He married Madam Kwartekai, a granddaughter of Nii Anege of Sempe. By her he had two sons, John, born in 1805 and Jacobus, born in 1807.

He died in Accra accidentally in tragic circumstances and in the line of duty during the time of the Ga Mantse Nii Amugi I.

His two sons were then children, barely seven and five years old. It was therefore immediately arranged for them to be taken to the headquarters of Dutch Administration in Elmina, to be brought up there under the direct supervision of the Dutch government. The responsibilities fell on Governors A. De Veer (1810-1816); H.W.Daendels (1816-1818) and F.F.L.U. Laast (1818-1826).

On coming of age, young Jacobus opted to return to Accra. Later he became a prosperous merchant and a successful liaison between the Dutch Government and the Ga chiefs. He married Madam Juliana Kaale Ankrah (aka Kaale Soronko), daughter of Aryee Korkorsaki, the brother of Mantse Ankrah of Otublohum. After the marriage, Mantse Nii Kome granted him a plot of land at Abola near Mojawe. It was here he built his famous “Jacobus House”.

Jacobus had many children, including Chief John, the famous of them all, Isaac, Jacob, Emmanuel, Yacoba, Jemima, Sophia, Hannah, Rebecca, and others.

Their descendants are still here with us. They include Mrs. Victoria Oddoye, former Headmistress of Accra Ridge Church School; Mrs. Schandorf, Rev. E. Vanderpuye, Mrs. Kwesi Chinebuah etc. and their children and grandchildren.

John Vanderpuye, Jacobus’s elder brother obtained a job with the Dutch Colonial Administration in Elmina, and therefore decided to stay on. He distinguished himself in his work but died rather too early to enable him attain the heights reached by either his father or grandfather. He became the spokesman for the Ga community in the area and was therefore referred to as “Nkranhene”.

He got married to Madam Ekuah Kwabah of the Anona clan in Elmina. It was she who became Mrs. John Vanderpuye. By her, he had six children, two girls and four boys namely; Aba Dabinmu (aka Marian Vanderpuye) born in 1827,Adwoa Sumuna (aka Catherine Vanderpuye) born in 1835, and Kojo Annan (Peter Vanderpuye) born in 1837. Three of the boys died in infancy.

John had other sons by Madam Aba Miribah of the Ebiradze clan in Elmina. They were James, Peter, William and Jacobus.



GHANA ORIGINS

The ancestors of Mrs. Vanderpuye, alias Madam Ekuah Kwabah are understood to have hailed from Twifu – Denkyira that they belonged to the Anona clan and were of royal lineage.

Tribal wars arising from stool disputes and other factors, like deteriorating economic conditions, compelled people to migrate to settle elsewhere. Some such situation must have made it necessary for Madam Kwabah’s great, great, great grandmother , named Aba Tsiwa, to leave Twifu- Denkyira to settle in Elmina in 1630. This was a few years before the Dutch captured the Elmina Castle from its original owners, the Portuguese, in 1637.

Madam Aba Tsiwa was accompanied by her brother who bore the name Kantankyira. That was a royal name significant as providing clues to the real roots of Madam Tsiwa’s ancestry.

In history, there is only one royal person who also bore that name. He was Nana Brempon Kantankyira, the ninth king of the Brong kingdom, famed for his extraordinary devotion to his kingdom on account of which he went on hunger strike and died from it when his kingdom was being attacked and overrun by Ndewura Djakpa and his followers towards the end of the thirteenth Century.

The Brong kingdom is understood to have been founded by Anona clansmen. Apparently they originated from a place within the “Great White Desert” or the Sahara, close to the Niger River in the present day Republic of Mali, and among Mossi Aborigines.

The place formed part of the great area called Wangara or Guan – Gara, within the ancient Ghana Empire. The Empire extended over the Western trade route through the desert and included small Negro states south of the river, which occupied the grassland between the river and the Forest belt.

Ancient Ghana, from time immemorial, had both Berber and Negro inhabitants but was ruled by the Berbers. The Empire was later destroyed by the Sonnike, a branch of the Mandingo race to establish a Negro dynasty. That dynasty was itself destroyed in 1076, by Moslems invaders, called the Almoravids.

The Almoravid conquest had untold consequences. It brought about the great dispersal of the various Negro clansmen to escape the Moslem rule. The Brong people too fled the kingdom they had founded there.
After losing a war with the Mamprusis and Gurmas, some of the refugees fled south into Gonja territory. They were led by three men two of who, died on the way, leaving the third, Nana Asaman, to assume the leadership and continue the journey to cross the Black Volta.

On reaching the fringes of the tropical forest, they founded the Bono kingdom with its capital at Bono-Manso, thirty miles east of present day Techiman. The ruins of that kingdom can still be seen one hundred miles away.

Bono – Manso became the oldest centre of Akan civilization. Any person originating from there was supposed to have also come from Guan-Gara or Wangara and was called or referred to as Guan or A-Guan which later got corrupted to become AKAN.

A group broke away from Nana Asaman after the Black Volta was crossed. They were also Guans or Guan-fo or E-Guanfo. Some infiltrated the eastern Forest to found the town of Anum among others; while others, the Eguan-fo or Eguafos traveled south along the Afram River to found the Eguafo kingdom, fifteen miles east of Elmina.

The first king of the Eguafo kingdom called Nana Kwamina Ansa had a grandson by name Kwabena Amankwah. He founded a village near the sea, which was named Amankwakrom after him. This village grew and later came to be called Elmina.

From a town called Kankyeabo in the Brong kingdom, a section of the Akan people under the leadership of Asirba Gyenehenwa, from the royal house, with her husband called Okain, travelled south to found the town of Fomase, which became the capital of a kingdom called Akyerekyere (later Adansi).

Akyerekyere state became famous for prosperity and enlightenment, thanks to their second king Asare Adzekyee and their third king Asare Nyansa. Rev. Carl Reindorf described Akyerekyere thus in his book on this country.

“AKYEKYERE became the principal seat of the Akan Nation. They were the enlightened ones from whom all acquired wisdom and knowledge”.

As a result, Akyerekyere attracted more and more people of different clans. The settlers included first Aduana clansmen who fled when their own kingdom, the KUMBU kingdom in the North Ivory Coast was destroyed by Songhay. They were led by their Chief Okain and they settled at Gyimiso near Akrofuom.
Agona clansmen, claiming their origins from the Brong kingdom followed, under the leadership of their Queen mother, Ayekera and her brother Yaw Awere. Within the space of less than one hundred years they were able to wrest power from the Akyerekyere people to become the famous Denkyira Kingdom.

The Nkoran or Oyoko clansmen followed next under the leadership of two brothers, Aboagye Agyem and Agyeman Musu.

Asine clansmen were the next to arrive. They were under the leadership of their Chief Atikarem and his two sisters Twumampadu and Asirfua.

Kona clansmen settled next led by their head woman Buntua and Ntim Apaw.

The last to arrive were the Tena clansmen from the North under their queen mother Aso Dagyiwa.

In those circumstances, the name Akan became a generic term, and was used to describe everyone within or even outside the Akyerekyere domain.

During the great dispersal of the clans which followed the destruction of Ghana in 1076, Aduana clansmen traveled westward to found the great Kumbu kingdom in the Kong Mountains of Northern Ivory Coast.
Moslem invaders including Songhay or Bosamfari destroyed that kingdom too. The refugees fled south and settled first in Nwereme in the Brong region, in an attempt to form a confederate Government. When this failed, a section of the people journeyed further south under their leader Nana Agyen Kokobo to found Twifu- Hene – Man, and other towns.

In Northern Ivory Coast, the Aduana clansmen were referred to as Tieefo. The reason and origins are obscure, but it was this name, which later got corrupted to become TWIFO.

Twifo came to be applied to people of Twifoheneman as well as all the other places founded from there. This included the one by Nana Tomfo Asare. He intended to create a replica of the ancient Kumbu kingdom of his ancestors.
The name chosen for his settlement got corrupted first as A-Kwamboe and later as Akwamu. The capital, named after him, was Asareman Kese but it also got corrupted to become Asamankese.

Akwamu, achieved great successes in wars and in trade and became prosperous and famous. They settled at various places across the Southern part of the country to Sewhi in the West, to other places in the East and Volta Basin and even to Brong Ahafo and Gyaaman territory.
People in all these places too became Twi speaking or Twifo. Nevertheless, they have always been grouped under the Akans and called Akans.

Twifo – Denkyira must have been sited between Twifoheneman and Denkyira territories owned by either the Twifo or Denkyira peoples. But people from both places inhabited it.
The indications confirm that being of the Anona clan like the ancient Akyerekyere people, Aba Tsiwa must have belonged to the Denkyira group.
Therefore, her ancestry and that of her descendants could confidently and safely be traced to the Brong Kingdom and to ancient Ghana.

Had writing been part of our culture, and events and their development across the centuries been chronicled, peoples ancestry could easily be traced. Even then, what has been possible to glean about Aba Tsiwa’s ancestry is impressive enough as regards its antiquity. Reckoning it even from the time of her arrival in Elmina, in the early 17th Century, it is over three hundred and fifty years ago.


KANSAWORADO CONNECTION

Aba Tsiwa’s brother, Kantakyira, being a royal, migrated to Elmina with her as well as a very large following, who must have been mostly farmers and could not readily be found a suitable place to settle in the predominantly fishing environment of Elmina. They arrived there suddenly, more or less as fugitives, without adequate preparation, if any.

In no time it became apparent that he and the sister must separate. This probably was not their original intention, neither was it anticipated, as it was contrary to custom. It must have been agonizing for both of them. However, Kantankyira decided to allow his sister to stay on in the comfort of the urban environment of Elmina and keep there with her the family Black Stool, while he ventured into the unknown interior to scout around for somewhere else, spacious enough for all of his followers to be settled comfortably, from the point of view of their farming occupation.

Travelling westwards, they came across the Kansa stream, five miles west of Sekondi town, in a primeval forest zone with virgin fertile soil, and they decided to settle in the area.
The settlement grew in no time to become a large village called “Kansa- wora –do”, meaning “ On the banks of the Kansa Stream”.

Although the settlement was far from Elmina, Kantankyira and his descendants made sure that their ties with the family at Elmina were never severed or even strained. Accordingly, they fully participated in the affairs of the family during festivals and funerals and marriages or whatever, and also took seriously their obligations to appoint one from their number to officiate as linguist at every family gathering.

A particular incident which occurred during the last century helped more than any other to keep the ties with the Elmina family practically inviolable. This was when most of the men at Kansaworado were taken as hostages during one of the wars of the period. They stood in danger of losing their lives, wives, lands and all possessions, but the family in Elmina went to their rescue. They fought hard with petitions to the authorities to secure their release and the restoration of their possessions on conclusion of peace with the Ashantis, after the Sir. Garnet Wolsey Campaign of 1874.

Most of the credit for this was given to Madam Aba Dabinmu, the eldest daughter of Ekua Kwabah.The Kansaworado family never forgot her efforts. They continued to show gratitude for it and also show pride in being part of the family at Elmina.

To this day, they continue to refer to themselves as Elmina people.
Ekua Kwabah, later Mrs. Vanderpuye was about the sixth generation after Aba Tsiwa, the sister of Kantankyira, and the original custodian in Elmina of the family Black Stool.

Aba Tsiwa’s eldest daughter was AKRASIE;
Akrasie’s “ “ was Dodua
Dodua’s “ “ was Effuma
Effuma’s “ “ was Ahinakowa
Ahinakowa’s “ “ was Ekua Kwabah

By custom the eldest daughters succeeded their mothers as heads of family and custodians of the Black Stool.

Except for Ekua Kwabah and her mother and grand mother, the dates for the others who followed in success after Aba Tsiwa, have not been discovered.
Apparently, Ahinakowa, the mother of Ekua Kwabah was born in 1766 (ten years before the American War of Independence), while Effuma, her grand mother was born in 1738 (six years before the Austrian Succession).

Ahinakowa had a younger sister, (their seventh) called TSRASU (aka Adwoa Essuon). She was born in 1790.

Ekua Kwabah herself was born in 1802 and had three brothers before her, Namely Ekow Asankoma, Kojo Guabran and Kweku Awotwi.

The original family Black Stool stayed with the family for two hundred and forty two years. It got missing after the bombardment of Elmina by the British in 1872. The replacement Black Stool was provided by Madam Ekua Kwabah and has been kept in the Sumuna House for the past one hundred and twenty nine years.


EYGA EKOW ASANKOMA’S LINE

Madam Ahinakowa, who became the custodian of the family Black Stool, after the death of her mother Madam Effuma, had four children, three boys and girls namely; Kweku Awotwi, Kojo Guabran, Ekow Asankoma and Ekua Kwabah(Mrs. John Vanderpuye).

Kweku Awotwi went to Portugal to work as a steward but never came back.

Ekow Asankoma became the father of the late Abiriwa Ekua Essuon, whose children included the late Ekua Awotwi, the late Martha Andoh, the late Joe Emisang Andoh and the late Mrs. Johanna Ewuarama Awotwi (nee Andoh) wife of the late J.Kwamina Awotwi of Topp Yard Cape Coast.

Abiriwa Ekua Essuonn’s first child was named Ekua Awotwi. She was by her first husband and was brought up at Amisano Village, four miles north of Elmina.
She became the mother of the late Kwamina Nkrabea, the father of Kweku (the cobbler), a grand son of the famous late Alfred Mensah ISO of Elmina.

Abiriwa Essuon’s second husband was the famous late Chief Kweku Andoh of Elmina. He was born in 1834 and died in 1898 aged sixty four years.

For over twenty years he was the regent of Elmina after the deportation to Sierra Leone of Nana Kobina Gyan. Chief Andoh played a prominent part in Elmina affairs during his time. His forebears are understood to have originated from Senya Breku, but settled and married in Elmina families. He is well remembered for having led the Elmina state delegation, which attended the funeral of Asantehene Kweku Dua in Kumasi in 1867.

The Fante/Elmina war of 1868 had broken out when he was about to return. But the direct route to Elmina had become inaccessible on account of the war.
He had therefore to be escorted back with a contingent of three hundred Asante warriors, by a circuitous route through Nzema land in the Western Region.

He distinguished himself in Sir Garnet Wolsey’s Campaign of 1874 and was awarded a life pension by the British Government. A book written by Sir Baden Powell on that campaign was dedicated to him. He was apparently, the first Ghanaian to be commissioned an officer in the British Army(Intelligence Unit). He established a most friendly relationship with the Asantehene, Nana Prempeh I during his stay at the Emina Castle on his way to the Seychelles into exile.

The late Martha Andoh, his daughter with Abiriwa Essuon was born in early 1870s. She got married to the famous late Krakue of Sekondi, but died without an issue during the influenza epidemic in the wake of the
1914/18 wars.

His son the late Joe Emisang was born in Elmina in 1875 and was educated at the Catholic Mission School there. He was a career Civil Servant and served in Northern Nigeria.

Zaria was his last station before his retirement in 1930. He had no issues. He died soon after the Second World War.

Abiriwa Essuon’s daughter Mrs. Johanna Ewurama Awotwi was born in 1890 and predeceased her husband in January 1962 aged seventy two years. Details concerning her have been recorded elsewhere.



A FAMILY HISTORY

The late Chief Kweku Andoh of Elmina was the father of Kweku Eyiku Awotwis mother, the late Mrs. Johanna Awotwi.

His forbears were understood to have originated from Senya Breku, a town founded by the Guans and Etsis, the original settlers of this country.

Chief Andoh’s own father was believed to be one of three brothers two of whom settled in Ahanta and Nzema areas in the Western Region.

He settled in Elmina and got employed as a Prison warder.
He married a lady from the Anona clan by whom he had his children.
Chief Andoh became the most distinguished of them, having achieved the status of senior elder among the Councilors of the Omanhene, Nana Kobina Gyan.

He was nominated to lead a delegation to attend the funeral of Nana Kweku Duah of Ashanti. The Fante Elmina war was raging when he was about to return.
The shortest route back home which was through Assin and Fante lands had become unsafe on account of the war. He had therefore to travel back by a very long route through Nzema land. A whole contingent of three hundred Ashanti soldiers was organized to escort him to ensure his safety.

He took part in Sir. Garnet Wolsey’s war of 1874 and distinguished himself as an intelligence officer. For his services he was awarded a life pension by Her Majesty’s Government.

In his honour, a book on the campaign authored by no less a person than Sir Baden Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement, was dedicated to him.

For twenty five years he ruled as the Regent of Elmina on the deportation to Sierra Leone of the substantive Omanhene Nana Kobina Gyan.

He was allowed to operate a court of law supported with a Police Force. The court became famous on account of the accomplishments of its senior linguist, Kofi Henrichie (Henry Nuamah) of Reverend Marshall’s family at Dentsida(?) in Elmina.

On his way into exile, the Asantehene, Nana Bempah I was made to stay at the Elmina Castle and the exceptional hospitality provided him by Chief Kweku Andoh has never been forgotten since.

It was during Chief Andoh’s period in office, that the Roman Catholic missionaries first arrived to settle in Elmina. He welcomed them heartily and was instrumental in helping them acquire the area where they built St. Joseph’s Church. He and his household converted later to become members of the Catholic Church.

As a chief and a prominent one as that, he had several wives and many children.
The ones still remembered include late Uncle Boakye (Ernest Wood Andoh), late Uncle Garnet Wolesely Andoh, late Master Baffour, late Uncle Isaac Andoh, late Uncle Joe (Joseph Emisang Andoh) and late Auntie Martha, wife of late Mr. Krakue of Sekondi.

Except for Uncle Isaac Andoh the youngest, practically all the sons of Chief Andoh lived their working lives in Nigeria where their children were born and educated. On their retirement they returned to settle in Elmina.

One of Uncle Boakye’s children became the Manager of a branch of Barclays Bank in Ghana (which branch?)

Uncle Garnet’s daughter Nana Ama, lived with my parents in Sekondi while her father was working in Nigeria. She got married to late Mr. Dadzie of Cape Coast when he was also working in Nigeria and had her children there.

One of them had a brilliant academic career and became a Professor of English, first in University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and later of the University of Ghana.

Her daughter, Beatrice, who had established in Liberia, lost her life during the recent civil disturbances there. Her daughter who had just then graduated in Ghana and was visiting was also killed. Their death caused much pain in the family.

Auntie Martha and Uncle Joe were my mother’s uterine siblings. Both had no children of their own.

Auntie Martha’s life was brief. She fell victim to the influenza epidemic brought about by the First World War.

Uncle Joe was based in Zaria in Northern Nigeria and was a highly placed official in the Nigerian Government.

He married Auntie Sekyiwa, a very personable lady from the Asmah and Vardon family on Liverpool Street in Elmina.

They adopted and trained three girls one of whom happened to be my sister Mame Effuah Mansa, who later became Mrs. Cecilia Newman.
The other two were nieces of Auntie Sekyiwa

Throughout his life, Uncle Joe’s manners and life style as an aristocrat were impeccable in every detail.

On his retirement he came to settle in Elmina.
He had no building of his own and Mrs. Joan Aaku (Mame Panyin) his cousin, with whom he shared the same grandmother, offered him accommodation in her stately three storey building at Abakaano on Liverpool Street.
His wife predeceased him and he lived his last days with my mother at Topp Yard, Cape Coast where he died.

Late Uncle Isaac, nicknamed “Why worry” was born only three weeks before the death of his father.

He was about ten years my mother’s junior and lived closest to her, as a child, as a young adult, as a student and in his working and married life.

