Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Most family feuds are respecting property
The accounts as I understand them are based on inheritance denied Rachael (Campbell) Sancho and Charles Campbell by their brother Donald Friday Campbell.
Most family feuds are respecting property - inheritance disallowed - fake wills. There are too numerous accounts in Sancho heritage and other folks in my adopted ancestral homelands not to be accurate.
I am not sure whether James Campbell disinherited his big daughter. I am aware he was not pleased with her impending marriage to Allick Sancho. I recalled being told James Campbell hurried himself by his horse and carriage to the church in Victoria to stop the wedding. Most narrators claim James Campbell discontinued his donations to the church. Are you aware of James Campbell repairing St. Mary's Scots Church at Jonestown, Mahaica? I am told my ancestor Walter Young built the church. Also James Campbell may have built a church at Victoria. I suppose the one where my grandparents were married. I understand only the bell was a reminder by the mid-1950s.
Also it was said James Campbell donated the land upon which the leprosy Hospital was constructed. However, I have not managed to access any information on the ownership of Lancaster in the print media of the colonial authorities.
Allick Sancho did not measure up to his expectations as a son-in-law. I never heard of James Campbell visiting his daughter's residence at Sandy Street in Golden Grove and/or his son Charles at Nabaclis. Yet it appears James Campbell was extremely close to his grandchildren. My mother, Muriel Sancho was absolutely fond of her grandfather, James Campbell. Also my aunts gushed about their grandfather. Perhaps they visited with him at Mahaica. Yet, they were fond of Donald Friday Campbell. It appears whenever Muriel Sancho visited her Uncle; it was an emergency and/or to bond with Mama Deli Campbell. They all loved Deli (Elias) Campbell.
My feeling is the feuding is no more. All the respective parties have departed. The ill-feelings are long gone with them. The land is now possessions of East Indians. I won't be for rehashing accounts that cannot be proven. I am concerned and committed to acquiring knowledge of the genealogy of Campbell/Solomon/Friday/Kissoon and be them Ramotar and/or Mootoo and whoever else are our relatives.
I know the 1942 Daily Chronicle has accounts of the transitions of three Campbell people who are likely of interest to my Campbell heritage. I would to access same soonest. Copies of the papers are not readily available at the NYPL
I believe let the feuding remain with who came and left before us. I have move on from that climate, a long time ago. I don't think any of my first cousins are into that past relationships. Perhaps Dr. James Campbell is a bit resentful. I detected he was not too enthusiastic talking about Donald Friday Campbell. As per myself I regret not visiting Donald and Deli Campbell when I was into my twenties. I thought they passed on. I was surprised when I was enlightened Deli and Donald transitioned in November 1977 and April 1981, respectively. While I was in the GDF 1974-1977, I used to regularly run from Nabaclis to Mahaica Bridge and back. Had I known I would have visited my grand Uncle and Aunt? Why not?
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Norman Eustace Cameron writing about Thomas R. F. Elliott.
Chorus: Merrily let us pass away, etc.
T. R. F. Elliott., 1888
It is very easy to understand how religion and emancipation had such a prominent place in the poetical writings of the earlier negroes. They naturally saw emancipation as the greatest event in their history and felt its inspiring influence, hence much of their poetry centered in this theme.
There is yet another feature, namely, that in the earliest productions, the thanks for emancipation are distributed between God, Queen Victoria, and the politicians. In later productions the poet gave his thanks to God principally, while in years to come the value of the right hand of the slaves in battle in hastening emancipation will be recognized by our poets. We may compare Oliver’s poem “oh! Ye first of August” with the following anonymous song, written in a more martial and rugged spirit:-
“ Liberty, boys forever, boys hurrah
Oh, liberty, boys forever, boys hurrah, boys hurrah
Oh, we rally round the bounty blue flag
We rally once again
Shouting in the battle cry Freedom.
“ Victoria gave us freedom, boys hurrah,
Oh, Victoria gave us freedom, boys hurrah, boys hurrah
Oh, we rally round the bounty blue flag
We rally once again
Shouting in the battle cry Freedom.”
The “rally round the bounty blue flag” becomes clear when one bears in mind that the mediaeval Africans were accustomed to fight with flags and standards, and that the slaves would sometimes hoist a flag in their rebellions.
Fifty years later Thomas Elliott conceived the idea of celebrating the Jubilee of emancipation in fine style. He spared no pains to make it a success, and so filled was he with enthusiasm over the event that it is not surprising that his own songs best reflected the spirit of the occasion. All the songs and hymns song were of local creation, and so was the music, the choir of 150 voices being under Sandiford Blades, one of the outstanding musicians and composers of the time. All the contributors, Elliott, Blades, Leo, G. W. Rockcliffe, S. E. Wills seemed to recognize that God himself was behind the great emancipation. Elliott was also a prose writer. He actually wrote some account of the history of the Negroes from1838 to 1888, but I do not know what became of it.
Source:
Cameron, Norman Eustace (1931) Guianese poetry, covering the hundred years' period, 1831-1931. Selected and edited by Norman Eustace Cameron, Georgetown , British Guiana , Printed by "The Argosy" Company, Limited, 1931.