lynch farmed Springfield with sheep, cattle, horses, and mules.  He concentrated on a specific breed of horses, the Irish Hunter.  Jack said that he still became angry when he recalled all his father’s beautiful horses that the British military had commandeered and removed.  The original farm Springfield was 10000 Morgan in size, but was later subdivided into smaller farms, the names of which all hark back to Ireland: Shannon, Lakeview, Grasslands, Highfield and Clare –the County in Ireland from which family patriarch emigrated to South Africa.

Bloemfontein Floods:

There were catastrophic floods in Bloemfontein on 17 January 1904.  The Royal Hotel was swept away and the proprietors, Mr and Mrs Smith, and their entire family, perished in the floodwaters.  The Friend gives a detailed account of these events.[3] The article states:

And then there was Mr John “Jack” Lynch, whose name will never be forgotten in Bloemfontein’s history.  This member of an old pioneer family ran back to his house, saddled his horse, and for nearly an hour made several trips into the swift-flowing river with ropes.  His last journey nearly proved fatal when his horse suddenly disappeared under him, and he himself had difficulty in reaching the other side.  Mr G. A. Mc Dougall, who was directing operations, said that in his opinion, Lynch had saved at least 10 lives.

Marriage:

Jack Lynch, aged 31, married Minnie Louise Brumund Yelling, aged 25, at a private residence in Stockpoort, on 28 February 1905. Six sons were born of this marriage:

Patrick Joseph Lynch
William Joseph Lynch
O'Dillon Victor Lynch
John Edmund Lynch
John Gay Lynch
Ernest Thomas Lynch

Jack's Inheritance:

In his last Will and Testament, Patrick Lynch of Springfield left to John Patrick Lynch in 1909 a portion of Springfield, in extent “one thousand one hundred and thirteen morgen or thereabouts, which is called “Clare” and which includes the house erected thereon, and which I am at present occupying, and the arable lands and gardens I am presently cultivating.” That he had already been farming on it for some time is confirmed by Pat Lynch in his letter to Mr Christy in 1903.  Pat mentions that Jack is building a house and is planning to marry in the next year.   Somerset Playne[4] compiled a beautiful book on the farms of the Orange Free State and, in it, mentions that Jack has “constructed a brick residence in a modern style.”   It is interesting to note that Jack's sons would, in later years during service in WWII, give the address of their next of kin as variations of this house; Jack Lynch of Clare House, Kerelaw; Shamrock, Kerelaw, or simply PO Kerelaw! Playne mentions that Jack had only been in possession of the farm for three years when he visited which would have meant that he saw it 1912.  He writes that a special feature of the farm was the breeding of horses.  There were twenty breeding mares of which 10 were of superior size and strength.  The stallions were Rissio, by Bothwell Osteria, the winner of the Merchants’ Handicap at Johannesburg and the Metropolitan Stakes in Cape Town; and Chance, by Melgo Lassie.  Chance had won many races in the Transvaal, and his sire was a well-known performer on the Turf prior to the late war.   Playne also makes mention of a flock of 500 Rambouillet Merinos with the stud rams having been bought from the noted Cape breeders Messrs Edwards Bros of Schoombie.  Jack, according to Playne, also asserted that Swiss goats would do well on the farm and was to import some immediately.   The picture painted by Playne implied that Jack had invested quite a bit of capital in his farm.   Clare was well fenced and paddocks had been erected for the livestock.   There were many springs on the farm and with the water from the Rhenosterspruit, there was sufficient for farming and domestic purposes.

Difficult Times:

These were difficult times, and on 4 August 1917, Jack entered into an agreement with Max Levin to sell half of Clare, farm No 520 District of Bloemfontein, for an amount of £2825.0.0.  There was a bond of £2000 on the farm, the interest on which was in arrears, and Jack did not want to be forced to sell “his livestock at a sacrifice.”  These facts are visible because Jack had to petition the Courts to have the “fidei commissum” imposed by Patrick Lynch of Springfield’s Will removed from the farm.  The petition was granted and the sale of half of Clare went ahead.[5]     Unfortunately, matters did not improve on Clare and on 17 November 1922 Jack was forced to petition the Courts to be declared insolvent and surrendered his Estate for the benefit of his creditors.  The cause for the insolvency was “misfortune and without any fraud on his part”.[6]  Cousin Victor Laughlin Kelly petitioned the Courts on 15 December 1939, to plead for the financial rehabilitation of Jack Lynch, who had no fixed assets and was being supported by his six sons.  This would probably have been done to enable Jack to apply for a state pension.[7]

World War I:

According to his obituary, Jack saw service in WW I, supplying horses and mules to the South Africa Forces in South West Africa and later in East Africa.  It has not yet been possible to locate all his records of his service in the First World War but a leave record shows that he attested in the SA Service Corps (Transport and Remount) on 11 April 1915. His Regimental Number was 1471 and his Rank H/Cond.? Interestingly his Next of Kin appears to be Francis Lynch who was living in Pietersburg. Jack left the service at his own request on the 9th of July 1917.

Later Years:

At the time of his interview with Renier of the Volksblad, Jack was 83 years of age but, according to the journalist, would have little to do accepting his age.  “I can understand this once Uncle Jack had told me about his gardening and challenged me to find a single weed in his vegetable garden.  While Uncle Jack’s neighbours are still buying vegetables at the market, he already has those from his own garden on the stove!” This must have been the garden on Springfield, Tom's farm.   Jack was received into Nazareth House in Kimberley on the 3rd of March 1963 and he passed away there on the 27th of April 1964 at 90 years of age.[8]

Death Notification of John 'Jack' Patrick Lynch

His mortal remains were returned to Bloemfontein and he was buried from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 11 am on Thursday, 30 April 1964.[9][10]

Obituary Jack Lynch

Sources

  1. OFS Church Records, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bloemfontein, Baptisms, Vol 1, "L" Page 32
  2. Newspaper, The Volksblad, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, Irish Dispatch Riders Article "Stop van Myne", 26 October 1956
  3. Newspaper, The Bloemfontein Friend, Article on Floods in Bloemfontein, published shortly after Jack's death, about 1965
  4. Book, Somerset Playne, The Orange Free State, Its Pastoral, Agricultural and Industrial Resources, Bond, J.W & Stockley, H.H.F, The Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Co, London, EC., 27 Pilgrim Street, Pages 48-49
  5. State Archives, Orange Free State, VAB, Applications, HG, Petition by John Patrick Lynch, Vol 4/2/1/1/147, Ref 366/1917, 11 August 1917
  6. State Archives, Orange Free State, VAB, Applications, HG, John Patrick Liquidation Petition, Vol 4/2/1/1/253, Ref 1053/1922, 15 December 1922
  7. State Archives, Orange Free State, VAB, Applications, HG, John Patrick Lynch Petition, Vol 4/2/1/1/601, Ref 259/1939
  8. South Africa, Civil Death Registration, 1955-1966", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6ZS3-YVPH : 10 February 2021), John Lynch, 1964
  9. Newspaper, Old City Man Dies, 28 April 1964
  10. Added by Des Lynch on 24 August 2021




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