He got employed in the U.A.C. and rose through the ranks to become their accountant.

On his retirement he settled in Elmina, and was enstooled Nana Kweku Andoh II to succeed his late father.

In local political affairs he performed creditably.

His children included two who distinguished themselves. The eldest, Francis Andoh (JR) rose to become the first African General Manager of U.A.C.The third child, Kwadwo Badu was ordained a Catholic priest, like his father’s half-brother and rose to become Archbishop Dominic Kwadwo Andoh of Accra.

Master Baffour was the most distinguished of Chief Andoh’s children. For many years he worked in Nigeria as a School Master. It was there he had his children, two boys and three girls. He later came back with his family to settle in Elmina.

The eldest of the girls named Josephine, got married to the late G.K.B. De-Graft Johnson, a scion of the De Graft Johnson family of Elmina and Cape Coast.

He was one of the first Ghanaian students to obtain locally a London University degree in Mechanical engineering. He worked for the Gold Coast Railways and rose through the ranks to become its General Manager.

Francis, was the younger of the two boys. He trained and practiced as a school teacher, got married, had two sons, but died rather early.

The eldest child and senior son of Master Baffour was named Papa Andoh after his grandfather Chief Kweku Andoh, but was christened Robert Patrick Baffour.
He had a brilliant career and became the star of his family as well as the entire Elmina communities throughout the country.

At Mfantsipim he excelled. Among his classmates were illustrious personalities like the late Dr. K.A. Busia, the Prime Minister of Ghana in the Second Republic; late Honourable Kwesi Lamptey and others.

He achieved the singular honour of coming first in position in the Civil Service Examination of his time. But instead of joining the Service he chose to continue his education at Achimota College to pursue engineering career where he became one of the first Ghanaians to obtain locally University of London degree in Mechanical engineering(?)

For several years he worked at the Gold Coast Railways, but taught later at the Engineering Department of Achimota College.

Subsequently, he held several administrative posts in the civil service including that of the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Communications.

Eventually, he became the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

He was made to resign in the wake of the harassment of officials and politicians that followed the overthrow of the Nkrumah regime.

Two of his children have achieved distinction.
Richard Kobina Baffour, his eldest child, qualified as an Electrical Engineer and for many years was a civil servant at the External Division of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications. He later worked for the UNO in Southern Africa.
He has settled in Accra since his retirement. He has inherited from his father, extraordinary core for his siblings and for his home town Elmina, for which he has made enormous sacrifices to protect the integrity of the Elmina constitution.
Fritz Baffour, a younger son, has become a Public Relations guru and a popular T.V. personality and a an MP.

His last days were lived in Elmina where he died after a lingering Parkinson’s disease, with other ailments.

His loss was greatly mourned throughout the country.
He is still remembered for his extraordinary kindness, his love of his hometown Elmina and his conflagging efforts to promote the interests’ of his father’s family.

Chief Kweku Andoh had an only sister who got married to the famous British trained Mining engineer, the late Hendrike Vroom.

When the Dutch relinquished to the British their administration of Elmina, Hendrike was made to take over from the Old Dutch educated Emmanuel Da Costa, as Court Interpreter.

He was later made a District Commissioner and ended his career in the Civil Service as the Secretary for Native Affairs.

For his services he was given the prestigious award of CMG.

He had a sister whose daughter became the mother of my half-sisters, Sabina and Oyemam Awotwi.

His own daughter by Chief Andoh’s sister was the illustrious old lady who at home was called Ewuraba Amusaekyir, and later became Mrs. Cleland. Her daughter named Lilly Cleland became the wife of the famous philosopher, lawyer and politician of early pre-independence days, and popularly called Kobina Sekyi of Cape Coast.

He was pre-deceased by his wife after having by her, six children, four boys and two girls.
Before his marriage to the late Lilly Cleland, he had three daughters, and after Lilly Cleland, another daughter named Lilly after his late wife.
It was she who later became the wife of the Vice- President of Ghana in the Third Republic, Dr. De Graft Johnson.

His sons all had brilliant academic careers, locally and overseas. All the children except the youngest of the earliest daughters predeceased the youngest son, named Henry Van Hein Sekyi.

He, Henry Sekyi, took a first class degree in Classics at the University of Ghana, Legon and joined the diplomatic service.

He held several ambassadorial posts including that of Ghana’s High Commissioner to the Court of St. James, U.K. and also as Ghana’s Representative at the United Nations, USA.


MADAM AHENAKOWA

Madam Ahenakowa was the eldest of Madam Effuma’s children. The seventh and youngest was Madam Trosu (a.k.a Adwoa Essuon). Madam Ahenakowa had four children, one daughter and three sons.

The elder daughter was named Ekua Kwabah. She later became Mrs. John Vanderpuye and the mother of Madam Marian Vanderpuye (a.k.a ? Aba Dabinmu), Madam Catherine Vanderpuye (a.k.a Adwoa Sumuna) and also Peter Vanderpuye (a.k.a Kojo Annan or Edina Peter).

The sons were Ekow Asankoma, Kojo Guabran and Kweku Awotwi.

Ekow Asankoma became the father of Aberewa Effua Essuon. She became the mother of Mame Ewurama Yahan (a.k.a Mrs. Johanna Awotwi) of Topp Yard, Cape Coast.

Kweku Awotwi is understood to have traveled to Portugal and never came back.

Nothing is on record or remembered of Kojo Guabran.

Madam Trosu (Adwoa Essuon) the sister of Madam Ahenakowa became the mother of Madam Conuaba.

She was the mother of Aberewa Efua ???????? and old man Robert Jackson Kwofie.


MADAM EKUA KWABAH

Madam Ahenakowa was the custodian of the family Black stool. When she died, her daughter Madam Ekua Kwabah took over.

Ekua Kwabah was born in 1802 and died in 1882 aged eighty (80) years.
She got married to the late Mr. John Vanderpuye. She was a very courageous woman.

Records show that in the Fante/ Elmina war of 1868, she was seen on the front line encouraging the fighting men of her Asafo Company (# 4 Akyemfo). She also carried supplies of ammunition and food to the troops.

After the war, she was honoured with the title of Safohene Captain, a rare honour in those days for women.

Ekua Kwabah is remembered with tributes by her Asafo Company in these modern times.

She had six children; two girls and four boys. Tree of the boys died in infancy. The girls were Ewuraba Aba Dabinmu or Marian Vanderpuye and Adwoa Sumuna a.k.a Catherine Vanderpuye. The boy was named Kojo Annan otherwise known as Peter Vanderpuye.

Madam Kwabah also had three step–children in the persons of William, Jacobus and James Peter Vanderpuye. They were very much attached to her and showed her much love and loyalty. It would seem that the three sons she lost in infancy had reincarnated in these step-children.

MADAM ABA DABINMU

Ewuraba Aba Dabinmu was born in 1827 and died in 1882, the same year her mother died.

She had a reputation of being such a most loving, kind-hearted and pious person, that anyone would have wished to have her as their mother. She was also a keen church goer and remained for many years a leader in the Methodist church.

She had four children, a girl and three boys namely; Arends Johannes Cramer, John Lewis Neizer and Andrew Parker Neizer. The girl became Mrs. Joan Aaku (a.k.a Mame Panyin).

Arends Cramer was born during her first marriage in 1858 and died in February 1893 aged 35 years.

He was first employed as Assistant Examiner in the Department of Customs and Excise. He later worked as a dispenser in the hospital of the Agyibipo Mine at Saltacome ? where he died.

He was married to Madam Adriana Cambered of Elmina in 1879 and had by her, one issue who died in infancy.

Aba Dabinmu’s second husband was John Lewis Neizer of Mount Pleasant, Elmina.
His mother was Charlotte Neizer, the eldest of the three daughters of Mrs. ? a wealthy and prominent lady.

Mr. John Lewis Neizer was a highly educated and fervent nationalist, greatly respected in the community by both the Dutch and local people. He served on the Dutch Council, the equivalent of the Executive Council of the British Colonial Administration.

He was also volunteered to go round to collect 20 oz. of gold per chief to finance the Emisang delegation to Holland. This delegation was sent by Nana Kobina Gyan to plead against the sale of the Elmina Castle to the British.

John Lewis Neizer, Aba Dabinmu’s son, was brought up by his grandmother in much affluence and comfort. He started his life as a teacher in the local Methodist School, but was late reemployed in the Department of Customs and Excise .
He later became the Chief Clerk of the Gold Coast Machinery and Trading Company.

He married Madam Charlotte Arthur, the niece of William and Joseph Smith of Mount Pleasant, Elmina. Their child was named Jacobus Vanderpuye Neizer. He also followed in his father’s path and became a School Master; and also fathered our very own Kwamina J.L.S. Duncan Neizer and Mrs. Marian Essah.

Kwamina was a very brilliant student at Mfantsipim School and was made the school senior prefect.

Even though he aspired to become a lawyer after completion of his University degree at the University of Ghana, Legon, he joined the Civil Service instead, apparently for the time being.

He was appointed Administrative Officer serving as Assistant Government Agent at various stations including Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo region.

He rose to become the Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government but died soon after in 1967.

Mrs. Marian Essah’s husband was in the Judicial Service and had great reputation of being a fine gentleman with general good manners and unassuming nature.

Late J.L. Neizer’s other children included the late Mrs. Sapara –Grant and the late Mrs. Annan, both of Sekondi.

After the death of J.L. Neizer, their mother became Mrs. Mercer, mother of twin brothers late T.K.M. Mercer, former Ghana High Commissioner to the Court of St. James, London, and late Kojo Mercer, an eminent lawyer in Sekondi and one time Chairman of Ghana Airways.

The twins had a younger brother K. K. Mercer, who also became eminent as a civil engineer in Sekondi.

The brothers had a sister, Elizabeth, who later became Mrs. Spio-Garbrah. Her husband was a former Ghana Ambassador to Yugoslavia in the First Republic. Her son Ekwow was at first the Minister of Communications and later Minister of Education, in the Fourth Republic.

Madam Aba Dabinmu’s other son, Andrew Parker – Neizer settled in the United Kingdom and never returned to this country.

The only daughter of Auntie Aba, Mame Panyin, got married to Mr. Aaku.
Mame Panyin was born in 1869 and died in 1953.

She inherited her mother’s gracious qualities and also had a reputation of being pious, loving and most generous.

She had seven children, four girls and three boys, one of whom died in infancy.
These seven children included Mrs. Charlotte Halm nee Power, late Joseph Kojo Smith, late Adriana Korsah a.k.a. Auntie Simpa, late Mrs. Joan Ephson, late K.C.A. Aaku or Uncle Kofi Aaku and late Mrs. Elizabeth Sackey or Auntie Ewuradwoa Essuon

Mrs. Charlotte Halm, Auntie Kumasi, was born in 1891 and died in 19..
Her father the late Mr. Power, was a High Court Registrar. A very high position for an African in those days.

Mrs. Charlotte Halm (Auntie Kumasi) was born in 1891 and died 19
Her father the late Power was a High Court Registrar, a very high position for an African in those days. He died from dysentery while on trek.

His sister was the late Mrs. Mooner (nee Munitie). She was the grandmother of Mrs. Dorothy Sackey (nee Cornelius), the wife of Mr. Henry Sackey formerly of the Department of Social Welfare, and younger brother of our own K.O. Sackey father –in-law of Dr. Isaac Newman of Topp Yard, Cape Coast.

Auntie Kumasi married the late Mr. Joseph Cotton Halm of Cape Coast whose maternal cousins were the Duncans of Cape Coast. She had three children,all girls. The youngest Naomi (a.k.a Ewuradwoa) died while a young adult and engaged to be married to the late Daddy Brew, a grandson of the late Reverend Marshall of Lime Street.

The late Mrs. Mabel Hutton, the eldest was born in 1911 and died in 1992. She was educated at St. Monica School, Cape Coast and got married to Mr. Joseph Hutton in 1931, a career Civil Servant who at that time was saving in the Political Administration, Cape Coast. He died early in 1950. His three sisters included Alice, the youngest who got married to the late Reverend J.W. De-Graft, a scion of the famous De-Graft of Elmina, Cape Coast. The late Reverend De-Graft Johnson was a distinguished Mfantsipim Scholar and for many years was a teacher there. He founded about four secondary schools in this country.

Mr. Joseph Hutton and wife Mabel were blessed with seven children, three girls and four boys. They included the late Mrs. Irene Ocran, Mrs. Chrissie Pobee, Mr. John Hutton, Joseph Galton Halm Hutton, the late W.C.F. Hutton and Mrs. Edna Biney.

The late Mrs. Irene Ocran was born in 1932 and died 1993. She trained as a Teacher after leaving school at St. Monica in Ashanti Mampong. On a Government scholarship she did advance career in the U.K. and rose to become an Education Officer in the Central Region before her retirement in 1992.
Her first husband was Mr. Louis Coussey a Mechanical engineer. By him she had one son, named David, who is now settled in France.

Her second husband was Lt. General Ocran Retired. By him she had two children, named Victor and Joy. Lt General Ocran Retired was one of the architects of the 1966 coup d’etat which overthrew the illustrious first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Mrs. Chrissie Pobee was born in 1934, and was educated at St. Monica’s School in Ashanti Mampong.
She trained as a stenographer /secretary and for a while was employed in the civil service. She is now based in the United States of America.
She married Lawyer Pobee of Kumasi, one of the sons of Master Pobee, the famous school master of Cape Coast Government School. His elder brother is the renowned Physician, Dr. Pobee of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Lawyer Pobee’s second wife, called Catherine (nee Cornelius) Mame Sumuna, happened to be a great, great, granddaughter of Madam Ekua Kwabah (Mrs. John Vanderpuye).

John Hutton was born in 1936 and was educated at Adisadel College, Cape Coast. He trained as an agricultural engineer and has been a career civil servant. He married Victoria (nee Williams) of Green Lattice Lane, Cape Coast. She was a distinguished pedigree in the Hutchinson of Cape Coast. The original Hutchinson was a prosperous merchant during the times of Governor MacLean and served on the Governor’s Council. He was then resident at Anomabu and became notorious for being an illegal occupant of the Anomabu Castle.

Mr. and Mrs. John Hutton were blessed with five children, named, Mabel, Charlotte, Jenny, Jacqueline and Elaine.

W.C.F. Hutton was born in 1938 and was also educated Adisadel College. He trained as an electrician and was employed in the Electricity Company of Ghana. He never married and neither did he have any children. He died in 1991, preceding his mother.

Joseph Galton Halm Hutton (a.k.a. Papaa) was born in 1940, and he was also educated at Adisadel College, Cape Coast. He trained as a Flight Engineer and is based in the USA. He is married to the daughter of Hon. J.E. Hagan the former Central Region Minister in the First Republic. He has four children by her.

Mrs. Edna Biney was born in 1946 and was educated at St Monica’s school in Cape Coast. She trained as a stenographer/secretary and worked for some years in London. She is now based in the USA with her two children, Keith and Camilla.


The late Mrs. Charlotte Halm’s second daughter was the late Mrs. Mercy Josephine Arthur. She was born in 1912 and died in 1981. She was educated at St Monica’s school in Cape Coast and trained as a nurse-midwife. She worked for the Government for some years but later resigned and went into private practice and excelled in her profession.
She was very hard working, always cheerful even in trying circumstances, polite and remarkably long-suffering.

She had five children one boy and four girls. Dr. Eric Arthur was the only boy. The girls included Mrs. Essie Wood, Mrs. Elizabeth DeHeer – Amissah (a.k.a. Mame Mensimah), Mrs. Emily Selby (a.k.a Ewurama), and Mrs. Evelyn Anie-Agyei (a.k.a Mame Panyin).

Mrs. Essie Wood, (Foulkes - Crabbe) was born in 1934 and was educated at the St Monica’s School, Ashanti Mampong. She worked as a clerk in the civil service at the Broadcasting Department. Her father was the late Mr. E.A.N. Foulkes – Crabbe who was succeeded by the late K.B. Ayensu as the clerk of the Legislative Assembly in First Republic.
Essie married Mr. Victor Wood who after his education at Mfantsipim School and the University of Ghana joined the civil service, first working in the Information Department. Later he joined the Diplomatic Service and served in various countries including USA and Canada. He rose to become Ghana’s High Commissioner in Australia, and India and Ghana’s Ambassador in Japan. He retired in 1992.

Essie is an accomplished dressmaker and has three children, two boys and one girl named Francis, Julian and Christiana. The sons are investment bankers based in London.

The girl, now Dr Christiana works with the World Bank in the USA. She is married to Professor Marcus Noland, an economist at the World Bank.

Mrs. Essie Wood’s mother later got married to Mr. Ebenezer Arthur of Cape Coast. He was a career civil servant and worked at the Public Works Department. His nephew whom he educated was the late barrister Jonathan Arthur. He married Eleanor Botsio, also a barrister. She was the sister of the late Honourable Kojo Botsio of CPP fame.

Mame Mensimah was born in 1938 and was also educated at St Monica’s School, Cape Coast. She later trained as a stenographer/secretary and worked for a while at the Ghana Airways Corporation before getting married to Professor Adrian De Heer Brookman Amissah of the University of Cape Coast. His mother was the sister of the renowned late Nana Sir Tsibu Darku, and therefore a De Heer descendant, like his wife.

Dr. Eric Arthur was born in 1940 and was educated at the Adisadel College. With a Government Scholarship he studied medicine in Hungary. On qualifying, he joined the civil service but later resigned and went into practice in partnership with Dr. Vardon Odonkor at Tema.

His first wife was Miss Graves, now Mrs. Kwesi Brew of Cape Coast. He had two children by her, a daughter named Elaine and a son named Ebow.
By his second wife he has three children named Erica, Elaine and Yorkow.

Mrs. Emily Ewurama Dzane-Selby was born in 1942 and was also educated a St Monica’s School in Ashanti Mampong.
She trained and practiced as a teacher but later got married to Mr. Dzane –Selby a Mechanical engineer employed first at Messrs Shell Company at Takoradi and later at Texaco in Accra.
He was the brother of Dr. Dzane –Selby a well-known medical practitioner and politician at Kumasi and former Ghana Ambassador to France in the Second Republic. Ewurama has one child, a son named Brian, who is a successful businessman in Accra.

Mrs. Evelyn Anie-Agyei (Mame Panyin) was born in 1945.
After her education at Aggrey Memorial School in Cape Coast. She worked for a while in Accra before getting married to her first husband, Mr. John Ashitey by whom she had two children named Ronnie and Beryl.

Her second husband was the late Alex Anie-Agyei, formerly a banker at the Bank for Housing and Construction.
She had three children by him named Sandy, Oliver and Karen.

The late Mrs. Joan Aaku’s child was the late Kojo Smith (a.k.a Uncle Kojo Smith). He was born in 1894 and died in 1982 aged 88years.
His father was from the Smith family of Mount Pleasant, Elmina.
He left the country for Nigeria rather unceremoniously soon after his marriage and the birth of his son and never returned.

Uncle Kojo Smith was a brilliant student at the old Richmond College, now Mfantsipim School.

He was originally training for the Ministry but suddenly abandoned it on account of some perceived discrimination and injustice against him.

His temperament which was unpredictable created problems for him in his relationship at his workplace, with the members of his family with his church members and with his priests.

He told his own story that during his student days he tried to stow away to Britain in the guise of a steward in a merchant ship with the assumed name of John Lionley, but he was found out, arrested and severely punished.

When his grand Uncle Peter Vanderpuye’s family decided to make contribution to help the family in Elmina they requested that someone be nominated for them to sponsor him for further studies overseas.

