Genealogical Society of South Africa
Durban and Coastal Branch
Volume 26 Issue 1/2010
Message from the
Treasurer
Kindly note that
the membership fees for 2010 is now due.
Option 1:
R140 – membership plus a hard copy of the “Familia”
Option 2: R120 – membership plus an electronic copy of
the “Familia”
To register on eGGSA the cost is R30 (in
addition to one of the above).
The cost of
additional publications can be found on the Renewal Form, or by contacting the
Treasurer.
Please
note that subscription fees may be deposited at ANY branch of Nedbank in South
Africa – our banking details are :
Account
Name : The Genealogical Society of South
Africa
Bank
: Nedbank
Branch
Code : 135226
Account
No. : 2144 092 346 (Durban North)
NB : Members banking via INTERNET must quote the
Code No. 135226 as well as our account number.
Please notify the Treasurer of your renewal either by post, telephone or
by e-mail.
***
Annual
General Meeting
held on Saturday 16 January 2010
The branch
AGM was held on Saturday 16 January at the Family History Centre and was well
attended. The minutes of the AGM were circulated under separate cover.
The following members were elected as office bearers
for 2010 :
Chairman :
Matthys van Niekerk
Vice-Chairman : Dave Honour
Treasurer : Dawn van Niekerk
Librarian : Liz Marson
Secretary : Judy Letard
Committee : Nigel McFerran (past-Chairman)
Cynthia
McFerran
We extend a warm welcome to our
new committee member, Liz Marson and thank her for volunteering to serve on the
committee.
We wish to thank our past
Treasurer, Adrienne Kitchin for her contribution, hard work and the time
dedicated to her position during the last 2009.
***
Farewell to Octogenarian
Anneliese Peters
It is with great sadness that we
mourn the passing of our octogenarian, Anneliese Peters. Annelise was one of the founder members of
the Durban Branch when it was formed in 1983.
She was elected Secretary, a
position she held for many years until she finally became Chairman of the
branch.
Anneliese
was born in Westville on 15 December 1920 and was christened Anneliese Minna
Louisa Konigkramer. She was a direct descendant
of the Konigkramer family who were amongst the first
German settlers that were brought to Natal from Germany by Jonas Bergtheil,
Director of the Natal Cotton Company. Many
of the settlers made their homes in Westville and surrounding areas, thus the
name ‘New Germany’ came into being.
Through her extensive research of
the German settlers, Anneliese contributed a large amount of information to the
Bergtheil Museum, and in later years produced a wonderful book of photographs
of the vast Konigkramer family. She
kindly donated a copy of the book to our library as well as to the Family
History Centre.
We send
our sincere sympathies to her family and acknowledge the part she played in
establishing the Durban branch.
***
Stellawood Cemetery Registers
Indexing Project (SCRIP)
Members have been advised of the
resignation of Jacques Benadie as leader of the Stellawood Cemetery
Register Indexing Project (SCRIP) with effect from 1 January 2010. Volunteers are requested not
to return any completed transcript-tions to Jacques but instead email the
schedules to :
Nigel McFerran (mcferran@vodamail.co.za).
With the vacancy left by Jaq, we
now appeal for anyone interested in taking over as co-ordinator of this project
to kindly contact any member of the Committee as soon as possible so that
progress with the project can continue .
We are grateful for the tremendous
amount of work that Jaq has done on this project and accept his decision with
regret.
***
Quip
“ONE FOR THE ROAD” : There is an old Hotel/Pub in
Marble Arch, London which used to have gallows adjacent. Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a
fair trial of course), to be hung. The
horse drawn dray, carting the prisoner was accompanied by an armed guard, who
would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ''ONE
LAST DRINK''. If he said YES it was
referred to as ONE FOR THE ROAD. If he
declined, that prisoner was ON THE WAGON.
***
Bulletin Board
v
History of AVBOB
(Extract from www.ancestry24.com)
The history of AVBOB can be traced back to
the establishment of the Afrikaanse Verbond in Bloemfontein in 1916 by a Dutch
immigrant, Jacobus Vogelsang, with a view to promoting the interests of
Afrikaners in general and its members in particular in economic, social and
cultural matters. In 1918 the Verbond (Union) established a provident fund with
monthly contributions to cover the funeral expenses of members. A burial
society established in Bloemfontein in 1919 was supported by the Verbond and
when the undertaking was threatened with bankruptcy in 1921 it was taken over
by the Verbond. In this way the Afrikaanse Verbond Begrafnis Ondernenling
Beperk (AVBOB) was established in Bloemfontein on 19 December 1921 under the
chairmanship of a former teacher, H.H. van Rooijen, another immigrant from the
Netherlands. Other members who served on the directorate were Dr. H.J. Steyn
(later Senator), R.B. Saayman, H. W. Kammeijer, G.P. Naude, A. W. Bohlander and
S.W. van der Merwe (secretary). Lack of capital impeded full development. W.J.
van Rooijen took over the management in 1944 on account of the illness of his
father, H.H. van Rooijen, and continued the tradition of efficient management.
