Every Family Shares a Story: Part 2
From Africa to Alberta
The Impey Family's Transcontinental Journey
By Allan Goddard
Part 2: A Life Together Begins
We left off the first installment of the Impey Family history with a fortune teller telling Ida Pringle that she “would marry the man you love and have a long life”. So, we pick up the story from there.
For a period of two years after Ida left school, she was a housekeeper for an aunt who lived in Cradock. Ida writes that while at Cradock she attended lots of dances and played tennis, but missed her family. After the death of her aunt, she returned home to her parent’s farm called Tembani, in the Stutterheim District. After a few months home, Ida moved to Ailsa to live with another aunt and teach her children.
In her memoir, Ida doesn’t go into much detail how she and George Grey met, other than she met George at a dance. Ida also mentions she was engaged to George while teaching at Ailsa. After a courtship of two years, they were married at Ailsa on the farm of her aunt, Mrs. Robert Hart, in 1886.
Ida and Georges’s first child, William, was born in 1888. Shortly after William’s birth they trekked up to Aliwal North to a farm that was owed by Dr. Sam Impey, a brother of George’s. This venture proved to be a failure. They moved on from Aliwal North and headed to George’s brother, Gordon Impey, at Barkly. Ida writes about this journey, and the many challenges they had in reaching Gordon Impey’s farm. Their hired help abandoned them on the journey, leaving George and Ida to drive their livestock and the wagons. At one point George took the wagon and oxen via the road and Ida herded the sheep across country to meet up with the wagon later in the day. After reaching their destination, George went to work on a sheep farm lambing, shearing wool and transporting wool to market for a period of time.
Prior to George and Ida’s marriage, her parents had moved to East Griqualand and purchased a farm. George and Ida decided to relocate. Ida writes… “We left Rifle Spruit on New Years Day, a Dutchman we knew there begged us not to go on New Years Day saying if you do you will always be travelling… and it looks like he spoke true”. At East Griqualand they rented a farm, built a house, planted a garden and started an orchard. However prices were poor, George did find some employment with local farmers, but while it was hard times they managed.
After a number of years on this farm, George and Ida decided to move to what was known as Rhodesia. By this time the family had grown to five children: William, Pringle, Alan, Effie, and their youngest Collin, who was just a few months old. Again, they experienced poor roads and weather, at one point they were caught in a heavy downpour. Without dates in Ida's writing, other sources determine that this trip took place late in the year of 1894. Near the town of Heidelburg their young son became sick. A minister was located and they baptised their son Collin Campbell, but were unable to access medical care for their young son.
On December 24th they arrived at Boxberg where George’s brother Dick Impey resided. They would travel by train to spent Christmas Day with George’s parents, in nearby Johannesburg. Sadness soon came stalking the Impey family, on New Years Eve baby Collin passed away in his mother’s arms and was laid to rest the next day.
While further adventures and challenges will rise up to meet George and Ida along with their growing family, we will stop here. Look for the next chapter soon.
We left off the first installment of the Impey Family history with a fortune teller telling Ida Pringle that she “would marry the man you love and have a long life”. So, we pick up the story from there.
For a period of two years after Ida left school, she was a housekeeper for an aunt who lived in Cradock. Ida writes that while at Cradock she attended lots of dances and played tennis, but missed her family. After the death of her aunt, she returned home to her parent’s farm called Tembani, in the Stutterheim District. After a few months home, Ida moved to Ailsa to live with another aunt and teach her children.
In her memoir, Ida doesn’t go into much detail how she and George Grey met, other than she met George at a dance. Ida also mentions she was engaged to George while teaching at Ailsa. After a courtship of two years, they were married at Ailsa on the farm of her aunt, Mrs. Robert Hart, in 1886.
Ida and Georges’s first child, William, was born in 1888. Shortly after William’s birth they trekked up to Aliwal North to a farm that was owed by Dr. Sam Impey, a brother of George’s. This venture proved to be a failure. They moved on from Aliwal North and headed to George’s brother, Gordon Impey, at Barkly. Ida writes about this journey, and the many challenges they had in reaching Gordon Impey’s farm. Their hired help abandoned them on the journey, leaving George and Ida to drive their livestock and the wagons. At one point George took the wagon and oxen via the road and Ida herded the sheep across country to meet up with the wagon later in the day. After reaching their destination, George went to work on a sheep farm lambing, shearing wool and transporting wool to market for a period of time.
Prior to George and Ida’s marriage, her parents had moved to East Griqualand and purchased a farm. George and Ida decided to relocate. Ida writes… “We left Rifle Spruit on New Years Day, a Dutchman we knew there begged us not to go on New Years Day saying if you do you will always be travelling… and it looks like he spoke true”. At East Griqualand they rented a farm, built a house, planted a garden and started an orchard. However prices were poor, George did find some employment with local farmers, but while it was hard times they managed.
After a number of years on this farm, George and Ida decided to move to what was known as Rhodesia. By this time the family had grown to five children: William, Pringle, Alan, Effie, and their youngest Collin, who was just a few months old. Again, they experienced poor roads and weather, at one point they were caught in a heavy downpour. Without dates in Ida's writing, other sources determine that this trip took place late in the year of 1894. Near the town of Heidelburg their young son became sick. A minister was located and they baptised their son Collin Campbell, but were unable to access medical care for their young son.
On December 24th they arrived at Boxberg where George’s brother Dick Impey resided. They would travel by train to spent Christmas Day with George’s parents, in nearby Johannesburg. Sadness soon came stalking the Impey family, on New Years Eve baby Collin passed away in his mother’s arms and was laid to rest the next day.
While further adventures and challenges will rise up to meet George and Ida along with their growing family, we will stop here. Look for the next chapter soon.
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