Uncle Kojo was eligible but was not recommended for various reasons. Eventually, he succeeded in knowing those who did not support him, and to the end of his days never forgave them.

He later succeeded in being sent abroad to study engineering and stayed with his Uncle Andrew Parker Neizer in England, but his conduct let him down and he was sent back without completing his course as it were, vindicating those who originally were unable to support his sponsorship.

He had a sharp intellect and a good retentive memory which he retained to the end.

When in the right mood and in good humour he was a brilliant conversationalist. Part of the history of the family was learnt from him.

He entered the commercial field and worked inside and outside this country for various companies including J.T. Millers, Bartholomew, Taylor Woodrow etc in Accra, Takoradi and Monrovia Liberia.

Uncle Kojo Smith married Virginia, a granddaughter of his uncle Peter Vanderpuye in Accra but she died during childbirth.

Uncle Kojo’s conduct during the disposal of his wife’s estate created much embarrassment to his siblings and brought about a strain between the family in Elmina and that in Accra, but happily, this was quickly overcome.

When he retired from active work he decided to live the rest of his life in miserable conditions in a small fishing village near Sekondi called Engresia. It was with great difficulty that he was persuaded to return to Elmina to live in the family house.

During his travels abroad he acquired some shares of the famous Anglo-American Mining Company, and he cherished the hope that with those shares he would some day come into great wealth which would enable him to start a profitable fishing business. But his hopes were never fulfilled.

He converted to Roman Catholicism in his early adulthood and with his facility for writing, he corresponded with the Vatican to ensure that the local priests were kept on their toes.

He had one child, a son, named Ebow Smith with a lady whom he never fully looked after.

Yet that son played a remarkable role during the funeral of his father. He worked in the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation as a Transport Officer.

Miss Joan Aaku (Mame Panyin) got married again after being deserted by Uncle Kojo Smith’s father. This time to Mr. Aaku, a prosperous merchant from Elmina and Anwanda.

He had a reputation of being a fine gentleman and very generous. Soon after the marriage he built for his wife the stately three storey building at Abakaano on Liverpool Street.

The land for the building is understood to have been generously donated as a free gift by the late Jacobus Vanderpuye, her mother’s uncle.

Mame Panyin had five children with Mr. Aaku, three girls and two boys one of whom died in a drowning incident during his infancy.

They included Mrs. Adriana Korsah (Auntie Simpa), Mrs. Joan Buassaw Ephson (M’wawa), Mr. K.C.A. Aaku (Uncle Kofi Aaku) and Mrs. Elizabeth Sackey (Auntie Ewuradwoa Essuon).

Auntie Simpa was born in 1898 and died on December 23rd 1975 aged 77 years. Soon after her education at Wesley Girls High School and Training Home in Cape Coast she got married to the late Kwesi Baah Korsah, a successful UAC manager who for many years was based in Winneba.

That was where he built his famous Winneba House, lately acquired by his cousin the late Kweku Atta Gardiner to retain it in the family.

The late Mr. Kwesi Baah Korsah was born in 1892 and died in 1946 aged 54 years. He was a scion of a famous Saltpond family.

His grandfather, Nana Gyandoh was the Omanhene of Amanfopong and his children included the prominent old lady of Commercial Street Cape Coast, well known as Auntie Dinah.

Her brother was old Phillip Gardiner of Anomabu, father of the late Kweku Atta Gardiner of UNO and ECA fame. His sisters were Mrs. Nancy Wood, the mother of late Kobina Wood, the late twin Gardiner sisters and Phillipa now based in Canada.

Auntie Dinah got married to a prosperous Saltpond merchant called Korsah. Her children included the late Sir Arku Korsah, the former Chief Justice of Ghana and the mother of late Madam Chintoh of Winneba and the late Mabel Graves.

Auntie Simpa had by the late Kwesi Baah Korsah seven children, four boys, one of whom died in his infancy under tragic circumstances.

The old family house in which they lived at Saltpond collapsed on them while they were asleep, after a heavy downpour of torrential rain.

The other children were Mrs. Elsie Anua Quartey (Ewuraesi Panyin), Papa Andoh Korsah, (Jimmy Bumper), Dr. Kweku Kyir Korsah, Professor Kweku G. Korsah, Madam Gyanuah Korsah and late Mrs. Essie Ackuaku (Nana Effieansa).

Mrs. Esi Quartey was born in January 1921 and was educated at the Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast.

She joined the civil service after school and worked in the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development before getting married to the late Mr. Willoughby Okantei Quartey, a pharmacist.

By him she had six children, one boy and five girls named Nii Darku, Adina Joan Amarteley, Edwina Amartiokor, Matilda Amartekai, Mary Okaikor and Christiana Okaley.

Nii Darku was educated at Odorgonno Secondary School and worked for some years at SSNIT. Now he has a bakery with his wife Beatrice with whom he has five children.

The second child Adina Amarteley was educated at Accra Girls’ Secondary School and soon after got married to the late Charles Acquah, a building contractor based in Winneba.

She had three children by him, named Nana Appiah (a.k.a Alex), Baaba Maud and Kobby.

Alex is married with five children.
Baaba Maud has two children.
Kobby was educated at Mfantsipim School and is an undergraduate at University of Cape Coast.

Adina is a building contractor in her own right.

The third child, Edwina Amartiokor got married to Mr. Vanderpuye formerly of Bank of Ghana but now based in the USA. She has two by him, a boy and a girl.

The fourth Matilda Amartekai got married to Professor Alfred Mensah of the Cape Coast University, Department of Languages after her education at Nungua Secondary School and a stint at the Information Services Department.

The fifth child, Mary Okaikor was educated at the Nungua Secondary School and Takoradi Polytechnic. She trained as a caterer and is currently employed at Achimota School as the Domestic Bursar.

She got married to Mr. Felix Amoah, an engineer who in the Third Republic of Ghana was the Eastern Regional Minister.

She has two children, a boy named Yooku and a girl named Nana Nkrumah.

Mrs. Quartey’s sixth child, Christiana Okailey born on a significant date, 6th March 1957, was educated at Nungua Secondary School. Soon after she got married to Mr. Garshong formerly of the Customs and Excise Department but now based in the USA.

She has two children, both girls Lisa and Ruby. They are both undergraduates.

Auntie Simpa’s second child, named Papa Andoh Korsah was born in 1923 and died in July 1994. He was educated at Achimota School.

He had an excellent retentive memory which could have served him well in any academic pursuit. But he could not focus on what he wanted to do in that line and therefore could not summon the will to persevere to achieve it.

He however, excelled as a sportsman at both the School and national levels, specializing in the throwing of the shot putt.

Papa Korsah joined the Army and served in the Burma Campaign of the Second World War. He was attacked to the Field Engineer Corp.

After the war he chose to be a long distance driver and had much help for this from his immediate family particularly from his mother and brother Professor K.G.Korsah. But the expected success eluded him.

He later found employment with the Volta River Authority, but prematurely and unceremoniously resigned refusing even to collect his end of service entitlement, inspite of much persuasion. The reason for this was never disclosed.

Papa Andoh Korsah had eighteen children. He was fortunate in Ekua (a.k.a Agnes Forson) one of the mothers of his children. She served him faithfully, loyally and diligently in sickness and in health till death did them part.

Ekua identified herself closely with her husband’s family and was ready to assist in all their affairs be it death, birth, marriage or whatever. She her deservingly earned much respect and affection from members of her husband’s family.

Ekua had three children by Papa Korsah, named Ewuraba (a.k.a Joan or Mame Panyin), Paa Kwesi and Cramer. Ewuraba trained and practices as dressmaker.
Paa Kwesi was at one time an employee at the Merchant Bank.
Cramer is a partner in SARADOM Enterprise.

Pap Korsah’s first wife was the daughter of the well known Mr. Albert Sam of Cape Coast.

Their daughter Gifty is married to lawyer Joe Turkson of Accra, well known as the lawyer in the weekly newspaper “The Mirror”. They have four children, three boys and one girl.

Papa Korsah’s other children include the following:
Ekua Gyanua (deceased)
Gifty
Mame Ekua
Paa Kwesi
Papa Andoh
Joe
Adwoa
Gyanua
Kobina Arhin
Nana Arhin
Paa Kwesi
Kobina Arku


Dr. K.K.Korsah was born in 1926 and was educated at Achimota School. He was brilliant at School and became the Head Prefect. He also excelled as a sportsman. He studied medicine in the United Kingdom on a Government Scholarship and later specialized in Gynecology.

K.K. joined the Civil Service after qualifying and worked for the Ministry of Health. He was stationed at various places including Kumasi, Sunyani, Yendi and Accra. For many years he was attached to the Korle Bu Teaching hospital before retiring in 1986. His children include two boys and five girls.

His first wife was Augustina (nee Buckle) the daughter of late Conrad Buckle of Efiekesim, the royal house in Cape Coast. By her, he had four children named Yookwesi or KK jnr, Ionie, Valerie and Linda.

His second wife Christine (nee Briandt) is from a respectable Osu family in Accra. By her he had a son, named Paakwesi.

Dr. Korsah had two other daughters named Fiona Baaba and Ewurasani Charlotte.
Yookwesi or KK jnr, Valerie, Ionie and Linda were all educated at Achimota School.
Yookwesi is based in London and has three children.

Valerie is also based in London working as Secretary of a company.
Linda continued her education at KNUST and qualified as a Town Planner. She is married to Dr. Osafo, a private medical practitioner and has three children.
Paa Kwesi graduated in USA and is now based there.

Ewurasani Charlotte has been in the civil service working at the Broadcasting Corporation and Fiona Baaba got married to Mr. Hammond who happened to be a distant family member. Fiona has three children too.
Ionie?

Professor K.G. Korsah was born in 1928 and was also educated at Achimota School and the University of Ghana, Legon and majored in Zoology.
On a government scholarship, he studied medicine in the United Kingdom and later specialized as an orthopedic surgeon.
He practiced at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital and rose to the position of a professor.

He later worked for a number of years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Since his retirement from the civil service about seven years ago, he has been in private practice, more or less as a peripatetic surgeon serving a number of private clinics in the Accra metropolis.

Professor Korsah is married to Lena (nee Djabanor) from a distinguished family in Odumase in Manya Krobo. Lena’s mother’s family famous for longetivity, includes the late Oklemekuku Mate Kole the former paramount chief of Manya Krobo and Dr. Konotey Ahulu, famous for his research in sickle cell anaemia and now at the Cromwell hospital in London.

Lena’s older sister is Mrs. Elsie Sowah, wife of the former Chief Justice of Ghana, the late Chief Justice E.N. Sowah.

Her twin brother lawyer Djabanor was in the judicial service during the First Republic and is now a successful farmer.

Professor and Mrs. K.G. Korsah have four children, two girls and two boys named Karen, Audrey, Kweku Baah and Phillip Paa Kwesi Gyandoh. All of them were educated at Achimota School.

Karen continued at the University of Ghana Legon and is now entrepreneurial accountant. She became Mrs. Laryea later.

Audrey studied medicine at the University of Ghana Legon and has been practicing at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. She has specialized in internal medicine and is virtually a consultant now.

She is married to Mr. George Forson, formerly of the Volta River Authority and has by him two children named Egya and Mame Esi.

Kweku Baah, the elder boy practices as an accountant and is married with two children.

Dr. Phillip Paa Kwesi Gyandoh, the younger son, practices medicine in the United Kingdom.

Madam Gyanua Korsah was born in 1930 and following family tradition was educated at the Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast. She joined the civil service and worked at the Post and Telecommunications Department for some years.

Later, she qualified in Catering and Hotel Management in the United Kingdom.
Madam Gyanua came back home to work for the Ghana State Hotels Corporations as manager at hotels in Akosombo, Takoradi and Accra.

She was married to Dr. (dentist) Abaka Boison of Cape Coast, but the marriage was not blessed with any issue.

Nana Effieansa Korsah, later Mrs. Essie Ackuaku, was born in 1932 and was educated at the Wesley Girls’ high School in Cape Coast.

She trained as a nurse/midwife in the United Kingdom and practiced her profession in this country, partly at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and partly at 37 Military Hospital.

Her husband Mr. E.A.K. Akuoku practices law. He was educated at Mfantsipim School and was brought up in Mampong Ashanti by the Hon. J.C. Akosah of the First Republic.

Nana Effieansa had four children by him two boys and two girls named Kofi Felix Dwemoh, Yaw Ampofo, Ursula and Adina.

Kofi Felix Dwemoh practices as a motor mechanic in the UK.
Yaw Ampofo, after his education at Mfantsipim qualified as an Architect at KNUST. He is currently the resident architect of VRA.

Ursula was educated at Wesley Girls’ High School and has trained as an accountant. She has one child, a daughter.       

       
Adina was also educated at Wesley Girls’ High School and graduated in Biochemistry at KNUST. For a time she worked at the Standard Board. She has one child, a son.

Mrs. Joan Buassaw Ephson (a.k.a M’wawa) was the fourth child of Mame Panyin. She was born in 1900 and died in 1981. Like her mother, she was kind and loving but also a disciplinarian.

She was educated at the Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast and got married soon after leaving school. The husband was the late Mr. E.B. Ephson a prosperous merchant of Messrs E.B. Ephson and Co. His elder brother was the late Mr. W.R. Phillips with whom he was in business partnership.

The children of the late Mr. Phillips included Dr. J.V.L. Phillips, formerly Chairman of VALCO, the late Professor Phillips, former Dean of Korle Bu Medical School, Mrs. Ellen Bartels whose husband was the famous headmaster of Mfantsipim School, and Mrs. Emma Quarshie, her husband joined the Civil Service soon after leaving Achimota School but later joined the diplomatic service. He retired after the Congo crisis where he had been serving and studied law in the United Kingdom. During the Second Republic, he became the Minister of Trade.

The late Mr. E.P. Ephson’s younger brother, also a merchant later became the chief of Abiyi, a village near Elmina. He was succeeded by Dr. W.F. Coleman with the stool name of Nana Takyi Kesse. Dr. Coleman was a former Director –General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

M’wawa had five children, all boys namely; A.W.C. Ephson, (a.k.a Uncle Anthony), Mr. J.W. Ephson (a.k.a Papa), Mr. E.B. Ephson (a.k.a Ato), Dr. P.M.J. Ephson (a.k.a old man) and Mr. W. R.P. Ephson (a.k.a Bronyi).

Uncle Anthony, the eldest was born in December 1921 and was educated at Adisadel College. He joined the Civil Service after leaving School and worked in the Treasury Department. For a couple of years he was sent on attachment to the Crown Agents in London but almost immediately after left to join the Diplomatic Service in which he rose to become Ghana’s Ambassador to Tunisia.

He has two children both based in London; Martin and Penelope, now Mrs. Clarke.
Martin is a successful businessman married to an Irish girl with whom he has three children; two boys and a girl.
Penelope recently got married to Mr. Peter Clarke of the USA. She has a son by him.

Uncle Anthony has retired and lives in London with his second wife, Naana (nee Austin).


Papa Ephson was born in 1928 and was educated at Mfantsipim School. He joined the Civil Service and worked first in the Police Department and later in the Labour Department where he rose to become Assistant Chief Labour Officer before his retirement.

He was later employed by the Standard Chartered Bank, Ghana Limited as their Industrial Adviser until he finally retired recently.

He married Mary Phillipa (nee Aacht), a granddaughter of the famous late Alfred Mensah of Elmina.

She was educated at the Wesley Girls’ High School and was brought up by her cousin Mrs. Blankson-Hemans of Cape Coast. She trained and practiced as a teacher and became a Senior Education Officer. She died in harness in October 1987

Papa Ephson had with her four children; two boys and two girls, named Jeune William jnr, Mary Phillipa now Mrs.Oppong- Acquah, Joseph Dunston Aaku, and Adina, now Mrs. Tackie-Yarboi.

Jeune William jnr the older boy is a banker based in London He is married to Evelyn Safoa (nee Gyimah) and has two sons named Reginald and Jeune William III.

Joseph Dunston Aaku (a.k.a Nana Arhin) the younger son trained as an auto mechanic and is based in Elmina. Married to Christiana (nee Techie - Menson), they have three sons named Kweku Arhin, Kobina Arhin and Kobina William.

Mary Phillipa, the older girl, teaches French in a Secondary school. She is married to Mr. Jacob Oppong –Acquah an ordained Minister of the Gospel. They have three children named Mame Araba, Yookow and Ato Kwamina.       
The younger daughter Adina is a banker married to a fellow banker in the person of Mr. Tackie-Yarboi. Their two children are called Daniel and Jerry.

Ato Ephson, M’wawa’s third son was born in 1930 and was also educated at Mfantsipim School. He joined the Civil Service and worked in the Ministry of Health mostly at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as a Radiographer after training in the subject on Government Scholarship in the UK.

He married the late Hope Ephson (nee DeHeer), daughter of the late Nana Sir Tsibu Darku, Omanhene of Assin Atandansu Traditional area. She was thus like her husband, also a great grand child of the founder of the family, Madam Ekua Kwabah, alias Mrs. John Vanderpuye.

They had three children two boys and a girl named E.B. jnr, Adrian and Joan.

E.B. or Dada had a legal education at the University of Ghana, Legon and is now one of Ghana’s most respected journalists as editor of the newspaper, The Daily Dispatch.

Adrian joined the Civil Service after leaving School and now works at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.

Joan trained as a radiographer after leaving Holy Child School, but now operates a private business.

Old Man or Dr. P.M.J. Ephson was M’wawa’s fourth son born in 1932 and educated at the Mfantsipim School and the University of Ghana, Legon.
He later went to the UK on Government scholarship to study medicine. He settled in the UK to practice his profession and later got married to a local girl with whom he has a daughter named Lisa.

M’wawa’s fifth son, Bronyi (a.k.a W.R.P Ephson) was born in 1934 and as usual in the family, was educated at Mfantsipim School where he also taught for a while.
He had a stint at the Ghana Military Academy, hoping to become a Commissioned Officer, but could not complete the course for health reasons. He later worked at various establishments, including Ghana Commercial Bank and Ghana Supply Commission.

He is married to Charlotte (nee Ardayfio) and they have five children, four girls and one boy named Freda, Carmelita, Charlotte, Baaba and Yookwesi.
Except for Carmelita who was educated at Mfantsiman Secondary School at Saltpond, the other three girls went to the Wesley Girls’ High School.

Freda, the eldest was born in April 1959. She specialized in the Computer business and now works for Nestle as their Marketing Manager for West Africa.
She is married to Mr. Eddie Duplan of Tema and has by him two sons named John Pierre and Pighon.

Carmelita now Mrs. Otoo, was born in May 1961 and is based in the USA with her husband with whom she has three children one boy and two girls named Dean, Desiree and Diera.

Charlotte Ewurasani was born in December 1963. She graduate from KNUST and practiced as a Secretary and a banker. She is married to Mr. Chris Addo, a Civil Engineer and has by him two daughters named Shawn and Korye.

Baaba was born in June 1969 and trained as a Secretary. She is married to Mr. Akuffo in the insurance business, and has three daughters by him named Claire, Noellene and Diande.

Yookwesi was born in October 1971 and was educated at Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast. He is currently a private businessman based in London.


Uncle Kofi Aaku (a.k.a K.C.A. Aaku) was the fifth child of Mame Panyin (Mrs. Joan Aaku). He was born in 1902 and died in 1978.

He was educated at the old Richmond College, now Mfantsipim School and chose the Commercial field for his career.

