I'm miles from France

Henry Blacker Warner was the elder son of *Joseph Cox Warner and * Matilda Warner nee Stanford. He was born in Grahamstown  on 18.11.1832   IGI has birth at Hopewell, Natal in about 1825, married about 1850 and also born ca. 1830 of Hopewell, Queenstown, CC.    and in 1834 his father was appointed, with Rev. Haddy, to form the Clarkebury Mission Station.  He and his brother, Ebenezer Joseph Warner grew up and were educated on the various Mission stations where their parents were sent.  There were few other white people or children and they, like their father, became proficient in the Xhosa language.  There was considerable unrest among the black tribes during his childhood and youth.  [See Rev. E. J. Warner’s history of his father J. C. Warner.]  When he was about 8 years old they were moved to the Imvani Mission Station and when about 13 to the Haslope Hills Station and, ultimately, after the war of 1846, to Lesseyton, near Queenstown.   In 1852 his parents moved to Glen Grey when his father was appointed Tembu Agent, that was the Government Officer in charge of the Tembu tribes, at their request.   On 12.7.1855 he was married at Glen Grey by the Rev. Dugmore to Elizabeth Anne Wakefield, the daughter of *Thomas Wakeford and *Jemina Wakeford nee Cyrus. Her parents had been Settlers in Baillie’s party on ‘Chapman’, which was the first Settler ship to land at Algoa Bay, on 10^th August, 1820.  Her grandparents were also among the Settlers - being *Thomas and *Mary Wakeford and her father founded the Mount Arthur Mission Station.  She had eight brothers and sisters   [Refer to the Wakeford family Connection and the Warner family tree.]   Their marriage certificate (No: 32) states that he was a farmer in the Hopewell district of Queenstown; * Joseph Cox Warner and *Thomas Wakeford gave their consent and witnesses were Ebenezer Joseph Warner and Caroline Elizabeth Staples[?]   Henry Blacker Warner also became a missionary and he was given the native name of Ngonyama, meaning ‘lion’. There were eleven children of this marriage and he died on 15.2.1919 at Fort Malan; his wife had died two years previously on 20.11.1917, also at Fort Malan.
[Note: Refer to the record written by his son of ‘Five Generations in the Service of the State’ under the section W5/6.[5][L] Clarence Jenkins Warner]

Extracts from letters from Nora Warner concerning Henry Blacker Warner and Elizabeth Anne Wakeford:

Henry Blacker Warner, his wife Elizabeth and her sister, Emily Wakeford (spinster), also two sons of Henry B and Elizabeth (Ebenezer and William Taylor) all lived at Gwadu and also at Fort Malan with Joseph Claridge (Warner) and his wife. (J.C. was a brother of Ebenezer and William) Henry Blacker, his wife Elizabeth, Emily Wakeford and Ebenezer were buried in a small cemetery near Fort Malan. I do not think there are any tomb stones. I think Henry Blacker expressed a wish to be buried in this cemetery.

Extracts from letter from H. B. Warner: Henry Blacker Warner when writing to Walter Stanford on 23.2.1913 stated that the Mission station Mount Arthur was founded after the 8th Kaffir War (i.e. in 1853) by the Wesleyans. The first missionary was a Mr. Wakeford, but Mr. Warner replaced him in the same year. The station had originally been founded by the London Missionary Society in about 1840. There are a large number of letters from Henry Blacker Warner to Walter Stanford in the collection of Stanford papers at the Jagger library, University of Cape Town, written during 1894 and 1895. They were written on paper headed “Office of Resident Magistrate” posted from Fort Donald. Subject matter as follows:

- 4.4.1894 Leary and H. B. Warner arrived with Munhlangazu and Maqutu. Mr. Rhodes met Xesibi at Mount Ayliff. They due to return to Mount Ayliff on 14.4.1894. 5.5.1894 Tabaukulu - ‘smelling-out case’. 9.5.1894 about unrest with Sigeneol (?) Gxididi the only chief of any consequence once Sigeneol left, who Seems inclined to be troublesome. Other dates (11.5.1894 to 15.5.1895) Sigeneol sent call to Gxididi, Ianga, Nkunyana and Masepulo to come to a meeting at Fort William. However, Leary says all is quiet. Tried over 50 civil cases and 40 criminal ones to date.

There is also a letter in very shaky handwriting from H. B. Warner to W. E. Stanford dated 23.12.1913.

The following extract is from a letter from H. B. Warner to W. E. Stanford dated 23 February, 1913 and reproduced from a document in the possession of the University of Cape Town Libraries for Research Purposes:

Re Bushman School. …With regard to the question you ask about the Bushmen, I am afraid I cannot give you much information - all I know is that Bangaenhlalas was [founded(?)] ?on Father moving up from Clarke bury to Imvani, at the request of the Chief Umtirara?. A Bushman school, under two Missionaries, of what denomination I cannot say, but I think they were Presbyterian Mission, I am not certain but I think one of the Missionaries was a Mr. Campbell, the cause of the Mission being broken up and Madolo and his followers being broken up I am sorry to say I cannot recall to remembrance, it may be as stated by Nobozo, this I know that the Mission was broken up some time after Father moved to Imvani. When the Wes: society got a grant from Tyopo Gecelo (?) Father for a Mission, they sent Mr. Wakeford to form the Mission now called Mount Arthur, when Mr. Wakeford first went there thaere was still a few Bushmen families living on the Cacadu river who often went up to Mount Arthur, Mrs. Wakeford used to get them to wash the clothes & c, there were also old walls belonging to the first Mission on the opposite side of the river. Mount Arthur was taken up after the Umlangeni War. When Father occupied Glen Grey I cannot say for certain, (I think ?) it was in 1853, at all events you can easily find out for it was at the close of the Umlangeni war, when peace was proclaimed with the Tembus, and Father appointed Tembu Agent, I think if you refer to the Blue Book you will find it. Before the Umlangeni war, when Father was living at Lesseyton as Missionary there used [to] be a good many Bushmen living with the Tembus, what became of them after the war I cannot say excepting that there were a few families knocking about. I may as well mention that when the Tembus moved up to what is now Queenstown District and Glen Grey District &c the country had lots of Bushmen living in it, for at that time it was full of game. I don’t know whether it will interest you to know that Pato, Tyopo’s father married a daughter of one of the Bushmen Chief. Hence the Bushman blood in the Royal blood of the Amguna tribe. I am sorry I cannot call to remembrance the cause of the Bushan school being scattered, or what became of Madolo afterwards…