Eastern Cape, SIPHAQENI district, Rural (farm cemeteries) / Eastern Cape, SIPHAQENI district, Mfundisweni Wesleyan Mission cemetery / (3 of 4 images)
Cemetery information:-
Mfundisweni Wesleyan Mission was established in eastern Pondoland by Rev. Thomas Jenkins in 1862. Jenkins first established Palmerton Mission in 1842 near to Faku’s Great Place after Faku of the amaPondo moved east of the Mzimvubu River. Faku, who reigned from circa 1820 until his death in 1867, had a very close relationship with Jenkins (1808-1868) who played a key role in counselling and assisting Faku in regard to warding off encroaching boer and British alike. At Faku’s insistence the Wesleyans exempted Jenkins from the usual rotation of missionaries between stations.
“For more than thirty years Jenkins served a useful purpose as Faku’s amanuensis in dealing with British authorities. In his evangelistic work Jenkins refrained from open attacks upon the chief’s heathen ways and confined his preaching to the immediate vicinity of Palmerton. ... The Methodist District Chairman complained in 1866 that only a handful of Palmerton’s residents were of Mpondo origin ...” (Norman Etherington, 1978, Preachers, peasants and politics in south east Africa, 1835-1880: African Christian communities in Natal, Pondoland and Zululand, Royal Historical Society, London, page 72)
Surrounding area still in use as a cemetery.
(Information supplied by Mike Kenyon)
Album incomplete.
eGGSA captions by: James Anderson
The GGSA Cemetery DVD only has information on the cemetery location.
Cemetery ID: 6843
Google Earth Cemetery Initiative Information:-
GPSID: 8217
GPS: -30 54.108, 29 32.103
JENKINS Thomas -1868
Thomas Jenkins was born in c1807 of Welsh parentage (only learning English when he was about 10). He emigrated to South Africa, along with his sister Anne and her husband James Kidd, departing England aboard the 'Aurora' in February 1820. They became resident in the British settlement at Kaffraria [Eastern Cape] and Jenkins joined the Methodist Church whilst living in Salem. Jenkins initially worked as a missionary assistant but became a missionary himself in 1832 when asked to evangelise amongst 'Vossanie's tribe' [Vusani, Xhosa]. However, much of Jenkins' missionary career was dedicated to evangelising (principally in Kaffir [Xhosa]) to the Amampando [Pondo] under the chiefdom of Faku (born 1780) including at Buntingville, Morley, Palmerton and Emfundisweni. In fact Jenkins would follow Faku and his tribe in their migrations, leading to the foundation of Palmerton (1844) and the founding of a Wesleyan Methodist mission at Emfundisweni (c1862). Jenkins became a trusted advisor of Faku (who named Jenkins 'Marwanqana') and became familiar with the tribe's customs and practices. Faku himself never converted to Christianity but did assist the mission with resources and a number of his tribe did convert (including his mother). Faku died on 29 October 1867 with Jenkins dying the following year at Emfundisweni on 2 March. Mrs Jenkins continued to work at the mission at Emfundisweni until her death in 1881. Source: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/37673518-a23d-321a-aef7-ccacdcc9d875?component=e6733963-4985-3de4-80a1-0c71b3b76553
contributed by: Mike Kenyon
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