In 1951 AVBOB was converted into an insurance company and its activities have
gradually been extended in this direction. In the meantime the head-office was
moved to Pretoria.
v
Researching SA Police
Records
To obtain individual records of family who served in
the SA Police you can write to :
SAPS Museum
Private Bag X94
Pretoria
0001
Tel: 012 301 5260/353 6771
Email: sapsmuseum@saps.org.za
v
GSSA Cemetery Recording
The final tally for 2009 was 62 286 names recorded!!
This brings the database total to 371 162. Congratulations and well done to Peter Moss and his
volunteers. The
new DVD should be available by the end of March 2010 and will be obtainable
from Andre Heydenrych at aheydenr@mweb.co.za.
v
Mauritius :
If you are researching your Mauritian family you will
no doubt realize how difficult it is to get certificates from Mauritius as it is
a lengthy process. I have recently come
across the following website of the Association Maurice Archives which has pdf
files on all of the cemeteries. The
website to visit is www.amamu.org
– click on ‘cimetieres’ and it will take you to all the links.
***
Early Days in Natal
(Snippets from Family Letters, captured by Moira
Tarr and kindly donated to the GSSA by our member, Allan Moor)
Part 1 : Ryno’s Tales
The
Otto story began in South Africa with the arrival in 1710 of Michiel Otto, a
sailor from Germany.
His
grandson Petrus Albertus Ryno Otto moved from the Cape during the Great Trek
and settled in the Pietermaritzburg area.
One son
of Petrus was Andries, who married Alice Ann Vanderplank. The couple had two
sons, Ryno John Petrus and Cyril Saxon Douglas, and three daughters, Winnifred
Florence Emma, Avice Elsie and Helen Ethel.
On the property acquired by the Otto family at the
time of the Great Trek, was a mountain that Andries named Otto’s Bluff. He
built his home at the foot of the mountain when lions and hippo were still to
be found nearby. This farm was the
setting for the film “King Solomon’s Mines” first shown in 1936. Apparently the
author Ryder Haggard once lived below Otto’s Bluff.
On top of this mountain were ruins and signs of an
ancient people. These workings encircled the mountain top enclosing some 600
acres with a trench or stone wall. Where possible, natural krantzes were used
in place of a trench. All natural springs were within the fortification. Parts
of the trenches were so deep that they could be seen from Hilton Road, some six
miles away.
On an
adjoining farm, “Shooters Hill”, some old elephant pit-traps were found between
the forest gaps. As far as is known, no archaeological research had been done
to discover who the ancient builders were. After ploughing most of the mountain
top a crop of Cape Gooseberries grew and flourished, though nobody could
account for the seeding.
In the same area, the ploughs exposed ashes of old
fires as well as what appeared to be molten glass. Below a krantz could be seen
evidence of excavation into some blue-coloured soil.
During
blasting operations, remains of several half-baked clay pots were found, one of
which was almost unharmed. Unlike Zulu pots it had two pierced ears, evidently
to aid in carrying it. It is believed that the pot was donated to the Killie
Campbell Museum. So symmetrical were
the holes in some stones that they could have been made by a modern Morse twist
drill.
There
was a curious hole about 50ft deep and 20 ft in diameter, its walls smooth and
uncracked. At the time of the rinderpest (ca 1898) Andries Otto filled the hole
with the carcasses of his cattle that died of the disease.
Neither
lightning nor rainbows have been noticed on Otto’s Bluff.
RYNO
JOHN PETRUS OTTO. 16.08.1878 – 14.08.1966
Ryno’s
maternal grandfather was John Vanderplank, an engineer whose forebears hailed
from Holland.
As a
young man, he had visited Natal en route to Australia. While walking in the
wattle groves, he collected seeds from the wattle trees that thrived in that
climate. When he returned to settle in Natal, he made his first home from a
packing case and the first seeds that he planted were the wattle seeds. In the
years that followed, wattle trees could be seen in all directions. Tannic acid
was found to exist in the
strips of the bark and subsequently many farms were established, with the
wattle extract and bark being exported to the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan,
America, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East. However, John died in 1882
without knowing that he had enriched the lives of so many with the seeds he had
put into his matchbox in Australia.