He worked for the UAC at various stations in the country including Takoradi, Koforidua, Kumasi and Accra.

On his retirement he worked for the Piccadilly Biscuits Company.
He married Eva, nee Sackey, one of the daughters of the famous Reverend Ebenezer Amos Sackey of the Methodist Mission.

Her mother was the daughter of Prince Owusu Ansah, an uncle of the late Asantehene, Nana Kofi Karikari. He was sent to be trained in the UK by the British government as a gesture of friendship top the Asantehene.

Auntie Eva was personable, full of wit and humour. She was also an accomplished organist.

Her younger sister, Madam Valerie Sackey, an educationist was for years the Chairperson of the National Trust Fund.
Her elder brother Dr. E.A. Sackey, the renowned electrical engineer of the VRA.

Uncle Kofi had four children, two girls and two boys namely, Pastor Vidal Aaku, Joan Aaku, Nana Ahima and Yookow Cramer.

Joan is a secretary, Ahima is a teacher and Cramer is an electrical engineer.

Auntie Ewuradwoa Essuon (a.k.a Mrs. Elizabeth Sackey) was born in 1908 and died in 1988.

She was also educated at the Wesley Girls’ High School and trained as a nurse/midwife.

She was in private practice most of her life and made a great success of her profession.

She was soft spoken like her mother and senior sisters but was also shrewd and scrupulously honest with an admirable administrative and organizational ability. This was proven by how she shouldered the responsibilities of the Circuit Steward of the Elmina Methodist Church.

She inherited the gracious qualities of her forbears and was able to support single-handedly a household of senior aged sisters and an aged brother a swell as others. It demanded a lot of sacrifices but she proved equal to them.

Auntie Ewuradwoa married Mr. Kwesi Mensah Sackey of Mount Pleasant, Elmina. He was a career Civil Servant and worked as Station Master for Ghana Railways.

His father’s first wife was the late Madam Hemens, the daughter of the old man Hemens of Bantama in Elmina.

Her mother was from Mankessim and Anyamaimu and had two daughters one of whom became the wife of Reverend Sackey of the AME Zion Mission and the mother of our own K.O. Sackey. The other daughter Auntie Christina became the wife of the late Omanhene Samson of Mankessim.

Madam Hemens was brought up in the Ivory Coast where she met and married old man Sackey. For many years the marriage was not blessed with issues, and this brought about the separation.

Madam Hemens thereafter got married again, this time to the late Fred Sam of Winneba, and at the age of 40, three years in 1910, brought forth triplets only one of who survived and was named Dorothy Sam. Ten years later, at fifty three years she had another child, a son named Fred Sam Annan.

Madam Hemens’ daughter Dorothy grew to become a famous personality combining beauty with brains, Single-handedly, she fought to have the lands of the inhabitants of Ba…….., her grandmother’s village near Mankessim restored to their rightful owners and thereby virtually became their queen mother.

Dorothy Sam married the late E.T. Samson of “Obra Compass” House at Tantri in Cape Coast and was a cousin of the Qaugraines. Daughter of that marriage named Christiana became the mother of Mrs. Dorothy Hage, the proprietress of Petit Pharmacy at Ahodwo in Kumsi;Dorothy Ata-Badu, proprietress of Coco Beach at LA in Accra, Mrs. Edna Arthur , Madam Marian Samson of USA and Emman Samson of Accra and Eddie Samson of London.

Madam Hemens died in 1969 aged 102 years. Her daughter, the surviving triplet died in 1950 aged only fifty years.

By his second marriage, old man Sackey also had many children. They included the mother of late Kwesi Mensah Sackey, the husband of Auntie Ewuradwoa Essuon, and his sister, the wife of the late lawyer Hayfron-Benjamin of Cape Coast, Auntie Maud, the wife of Nana Sir Tsibu Darku, the late Nana Tutu Dadzie and the mother of Sammy Dakowski, Mrs. Abigail Dom and others.

Auntie Ewuradwoa Essuon had four children with Mr. Sackey namely Ewurakosua a.k.a Mrs. Marian Mercer-Ricketts; Ewurafua a.k.a Mrs. Christiana Brodie-Mends, Mr. Ebo Derx Sackey and Professor Kwesi Sackey both of whom reside in the USA. The girls were both educated at the Wesley Girls’ High School and Mfantsipim was the school of choice for the boys.

Ewurakosua has two children with the late Dr. Mercer –Ricketts of Cape Coast, a boy named Sam –George now residing in the UK and a girl Herty who lives in the USA.

Ewurafua’s husband, lawyer Brodie – Mends, now occupies the stool of his great grandfather, Chief Kweku Andoh of Elmina.

He is thus the nephew of the late R.P.Baffour, the Most Reverend Dominic Andoh and Nana Ekow Eyiku I a.k.a David Awotwi.

Ewurafua’s children were both girls one of whom died while a young adult. Ewurafua herself died two years later in a tragic motor accident.
The younger daughter named Nana Amissah is married to Mr. Asante and are based in the UK with their three children, two boys and a girl.

Ebo has decided to settle in the USA.

Professor Kwesi Sackey studied medicine at the University of Ghana, Legon and specialized in pediatrics in the USA.

He practiced for a while in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and later went back to the USA.

He is married to Eugenia (nee Warmann) and they have two sons named Kwesi jnr and Kobby.

The late old man, Mr. Dunston Aaku, Mame Panyin’s husband, had a close relative called MenaNyame Ngyawo who came to live with him at a very young age and grew up with Mr. Aaku’s children, that is Auntie Simpa, M’wawa and the others, and acquired the gracious qualities of that family. She has since then remained a member of the Vanderpuye family of Elmina.

She married the late Mr. Osman, a Moslem Police Officer and she converted to Islam. Travelling with her husband on transfer to various stations around the country, she lost touch with the family for a while.

She had a daughter who was named Mame Sumuna after the illustrious Aunt of Mrs. Aaku, and the elate grandmother of the late Nana Sir Tsibu Darku.

The daughter, Mame Sumuna married the late Mr. Awal also a Moslem and employed by the Ghana Railways where they have practically lived all their lives in Takoradi. On his retirement, Mr. Awal moved to settle in Accra with their eight children, four boys and four girls. They are named Ismail, Mamoud, Ramatu, Majood, Nafisa, Najib, Hamda and Moresca.

Ismail joined the Civil Service and worked in the Ministry of Health. He has two children named Aliyu and Ahmed.
Mamoud worked for a Printing and Publishing Company and has four children named Bashuru, Osman, Hamda?
Ramatu is an Assistant Manager at State Insurance Company. She is married to Mr. Abu Dodoo, a Quantity Surveyor and they have four children named, Mohamed, Ahmed, Hawa and Saddique.

Majeed is a businessman based in Accra.
Nafisa is also a businessman married with four children, two sons and two daughters named Barquise, Najoed? Muna and Luckman.
Najib is a financial analyst and is married now with three children named NyameNgyawo, Adisa and Faisel.
Hamda trained as a nurse and practices in the USA. She has two sons named Jawal and Jallal?
Moresca is an undergraduate at the Islamic University in Accra.

MAME SUMUNA
(a.k.a. CATHERINE VANDERPUYE)

Mame Adwoa Sumuna, a.k.a. Catherine Vanderpuye was the second daughter of Madam Ekua Kwabah (Mrs. John Vanderpuye).

She was born in 1835 and died in 1923 aged 88 years. Her elder sister was Mame Aba Dabinmu or Marian Vanderpuye. When she died in 1882 the custody of the family Black Stool became the responsibility of Mame Sumuna.

Mame Sumuna married the late Andrew DeHeer. The marriage was solemnized in the Dutch National Church at the Elmina Castle in 1862. It was uncommon in those days.

For many years the marriage was a happy and peaceful one. It was blessed with five children, two boys and three girls, named Efua Adriana, later Mrs. Benyarku, Efua Yeyibah who died in her infancy, Adrian Nicholas DeHeer or Akodae DeHeer, Jacob Webber DeHeer and Aba Anaisiwah otherwise known as Mrs. “Africa” Mensah.

The late Mr. Andrew Nicholas DeHeer was born in 1830 and died in 1875 aged 45 years.

He started his education in the Dutch School in the Elmina Castle and completed at the Anomabo Methodist School.

He belonged to a family with an unenviable record in commerce, politics and national service.

They were Dutch descendants.
His father was Adrian Nicholas DeHeer who married Madam Efua Yeyibah (a.k.a. Madam Edward) from the Ebiradze clan, also known for some reason as “Africa” Ebiradze clan.

They had two children, Andrew and his sister Ekua Anaisiwah or Adriana DeHeer. She later married one of the Wartembergs.

The old man Arian Nicholas DeHeer himself was reputed to have been a prosperous businessman, who owned several servants and workers, most of whom perished in one of the wars of the time in which he participated.
His son Andrew, joined the British Mercantile Service, on leaving School, and later also became a wealthy merchant.

His business partners included a British Company with its headquarters in Bristol, England and which owned a shipping line.

The captain of one of their ships was called Jacob Webber, and he became one of Andrew’s closest associates.

It was in his honour that he had one of his sons named after him.
Andrew acquired a plot of land in Awene (the pottery industry area) in Elmina and built a stone house there for his immediate family, but his sisters’ children, the Wartembergs, following the matrilineal inheritance system, inherited the house when he died.

Andrew took part in the Fante/Elmina War of 1868 although as a Dutch descendant he was not obliged to get involved.

He did nevertheless, and showed remarkable bravery which earned him acknowledgement and much appreciation by the # 2 Akyemfo Asafo Company, on whose side he fought.

After the war he was honoured with the title and status of Safohene by the Asafo Company.

A story is told of an adventure he had with Captain Webber soon after the 1868 Fante/ Elmina War. They visited the fishing village of Dwemah otherwise called Mumford, but they had a very hostile reception. The reason being that Dwemah people as Gomoas had fought on the Fante side which saw defeat in the war.
Therefore, soon after the war they were in no mood to entertain kindly on Gomoa territory any Elmina people.

For the visit Captain Webber took with him two sets of boatmen, one of Kroomen and the other Elmina fishermen. On landing the Elmina boatmen were captured and made hostages. A ransom amount of forty dollars and a cask of puncheon rum had to be paid for their release.

When Captain Webber later reported the incident to the authorities in Cape Coast, the people of Dwemah were ordered to refund the money and cask of rum.
Captain Webber donated same to his friend Andrew DeHeer for the embarrassment he and the Elmina boatmen had suffered.

Andrew DeHeer and his wife Adwoa Sumuna suffered tragic experiences in later life.

They became one of the victims of the British bombardment of the Elmina Castle in 1873.

This was occasioned by the refusal of the Omanhene Nana Kobina Gyan and the majority of his people to accept the sudden imposition on them of British Administration, in place of the Dutch rule under which they had lived peacefully and happily for the past 236 years.

The changes took the local people by surprise since no prior consultations with them on the matter had taken place.

After the bombardment, it was understood that the authorities in Cape Coast sought to settle some old scores by arranging for two groups of hooligans from Cape Coast and Jukwa to go over to Elmina to loot and destroy whatever was left.

Directly as a result of this, many wealthy families in Elmina, including the DeHeer family lost practically all their possessions and were made instant paupers.

The distress caused was considerable especially for women who lost all their valuable jewelry and heirloom they had inherited or patiently gathered over many years as it were with a rake.

Many deaths occurred in consequence especially as there was a great famine in Elmina at that time.

Undoubtedly, all this must have affected Andrew DeHeer one way or the other leading to his death two years later in 1875.

Andrew was a great churchman and a keen supporter of the Methodist Church.

Three years after his death his widow, Mame Sumuna got married to the late Mr. Isaac Ussher.

He was a missionary agent based in Tarkwa in the Wassa District.
He later worked in Appolonia as one of the first pioneers of the Methodist Mission in the area.

He subsequently left the Missionary field to become an agent for Messrs F & A. Swanzy.

Late Mr. Ussher had a reputation of being a fine gentleman, generous and scrupulously honest. It is understood that the house at Akyeamu in Elmina, known as Sumuna House was provided by him.

He died in Beyin in 1894 from an asthmatic fit and was buried there.

Mame Sumuna had by late Mr. Ussher, one girl named Victoria Grace Ussher, she later became Mrs. Cornelius or Aunt Araba Grace.

Mame Sumuna’s eldest child was Efua Adriana DeHeer who later became Mrs. Benyarku. Efua Adrian was born in 1863 and died 4th July 1901 aged 38 years.
She was first married to the late C.C. Aikins or Ekyen Kobina from the Smith family of Mount Pleasant, Elmina, and his mother being Aba Yahan.

There was one child of the marriage, a son named Kwesi Ewusie Aikins.
Efua Adriana’s second marriage was to the late Jabez Benyarku, a missionary agent based in Cape Coast. By him she had three children, two girls and a boy named Araba Nyarkoa (Mary Benyarku), Amo Instifuah or Elizabeth Benyarku, and Kwamina Benyarku also known as Peter Brown Benyarku.

Kwesi Ewusie, Efua Adriana’s first child was born in 1881. He died in Zaria, Nigeria on 25th May 1925 aged 43 years.

Kwesi was academically, an infant prodigy. He started schooling in Axim but was at a very early age able to start his secondary education at the old Collegiate School at Cape Coast, later Richmond College, and now Mfantsipim School.

Reverend Assam was then the principal of the School. He was an able and painstaking person who later had Reverend S.B. Attoh- Ahuma to succeed him.
Kwesi showed much promise and was recommended to his family in 1899 to be sent abroad for further studies. Accordingly, it was arranged to have him sent to the Colwyn Bay Institute in England.

He caused some sensation when about to set sail on the SS Fante in September 1899 he traveled as a second class passenger. A very unusual occurrence for a African because in order to cut costs in those days, the generality of students were made to travel in the guise of ship stewards or attendants to the captains of the ships they traveled on.

Kwesi’s status on board gave a signal to how he was expected to be treated.

At Colwyn Bay, Kwesi caused more surprises. Being an African. He was not credited with much intelligence or ability, by either his colleagues or the authorities of the Institute. But in the first term examination his results were outstanding

.
He was second in class, scoring 80% and over in Greek and other subjects.
He wrote home intimating that the standard at the Institute was rather low and therefore requested change to another school with a much higher standard.
There was sympathy at home for his request but it could not be granted immediately as his fees for the whole year at Colwyn Bay had been paid in advance.

However, in the summer of the following year 1900, it was possible to arrange for him to obtain admission at the Oakes Institute at Birkenhead, and under the guardianship of Miss. S. B. Marples. She was reputed to be a generous open hearted person who had gone out of her way to assist foreign students, particularly those from Africa.

Apparently, it was through her indefatigable efforts that a Ghanaian in the person of late Kwesi Quainoo of Saltpond went through his course at Colwyn Bay and later completed his medical course at Edinburgh.

Late Kwesi Quainoo was unfortunate when returning home after his qualification. He died on board and was buried in Sierra Leone.

Miss Marples, in her typical ways, sought support from friends and had a headstone erected for Kwesi in his memory where he was buried.

Meanwhile, Kwesi Ewusie did not find it easy at Birkenhead. This was partly because; the authorities had practically no experience of African students; that in fact they had never encountered one. His ability was therefore suspect. But Kwesi was up to the challenge and continued to cause surprises.

Barely a month after entering the Institute his headmaster was greatly impressed by his studiousness. He considered it exceptional. Therefore, partly out of admiration and partly out of curiosity, Kwesi was made virtually a permanent guest at the headmaster’s house every Sunday at teatime!

The headmaster is said to have had occasion to have remarked that if the English students at the Institute could be half as studious as Kwesi, his Institute would excel in academic performance and become on eof the best in the country.
As expected, Kwesi passed his COP examinations without difficulty. He even competed for the FETES scholarship and was successful. That enabled him to do a three year course in Mechanics at the Liverpool University starting from 1904.

However, two years later in 1906, he suffered a set back when his main sponsors at home run into financial difficulties and could not continue to support him. His studies therefore had a break for two years. He faced the choice of either going back home without completing his course but with only a diploma or an Inter BSc. Degree in engineering, or staying on to find some way of continuing his studies. He chose the latter course of action and succeeded in entering Brisbeck College in London to qualify in Practical surveying and assaying. He later proceeded to FREIBERLHEAD to do a course in practical mining before returning home in 1908.

The irony was that, after all his academic achievements he faced a problem trying to secure suitable employment in Europe.

No company seemed prepared to give him a job.
Whenever he applied for one he was advised to go back home to seek employment with local companies or team up with others to establish and operate a mining concern of their own.

Back home he had a checkered career and was employed at several places.
His first job was at the BRUMASE mine; second was with the FURA Dredging Company where he met Abu Turner his later partner; third he was offered appointment as Assistant Manager at the Akoko Mine; fourth was with the Jos Tin mine in Nigeria, where he also worked with a French Company; sixth was in Kano, where he started a trading business of his own in which he achieved much success and enabled him to acquire several plots of land from the Nigerian Government and also come home on leave in leave.

Back in Nigeria, he established his own company under the name Kwesi Ewusie and Co. with a European sleeping partner.

Unfortunately, for Kwesi it was during the 1914/18 War which brought in its wake world economic depression.

The slump in trade affected businesses all over the world and Kwesi’s business was not spared. He faced crippling losses and a number of bad debts. He was sued for a large sum of money he could not pay.
This led to all his slaves and property being attached. This however did not discourage him. He hoped that in time world conditions would improve for things to right themselves and for him too.

Meanwhile he removed his headquarters from Kano to Zaria and visited Jos where he succeeded in making satisfactory business arrangements. Unfortunately, he was taken ill returning from Jos and after a brief hospitalization passed away on 26th May 1924, and was buried in Zaria.

Kwesi’s death was a sad blow to his family, his friends and to all who knew him. They were devastated by his loss. He was loving and open-hearted and would have been a wonderful asset to his dependants.

Araba Nyarkoa (Mary Benyarku) was the second child of Mrs. Adriana Benyarku. She was open-hearted and hard working. She specialized in fish processing in which she achieved much success.

She was first married to Mr. Nympha of Elmina by whom she had three children, a boy and two girls named Isaac Kweku, Ama Maanan and Esi Anoah.

Ama Maanan had little schooling before starting petty trading, in which she achieved indifferent success. She had no child of her won but took extraordinary care of those of her siblings. She died in rather pitiable circumstances.

Esi Anoah married soon after leaving school, and had a son named Kwesi Forson.
Kwesi joined the Civil Service after leaving school but became a famous bandsman playing the alto saxophone in the erstwhile Black Beats and Ramblers Bands led by late King Bruce and Jerry Hansen respectively.

Kwesi had four children named Kwesi Ewusie, Kwamina Benyarku, Isaac Nympha and Nana Sabah.

The late Isaac Nympha was educated at the Methodist School in Elmina. On passing the Civil Service examination, he worked at the Gold Coast Railways, but retired rather prematurely to start his own trading business in Accra, in which he prospered. He was a most friendly and generous individual, full of wit and humour.
His greatest delight was to see his kinsfolk succeeding in life and would go to all ends to support them.

He was stricken by blindness in later life and lived out the rest of his days in Sekondi.

His children include Kate, a nursing sister based in the US, and Egya, an architect based in Takoradi.

Mame Nyarkoa’s second marriage was with Mr. H.E. Asmah of Elmina. He was originally based in Axim as the bookkeeper of Messrs Millers and Co., but later settled in Elmina as a professional tailor.
The four children of that marriage include Susuanna (Araba Yardodo), the late Kwamina Entsuah, Paa Kaye, and Ekua Anaisiwah (Mrs. Faustina Hans- Jorie).

