Sir John Charles Molteno’s Family

His Children and Grandchildren in South Africa, Kenya, England and Scotland

Explanatory Note: 

  1. This is not a Family Tree. The list below is to help readers make sense of the family stories and reminiscences drawn from the Chronicle of the Family.  See Who’s Who in the Family for details of each person.
  2. Members of the family are listed, where possible, by their known names, not their full baptismal names.
  3. Sir John Charles Molteno was widowed twice and married three times. He had 19 children by his successive wives, fourteen of whom survived into adulthood.  He had 38 grandchildren.
  4. In his children’s generation in South Africa, there are three ‘clans’ of the family – Moltenos, Murrays, and Andersons.
  5. By the next generation (his grandchildren), the number of ‘clans’, or surnames, carried by Molteno descendants, expands to include Armitage, Laws, Macmillan, Mays, Morris, Stanford, Syme, Thomas, and Williamson.
  6. In the generations that followed, of course, Sir John Charles Molteno’s descendants carry an even greater variety of surnames. It is interesting to note however that, right up to the present day, a number of his descendants have followed in Caroline Murray and Maria Anderson’s footsteps and reminded their offspring of their origins by including Molteno as one of their given names.

John Charles Molteno (1814 – 1886) (son of John Molteno & Caroline Bower) (b. London; d. Cape Town)
m. (1) in 1843 Maria Hewitson (1815 – 1845) (died in childbirth)

  1. Infant died soon after birth.

m.(2) in 1851 Elizabeth Maria Jarvis (1830 – 1874) (daughter of Hercules Jarvis & Elizabeth Magdalena de Vos)

