Find your missing baptism records of your ancestors or family in St. Peter’s Mossel Bay baptism registers. Over 5000 people christened here from various communities in the area. Find surnames such as Ackerberg, Arendse, Ball, Barlow, Barry, Bayman, Boshoff, Brissies, Brown, Cameron, Cuff, Cupido, Damons, Frans, Gelderbloem, Hendricks, Jacobs, January, Karelse, King, Matthews, Meyer, Muller, Pamplin, Pickering, Riley, Roode, Tities, Walker and Wiggett just to name few.

One of the minsters of the church was The Revd Thomas Sheard Born: London, in 1824, the son of Francis Sheard and his wife, Sarah Wilson Sheard. Married: Mary Sarah Sheard [maiden surname unknown]. [She died in 1864.] he then remarried in 1865, to M E Sheard [maiden surname unknown].

Ordained: Deacon in St. George’s Cathedral, Cape Town on 24 December 1854, and Priest in St. Saviour’s Church, Claremont on 7June 1857, by the Metropolitan Bishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Robert Gray. Career: Schoolmaster, Rondebosch, Cape Colony.

Deacon (later Priest) in charge (licensed 25 December 1854), Missionary (SPG) (1857-1870), and Rector (1857-1871), all of Mossel Bay, in the diocese of Cape Town. Died: “The Parsonage”, Mossel Bay, on 19 November 1871, aged 47 years. “Usually very gentle and rather reserved, his vehement indignation was roused by anything that he considered a dishonour or slight cast on his Master. … But it was by quiet, patient work and a consistent life that he won the respect and affection of his parishioners.

Care, time, good common sense, which he possessed in an uncommon degree, were all devoted to those over whom God had placed him.

Owing to the gradual growth of the malady which at last brought him to death, his public ministrations were for many months carried on in ‘weariness and painfulness;’ but neither pain nor weariness could keep him from his work, as long as he could stand or speak. Acknowledgement Messengers, Watchmen and Stewards by Andries William De Villiers