Susuanna or Araba Yardodo got married to the late Moses of Cape Coast and had by him six children only one of whom survived. Araba started out as a trader but later became a missionary.

The late Kwamina Entsuah was born in 1921 and died in 1989. He was educated at the Methodist School in Elmina and got employed by the Ghana Railway Corporation as a locomotive driver.
He had four children namely; Mame Sumuna, Nana Anaisiwah, Mame Efua and Kofi.

Paa Kaye was born in 1925 and was also educated at the Methodist School at Elmina. He is based in Accra and has tried his hands at various jobs with indifferent success.

He is married to Madam Elizabeth Suapim and has five children by her called Mame Araba (Mary), Jacob De Heer, Mame Nyarkoa, Kobina Anaisie, and Nana Akrasie.

Ekua Anaisiwah or Mrs. Hans-Jorie was born in 1929 and was educated at the Methodist School also. She later continued her education at the Cape Coast Government Girls’ School.

By her first marriage, she had two daughters named Elizabeth and Beatrice Andoh-Kesson.

Her second marriage was to a business man called Mr. Hans- Jorie of Elmina but based in Accra.

Faustina was in business partnership with her husband. Initially, they achieved reasonable success but the general deterioration of the financial circumstances of the country particularly as regards scarcity of foreign exchange affected their business adversely. She on the side established a bread baking industry which flourished.

Ekua is a strong willed individual who does not suffer fools gladly. She had with Mr. Hans- Jorie six children, two boys and four girls named Francis, Jacob, Mrs. Ohene Amoako, Mrs. Boateng, Mrs. Blankson and Mary.


Mame Nyarkoa also had step children one of whom happened to be Canon A.E. Asmah of the Anglican Church.
He formerly worked with Customs where he held several appointments including Chief Inspector of Customs, Collector – in – charge, from time to time at the three ports of Tema, Accra and Takoradi.
While acting as Comptroller of Customs he trained as for the priesthood and was ordained as a priest in the Anglican Church.
He retires as a Canon after serving ion the field for a number of years.

The late Peter Brown Benyarku or Uncle Kwamina Benyarku was the third child of Mrs. Adriana Benyarku.

After his education at the Methodist School in Elmina, he joined the Civil Service after passing the entrance exam and worked at Customs in several stations including Saltpond where he got married and had his children.

The late Elizabeth Benyarku or Araba Instifuah was the last child of Mrs. Adriana Benyarku. She became a trader after leaving school but never attained great heights in that occupation.
She had five children named; Kobina I.D. Mensah, Cecilia Mensah, Adriana Mensah, Adwoa Tekyiwa nee Aaku and later Mrs. Mary Van Dyke and Araba Centenary or Agnes Eshun.

Cecilia Mensah died while a young adult.
The late I.D. Mensah was educated at the Methodist School and later at Adisadel College in Cape Coast. At school, work or home, he was a flamboyant character. He established a trading business of his own on the lines of his cousin Isaac Nymphas’ but he achieved little success.
He eventually settled in Elmina after a long sojourn in Sekondi, but died in a drowning incident.
He is survived by his daughters Kate and Adriana.

The late Adriana Mensah married soon after leaving school and had two children, a boy named Dick Cudjoe and Elizabeth Cudjoe, the girl.
Adriana their mother, died soon after their birth.
Her son Dick is currently an accountant with Messrs FULGRIP in Accra.

Adwoa Tekyiwa or Mrs. Mary Van Dyke was educated at the St. Mary’s Convent in Elmina and later at the Holy Child School in Cape Coast.
She trained as a teacher and has practiced her profession all along.
She is a private person, soft –spoken and long suffering.
Her husband, the late Harold Hopwood Van Dyke was a scion of the famous Van Dyke family of Elmina.

He was a practicing accountant but retired rather prematurely after a protracted illness.

Their six children are all boys, including Robert, H.M., Charles, Jerry, Fred and Harold.

Robert is married with two children called Emerald and Aubrey.

H.M. was brilliant at school and taught at Achimota School for some time. He later sought greener pastures in Nigeria but returned home to die unexpectedly in 1999. He never married.
Charles is married with one daughter named Mary.

Jerry is also married, with two daughters named Ekua Instifuah and Mena.

Fred has three children named, Phyllis, Kojo and Kobina.

Harold’s daughter is named Adriana.

Araba Centenary or Mrs. Agnes Eshun was born on January 1st 1935 and was educated at the Methodist Mixed School in Elmina.

She trained as a dressmaker and got married early to Mr. Frank Eshun who was a school master but later was got enstooled as Barimah Kodwo Eduakwa IV of Attrankwa.

By him Araba had eight children named, Rita, Lillian, Sarah, Efua Ampomah, Tekyiwa, Frank and Stephen.

Lillian and Efua Ampomah died as young adults.
Rita was educated at the Catholic Girls’ School Elmina and later Archbishop Porters’ Girls School at Takoradi.

She has four children named, Lois, Polycup, Claudia and Duodoo.
Sarah attended the Local Council School and Edinaman Secondary School in Elmina and later trained as a Community Health Nurse.
She is based at Akim Oda.
Her children are three, named Corria, Linda and Lucy.
Franco or Mrs. Anderson Aidoo was educated at the Local Council School and St. Mary’s Vocational School, both in Elmina.
She trained as a dressmaker and is currently based in Elmina.
Her two children are named Jeune and Ewurama.
Tekyiwa attended the Ridge Experimental School in Akim Oda, OLA Boarding School in Elmina and Mfantsiman Girls’ School at Saltpond.
Frank was educated at the Anglican Mixed School in Elmina, Ghana National College in Cape Coast, Achimota School and at KNUST where he qualified as an architect.

He is currently a Resident Architect for Manet Real Estate Developers in Accra.
Stephen was also educated at the Anglican Mixed School in Elmina and at the Ghana National College in Cape Coast.
He is based in Accra as a private businessman and a marketing consultant.

ADRIAN NICHOLAS DE HEER
(AKODAE DE HEER)

Akodae was the third child of Mame Sumuna.
He was born at 10 a.m. on Good Friday 19th April 1867 at Dapum, his grandfather’s house, near the Castle Bridge at Elmina.
He died in Elmina in 1934 aged 67 years.

He was educated at the Elmina Methodist School and started his career as a wholesale keeper of Messrs F & A. Swanzy at Axim. He later became a Customs Officer at Cape Coast until failing eyesight forced him to retire in 1920, and so back to live the rest of his days in Elmina.
He was a fine gentleman, soft-spoken, shrewd and hardworking.

Much of what is known of the Elmina Vanderpuye family is owed to him. He dictated what he knew for whoever was around and capable, to write it down. His notes have been preserved particularly on account of some of those who did the writing.

They included no less a person than the illustrious first President of Ghana, the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He had befriended the Cornelius brothers of Elmina while a student at Amisano Seminary. They were Akodae De Heer’s nephews and lived in the same house with him at Elmina.

That was where Kwame Nkrumah too came to live during his holidays.
Now and again, he sat with the old man, listened to what he said and took notes of them.

The notes in Kwame Nkrumah’s handwriting at least, are worth preserving. They could be worth millions of cedis at some future date to collectors of his memorabilia.

Akodae De Heer’s children hailed from two houses at Cape Coast. The Apirase house on Instin Street was where his wife Mame Kyerebah resided. She bore him three daughters and five sons. The daughters were

The other house at Kokoadu off Ashanti Road, Cape Coast where his second wife, Madam Efua Tekyiwah (nee Dadson) resided. She bore him three children, namely; Yahans Cramer (Kobina Yahans), Andrew Nicholas (Ekow Anaisie), and one daughter named Aba Akyer who died in her infancy.

Madam Efua Tekyiwah is understood to have been related to King Amankra Efutu, the founder of the Abadzie clan and the stool of Fantse Nyankumase in Assin Atandansu traditional area.

His sister, Madam Wi Adwoa was the great, great grandmother of Madam Efua Tekyiwa.

Madam Wi Adwoa married from a Komenda family and had a daughter named Aba Asemena. She married Egya Kweku Atta, the brother of Cornelius Bartels, a wealthy Elmina merchant, and had a daughter by him named Akosua Hyerbuaba, who bore Aba Nyenba, the mother of Madam Efua Tekyiwah.

Efua Tekyiwah also hailed from the Assinie Royal family (Gyamfua house) of the Assin Atandansu traditional area.
Her father was oldman Dadson of Dixcove.
She died in Cape Coast in May 1942 as a result of an accident at Apirase during the final funeral rites for Madam Kyerebah, the senior wife of her husband!
But she is best remembered as the mother of Nana Sir Tsibu Darku.

Madam Aba Nyenba was first married to a Mr. Smith of Cape Coast.
Her second husband was the oldman Dadson of Dixcove with whom she
had five children, the eldest being Efua Tekyiwah nee Hagar Dadson.

A cousin of Efua Tekyiwahs’ called Esi Sarr married the famous Jacob Wilson Sey – Kwa Bronyi, a rich merchant from the village of Tuakwa near Abura Dunkwa. He became the first President of the Aborigines Rights’ Protection Society.

Nana Sir Tsibu Darku IV was born on 19th March 1902 and died on 12th April 1982 aged 80 years.
Before his enstoolment he was known as Ekow Nicholas and lived in Cape Coast in his early years.

He was educated at the AME Zion School in Cape Coast and St. Nicholas Grammar School, now Adisadel College.

On leaving school in 1923, he worked in the junior division of the Political Administration under the late DC Mr. A.F.E. Fieldgate.

Sir Tsibu Darku married Maud Sackey or Auntie Maud, one of the daughters of the oldman Sackey of PWD, Cape Coast.

Auntie Maud was educated at St. Monica’s Convent in Cape Coast where she excelled in mathematics and housecraft. As a person, she was reserved and was of quiet disposition.

She had five children for Sir Tsibu Darku, two boys and three girls, namely Dr. Nicholas De Heer, Mr. Adrian De Heer, Mrs. Grace Bart Plange, Mrs. Sarah Krakue and Mrs. Hagar Arthur.

Sir Tsibu Darku as a traditional chief had other wives who bore him fourteen children. Some of them are deceased namely; Ama Anaisiwah the eldest, Mrs. Hope Ephson, Mr. William Rolla who died in a motor accident, and Mrs. Irene Y. Akrofur.

The others still living include James Parker, an agricultural engineer, Professor Kofi Hyeburah, a chest surgeon, James Emmanuel, Allen, Kweku Nyan, Ekow Anaisie, Ekua Mena, Adriana, Christiana and Rita Efua Joe.

Dr. Nicholas A. De Heer was educated at the Adisadel College and the University of Ghana; and later studied medicine at the Westminster Hospital in London.
O n qualifying in 1958 he worked for the Ministry of Health, serving at several stations including the Volta Region the Volta Region, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra Regions.

From 1967 to 1972 he was the Chief Medical Nutritionist.
From 1973 to 1981 he was on secondment as head of the Commonwealth Regional Health Secretariat for West Africa based in Nigeria.
From 1984 to 1993, he worked as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine, first with the West Berkshire Health Authority then with the Shropshire Health Authority as a Medical Advisor to the County Council.
On his retirement in 1993, he was employed for three years as Advisor to the Ministry of Education in Health Education programmes for schools.
He has now finally retired and is in private practice.

Mr. Adrian Nicholas De Heer was educated at Achimota School. On leaving school he joined the Civil Service and worked at the Cooperative Department, for a few years before proceeding to Britain to train as a cost accountant. He thereafter, worked for Messrs Parkinson Howard for sometime before moving to Switzerland to work with Du Pont Nemours International.
He retired in 1997 after 25 years service and now lives in Switzerland with his wife and two children.


Professor Kofi Hyebuah was educated at Adisadel College but did his sixth for in the UK.
He obtained a Government scholarship to study medicine in Germany.
He later specialized in Chest diseases and is working for the University College Hospital in Hamburg, Germany as a chest surgeon.

Late Mrs. Joana Akofur joined the Civil Service and for over thirty years worked in different parts of the country with the Customs Department. She died in harness on Good Friday 29th March 2002.

Mrs. Grace Bart-Plange trained as a nurse midwife. She married the late E.J. Bart-Plange at one time Commissioner of Labour. She now lives in retirement at Cape Coast. Died------

Mrs. Sarah Harriet Krakue was educated at St. Monica’s School in Cape Coast and Ashanti Mampong. She trained later as a dressmaker at the famous Barret School off Baker Street in London.

She returned to Ghana to set up a thriving dress making business in Accra.
Later she married Mr. Stephen Krakue, Managing Director of Ayiem Oil Mills and a prominent politician.

Andrew Nicholas De Heer had two children named Kobina Anaisie – Nicholas Andrew De Heer and Kofi Adzi also A. N. De Heer. The latter with his children have lost touch with the family, but the former and his children are here with us.'

The children include : Adrian, the head nurse at Cape Coast Regional hospital; Adrian De Heer or Papa Adzi lives in Cape Coast; Emelia De Heer lives in Accra; Andrew De Heer who lives in the USA,; James De Heer who also lives in the USA; Mercy De Heer also in the USA; Asimah De Heer in Cape Coast, and Aba Becky De Heer in Accra. Charles De Heer is deceased.


Nana William Edu De Heer had only one son who worked as a dispenser at Komenda.

Late Jack Webber De Heer had eleven children scattered all over at Mpohor, Sese, Tema , Kumasi, Takoradi, Dixcove and Cape Coast.
For instance, George Samina Wilson De Heer is at Dixcove; Kate lives at Agona Junction, Monica Yacoba in Dixcove, Mrs. Emelia Bonney at Tema, Emelia Arthur DeHeer (Mame Kyerba) also lives at Tema, Grace in Tema, Anna De Heer Anderson is at Takoradi, Ato Kwamina is also in Takoradi and James lives in Kumasi.
Kojo De Heer and Emma De Heer are deceased.


Mrs. Lovelace – Johnson had four children namely; Mrs. Marsha Thompson, William Edmund, Mrs. Georgial Kwame and Dr. A.N. DeHeer of Tema.
With the exception of the doctor in Tema, the others are deceased.

Mrs. Adriana Brookman – Amissah had six children, four boys and two girls.
They are William or Paa Kwesi, Joseph or Ebo, Professor A.N. DeHeer – Amissah or Papa Adzi, Augustus or Nana Nyarko, Joyce and Mrs. Monica Assandoh or Mame Kyerba.


Jacob Webber De Heer was Mame Sumuna’s fourth child.
He was born in 1869 and died at sea in November 1908.
He started his education at the Elmina Methodist School and completed at Axim in 1885.

In 1879, the late John Egbert became his guardian; that was when he was residing at Princess Town in the Axim district. The late Egbert was a bosom friend of Jacob’s father and a distant cousin of his mother.

After Jacob’s education in 1885, he was first articled to Messrs Linlot Spink and Co. then later to Linlot Brothers and Selby Co. under the agency of the late Thomas Addaquaye.

When the latter company was taken over by the London and West African Trading Company with late George F. Tizard as agent, Jacob was kept on as the chief clerk.

He continued to be the chief clerk when J.J. Miller also took over.
In 1900 however, he was promoted the agent of J.J.Miller at Dixcove and for eight years remained in that post.

Towards the end of 1908 he decided to take his vacation in England, but on returning home on S.S.Mends he died on board and was buried at sea.

This apparently happened when the ship had almost reached this country. However, because of the poor communication facilities of the time, the incident was not reported early to his family.

When eventually the terrible news was received at home, those who heard it had a shock. The entire family was devastated.

Jacob was first married to Wilhelmina Van Kessel. They were blessed with two daughters both of whom died the same day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. That was a terrible tragedy.

Jacob had other daughters, one named Ekua Kwabah after his grandmother. Ekua’s other name was Anne Sophia.

Two other daughters had as their mother Anna Molemar, the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Molemar. The daughters were named Adriana De Heer and Araba Yeyibah or Johanna De Heer.

Adriana died in Grand Bassam in the Ivory Coast following the civil disturbances in which the French were involved.

Johanna married the late Mr. Godwyll whose son W.R.Godwyll became a catechist of the Methodist Church.

Jacob later married the late Anna Sophia Fletcher of Addaquaye Kokwaado in Cape Coast with whom he had three children, two boys and a girl named Adrian Nicholas, Andrew Nicholas and Adriana later Mrs. Sey.

The late Anna Sophia Fletcher was the sister of the revered late Fletcher who achieved world wide fame by inventing a ready reckoner for calculating in pounds, shillings and pence which was patented for use throughout the British Commonwealth.

Late Fletcher’s daughter became the wife of the late Ebenezer Laing, the former supervisor of Anglican Schools and the mother of the brilliant Laing brothers.
The late Legge formerly of G.B.Ollivant was her maternal brother.

Old man Fletcher’s relative must have been the famous teacher and artist of the Cape Coast Methodist School who got married to Madam Hannah Mettle of the late Reverend Parker’s house at Abowinmu, Jerusalem Street, Cape Coast.

Adrian Nicholas De Heer, the eldest of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Webber De Heer’s children, worked for the UAC after his education.

He married Madam Mensah, a sister of the wife of late Reverend C.H. Bartels and Mrs. Addison of Gyegyem in Cape Coast.

Andrew, the younger son was educated at Mfantsipim School. He later won a government scholarship to study Agriculture in California, USA.

He married the sister of the famous Bentsi – Enchill of UAC in Cape Coast. She lost her life through child birth. He also died shortly after.


ABA ANAISIWAH DE HEER
(MRS.”IMPERIAL” MENSAH)

Aba Anaisiwah was the last of Mame Sumuna’s children by her first husband, the late Andrew De Heer.

She was born in 1872 and died in 1899 aged 27 years only. She was a victim to the bubonic plague which raged in Grand Bassam where she lived with her husband at the time.

She was married to the late J.W.Mensah, affectionately called by friends “Imperial” Mensah, after the name of the company for which he worked.
She was survived by two daughters. Kate was the elder and Jessie the younger one died while a young adult in 1918.

Kate was born on June 4th 1895 and died on November 5th 1928, apparently through post partum hemorrhage after child birth. She was then only 35 years old.

The family recalled that almost 20 years to the day another tragic incident occurred by the unexpected death at sea of her uncle Jacob when he was returning from the UK after his vacation.

Kate was educated at the Elmina Methodist School and later at the Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast. She distinguished herself academically and in other respects and became very popular, much admired and loved by both her colleagues and the authorities.

She married the late Theophilus Mensah, one of the sons of the late Papa Alfred Mensah of Elmina who distinguished himself as a public servant and was honoured with an ISO award, a rare achievement in those days.

The late Theophilus Mensah worked for the UAC in Nigeria where all his three children, two girls and a boy were born

They were Nana Akonua later Mrs. Rebecca Fleischer, Adwoa Instifuah or Mrs. Roberta Golightly and the late Uncle Paakwesi Mensah or John Baldwin Entsuah Mensah.

Nana Akonua was born in 1916 and died in 1993. She was educated at the Methodist Mixed School in Cape Coast and also at the Wesley Girls’ High School. She was brought up by her aunt – Auntie Charity, the mother of the Blankson-Hemens’s. She was extremely hard working both at school and home and possessed an open hearted and pleasant disposition.

She joined the Civil Service on leaving school and worked mostly as a telephonist in the P & T Department.

The father of her first child named Nii Kome, who later became Professor T.C. Ankrah, hailed from the Royal House of Otublohum in Accra.

