A plaque was unveiled at the Rynsoord Cemetery in remembrance of Benoni pioneer Esther Eaton who was separated by law from her husband, William (Bill) Eaton, in death, on Saturday (May 5).
Local historian Glynis Millett-Clay, who sourced information regarding Esther, shared it with the City Times.
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Esther was born on St. Helena Island to a descendant of freed slaves, Samuel Henry and his wife Sarah, from Thompson’s Wood.
Esther was considered “coloured” in South Africa.
Despite this, Esther was, for many years, the beloved wife of William Eaton from Hull in England.
In 1890 Bill and Esther ran the Chimes Tavern and Hotel on the East Rand Goldfields, near what was to become the town of Benoni in 1907.
After the Anglo-Boer war, William Eaton sold the Chimes hotel and turned his interests to speculation in mining shares and sporting interests.
The two settled in Westdene where Esther and Bill fostered several children, including Edith Lowe, from Germiston, who was abandoned by her mother at an early age.
“Mother” Eaton was a well-known sight in Benoni. Esther used to drive through town with her foster children in a big black carriage, wearing a feathered hat.
The Eatons made sure that their foster children got the best education possible, but Esther was still unwelcome in some parts of Benoni.
However, true injustice came in 1939 when Bill died.
Esther inherited most of his considerable property and she purchased a double grave for Bill and her at Benoni Cemetery.
But Esther could not take transfer of the two houses that Bill had left her because property in Benoni could only belong to people who were considered “white”.
The house in Lakefield, where Bill had died, had to be sold on auction, while the second house, “The Firs”, in Main Road had to be transferred to Esther’s adopted daughter, Edith (Lippiatt) Lowe, who was married.
David Thomas, from Australia, who co-authored Benoni Son of My Sorrow, mentioned at the unveiling that when Esther died, Edith was barred from burying her in the grave next to Bill, which was part of the double stand Esther had bought.
“Instead, Esther was buried in a pauper’s grave in Boksburg,” Thomas said.
“Egyptian tombs had the inscription ‘speak my name and I will live again’ and this is what we are doing today.”
The Dean from the St Dunstan’s Cathedral, Simon Aiken, also said a prayer for Esther who was a strong believer at the Anglican Church.
“Esther also left money for the Anglican Church in Benoni when she died,” he said.
“We are here to share in the eternal works of Christ which is to bring love and put to death human restrictions.”
Millett-Clay, Thomas and Peter Wood then unveiled Esther’s plaque on Bill’s grave while several people witnessed the occasion.
