Ramseyer and Kruger papers

MS Shelf: 
RAM
MS Date: 
1812 - 1993
MS Extent: 
32 files
MS File list: 
Available at KCAL
MS Historical note: 

Edgar Krüger was born in Strasbourg, Austria, in 1866, and as an adult moved to Basutoland to head the Paris Mission's Industrial Training School at Leloaleng.  He died in 1898 at the age of 32 after a shooting accident.  His widow Eugenie Krüger (née Mabille) was left with two small daughters, Elsette and Suzanne, and a son, Edgar, who was born 10 days after the death of his father. Eugenie Krüger subsequently left Basutoland for France and later England where she stayed with relatives.  Her three children were left in the care of her mother, Adele Mabille, at Morija, Basutoland.  

The eldest daughter Elsette lived for some years in England and upon returning to South Africa married Jean Ramseyer, the son of a missionary in Basutoland.  The younger daughter Suzanne went to England when she was 13 years old to help look after her mother and to further her education.  She returned to South Africa around 1927, at the age of 30, and joined the staff of the Young Women's Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.).  The youngest of the children, Edgar, was sent to live with relatives in Europe at the age of eight.  He joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps during World War I, and was decorated for intelligence work carried out for the French Resistance during World War II.

MS Title: 
Ramseyer and Kruger papers
MS Scope and Content: 

The collection consists of 32 files comprising mostly of family correspondence, biographical notes, family history, some early accounts of missionary activities, and scrapbooks relating mainly to the Mabille and Kruger families, who were French missionaries in Lesotho. Most of the correspondence is in French.  Included in the collection are family photographs and a good collection of early photographs of Lesotho.

The material in the collection belonged to Suzanne Kruger and Elizabeth ('Elsette') Ramseyer (née Kruger), who were the great-granddaughters of Eugene Casalis and granddaughters of Adolphe and Adele Mabille, pioneer missionaries of the Paris Evangelical Mission Society in Basutoland.  Suzanne and Elizabeth's parents were Edgar Krüger and Eugenie Krüger (née Mabille).

MS Provenance: 
Donated by Roger Ramseyer
MS Local system number: 
KCAL298003
MS Physical description: 
manuscripts, printed material, photographs

Manuscript Inventory:

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