Professor Ankrah was born in 1942 and was educated at Mfantsipim School where he became the head prefect in 1961.

He studied medicine at the Ghana Medical School, Legon and later went abroad to specialize in chest diseases. He has since been a lecturer at KNUST.

He is married to Beatrice, nee Attram, a trained nurse midwife. They have four children, two girls and two boys named Rebecca Anamuah, Felicia Amy Kramah, Alfred Otoo and Samuel Amoo.

Rebecca Anamuah was born in August 1972 and was educated at Wesley Girls’ High School and at KNUST Medical school. She is a qualified medical practitioner and is married with one daughter.

Felicia Amy Kramah was born in April 1981 and is a student at KNUST JSS.

Alfred Otoo was born in September 1974 and he studied medicine at the University of Ghana Medical School after his preliminary education at Mfantsipim. He only recently got married.

Samuel Amoo was born in 1984 and is a student at KNUST JSS.

Nan Akonua’s husband was the late Mr. G.S.P. Fleischer of Osu A??? He was a Civil Servant working as Post Master at the P. & T Department. Their children were six, three girls and three boys named, Johanna Hester, Professor Joseph Edmund, Eunice, UUP, Dr T.C. and Hulda.

Johanna Hester the eldest was born in September 1949 and trained as a nurse midwife. Currently, she is working as Nurse Anesthetist at the Akosombo Hospital.
She has a son and two daughters.

Professor Joseph Edmund Fleischer was the second child. He was born in February 1951 and was educated at Mfantsipim School. On a government scholarship, he studied Animal science in Japan and has been lecturing at the Department of Animal Science at the University of Ghana, Legon. He is married with a daughter and two sons.

Eunice, the third child was born in October 1952. She is the only child of the parents who could not complete her formal education. She has a son and two daughters.
The fourth child is Mr. U.U.P.Fleischer. He graduated in mathematics at KNUST and is pursuing his Masters degree at the same University. He lectures at the Kumasi Polytechnic and is married to Marian Addison with whom he has a son and a daughter.

Dr. T.C.Fleischer the fifth child was born in April 1958 and graduated in Pharmacy at the KNUST where he now lectures. He is married to Dr. Patience Fleischer nee Odonkor, a medical Officer. They are blessed with three children.

Hulda Fleischer the sixth child was born in November 1960 and has a son and two daughters with her husband Mr. Gyimah who works at WAEC.


John Baldwin Entsuah Mensah or Uncle Paakwesi was born in May 1919 and died on 2nd December 1997.
He specialized in the Textile industry and worked for a while in Ghana, but mostly in Nigeria where he had been sent on secondment by the Ghana government. His work involved him in extensive travelling throughout that vast country. He was due to be paid a handsome retiring benefit which he needed most in his last days. But he was denied, inspite of several petitions to the Nigerian government through the local Nigerian High Commissioner

When he eventually returned to Ghana he first worked at the US Embassy as foreman of Works. He was later employed as a Security Officer at the President’s residence at Flagstaff House.
Afterwards he established his own textile business and specialized in the production of batik materials.
He developed glaucoma and became totally blind in his last days.

He married Madam Paintsil with whom he had a daughter and three sons named Kate, Theophilus, Jabez and Alfred.
Kate is in the trading business and has five children.
Theophilus is married with five children also.
Jabez is in the printing business and is based in Nigeria.
Alfred is a professional driver and works for Messrs Lomax Bau and Co in Accra.


Mrs. Rosebella Golightly or Adwoa Intsifuah was the fourth child of Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Mensah. She was born in 1925 and was educated at the Methodist School, Kumasi and St Monica’s School in Ashanti Mampong.
She trained and worked as a telephonist for Messrs.A.G.Leventis later GNTC.
She married Mr. Westermen Michael Golightly of Accra, a civil servant at the Ministry of Agriculture and later with the Cocoa Marketing Board.
With him she has six children named Edmund, K.O., Rebecca Odarley, Comfort, Michael jnr, Theophilus and Joyce Louisa.
Dr Edmund Golightly was born in 1952 and trained as a biochemist and Computer specialist. He is currently based in London wit his wife Augusta.
Rebecca Odarley was born in 1954 and works with the Ghana Highways Authority.
Comfort was born in 1956 and works in London with British Gas Company.
Westermen Michael jr. was born in 1958 and works with Small-scale industries at Techiman. He has two sons with his wife Harriet.
Theophilus was born in 1960 and is a chemical seller working with Messrs Parke Davies. He has a daughter and a son with his wife Clara.
Mrs. Joyce Louisa Essah was born in 1963 and works as an Estates’ Officer with the Accountant General’s Department. She has three daughters.

MRS. GRACE VICTORIA CORNELIUS (USHER)
AUNT ARABA GRACE

Aunt Araba Grace was the last born of Mame Sumuna whose first husband was the late A.N. De Heer.

When Mr. De Heer died in 1875 Mame Sumuna got married again, this time to Mr. Usher, and by him she had a daughter called Grace Victoria.

The late Mr. Usher was a missionary agent who first worked at Tarkwa in the Wassa district and later in Appolonia in Nzema territory. He must have been one of the first pioneers of the Wesleyan Mission in that area.

Aunt Araba Grace was born in 1879 and died in 1964 aged 85 years. She was soft spoken, kind, tolerant and also very shrewd.

She got married to the late Mr. C.J. Cornelius of Elmina and had two sons by him, named H.A. Cornelius (Uncle Yooku) and C.J. Cornelius jnr. (Uncle Atta).

Uncle Yooku was born in February 1896? and died in April 1988? aged 81 years. He was educated at the Catholic School in Elmina and joined the Civil Service on leaving School.

He worked in the P & T Department and was stationed at various towns including Kumasi where he retired to spend the rest of his days with his family.

He married Elizabeth Lilly Hyde Cooper (a.k.a Mame Acheampomaa) who was born in November 1913 and died in June 1999 aged 86 years. Her ancestry is traced to J.P.T. Hyde Cooper, Governor of Elmina Castle from 1764 to 1769. He was one of the very few governors who hailed from a prosperous family in Holland.

Uncle Yooku’s children include the following:
1.       Margaret Araba the eldest born on November 1st 1938
2.       The twins – Panyin, Christiana Josephine
3.       Kakra, Christian Joseph, born on March 20 1941
4.       Marian Vanderpuye (Aba Dabinmu) born June 7th 1943
5.       Heritz Alteveldt (Abeeku) born January 17th 1945
6.       Catherine Vanderpuye (Mame Sumuna) born May 3rd 1950
7.       Adrian Nicholas (Papa Adze) born June 7th 1953
8.       Harriet Alteveldt (Ewura Mansa) born January 1955

Margaret Araba has three children, two boys and a girl named Kofi, Kweku Mensa and Efua.

Efua has two children, a boy and a girl named Papa Kojo and Mame Serwa.
Christiana Josephine never married and has no children.

Christian Joseph married Gladys Acquah (Mame Esi) and has by her four girls and two boys named Grace Victoria (Mame Araba) born in 1961;
Beatrice (Mame Yacoba) born on August 4th 1971;
Heritz Alteveldt (Nanabanyin) born on 20th October 1973;
Elizabeth Lilly (Mame Acheampomaa) born on July 1st 1975;
Grace Victoria (Mame Ewuraba Araba) born on April 1981 and
Christian Joseph (Paa Kwesi) born on 15th August 1982.

Except for Nanabanyin who is married with one child, a girl named Elizabeth Lilly, none of them has had children.

Marian Vanderpuye Cornelius (Mame Aba Dabinmu) married Mr. Eugene Koranteng and has by him three children, a girl and two boys named Christiana or Mame Yaa, Kwame Eugene and Kweku Amoako.

The boys have not yet married and have no children but Christiana married Mr. Alex Amoah and has by him two sons named Kwame Sakyi and Kwesi Amonoo.

Heritz Alteveldt Cornelius (Abeeku) married Madam Grace Tweneboah and they have two daughters called Margaret and Prudence respectively.
Catherine Vanderpuye Cornelius (Mame Sumuna) married Lawyer Kofi Pobee of Cape Coast and is blessed with Doris Edusei, Kokor and Dada Pobee.
Doris has three children, two boys and a girl called Nana Yaw Boakye, Nana Kweku Wireko and Evita Ewurama Mensah.

Adrian Nicholas Cornelius (Papa Adze) is resident in the Netherlands and is married to a local girl called Charity with whom he has three children, a girl called Christiana and two boys named Adrian and Heritz.

Harriet Alteveldt Cornelius (Ewurama Mansa) married Mr. Benjamin Kobina Afful by whom she has three children, two boys and one girl named Papa Kojo, Albert, Tiffany Pearl and Ephraim Jesse Paa Kwamina.

Uncle Atta Cornelius, the second son of Aunt Araba Grace was educated at the Catholic School in Elmina, the devoted much of his adult life to serve the Catholic Mission in the capacity mostly as Music Master and has many music compositions to his credit.

He was appointed Lay Magistrate in the later years of first reputable and retired immediately after.

He married Aunt Ewuraesi (Madam Johanna Johnson) by whom he had three children two girls and one boy named Mame Araba Antoinette, Mame Angelina Ahenakowa and Paa Kow Cornelius.

Mame Araba Antoinette has six children named Doris Woode, Ernest Vroom, Patricia Arthur, Charles Arthur, Matthew Cornelius and Cordelia Jackson.

Mame Angelina Ahenakowa has seven children Samuel Adu, Johanna Adu, Eric Adu, Angelina Adu, Rosemond Jackson, Adriana Jackson and Emmanuel Jackson.

Paa Kow Cornelius is based in Germany and not much is known of whom that is whether or not he is married and has any children.

Aunt Araba Grace had no daughter of her own, but had close relations and assistants in the persons of Mame Tawiah, Mame Mercy and Mena Ekua Nyinawo.
Mena Tawiah’s children include Reverend father Charles Legeune and his siblings.
Mena Ekua Nyinawo’s children include Esi Menaba, Mary Efua Aikins and Kojo Aikins.

Esi Menaba’s father was from Anomabo and was a court official. when He died Ekua Nyinawo married Mr. Aikins from Elmina and had by him Mary Efua and Kojo. They lived most of their lives in Kumasi and she died there. Mr. Aikins died later in Elmina.

Esi Menaba married Mr. Ackon of Elmina and had by him seven children, four boys and three girls.

Mary Efua Aikins married Mr. Kotey Dzane a Police Inspector and had by him four children, two girls and two boys, named Naa Dei, Ernestina Korkor, Kotey and Kotei.

Mame Mercy was the mother of Madam Araba Asemaba who was born in Elmina May 1912. Araba has lived most of her adult life in Takoradi where she worked successfully as a trader in textiles. She died in 2010.

She came into prominence during the First Republic as a devoted supporter of the ruling C.P.P. Party.

She has two children, named Papa Frans, Egya Anamoah.

Papa Frans married Josephine Conduaba, granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.K.Awotwi of Topp Yard, Cape Coast, and therefore a great, great grand niece of Madam Ekua Kwabah, Mrs. John Vanderpuye, co-founder of the Vanderpuye Anona Ebusua of Elmina.

Josephine predeceased her husband by whom she had five children named Kofi Aaku, Mame Sumuna, Mame Mercy, Papa Adze and Joe Frans.

Kofi Aaku died while a young adult.
Mame Mercy is based in Germany with her two children, Ewuraesi and Papa Nii.
Papa Adze is based in Canada working for a Computer Company.
Mame Mercy is married to Mr. Mensah of the Methodist Book Depot and is based in Akim Swedru with their three children.
Joe Frans trained as a journalist but has entered politics in Sweden, and is now a Member of the Swedish Parliament.


MAME SUMUNA’S MISFORTUNES

Mame Sumuna’s life was full of trials, tragedies and misfortunes.
It is amazing how she was able to cope with them all. She could only have succeeded because of the strong faith in the Almighty she had as a Christian.

It would seem that after each successive tragedy she must have comforted or encouraged herself with some words that can be found in the Methodist Hymn Book:

“When we seek relief
From a long felt grief
When oppressed by new temptations
Lord, increase and perfect patience
Show us that bright shone
Where we weep no more”

This might be the only way to explain why she never faltered in her faith but stood firm to the end as a brave soldier of Christ.
Her misfortunes included the following:
1864       Loss of her second child Efua Yeyibah
1873 Bombardment of Elmina and loss of all her
Possessions including jewelry and heirloom.
This made her an instant pauper.
1875       Death of her first husband, Andrew De Heer
1882       Death of her mother, Mrs. John Vanderpuye
1882 Death if her elder sister, Marian Vanderpuye
- Aba Dabinmu
1890 Loss of her second set of trinkets through theft
- at Tarkwa.
1892 Death of her niece, Mrs. Anna Quartey –Papafio
1893 Death of her brother, Edina Peter Vanderpuye
1894 Loss of her second husband, Mr. Ussher at ???
1898 Out burst of fire in her house, nearly cost her life
1899 Death of her daughter Aba Anaisiwah at Grand
Bassam, Ivory Coast.
1901 Death of her eldest child, Mrs. Adriana
through child birth.
1906       Death of her nephew John Vanderpuye
1908        Death of her son, Jacob Webber De Heer
1918       Loss of a devoted niece, Mrs. Sophia Orgle
1920        Blindness of her son, Akodae De Heer

She finally died in 1923 aged 88years.

PETER VANDERPUYE (EDINA PETER)
(a.k.a Kojo Annan)

Peter Vanderpuye was the fourth of Madam Kwabah. His three senior brothers died in their infancy. He was born in 1837 and died in 1893 aged 56 years.
When his father died in 1947, Peter was only ten years old. His father’s mortal remains had to be conveyed to Accra for burial and Peter with his mother and two sisters accompanied. After the funeral Peter was detained , apparently according to custom of the Gas. His mother had to return to Elmina with only her two daughters.

For the rest of his life, that is for 46 years, Peter never set foot in Elmina, not even for a common casual visit, not even to console the family after the bombardment of Elmina in 1873, when there was widespread disaster worsened by famine, and his sister Adwoa Sumuna and her children had lost virtually all their possessions, not even when his elder sister , Aba Dabinmu died in 18882, and not even when his own mother also died in the same year !

Yet a good deal was expected of Peter. Being the only surviving son of the four his mother had, he was expected to assume responsibility for his mother and sisters. High hopes were cherished that he would become a pillar of support and at least find some means to provide a shelter for his aged and widowed mother to spend her last days in some peace and comfort.

In this Peter failed the family miserably. He must have had some reason for his conduct but to this day that reason has remained obscure.

All however, was not lost. Peter’s three paternal half brothers in the persons of Jacobus, William and James were around in Elmina, to offer whatever help they could and was needed.

Happily too, what Peter failed to do was more than made up by what his children and descendants in Accra did in the care and concern they showed for their father’s maternal family in Elmina.

One remarkable instance was the arrangement a group of them collectively made to sponsor one eligible from the Elmina family for professional qualification overseas.

Peter’s first wife was Madam Jemima Adotey from the Asere royal house in Accra. The second was Madam Odonkor Yeboah.

By Madam Adotey he had eight children, seven girls and one boy namely; Jacoba,Anna, Sophia, Rebecca, Helen, Mercy, Lucy and John.

Jacoba had one child, a son, named Jacob-Bartlett-Vanderpuye. The latter’s seven children include Mrs. Mabel Cofie, John Bartlett-Vanderpuye, Mrs. Mabel Akushie, Yaw Kwapong Vanderpuye, Helen, Mercy and Yacoba.

Anna, the second of Jemima’s children, later became Mr. B.W. Quartey-Papafio. She had eight children made up of three boys and five girls. They are Clement, Hugh, Asuana, Alice, Annie Jemima, Regina and Virginia.

Clement’s five children, Kwartei Kojo, Emmanuel Fifi, and Doso Oyo.
Hugh had eight children named Emmanuel, Ben, Hugh, John, Sylvia (Mrs. George), Annabel or Mrs. Brown, Doris Fofo or Mrs. Lassey and Mrs. Gladys Thompson.
Jemima’s seven children were Dr. C.H. Bannerman, Mr. Justice E. Bannerman who later became the Chief Justice, Ellen Bannerman, Alex L. Bannerman, Mrs. Elizabeth Owoo, Richard Bannerman and Mr. Justice H.P.L. Bannerman.

Asuana had four girls and two boys named Mrs. Alice Dadzie, Oyo Quartey- Papafio, Anna, Kwaley, Augustus and Warren.
Alice had two children who later became Mrs. Isabella Ankrah and Mrs. Bertha Owusu.

Annie and Regina died when young adults.
Virginia married Mr. Joseph Smith from the Vanderpuye family in Elmina but died during child birth.

John Vanderpuye had three children named Oliver, John and Agnes.
Oliver had seven children, three boys and four girls named, Peter, John, Jacobus, Jemima, Yacoba (Mrs. Garshon), Anna and Sophia.
John’s four children are Yacoba or Mrs. Hansen – Sackey, Mrs. Anna Bannerman, John and Peter.
(Agnes had six children named Mrs. Gladys Thompson, Mrs. Annabel Brown, Mrs. Doris Fofo Lassey, Ben, Hugh and John)????????

Sophia Vanderpuye became Mrs. Orgle. She is believed to have been the most loving of all the children of Edina Peter. She showed exceptional interest in the affairs of her father’s maternal family in Elmina, particularly of its individual members.
She was a person of integrity and high moral standards and commanded much respect in the community by all classes of people. She was a keen church person and for many years a class leader in the Methodist church.
Her death in 1918 was a blow to all, particularly to the family in Elmina.

She married the late Orgle, a prosperous merchant in Accra and had three children by him, two girls and one boy named Mrs. Grace Addison, Mrs. Adelaide Nortey Attafuah and Joseph.

Mrs. Grace Addison inherited most of her mother’s gracious qualities. She also became a keen member of the Methodist church and was famed for her generosity and hospitality. She had two boys and one girl named, Ago Quao, Samuel Quao and Theresa Ashiagbor or Mrs. Dodoo.

Mrs. Adelaide Nortey Attafuah had two sons named Joseph and Albert.
Joseph became a famous lawyer, journalist and a statesman. He founded the “Vox Populi” Press to promote nationalist causes. He had nine children named, Mrs. Janet Smart-Abbey, Sophia, Jacobus, Ernest, Frank, Cleland, Victor, K.K., Theophilus, and Peter Vanderpuye.

Rebecca Vanderpuye had two children named F.H. Akoto-Lamptey and Rebecca Akoto-Lamptey.

F.H.’s children are Rebecca, Christiana, Freda, Florence and one son named F.B.
Rebecca had five children named John Vanderpuye, Isaac Vanderpuye, Anna Vanderpuye, T.A.Bruce-Mills and K. A. Bruce-Mills.

Helen and Peter Vanderpuye died while young adults. Peter would have been a splendid sculptor had he lived long.

Lucy Vanderpuye a.k.a Mamaa was the eighth of Edina Peter’s children by Madam Adotey, the Asere Manye. She married the late famous headmaster of Accra Methodist School and had five children named T.A., ??, E.T., Ewurama and Victoria Kordai.

The eldest, T.A. was born on 9th August 1902 and died on December 1st 1973 aged 71.

He was educated at the Methodist School, Cape Coast. He joined the Civil Service on leaving School and worked in the Public Works Department.

He had eighteen children, named Muriel, Mrs. Pearl Amarquaye, Jemima, a nursing sister, Mrs. Lucy Tagoe, Mrs. Florence Magnusen, Doris, Margaret, Naa Akuyea, E.T., Isaac, Dr. Ebenezer, Henry Forster, Lawyer Albert Nii Lamptey, F.T. Nelson and Ebenezer.

