Genealogy day on 22 January 2011 in Roodepoort

On Saturday, 22 January 2011, the Roodepoort Museum in partnership with the West-Gauteng Branch of the Genealogical Society of South Africa is hosting an open day to promote and facilitate interest and research in genealogy and family history.

Time and venue

The function starts at 09:00. The Genealogical Society will have their displays in the Jo'burg Promusica Foyer and the Roodepoort Museum will be open until 15:00 for free guided tours of the museum.

Database of 586 000 names

Visitors will also have the opportunity to ask Lucas Rinken, Chairperson of the branch to look for their family name on his database which numbers about 586 000 names.

Lucas Rinken, has already done some “home work” on the gold discoverers. He has a genealogy lined up for the Struben Brothers, a family tree.

He also has one for Willem Boshoff, the first Afrikaans Mine millionaire. This he’ll have on his computer and will project it on a screen for people to see.

Family Bibles

Neels Coetzee, a members of the meber of the branch, is compiling a photographic database of old family Bibles. Visitors are requested to bring their old family bibles to be photographed free of charge. These family Bible photographs will form part of an International Database on the internet.

Look for our next week's article in the Roodepoort Record to find out more about this exciting event and the other organisations and researchers that will be available to assist you with your family history.

Guided tours

On the 22 January you can get a free guided tour of the museum without making a prior booking. Remember that the museum is only open by appointment if you want to come on another day. Tours are tailored to your needs and interests and on average last about one hour. For more information contact the museum on 011/761-0225/6/8.

Where to find us:

The museum is situated in the Civic Centre, 100 Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida Park. Entrance to the museum is right next to the Joburg Promusica Theatre.

Genealogiedag vervang maandvergadering: 22 Januarie 2011

Vandeesmaand se maandvergadering word vervang met ‘n genealogiedag saam met die Roodepoortse Museum.

Dit vind plaas op 22 Januarie 2011. Dit begin om 09:00 en eindig om 15:00 .

Alle lede is welkom.

Toegang tot die uitstallings is gratis.

Ander uitstallers sluit  Isabel Groesbeek; die LDS onder leiding van Isebelle Krauss; die Heidelbergse Erfenisstigting en moontlik ook Linda Lombard van die Noord-Transvaalse Tak van die GGSA.

Voorts is Neels Coertse oorgehaal om familiebybels te fotografeer. Die publiek en ons lede gevra word om hul familiebybels saam te bring.

• Intussen het Lucas Rinken en Graham Southey gesorg dat die takbiblioteek nou na die kelder van die NG Kerk verskuif is, terwyl Kriek en sy aanstaande skoonseun met die deur wat installeer moes word, gehelp het.

Last gathering of 2010

On 20 November 2010 twenty members of the West Gauteng branch met at our usual venue to enjoy the last gathering of the year.

Tables were set up under the large shady Tipuana tree, coals were lit and members happily chatted to each other.

After a wet week on the West Rand we were fortunate to have good weather.

Margaret Humphries (in middle of the photograph) and her catering team saw to it that there were ample salads and sufficient pudding.

Kriek Fourie (left) did an excellent job of making and looking after the fires. It was a relaxing afternoon and we were able to get to know each other better. -- Penny Evans.

Newsletter: November 2010

The latest newsletter of the branch is published below. 

Please be patient while it is loading. 

Click on "Full Screen" below to enlarge it. Wes-Gauteng-nuusbrief 2010-11

Is massagrafte aan die kom?

Godsdiensleiers, kultuurkenners en akademici kom vanmiddag (19 November 2010) by die Durbanse stadsaal byeen om die omstrede voorstel oor die herbenutting van grafte te bespreek, berig Radio Sonder Grense.

Die eThekwini-munisipaliteit het onlangs aangekondig dat hy gaan begin om ou grafte weer te benut, omdat daar nie plek is vir nuwe grafte nie.

Die oorskot sal opgegrawe en in 'n massagraf herbegrawe word.

Sowat 20 000 mense word elke jaar in eThekwini begrawe en die stad het nog net plek beskikbaar vir twee-en-'n-halfjaar.

Onlangse berigte in Durban het gelui dat 59 van die stad se 60 begraafplase vol is. Kundiges het nege jaar gelede gewaarsku dat Durban nog net tot 2010 plek sou hê om mense te begrawe en het toe herbenutting van grafte voorgestel, óf om mense regop te begrawe.

Cherised items

Report and Photographs by Penny Evans

(Click on any photograph to enlarge it.)

