For sometime I have been tracking down Manx family descendants in South Africa and I was wondering if there was some sort of "mass" Manx migration there in the early 1900s as most of my Qualtrough-related families seem to have gone there about 1900-1912 period, in one known case to Durban and in three known cases to Johannesburg and other areas of Transvaal.

Surnames to date which link in to these different families are Crellin, Taubman, and Watterson, all from the South of the Island.

Is there anyone out there who is working on South African-related Manx research who can tell me of any migration during the early 1900s when perhaps family groupings went out together and was there a specific reason - type of work, opportunity, or ????.

Any assistance or comments welcome.

Elizabeth
Isle of Man