To say that Ryno Otto was a character, is to put it
mildly His father was a hard task master.
Their father would accompany his young sons when they
rode out to inspect the farm. He would
whip the horses to encourage them to go faster. One day Ryno became frozen with
terror and could not dismount when they returned home. His father refused to
help him and he remained on the horse in the stable until dark when his mother
came to his rescue.
He was educated at Hilton College and thereafter
trained as an engineer. He had a very
keen sense of humour. One Prize Giving Day he was left on duty at the tea
table, where all the cakes for tea were laid out. His job was to make sure that nobody came near the table. While
looking one way he missed a person approaching the table, from the other
direction. He crept up behind him and gave him a mighty kick, sending him
sprawling off the high verandah. To his horror, when the culprit stood up he
discovered that it was the Headmaster! The Head congratulated Otto Major for
doing his duty so well!
During the time of the rinderpest, it was made official
that all animals were to be dipped. The penalty for disobedience was a period
of quarantine for the whole farm.
During
the dipping one heifer managed to bolt from the line at the tank. Ryno managed
to grab hold of its tail and hung on for dear life. He then had to make a
split-second decision. In those days braces were the means of support for
trousers and what with being dragged along the ground, the buttons on his pants
began to give way, one by one. Should he let the animal go and rescue his dignity
at the cost of being quarantined or should he hang on and leave his trousers
behind?
His
decision was met with hysterical laughter from the witnesses!
Another time in Church Street, Pietermaritzburg, he
missed his footing on the steps of a Government building, landing on the
pavement. Just then a woman passed by who rushed up to assist the poor man.
“What happened, did you fall down the steps”, she enquired. ”No Madam, I just
fell for you”, he replied. She gave him
a withering look and walked on.
He also developed a great regard for the might of
England and a love of the British Nation.
During
the Boer War the Greytown officials decided to declare it an “open” city, thus
hoping to avoid being destroyed by the enemy. They accordingly hauled down the Union
Jack. Ryno would have none of this: He grabbed the flag and accused the
officials of being cowards. He then proceeded to climb to the top of the
nearest gum tree, tied the flag to the topmost branch and descended, chopping
branches on the way down so that nobody could climb up again to dislodge the
flag.
During the South African War he was in the
Intelligence Section stationed at Estcourt, where he met Winston Churchill, who
was a War Correspondent at the same centre. He acknowledged years later that he
had had a hand in the prevention of Winston Churchill’s war dispatches reaching
England timeously.
NB: For a more detailed explanation of this
event, it may be possible to read Ryno’s statement in the Archives.
His interest in engineering led him to travel widely in America and Europe,
where he once managed to clear a crowded compartment by pretending to be mad,
reading his newspaper upside down while periodically jumping up and down.
He was awarded the Humane Society Medal for an act of
bravery which took place near Albert Falls.
He
happened to be working on a bridge over the railway line to Greytown, when one
of the workmen accidentally fell into the river and was swept downstream
towards Albert Falls. Ryno jumped from the bridge into the river and grabbed
the man right on the brink of the falls. They were able to cling to the scrub
until a rope was thrown down from the bridge and they were hauled to safety.
After a bad dose of enteric fever, and heeding his
mother’s advice, he gave up engineering and farmed with his brother Saxon on
Otto’s Bluff. He married Mary (Maida),
daughter of Rev. Scott and had one daughter, Ruth.
True stories retold by Ryno to the family:
Recently, a tramp turned up at the Dutch Parson’s
house in Dundee. He asked for cash and was given bread and a plate of soup.
Near the open front door stood an umbrella stand. The tramp did not want the soup so he dumped it into the umbrella
stand, and departed.
When
the parson returned to the doorway, dressed up to hold a service at the church,
he looked at the gathering rain clouds and decided to carry an umbrella.
It
became necessary to open the umbrella at which time he was surprised to receive
a deluge of soup. Wisely, history does
not relate what the parson said.
Among the first Voortrekkers to enter the country
north of Louis Trichardt was a family by name of Preller.
The eldest son Carl was an adventurous young lad of
18. His hobby was collecting rock crystals from mountain streams. One day,
hearing a growl he looked up to see a lioness with cubs under a shale ledge.