Thirty three members of the West Gauteng branch supported the “Bring and Brag” day on 16 October 2010. The hall was filled with cherished items of historical and genealogical interest. 

Some fascinating stories were told about the brag items.

• Graham Southey brought trophies won by three generations of the Southey family at various agricultural shows. His great grandfather was the “merino king” for seventeen years. On the eighteenth year his middle son was the winner of the trophy. His father did not speak to him for three months!

• Frans Viljoen’s old and valuable family Bible was on display.

• Neels Coertse brought a stone carving done by someone during the Anglo Boer War while in the Greenpoint Concentration Camp.

• Giel Nel brought a 1957 telephone directory which he had found useful for his family history research

.• Robin Templeton had inherited a very old pictorial book of Johannesburg as well as a beautiful old silver shoe horn and button hook.

• Louise Dick had antique items of needlework including a crochet rug, patchwork cushion cover and a Voortrekker kappie which her grandmother had made for her own mother.

• Ds Hennie Le Roux also brought items of handwork done by his grandmother, mother and mother in law.

• Kriek Fourie’s inheritance included jukskei clubs carved from the wood of the knobthorn tree, an antique cutlery set and a shotgun which had belonged to his grandfather.

• Bob Saunders brought a photo showing four generations of the Saunders family. He told the story of the Kruger quarterpound left to the family by his grandfather.

• John and Iris Stephens brought their granddaughter, Talita, who wore her great great grandmother’s wedding dress. In addition they had brought a child’s dress which was about 100 years old and was first worn by Iris Stephens’s mother.

• Many other interesting items were on display. There were old coins including a 1879 threepenny piece, a fighting sword, a miniature set of the complete works of Shakespeare, an old diary with beautiful handwriting, old preserving jars, an antique peeler, medals won in various wars, old photos, locks of hair preserved in miniature containers and much more.

• Chairman Lucas Rinken brought the marbles his father had played with while in the Bethulie Concentration Camp and the fork which was all that remained after the family home was burnt down during the Anglo Boer War. In addition he brought many items of historical interest.

The enthusiastic participation by the members made this day a great success.

Preserving Your Family History Records Digitally

While gathering family history records over the years, you’ve probably been preserving them physically. So why consider preserving them digitally now?

This article discusses the benefits and challenges of using digital preservation to both augment and enhance the preservation of your family history records. It also explores solutions to the challenges, identifies what types of family history records are suitable for digital preservation, and summarizes what is required to get started archiving digital records.

In his final thoughts the writer states:  

Digital preservation should not replace physical preservation of your family history records. Rather, it should be used to augment and enhance physical preservation. This paper has described numerous ways how digital preservation can do this.

Preserving your family history records digitally can be both enjoyable and satisfying. Get started now — don’t put it off. Encourage your friends and family to get started too. As you do the labor of love required to preserve these records digitally, you can expect to have an uplifting spiritual experience as you connect with your memories and your ancestors. And best of all, you’ll be able to sleep better at night!

Read the article by Gary T. Wright by clicking HERE or

Print it by clicking HERE.

Newsletter: October 2010

The latest newsletter of the branch is published below. Please be patient while it is loading. Click on "Full Screen" below to enlarge it. Wes-Gauteng-nuusbrief 2010-10

Die Camphers hou familiefees

Die Campher-familie het Saterdag, 2 Oktober 2010, ‘n saamtrek op die ou familieplaas, Wolwespruit gehad.

Volgens John Stephens, wie se Ma Hermina Christina CAMPHER was, dit was ‘n belewenis om familielede wat mens nog nooit vantevore gesien of van geweet het nie, daar te ontmoet. John is mede-vise-voorsitter van die Gautengtak van die GGSA.

Die blou vlaggie dui aan waar Wolwespruit is.

Omdat alle vorige huise daar deur die parkeraad gesloop is, het die meeste van die familie in tente en woonwaens gekamp. Wolwespruit is deur die vorige regering onteiën, nadat die Bloemhofdam daar naby gebou is. Die water sou glo so ver opstoot dat Wolwespruit onder water sou wees.

Families is toe gevra om hul dooies te herbegrawe. John se Oupa en Ouma Campher, asook ander familielede is toe in Leeudoringsstad se begraafplaas herbegrawe. Talle van die familielede is egter nog in die familiebegraafplaas op Wolwespruit en nooit herbegrawe nie. Die water het in meer as veertig jaar nog nooit Wolwespruit oorstroom nie.