Susanna, the eldest daughter of Mamaa Addy married Mr. Robert Dodoo of Accra. He was a distinguished Mathematics tutor at Mfantsipim School and later became the supervisor of Methodist Schools in Ghana.

Their children included Nii Ofei, a pharmacist based in Tema, Mrs. Cofie; Eunice; Nii Charwey a barrister; Dr. Robert Dodoo, former head of the Ghana Civil Service; Alberta; J.B. Dodoo, and N.W. Dodoo.

Uncle E.T. was educated at the Methodist School in Accra. Most of his life he was in the employment of the Methodist Book Depot in Cape Coast where he met and married his wife, nee Sagoe.
They had three children, two boys and a girl named Lucy after her great grandmother. She became a well known barrister at FIDA.

H.R. was also educated at the Methodist School in Accra and joined the Civil Service after leaving School.

Auntie Victoria Kordei was born in 1911 and died in 1996 aged 88 years.
She joined the Civil Service on leaving school and retired in 1971 as Exchange Supervisor of the Post and Telecommunications Department.
She married the late Willie Laryea, a career civil servant working as Inspector of Taxes in the Internal Revenue Department. He was a keen sportsman and one time Lawn Tennis champion of Ghana.

He was widowed before marrying Auntie Kordei, but had no children by her.
He had children by his previous marriage one of whom happens to be Dr. Laryea of the Ridge hospital, Accra. He is married to the daughter of the late Harry Dodoo, the distinguished accountant, who for many years was the Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board.

Edina Peter’s second wife was Madam Sarah Odonkor Yeboah. She bore him two sons named Henry Wood and John.

Henry Wood had five children, all girls named, Grace, Mrs. Mabel Krakue, Mrs. Magdalene Lamiley Allotey –Pappoe, Mrs. Isabella Baddoo and Mrs. Emily Abla Dodoo.

Grace Is not known to have had children, but Mabel had six named James Adjei, Jonathan Tetteh, Edward Mensah, John Quao, Joseph Ababio and Comfort Lartekey.

Magdalene Lamiley or Mrs. Allotey – Pappoe also had seven children named Mercy Sophie, Decimah Tawiah, Jonathan Kpakpoe, Ebenezer Akwei, Henry Vanderpuye, Gabriel Nii Moi and Paul Abossey.

Mrs. Isabella Baddoo also had seven children namely; Michael Allotey, Johanna Adoley, Comfort Adjorkor, Victoria Naade, Mariam Adofo or Mrs. Ferguson, Elizabeth Tiokor and Mrs. Flora Adofo Sackeyfio.

Michael Allotey Baddoo was a distinguished scholar at Mfantsipim School where he became the head prefect.

He later qualified as a medical practitioner and served at various hospitals including the Korle Bu Teaching hospital.

He later retired as the Director of Medical Services.

Emelia Abla or Mrs. Dodoo had two children, both boys named Henry Nii Amoo and Jonathan Nii Dodoo.

Madam Yeboah’s second son named John jr. had only on child, a girl named Alice who later became Mrs. Thompson.

She had five children one girl named Selina Dedei and four boys named David, Jacob, Samuel and Abraham.

She was born in 1874 and died in 1979 aged 105 years.


TRASU - ADWOA ESSUON’S LINE

The family Black stool, left in the custody of Madam Aba Tsiwa was retained by her female successors until after the death in 1882 of both Madam Ekua Kwabah or Mrs. John Vanderpuye and her eldest daughter Madam Aba Dabinmu when the custodian became old Kwamina Essuon as head of family.
He died in 1922 aged 102 years.

Madam Akrasie the eldest daughter of Aba Tsiwa was the second to take charge of the Black Stool. She passed it on to her daughter, Madam Dodua who in turn passed it on to Madam Effuma her eldest daughter.

Madam Effuma had seven children. Her eldest daughter was named Ahenakowa was born about 1766 about 10 years before the American war of Independence in 1776.

Her four children included Madam Ekua Kwabah(Mrs. John Vanderpuye) and old Ekow Asankoma, the maternal grandfather of David Awotwi’s mother. The others are Kojo Guabran and Kweku Awotwi.

Madam Effuma’s seventh child was named Adwoa Essuon or Trasu. She was born in 1796 and was understood to have lived longest. The date of her death however, has been difficult to establish.

She lived with her eldest sister, Madam Ahenakowa, at a place in old Elmina town called Bamba Enyiadze, and her neighbours included the famous Okomfo Kweku Ainua and her daughter Efua Ebora.

Trasu became the mother of Madam Efua Conuaba born about 1816. She was reputed to be a woman of exceptional beauty and charm, on account of which she the life long companion of Madam Anna Hutchinson, a prominent and prosperous lady at Cape Coast.

It was in Cape Coast that Madam Conuaba met and married her first husband the late Chief Kofi Kumah, a prominent merchant in Cape Coast. He died on 17th July 1864, but Madam Conuaba lived on for another 35 years and died 14th June 1899. Their son was Robert Jackson Kwofie of St. James’ Hall, Cape Coast. He was born in 1863, a year before his father died.

Robert Jackson Kwofie grew to become an astute individual with wonderful business acumen. He had to retire early from business when he lost his eye-sight.

Madam Conuaba’s second husband was late Parker of the Abedzi clan in Cape Coast. By him she had her daughter the late Nana Ekua Betsi or Elizabeth Parker. The late Kofi Parker was Nana Ekua Betsi’s only child. He was a career civil servant and worked in the Department of Customs and Excise.

Old Robert Jackson Kwofie had many children including the late A.J.C. Kwofie, our own Uncle Kweku Sonno or J.W. Ampiah-Kwofie, and their sister Frances.

Their mother was the late Charlotte Andrews of Abowinmu, Cape Coast.
Her daughter Madam Frances Kwofie became a personable lady. She had three children; one boy and two girls.

Kweku Sonno alias Josiah Wilson Ampiah-Kwofie was born in Cape Coast on 23rd May 1913 and died in Accra aged 87 years. He was educated at the A.M.E Zion School in Cape Coast and at St. Nicholas Grammar School, now Adisadel College also In Cape Coast.

In 1935, he began his public service career as a clerk with the Cape Coast Municipal Council. He rose to the rank of cashier in 1946.

In 1952, he was awarded a government scholarship to study local government administration in the U.K. On his return he was promoted to the position of town clerk in 1956.

In 1960, he was further promoted to the position of Executive Chairman of the Municipal Authority now Omnibus Services Authority to succeed no less a person than Dr. R.P. Baffour.

In 1967, he was appointed Managing Director of the Ghana Film Industry. Later, he rejoined the Ministry of Local Government as Principal Inspector. He retired in that post in 1973.

During his public service career, he served on a number of government bodies. He was the President of the Ghana TUC from 1950 – 1951; a member of the Scholarships Board; a member of the Regional Constitutional Commission (1955-1956), and a member of the Board of the National Investment Bank (1983-1990).

Kweku Sonno married Christine, one of the daughters of the late Omanhene of the Efutu Traditional Area, Nana Ayirebi Acquah. She was a teacher by profession, but later became a famous bread baker.
Kweku Sonno had with her seven children; one son and six daughters. The son named Robert Jackson is an ordained pastor. His sisters include Charlotte a banker, and now married to Mr. Mate from the Akropong Akwapim royal stool. They have three children; two girls and a boy.

Betsi, the other sister is a lecturer in law at the University of Ghana. She is married to Mr. Dowuona-Hammond a businessman in Accra.

Ruth, another sister is married to Mr. Leonard Djan, the son of Mr. R.K.O. Djan of the School of Administration, Legon.



MADAM ABA MIRIBA’S LINE

The late John Vanderpuye had three sons by a second wife, named Aba Miriba. She was from the Ebiradze clan. The sons were James Peter, William and Jacobus.
James Peter served first in the Dutch constabulary and later in the British constabulary. He died in 1876.

William also joined the British constabulary and became the father of Anna Vanderpuye who got married to late Charles Van Dyke, a rich Elmina merchant.

Their children included John, Charles, David, Charlotte or Mrs. Graves, and Dorcas Elizabeth later Mrs. Abraham.

Jacobus was most famous of them all. He was a pharmacist, employed first by the Dutch government and later by the British government. He went into private practice after his retirement and achieved fame by producing an effective cure for eye disease called “AOSA”. The drug was named

“ Nyankholmes” after him and that was how he could be traced by people near and far.

Jacobus was later made “ Kowsonhene” (Tufuhene) of Elmina and served in that capacity for 25 years, or until his death. For a brief one-year period, he also acted as the regent of Elmina after the death in 1898 of Chief Kweku Andoh, the substantive regent.

Jacobus was a keen churchman and the chapel steward of his church (Methodist) up to the time of his death.
He was also well remembered as having rendered invaluable service with his medical knowledge in the Fante/Elmina war of 1868.

He married the late Madam Phillips or Adwoa Nana and had by her a son, named James Peter Vanderpuye.

Together with his two brothers, they were known to have been very close and kind to their stepmother, Madam Ekua Kwabah, Mrs. John Vanderpuye, and their half sisters, Aba Dabinmu and Adwoa Sumuna.

When the late Mr. Aaku, the husband of Mame Panyin, the daughter of his half sister, Aba Dabinmu wanted a plot of land to build a house for his wife, Jacobus readily obliged with a free gift of land at Abakaano, and that is where their stately three-storey building now stands on Liverpool Street in Elmina.

A portion of that land is where presently Aba Miriba and her sister Mansoa and their three children occupy.

The late Madam Aba Miriba, the mother of Jacobus and his two brothers had two young twin sisters, named Panyin and Kakra.

Kakra, the younger of the twins had three children; two girls and a boy, named Mame Serwa, Efua Mansa and Kofi Sekum.

Mame Serwa was not blessed with any issues.

Efua Mansa, on the other hand had four children, one boy and three girls, named; John Hans-Jorie; Anna Hans- Jorie; Jane Hans- Jorie, and Arabella Conduah.

Jane had no issues, but Anna had one daughter who later became Mrs. Johanna Cobbina.

Arabella was the daughter of the late J.E. Conduah, a prosperous merchant in Elmina. She became the wife of the late Ekow Plange of U.A.C. fame.

John Hans-Jorie also known as Kofi John, had two issues named Aba Miriba later Mrs. Anoom, the mother of the Anoom brothers, and Madam Mansoa, who was not blessed with any children.

One of late Ekow Plange’s children, named Victoria became by her first marriage the mother of our own Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant. Her second marriage was to the late Rt. Rev. F.C.F. Grant, former President of the Methodist Conference.

Panyin, the senior twin sister of Madam Aba Miriba, had two children, a boy and a girl, named Ekow Essuon and Adwoa Amissah.

Egya Ekow Essuon became the father of the late Mr. Frank Eshun of the Gold Coast Railways. He married the daughter of the famous late Yorke of Sekondi and had many children by her including the late Amissah Eshun
(Sawah), one time Chief Lands Officer.

The late Madam Adwoa Amissah had nine children, all boys, seven of whom followed their father’s profession of fishing. Aya was how her children called her.

The late Egya Eyiku was the eldest. He was both a fisherman and a herbalist. He is reported to have efficiently taken charge of his siblings when their father died and the two youngest siblings were still infants. He discharged his responsibilities so efficiently that his youngest brothers assumed he was their real father.
Madam Adwoa Amissah’s third son was the late Egya Mensah Koto. He was a keen fisherman and had a reputation for a strict discipline and unswerving loyalty to his family members.
He had ten children, one boy and the rest girls. The boy named Kofi Essuon or K.M.Awotwi, trained as an electrician and worked at the Prestea Gold Mine.
His resourcefulness and childhood “ Kweku Ananse” type of exploits earned him affectionately the title M.A. His eldest sister named Samankonma became the mother of Safohene Kweku Yartel of the Elmina Boatyard Company.

The seventh son of Madam Adwoa Amissah was named Kwesi Bentum. He was physically handicapped by poliomyelitis and therefore could not become a fisherman.
He trained instead as a goldsmith.
He was a keen and resourceful supporter of his Asafo Company, WOMR –NQ4.
He married Madam Nana Atta, his mother’s closest relative and assistant and had four children by her, two boys and two girls named Kwamina Baffoe, Papa Yankolmes, Mena Aya and Aba Bentum.

One of Mena Aya’s children, called Peter Ansah, is currently the Manager of SIC in Takoradi.

Papa Yaankolmes’s children included Dr. Bentum Awotwi, a medical practitioner who died in Monrovia, Liberia in 1995.

Kwamina Baffoe’s children include Professor E.K. Awotwi, head of the Animal Science Department of the University of Ghana at Legon, and E. Bentum Awotwi of the engineering branch of Ghana Telecom.

Their mother was the late Mrs. Phyginia Awotwi nee Abaka-Wood, the sister of the late O.S. Abaka – Wood, a distinguished Mfantsipim scholar and later Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Kwamina Baffoe was a career civil servant and rose to become a High Court registrar. He was born in 1906 and died in 1973.

The ninth son of Madam Adwoa Amissah was named Egya Bonyi. He became an accomplished fisherman. His children included Egya Eyiku, the ensign bearer of WOMIR (HO4)Asafo company and a linguist of the Nsona
Clan in Elmina.

The other was the late Samuel Awotwi of Bespoke Shoemakers Company in Sekondi.
One of his sons is a manager of a branch of Ghana Commercial Bank in Accra.
Another son of Egya Bonyi was the late Nana Appray. He was a retired locomotive driver. The late Asra Bonyi was another son. He was in private practice as a motor mechanic.

Madam Adwoa Amissah’s eighth son was named Kwamina Awotwi. He was born in 1881 and died in 1962 aged 81.

He was the only one of his family fortunate enough to have had formal education, with part of the credit going to a cousin of his mother’s relative named Asmah, then based in Axim.

After completing his education in Elmina, he entered the civil service in 1901 in the judicial and political administration and rose through the ranks to become the chief clerk of Provincial commissions at Kumasi and Cape Coast. It was then the highest post of African staff.

He served in Tarkwa, Obuasi, Sekondi, and Kumasi, and later in Cape Coast when he retired.

His first child a son, was named John Maxwell, after one of his father’s favourite bosses.

His mother, Madam Efua Gwira was from the famous Gwira family of Elmina. Her great grandfather was the famous late Essuman Gwira who introduced the salt industry to Elmina and founded the Gwira Akyenmu village on the Elmina Essaman road. The Gwiras’ are understood to have originated from Bosomadwe, a very old Etsi village about three miles west of Fante Nyankumasi.

The Etsis are supposed to be one of the very first people to settle in this country. They were originally known to be practicing fishing and also engaged in the salt industry along the bend of Niger river in Ancient Ghana. They had to flee after Sundiata incorporated the remnants of the old Ghana Empire in his larger Mende Empire.

The Etsis followed the Niger river eastwards and eventually came to settle in Benin city in Nigeria.

Due to other pressures, mainly from proselytizing Arab Moslems, they had to flee again this time westwards along the coastline of the Gulf of Guinea to arrive in the Gold Coast where they founded several villages along the coast including Egya Moree, Onyinatsinadze later Anomabo.

The Asebus fought them when they arrived in this country around 1420, and some of those who fled into the interior reached Assin territory and founded Bosomaadwe village among others.

John Maxwell Awotwi was born in 1906. He has been a schoolteacher all his life.
Soon after completing his middle school education in 1922, he started teaching. He had a break in 1927 for his secondary education at the St. Nicholas Grammar School in Cape Coast, where he distinguished himself in various capacities.
In the same year he completed his secondary education he passed the teachers’ examination taking the second position out of over one thousand entrants, and was made to teach at the school.
He continued to do so for over 40 years, teaching in various subjects including Fante language, in which he specialized and produced many works in translations, novels, poems and songs.

He was the editor of many magazines, including one for the Odd Fellows Lodge and another for the Forrester Lodge.
He was also the editor of the Amanson newspaper during its existence.
One of his children, Dr. J.D. Awotwi, who for a number of years in the USA was practicing medicine, has recently been ordained Rev. Minister of the Methodist church also in the USA.

Another son is a naval captain in Liverpool, U.K.

The late Kwamina Awotwi had two other daughters, named Nana Atta or Sabina born in 1911 and Oyeman born in 1916.

Their mother happened to be the niece of the famous Hendrike Vroom, the mining engineer who later joined the British Colonial Administration and rose to become first a District Commissioner and later Secretary for Native Affairs. He was honoured with a CMG award.

Hendrike Vroom married the only sister of the late Chief Kweku Andoh of Elmina. Their daughter was Ewuraba Amisa Ekyir or Mrs. Cleland.

Her daughter Miss Lilly Cleland became the wife of the eminent scholar, lawyer and statesman, the late W.E.G. Sekyi or Kobina Sekyi.


The late Kwamina Awotwi was married in 1907 to Madam Ewurama Yahan nee Johanna Andoh, daughter of the late Chief Kweku Andoh of Elmina.

Her mother’s father called Ekow Asankoma happened to be the brother of Madam Ekua Kwabah, wife of the late John Vanderpuye, whose second wife, the late Madam Aba Miriba, also happened to be the grand aunt of the late Kwamina Awotwi himself.

Mr. and Mrs. Kwamina Awotwi had nine children, two of whom, both boys, died in their infancy. The surviving seven include Mame Adwoa Amissah or Mrs. Rose Comfort Appiah born in 1910 and died in 200?; Mame Efua Mansa or Mrs. Cecilia Newman born in 1918 and died in 19??; Mame Adwoa Kakraba or Auntie Adae later Mrs. Violet Adabie born in 1919 and died in 19??;Egya Ekow Eyiku or David Awotwi born in 1922; Mame Ama Serwa or Constance Awotwi born in 1925; Efua Awotwi later Mrs. Ofori born in 1928, and Papa Sekum or Ebenezer S. Awotwi born in 1932.

Mame Adwoa Amissah’s first child was named Esi Conuaba or Josephine Conduah, later Mrs. Josephine Frans. She was born in 1932 and died in 1995. Her father was the late lawyer Conduah of Elmina and Cape Coast.

She was a well disciplined and hard working lady of integrity. She had five children; three boys and two daughters, named Papa Aaku, Papa Adzi, Joe, Mame Sumuna and Mame Mercy.

Papa Aaku died while a young adult; Papa Adzi is based in Canada and working in the computer industry.

Joe is based in Sweden and is a former member of the Swedish parliament and currently in private business. He has one daughter Josephine conduabah Frans with Jeanette Kilinda-Frans.

Maame Sumuna is based in Germany with her two children. Sylvia (Ewuarasi) Annor and Frederick Nii Ameni Annor. Ewurasi has three children a boy and two girls and Nii has a girl.

 
Mame Mercy is in Swedru. She was married with Mr. Mensah of Methodist Book Depot. She has two boys and a girl.

Mame Adwoa Amissah’s second child named Allswell Kojo Awotwi was born in 1936. His father was a Methodist Middle School teacher based in Elmina.

He happened to be the uncle of the famous headmaster of Mfantsipim, Mr. F.L. Bartels, and the brother of the wife of the late Bart Addison of Gegyem, Cape Coast, and the father of the brilliant Addison sisters.

Allswell Kojo Awotwi was educated at the Adisadel College in Cape Coast. He was trained abroad for the cold store business and was employed for a long while in the Ghana Cold Store Corporation in Tema.
He died in 2010. He had four children, Allswell Awotwi Jnr. (paapa Payin) based in London, Joseph Kwamina Awotwi, (Paapa Kakrabba) based in Accra, Johanna Awotwi (Kuukua) a respected lawyer by profession and a senior executive of the Ghanan Immigration Board and Nanabayin Awotwi based in Accra.

