Jaffer Thawer

The German Colonial Handbook Supplement 1904 mentions the firm of "Jaffer Tauer" as being ivory merchants in Bagamoyo in 1904. The firm is also listed in the German Colonial Handbook 1908 as an ivory merchant.

German Colonial Handbook Supplement 1904
Indian Traders Bagamoyo 1904
Indian Traders Bagamoyo 1908

Among the prominent Indians of the (Khoja ed.) Ismaili community, I remember a number by names, and I shall enumerate some of them. Bandali Remtullah as Mukhi was their representative. Others were Alidina Visram, Ibrahim Lila, Kanji Hansraj, the heir of Jan Hansraj, Dhalla Bhimji, Daramsi Haschem, and Jaffer Dossa Thawer, Jaffer Remtullah, Pardan Mohamed, Abdullah Allarakia, Merali Remtullah, Jaffer Somji, Ali Siwji, Ismail Jiwani, Ali Somji, Ibrahim Hasim, Saleh Siwji, and many others. In 1899, there were 401 brick houses in the town of Bagamoyo, belonging almost entirely to members of the (Khoja ed.) Ismaili community. In addition, there were 2431 native houses with makuti roofs, built along streets which were already comparatively straight in those times. Besides, there were two large and magnificent houses which had been given as a present to the German administrative authorities by the Indian Sewa Hadji.

By Otto Mahnke, German Colonial Official- reprinted from Simerge.