Theal, George McCall National Historic Person
Saint John, New Brunswick
George McCall Theal
(© Collection Dr. Hendrik Muller, Photo Collection no. VA951; Provincial Archives of the Free State, Bloemfontein)
Address :
277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, New Brunswick
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1937-05-20
Life Date:
1837 to 1919
Other Name(s):
-
Theal, George McCall
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Educator and historian, Archivist of South Africa
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: New Brunswick Museum 277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, New Brunswick
George Theal, a native of Saint John, made his career in South Africa as a civil servant and historian. A teacher and later a reporter, Theal entered the public service at Cape Town in 1877, and subsequently held numerous posts, including that of Keeper of the Archives. He published various scholarly works on the history of sub-equatorial Africa, most notably a multi-volume history of South Africa. He was also the author of school texts in both Afrikaans and English. He died at Wynberg, South Africa.