Respected Web Site on "1820 Settlers" Updates the Emperor's Birth Date

In February 1820, two-year-old Joshua Norton sailed with his parents, John and Sarah, and his 3-year-old brother, Louis, from England to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. The ship was La Belle Alliance. It sailed as part of an emigration (read "colonization") scheme, supported by the British government, in which some 25 ships sailing from Britain — most, part of the government scheme — landed in South Africa in 1820. Those who survived the journey and settled in South Africa — including Joshua — came to be known as the 1820 Settlers.

The Web site 1820Settlers.com is a respected online source of information about the history of this effort and about the genealogies and biographies of the Settlers themselves. Among other things, the site reproduces the Belle Alliance's London passenger list, from the Cape Archives, showing Joshua to have been 2 years old when he boarded the ship in February 1820.

The site also includes a dedicated page for Joshua.

Earlier this week, we reported on our discovery of an item from the 4 February 1865 edition of the Daily Alta California newspaper, in which the Alta wished Emperor Norton a happy 47th birthday — indicating that the Emperor's birth date was 4 February 1818.

Upon receipt of this information, 1820Settlers.com has updated its birth date for Emperor Norton to 4 February 1818.

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You can view the relevant pages here and here.

For more on our Emperor's Birth Date Research Project, please visit the project page here. 

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