  1. Betty Molteno (1852 – 1927) with Alice Greene (1859 – 1920)
  2. Caroline Molteno (1853 – 1937) m. in 1876 Charles Frederick Kennan Murray (1848 – 1930)
    1. Kenah Murray (1877 – 1950) m. in 1905 Hilda Robertson (1875 – 1952)
      (Children)
    2. Jarvis Murray (1878 – 1936) m.
      1. in 1919 Rosamund Eustace (died 1925)
        (no children);
      2. in 1924 Gladys Cooper
        (no children)
    3. Percy Alport Murray (1880—1881)
    4. May Murray (1881 – 1972) m. in 1915 Freddie Parker (1877 – 1922)
      (no children)
    5. Gordon Murray (1883 – 1972) m. in 1909 Evelyn Southey (1884 – 1969)
      (Children)
    6. Lenox Murray (1884 – 1963) m. in 1921 Margaret Molteno (1894 – 1967)
      (Children)
    7. Jack Murray (1888 – 1965)
    8. Kathleen Murray (1892 – 1984)
    9. George Murray (1893 – 1918) m. in 1918 Margaret Molteno (1894 – 1967)
      (no children)
  3. John Molteno (1855 – 1856)
  4. Maria Molteno (1856 – 1903) m. in 1879 Tom Anderson (1844 – 1930)
    1. Ernest Anderson (1882 – 1966)
    2. Harold Anderson (1883 – 1965) m. Dot Anderson
      (Children)
    3. Effie Anderson (1886 – 1952) m. in 1914 Elliot Stanford (1884 – 1989)
      (Children)
  5. Hercules Jarvis Molteno (1858 – 1861)
  6. Charlie Molteno (1860 – 1924) m. in 1897 Lucy Mitchell (1874 – 1969)
    1. Lucy Molteno (1899 – 1983) m. in 1939 Bernard Armitage (1890 – 1976)
      (no children)
    2. Carol Molteno (1901 – 1989) m. in 1926 Arthur Williamson (1899 – 1968) (Childlren)
    3. John Molteno(1905 – 1971) m.
      1. in 1933 Angeline Brand (1910 – 1990)
        (Children);
      2. in 1943 Zoe Holcroft (1912 – 1999)
        (Children)
    4. Peter Molteno (1907 – 2000) m. in 1937 Margaret Judd (1912 – 1985)
      (Children)
    5. Virginia Molteno(1911 – CHECK) m.
      1. in 1937 Fred Laws (b. 1911 — ??)
        (Children);
      2. in 1952 Robert Moody (1909 -1970)
        (Child)
  7. Percy Molteno (1861 – 1937) m. in 1889 Bessie Currie(1858 – 1930)
    1. Charlie Molteno (1890 – 1903)
    2. Jervis Molteno (1892 – 1970) m. in 1916 Islay Bisset (1886 – 1986)
      (Children)
    3. Margaret Molteno (1894 – 1967) m.
      1. in 1918 George Murray (1893 – 1918)
        (no children);
      2. in 1921 Lenox Murray (1884 – 1963)
        (Children)
  8. Frank Molteno (1863 – 1926) m. in 1888 Ella Jones (1862 – 1948)
    1. Vyvyan Molteno (1889 – 1911)
    2. Eddie Molteno (1890 – 1899)
    3. Brenda Molteno (1894 – 1944) m. in 1919 Gordon Thomas
      (Children)
    4. Nesta Molteno(1900 – 1985) m.
      1. in 1929 John Syme (1893 — 1966)
        (Child);
      2. Harold Crosse Jones
         (no children)
  9. James Molteno (1865 – 1936) m. in 1889 Clare Holland-Pryor (1867 – 1944)
    1. Clarissa Molteno (1890 – 1943) m. in 1915 Brab Newcomen (d. 1943)
      (no children)
    2. Vincent Molteno (1892 – 1972) m. in 1915 Eileen Wilson (b. 1892 — d. 1981)
      (Child)
    3. Monica Molteno (1895 – 1989) m. in 1921 John Mays (1887 – 1959)
      (Children)
    4. Audrey Molteno (1904 – 1991)
  10.  Victor Molteno (1866 – 1926) m. in 1895 Mildred Jones (1867 – 1942)
    1. John Molteno (1896 – 1950) m. Gladys Jackson(1900 – 1985)
      (Children)
    2. Mary Grey Molteno (???? – 1950)
    3. Harold Victor Molteno (1900 – 1925)
    4. Nance Molteno (1902 – 1942)
    5. Charles Molteno (1909 – 1980) m. Runica Leinberger (1914 – 1989)
      (Children)
  11.  Alfred Bower Molteno (1867 – 1873)
  12.  Wallace Molteno (1869 – 1931) m. in 1907 Lil Sandeman (???? – 1936)
    1. Donald Barkly Molteno (1908 – 1972) m.
      1. in 1934 Veronica Stromsoe (1912 – 1999) (Children)
      2. in 1940 Molly Goldsmith  (1912 – 1997)                                             ii.     (Children)
    2. Joan Molteno (1910 – 1960) m. John Syme
      (Children)
    3. Edward Molteno(1912 – 1990) with Mag Fourie (1921 — ????)
      (no children)
    4. Jocelyn Molteno (1916 – 1999) m. in 1938 Frank Morris
      (Children)
  13.  Barkly Molteno (1872 – 1952) m. in 1915 Ethel Robertson (1874 – 1957)
    1. Viola Molteno (1917 – 1992) m.
      1. in 1936 Peter Macmillan (1914 – 1973)
        (Child);
      2. in 1954 George Barrow (1922 — ????)
        (no children)
  14.  Sophia Mary Molteno (1874 – 1875)

m. (3) in 1875 Minnie Blenkins (1846 – 1926)

  1. Minnie Molteno (1876 – 1953)
  2. Ted Molteno (1877 – 1950)
  3. Clifford Molteno (1878 – 1958)
  4. Harry Molteno (1880 – 1969)

2 thoughts on “Sir John Charles Molteno’s Family

  1. Hello, I have some records regarding musician Alice Edith Molteno, who married fellow musician William Wallis- this will probably come under the Peckham chapter…

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