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Inggs Undertakers: a brief history of the firm; and explanatory notes on the data captures from the diaries

Item

Inggs Undertakers, “Inggs Undertakers: a brief history of the firm; and explanatory notes on the data captures from the diaries”, Cory Library and Historical Archives, accessed 29 December 2025, https://digitalarchives.ru.ac.za/s/cory/item/14126

Description
A BRIEF HISTORY IF THE FIRM: Alexander Will, a Blacksmith of Aberdeen in Scotland, arrived in this country aboard the “Bermondsey” in November 1859. He was accompanied by his wife Sarah (nee Hay) and two small sons. The couple eventually had a family of 5 sons and 3 daughters. It is not known when the firm began but there is evidence that it was functioning in 1879 and may well have begun about 6 years prior to that. Unfortunately the diaries have only survived from 1900. Sarah died in 1914 and Alexander in March 1915. Their son, John Chalmers Will, then ran the firm until his death in 1952 when it passed to a relative, Oliver Douglas Inggs and became known as Inggs Undertakers. Oliver was known far and wide as “O.D.” and the locals knew the firm always as “Will’s Parlour” until the last of the generation that remembered the Will connection had passed on! O.D. ran the business and was an active participant in the daily affairs until his death on 30 June 1996 at the very advanced aged of 92 years. Still under the name of Inggs Undertakers it passed to the Wolmarans family – Mary Bowker (formerly Wolmarans) being a niece of O.D.’s and in 2004 is still being operated by Mary who is now a widow.
Subject
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10962/116283
Date Issued
Type
essays,text
Extent
5 pages
Format
pdf
Language

Inggs Undertakers, “Inggs Undertakers: a brief history of the firm; and explanatory notes on the data captures from the diaries”, Cory Library and Historical Archives, accessed 29 December 2025, https://digitalarchives.ru.ac.za/s/cory/item/14126

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