Realizing his danger, Carl made for the nearest tree, a baobab which seemed to
have been damaged by white ants. The top was hollow, allowing Carl just enough
space to insert one leg to thigh level in the hollow. The other leg hung down
beside the tree trunk and his armpit was supported by a dead knot. After Carl
and the lioness had gazed at each other for some time, she moved off with her
cubs. As Carl did not know how long she would remain away, he decided to stay where
he was. Unfortunately a swarm of hornets had made the hollow in the tree their
home as well and they stung his leg which soon swelled and became completely
numb. With the arrival of sundown, animals made their way to the river and Carl
was forced to remain where he was. Soon he heard three gunshots in quick
succession, the Voortrekker signal for “Man lost”. Long hours of distress had
rendered him incapable of shouting and he eventually lost consciousness.
Sometime during the night he became aware that a big buck, either a Kudu or
Eland, was licking the sole of his foot. He was too weak to do anything about
it so the licking continued. It was later assumed that the animal was in need
of salt, which it obtained from Carl’s foot. Towards dawn when the animal moved
off, vultures began to circle above the tree where Carl was imprisoned. Due to
their actions Carl’s rescuers were able to rush to the scene in time to save
him from further harm. His foot had
been licked to the bone.
In the Eastern Transvaal is a krantz-covered farm
named Aasvogel Kop owned by the descendents of the Preller family.
(Thank you to Shirley Richardson for supplying
us with this article. Part 2 will be
published in the next newsletter.)
Where can I find Military Records ?
Did you know that.….
·
The National
Archives UK holds Enrolment Forms and Nominal Rolls of SA Volunteer Units
during Anglo-Boer War (WO 126 and WO 127) as well as Medal Rolls (WO 100),
·
At the end of the
War many British soldiers joined the SA Constabulary and personal records are
stored in the National Archives of South Africa,
·
Post-1912 records
for all who served in the South African Armed Forces including World War I and
II are kept by the SA Defence Force,
·
The South African
Military History Museum is an excellent resource – try searching “Researching
Ancestors Who Were Servicemen” on the websites below.
Websites :
http://www.militarymuseum.co.za - SA Military History Museum
www.cwgc.org - Commonwealth War Graves
www.sahra.org.za/f5.htm - Anglo-Boer casualties
http://redcoat.future.easyspace.com - Officers who died in the Anglo-Boer War
www.rorkesdriftvc.com - Anglo-Zulu War forum
Contacts :
Deputy Director
Documentation Centre (Personal Archives)
Private Bag X289, Pretoria, 0001
Email: sandfdoc@mweb.co.za
The South African War 1899 – 1902
(Service Records of British & Colonial
Women – Over 1700 detailed entries)
Email: smgray@ihug.co.nz
****
Diary Dates : 2010
13 March
Morning visit to the
Bergtheil Museum, Westville
10 April “Handwriting through the
Ages” : Dave Honour
09 May Personal Research
13 June Morning visit to Warriors
Gate/Old Fort
11 July Personal Research
08
August Visit to PMB
Archives/to be confirmed
12
September Personal Research
10
October Speaker to be
announced
14
November Personal Research
12 December Ancestral Tea
We
will advise you timeously of any changes of events, or forthcoming outings that
do not fall on the 2nd Saturday of the month, as arrangements are
made.
****
Committee
Members 2010
Chairman
Matthys van
Niekerk Cell : 083 338 7316 E-Mail : matthysv@iafrica.com
Vice-Chairman
David Honour Cell
: 082 906 4875 E-Mail : dave.honour@wspgroup.co.za
Treasurer/Membership
Dawn van Nierkerk Cell:
083 338 7316 E-Mail : matthysv@iafrica.com
Secretary/Newsletter
Judy Letard Cell: 072-146-7922 E-Mail : kdee@mweb.co.za
Librarian
Liz
Marson Cell:
08 698 0961 E-Mail : busiliz@telkomsa.net
Committee
Nigel McFerran Cell : 083 229 8788 E-Mail: mcferran@vodamail.co.za
Cynthia
McFerran Cell : 082 927 3701 E-Mail: mcferran@vodamail.co.za
****
Our Venue
for Meetings
Family History Centre,
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints,
144 Silverton Road.
Entrance in Montgomery
Road
Phone: (031) 202 3024
Our meetings are held at 2.30 on the 2nd Saturday of every
month. Our AGM is held on the 3rd
Saturday in January.
For the record, the F.H.C.
is also open at the following times:
Tuesday 10 am – 12 noon.
Wednesday 1 pm – 4 pm
Thursday 9 am – 12 noon and 6.30 pm – 9 pm
Last Saturday of every month from 10 am – 4 pm
Or by appointment
****
“When you have exhausted all possibilities,
remember this. You
haven’t!”
-Thomas Edison-