Mame Adwoa Amissah later got married in 1938 to the late Rev. J.Evans Appiah who originated from Gomoa Tarkwa, but was educated at Saltpond where he met and married Dinah Ekuban, the sister of the late renowned Methodist Minister, Rev. F.E. Ekuban of Saltpond.

She bore him eight children including the late Mrs. Frances Thoms; Richmond Appiah, a professional accountant in Accra; Lt. Col. Coker – Appiah; lawyer Ebo Appiah of the Bank of Ghana; Mrs. Roselind Atta-Amonoo based in London; Mrs. Eva Dennis based in the USA and Dinah Evans Appiah formerly of the Ghana Police force based in Accra.

With Mame Adwoa Amissah, Rev, Appiah had four girls and one boy, Stanley who died as a young adult.

The girls are Mrs. Dinah Otu-Ankrah, a school teacher based in Cape Coast; Mrs. Ivy Duncan based in the USA; Mrs. Mina Grant –Acquah also based in the USA and Justina Appiah who died as an adult.

The late Madam Efua Mansa or Cecilia Newman got married in 1939 to the late Moses Y. Newman of Elmina. He was a career civil servant who rose through the ranks to become Principal Executive Officer.

His father was a schoolmaster whose lineage could be traced to the royal house of Akropong Akwapim. He had eight children by Madam Efua Mansa, one of whom died in his infancy.

The others include Dr. Isaac Newman of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital; Mrs. Jane Swanzy – Parker based in the USA; Mr. Tony Newman also in the USA; Anna Newman, a nurse; Mrs. Elizabeth Eson-Benjamin of Accra; Percival Newman of the UK, and Nana Egyir, who died as an adult.

Mame Adwoa Kakraba later Mrs. Violet Adabie was educated at St. Monica’s school in Cape Coast and trained as a dressmaker. She got married to 1939 to Mr. Adabie, then a school teacher at the Methodist Middle School in Elmina. She had a daughter by him named Effie, now Mrs. Deku of Palm Hotel, Takoradi. Her husband is a retired Naval Commander of the Ghana Navy.

Madam Adwoa Kakraba later had three children with Mr. Quayson, a timber contractor at Takoradi. They are named Elizabeth, Violet and Kwesi.

Elizabeth was educated at Holy Child School at Cape Coast and is now married to Mr. Addison of Takoradi.

Violet trained in the Soviet Republic, Russia and is now currently in the USA.

Kwesi was educated at the Aggrey Memorial Secondary School in Cape Coast and now teaches at Adisadel College in Cape Coast.

He is married to Miss. Croffie also a teacher, but at Mfantsipim School also in Cape Coast.


Egya Eyiku also known as David Awotwi was educated at Mfantsipim and Achimota schools, and the London University.

He joined the civil service and rose through the ranks to become Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Ghana civil service in the second Republic.

On his retirement from the civil service he worked for 15 years as the Executive Director of Ashanti Goldfields Company.

He was enstooled chief of the Elmina community in the Accra/ Tema metropolitan area in 1991.

For over ten years he has been president of the Save Elmina Association.
He single-handedly built Toppiard Cinema in Cape Coast.

He had nine children, one of whom a boy, died in his infancy.
The others include Johanna born in September 1952, a Company Director in the Information and Communication Technology industry; Rosemond Efua Frimpong born in March 1957 is the Manager in charge of the Computer Department at GOIL in Accra; Kweku Andoh born in September 1960 is an energy consultant.

Johanna was educated at Achimota School from 1961-1964 at its Primary department and later from 1964-1970 at the Secondary School.
She later graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon.
She was a teacher for 3 years in Ghana and 5 more years in Nigeria.
She later studied Computer programming and has been in that industry for over 10 years.
Currently, she is a Director of an off-shore Computer company and also a trustee of The Centre for E-Governance, an NGO.
She has two children, a boy named Olushola Laniyan, a Chemical Engineer based in the USA and the girl, Abimbola Laniyan, a final year student of Knox College also in the USA.

Rosemond Efua or Mrs. Frimpong was educated at Achimota Primary School, Holy Child School in Cape Coast and The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, where she graduated in Computer Studies.
Rosemond is currently in charge of the Computer Department of GOIL.
She is married to Mr. Mark Frimpong a Building Contractor.
She has two boys and a girl by him named Nana Ama, Nana Kwame and Paa Kow.

Kweku Andoh Awotwi or Nanabanyin was educated at the High Trees School in England, Mfantsipim School where he became head prefect in 1977, Yale University in the USA and also Stanford University, where he obtained his MBA.
He worked a number of years with Kaiser Aluminum in Oakland, USA and later became the Managing Director for New Business of Ashanti Goldfields.
He has two children, a boy named Kwamina Eyiku Tosan and a girl named Ekua Tsolayeh.

Egya Eyiku’s other children include Yvonne Efua Akyere born in September 1977 is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College in the USA, Uncle Joe or Jonathan Emisang Andoh born in 1979 recently graduated from University in the USA; Paapa or Joseph Kwamina was born in 1981 and is currently a medical student in Prague, Czech Republic;
Egya Eyiku or David Eyiku named after his father was also born in 1981 and is a final year student at the University of Ghana, Legon, and Mame Yahan the last born who was born in 1983, is a student at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Mame Serwa or Constance Awotwi was educated at the St. Monica School and Wesley Girls’ High School both at Cape Coast. She died in 2011.
After passing the junior Cambridge examination, she trained as a nurse midwife and worked most of the time in the Northern Region where she met and married at Tamale, Mr. Parcave Kassadjian, and an Armenian Road Contractor.
They have two daughters named Margaret and Helen.
Margaret trained as a Solicitor and practices in London, UK.
Helen is a Chartered accountant and is currently Managing Director of her father’s company, Messrs Chabou of International House, St. Katherine Way, London.

Efua Awotwi or Mrs. Ofori trained as a dressmaker and later got married to the late Mr. Ofori, a former storekeeper of Messrs CFAO in Tamale.

With him she had three children, two girls and a boy named, (sister Baby) Nana Konadu, ‘Yankey’ Joy Ofori and Ato Kwamena (Stephen Ofori)

Papa Sekum or Ebenezer S. Awotwi was educated at the Aggrey Memorial Secondary School in Cape Coast.

By courtesy of his brother-in-law Mr. Kassadjan, he was trained in London as a professional accountant.
He is now retired and resides in Elmina.
With his first wife Mary he had no issue.
He later got maried to Miss. Augustina Lavison and has by her three children named
Ben jr ; Veronica and Josephine.

















MADAM ABA PRABA, THE MOTHER OF OLD DACOSTA

Mame Ambam was a prominent member of the family . She was the mother of W.E. Pieterson and his sister Madam Elizabeth Mateer or Mame Essuman.
Mame Ambam’s husband was old Essuman Gwira, the son of Nana Kobina Gwira who introduced the salt industry to Elmina. Much ahs been written elsewhere about the forbears of Nana Kobina Gwira.

Late W.E. Pieterson was born in 1835 and died on January 6th 1914 aged 78 years. He started life as a goldsmith and a watch repairer. After the bombardment of Elmina in 1873 he moved to live in Cape Coast and established there a trading business, which in a short while prospered greatly.
His help to the family in Elmina was enormous. Never was he known to turn a deaf ear to any member of the family who was in genuine need and sought his help. His kindness and services were too numerous to mention.

During the Fante/Elmina war of 1868,he is reported to have greatly distinguished himself. Although an Akrampa, that is, a Dutch descendant, and belonged to the Alata Mamfo Asafo Company, he fought on the side of the Akyemfo (# 2) Asafo Company. It was recalled that in the frontline he displayed unusually marvelous coolness.
Old Neizer who was standing between him and the late Andrew DeHeer were rather killed.

Late W.E. Pieterson was a keen churchman and a great supporter of the Methodist church in Cape Coast. He is said to have played a very significant role in the founding of Wesleyan High School, now Mfantsipim School. He was also a nationalist and a statesman.
He became the president of the Aborigines Rights’ Protection Society and one of the trustees of the estate of the famous Jacob Wilson Sey (Kwabonyi)
Of Cape Coast.

He married Mame Akyere of Cape Coast and had by her four children namely George Essuman the eldest ; Wilhelmina, later Mrs. Gladstone Sackey; Elizabeth, later wife of late Alexander Goode of Cape Coast, and the late John Buckman Essuman Gwira.

George Essuman, the eldest was a brilliant at school. After completing his education at Wesley High School, he proceeded to Lagos and died there while a young adult.
Madam Wilhelmina or Mrs. Gladstone Sackey, was born in 1869 and died in 1926 aged 57.
She was a kind – hearted woman with high intellect and great forensic ability. She was educated at the …………….and was one of the first African tutors at the newly established Wesley Girls’ High School and Training Home.
Her affection and respect for members of her family were said to be remarkable and could not be highly praised.
Her first husband was J. Gladstone Sackey, a brilliant scholar of the old High school and one time Omankyeame for Cape Coast.
Their children were two boys named William Essuman, Gwira Sekyi and Henry Mensah Sackey.
Madam Wilhelmina had another child, a son named Nii, by her second husband Rev. S.B. Attoh-Ahumah.

William Essuman Gwira Sekyi was born in 1892 and died in 1956 aged 64 years.
He was a brilliant scholar and one of the group of students who became famous and known as the “Faithful Eight” in the history of Mfantsipim School. They kept the school going even when they had no teachers and took turns to teach themselves.
This apparently, went on until the arrival of the late Rev. W.T. Balmer as Principal oft he school in 1910.
After his education at the High School, Kobina Sekyi proceeded to England and graduated MA in Philosophy and also qualified as a barrister at law. He was a great statesman and an uncompromising nationalist often challenging the colonial administration on various aspects of its rule.
He was regarded as a thorn in their flesh.

He married the late Lilly Anna Cleland, the sole grand niece in the direct matrilineal line of Chief Kweku Andoh, regent of Elmina and granddaughter of the famous Hendrike Vroom CMG who became Secretary for Native Affairs in the Colonial administration.
They had six children, two girls and four boys namely; Fifi, Kuku, Ewuraba Wilhelmina, Henry Van Hein, Amamu Nanaamo, Chief Kweku Andoh.

Kobina had three other daughters named Ekua Sekyi, Adwoa Sekyi
(Mame Akyere) and Mena Ekua.

Fifi was born in 1923 and died in 1973 aged 50 years. He was educated at the Adisadel College in Cape Coast, taking the Fisher’s Mathematics prize in 1938. He later studied in London, worked there for a while and died there.

Kuku was born in 1924 and died in 1988 aged 64 years. After his education at Adisadel College he proceeded to Ireland and obtained a first class in philosophy and also qualified as a barrister with first class in King’s Inn, Dublin.
Back home, he was in private practice and achieved much success, but fell victim to a protracted illness which ended his life.
He had six children named Teresa, John, Sekyiwa, Lilly and Wilhelmina.
Teresa carved out a fine career for herself in the Public Service as an Internal Revenue Officer, after graduating from the University of Ghana, Legon with honours in Spanish.
She trained further in Cuba.
Johnny, a very talented artist and graphic designer specialist, practiced his calling after leaving St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, working mostly for advertising firms in Ghana, Hungary and the United States. He is married with one daughter.

Sekyiwa works at Accra in the M.O.D.

Lilly, now Mrs. Nkrumah lives in Pennsylvania in the US with her husband Jojo and two daughters, Louise and Ketsie.

Wilhelmina lives in Cape Coast with her husband and children.

Ewuraba Wilhelmina was born in 1926 and died in 1979 aged 53 years. After her education at St. Monica’s in Cape Coast and Ashanti Mampong, she trained as a nurse midwife in Nottingham, UK and on her return worked mostly in Accra. She married Dr. Francis Daniel of Cape Coast and had by him four children, namely Faustina, or Mrs. Evans-Anfom, Francis, Roland and Edwin.

Of these, Francis, the eldest, followed up his secondary education, first at Legon where he obtained his law degree(second upper), then Toronto Canada, where he obtained his Masters degree.
He was later called to the bar in New York, USA.
He now lives with his South African wife, Momse and one son.

Faustina graduated from KNUST and married Mr. Nii Teiko Evans-Anfom, an architect son of the former VC of UST. They have two daughters, Wilhelmina and Lauretta.

Edwin having a good artistic bent does well as a jeweler in Accra.


Henry Van Hein was born in 1928. He was educated at Adisadel College. He passed his senior Cambridge School Certificate with exemption from London Matriculation and Oxford Responsion.
At the University of Ghana, Legon, he took a first class honours degree in classics. He joined the Diplomatic Service and reached the rank of an Ambassador representing Ghana in various countries including Australia, Rome, the Court of James in London, and UNO, New York, USA.
He married Maria nee Techie-Menson, the daughter of the famous Papa Charles Techie-Menson, (later Sir. Charles) one time chairman of the Ghana Public Services Commission.
They have two children, named Nana Amamu Fleischer Djoleto, Mrs. And William Essuman Gwira Sekyi, B.Sc. Eng. London, M.Sc Eng. Louisiana, registered patent, USA.



Nana Amamu (Nana) was born in 1931 and died in 1957 aged 20 years, when in her second year at the University of the Gold Coast.

Chief Kweku Andoh was born in 1933 and died in 1989 aged 56 years. He was also educated at Adisadel College and later at the University of
Ghana, Legon.
He joined the civil service after qualifying a barrister at law the Middle Temple, with LLB honours, Nottingham degree.
He rose to the rank of Chief State Attorney before his death, after a short illness.
He had no children.

Ekua Sekyi was born in 1921 and died in 1948 aged 37 years. She showed brilliance at school but unfortunately died early.

Adwoa Sekyi (Mena Akyere), was born in 1922 and died in 1998 age d76 years. She was educated at St. Mary’s Convent, Cape Coast and got married early to the late Scol-Beain of Anomabo. They had…… children named;……..

Mena Ekua was born in 1928. She was also educated at St. Mary’s Convent.
Her children included the following………….

After the demise in 1933 of Mrs. Lilly Anna Sekyi, the next marriage of the late Kobina Sekyi was to Madam Anna Norman, by whom he had one more daughter, Lilly (Ewurama).

After graduating from Legon with honours, Ewurama married the late W.S. DeGraft – Johnson who later took his doctorate in Engineering from California and became a lecturer at UST after which became the Vice – President in the Third Republic during the Linman administration.
He died in London in the year 2000.
They had five bright children named, Kweku, Mame, Kweku, Leticia and Kojo; two of whom are now pursuing their careers in the USA, and two are in Britain.
Lilly herself still lives in Hertfordshire,UK.
Mame, now Mrs. Hankah, lives with her husband and children in Little Rock, Arkansas USA.


The late Henry Mensah Sackey was the second son of Mrs. Wilhelmina Sackey. He was born in 1894 and died in 1955 aged 61 years. After his education at the old Mfantsipim School, he proceeded to the Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall, UK, to qualify as a mining engineer. Back home, he was stricken by blindness after a short professional career and never recovered until his death. He had no children.


Nii Attohuma was Madam Wilhelmina’s fourth and last son. He was born in 1913 and died in 1977 aged 64 years.
He was educated at the Mfantsipim School and later joined the civil service and worked in the political administration in the Northern Region. His father was the illustrious Rev. S.B. Attohuma, a brilliant scholar, writer, preacher, and a nationalist of the highest order.
He became a member of the West Africa Congress Movement.
He died in Cape Coast in 1921 or 1977 ? while in charge of the Elmina Circuit.
Nii married Clara Halm of Green Lattice Lane, Cape Coast. They had two children both girls named,………..

Late W.E. Pieterson’s third child was Elizabeth, who later became the wife of the late Alexander Goode of Cape Coast. She was born in ….. and died in ………aged …. years after a protracted illness.

John Buckman Essuman Gwira was old Pieterson’s fourth child. According to the stone tablet in the Wesleyan Chapel, Cape Coast, inserted to his memory, he was born on 11th October 1871 and died on 10th April 1917 age d45 years old.
He had a brilliant career both at school and in life. After his education in the High School now Mfantsipim School, he worked for sometime in his father’s office.
Later, he and Hendrike Vroom were sent to study chemistry from Dr. Ernest Hayford, the physician attached to the Agyibipo Mine. This was to prepare them for higher studies abroad.

After some months with Dr. Hayford, the two young men left for the UK and entered first the Crystal Palace School to study practical engineering. After qualifying there as mechanical and civil engineers, they proceeded to the Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall and qualified there as mining engineers.

Back home, Vroom was first employed as the Prestea Gold Mine while Essuman Gwira worked for the Wassa Mining Company at Agyibipo. After two years, Gwira left to do prospecting on his father’s concession at Abontiako.
He later joined the civil service and worked in Survey Department. But during the mining boom he resigned to establish his own company. In this he excelled and became very prosperous.

He married Dorothy, the third daughter of the wealthy merchant, John Sarbah who was the father of John Mensah Sarbah, the renowned lawyer and statesman.
The marriage was blessed with one daughter named Wilhelmina.
She married the late lawyer, Francis Williams of Sekondi. One daughter survived them. She later got married to Dr. Kobina Aabah Taylor, but died shortly afterwards.

John Buckman Essuman Gwira was reputed to have been a great gentleman, kind hearted, knowledgeable and full of wit and humour. His death was a sad blow to his friends and family.

Mrs. Elizabeth Mateer or Mame Essuma, was the only sister of W.E. Pieterson. She was born in 1839 and died in 1930 aged 91 years.
She was reputed to be most precise and meticulous in whatever she did. She proved a devoted mother to the children of her relatives.
She was also a keen church person and for over forty years, was a class leader of the Methodist church.
She married the son of Ludweg Van Hein, the Danish Governor of the Christiansborg Castle from January 1931 to October 1931 when he died at sea off Sierra Leone.
His brother was also the Commandant of the Axim Castle. A daughter named Adriana survived him. She later married the late Peter Welsing of Elmina.

Mame had an only child, a son named Henry Van Hein. He was born in 1860 and died in 1928 aged 68 years.
He was a foundation student of the old High School, now Mfantsipim, when it was established in 1876.

After his education he assisted his uncle in his trading business. Later, he was appointed agent of Messrs F. & A. Swanzy at Shama, but after a short stint he left to join Messrs Alexander Millers Bros at Accra. He went to Winneba as senior African agent and prospered greatly there. He resigned to become the proprietor of his uncle’s businesses when he inherited his
uncle after the latter’s death.
He was a shrewd businessman and therefore was able to display great business acumen in his management.
He greatly supported the Methodist church at Winneba.
He was even a local preacher of the church.
On his return to Cape Coast, however, he switched sides and supported the Anglican church instead.
This did not lead to a complete severance of relationship with the Methodists. He continued to support them financially. For instance, he provided the four – sided tower clock to the church when it was renovated by the Rev. Ebenezer Amos Sackey of blessed memory in 1922.

Late Van Hein was a prominent member of the family.
He became renowned as a merchant, a churchman and a statesman.
He was a member of the Cape Coast Municipal Council, president of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society, and a member of the West Africa Congress.
He was also associated with the laying of the foundation stone of Achimota School.

He married Victoria, the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. John Plange of Accra.
The marriage lasted 43 years but was not blessed with any children.
Coincidentally, the same misfortune befell his cousin, Mr. Peter Welsing.