Die Camphertak wat hier vergader het, is afstammelinge van Cornelius Rudolf Campher, gebore 16 November 1894, getroud met Martha Margaretha KEMP, gebore 16 Desember 1900. Hy is die seun van Frans Hendrik, gebore 9 September 1850 en getroud met Wilhelmina Johanna JANSEN, gebore 1 Augustus 1864. Charles Alexander Campher, gebore 27 Desember 1923, was in lewende lywe daar en verreweg die oudste van die teenwoordiges. Ook Charles se vrou, John se niggie, Isabella Elizabeth MARAIS, gebore 27 Julie 1924 was daar. Haar Ma, Thirza Jane STEPHENS, was John se tante.

Wolwespruit is tans ‘n natuurreservaat in die Noordwes-provinsie, of te wel die ou Wes-Transvaal. Daar is talle wildsoorte gevestig en dis ‘n vissermansparadys waar die visse in die Vaalrivier byt soos min!

Die byeenkoms is skitterend gereël deur Maggie Kotze van Orkney. Haar Ma, Martha Margaretha Campher, gebore 4 Februarie 1936 was self teenwoordig en op-en-wakker.

Volgens die familie was die naweek te kort en sou hulle veel langer in mekaar se geselskap wou wees.

Explaining the creation of a genealogical website

Report and photographs by Penny Evans

Our branch met on 18 September 2010 and we had our best attendance yet!

Thirty one people came along to hear Joe Botha speak about web pages for family genealogy.

Many years ago he had decided to research who the ancestors of his children were. His interest in the Botha family history grew and this led him to create the website “Botha in Southern Africa”.

Using a power point presentation he explained how to go about creating a website.

He told us:

• What it should look like;
• What needs to be placed onto it;
• How to structure it;
• How to write it;
• How to get it onto the internet, as well as
• The advantages and disadvantages.

He stressed that the first page should open quickly, should not be too busy and easily understandable.

He was a lively, amusing and very entertaining which made this technical topic interesting for the audience.

The two members who had their turn to speak for 5 minutes about their research were Graham Southey and Ruth Jobson.

Graham Southey’s interest in family history had started at an early age. As a young child he would ask his parents to explain who the various family members were. In the early 1950’s he started to write to family members asking for information.

Steadily over the years he was able to put together an incomplete family tree. All of his work was hand written into drawing books. He was able to collect many photographs of the Southey family. He is very fortunate to have photographs of his 1820 forefather and mother and of every male descendant down to himself.

Ruth Jobson’s parents lived on a mission station in the Northern Transvaal and so she was sent to live with her grandmother in Pietermaritzburg in order to attend school. Here she came into contact with many family members and heard various stories about the family. Later photographs and letters were given to her.

Her father, Dr Aitken, was interested in family history and had some research done by the Scots Research Society. Ruth’s grandfather, Rev Thomas Aitken, was sent to St Helena Island during the Boer war and there he met his future wife, Edith Mary Short. He later made his way to Cape Town where became a Baptist minister. Ruth’s other grandfather, James William Noble, came to SA to look after his brother, George, who had been sent to SA for his health.

George Noble became a minister in the Methodist Church. There are many ministers and missionaries in her family. Ruth says her biggest challenge at the moment is to research the Jobson family.

Newsletter: September 2010

The latest newsletter of the branch is published below. Please be patient while it is loading. Click on "Full Screen" below to enlarge it.

Wes-Gauteng-nuusbrief 2010-09

Recording cemetery information

Report and Photographs by Penny Evans

Helping

On a lovely sunny day eleven members of the West Gauteng branch went to the Tedderfield/
Eikenhof area to record graves at three farm cemeteries. We met at the Danie Theron Church and then followed John Stephens to the Elandsfontein family cemetery. Quickly the members set to work, some pruning plants, washing, dusting, taking photographs and recording information from headstones. It is here that members of the Viljoen, Slabbert, Scheffer and van Heerden families are buried. Not all the graves had headstones. The cemetery was in use up till 1992.

We then went to the Kamffer farm cemetery situated in the area known as Hartzenbergfontein. This cemetery was not enclosed, but rocks marked the perimeter. Most of the graves had no headstones, but were noticeable by the piles of rocks. The three headstones were for the Kamffer family. Nearby was a derelict farmhouse probably built in about 1870.

Cleaning

Writing

The last cemetery was Mulders- rus where members of the Mulder, Booy- sen, Strydom and Human families are buried.

These farm cemeteries are set in a scenic area. Veld fires had burnt the long grass making the task of finding and recording the graves much easier. The thirsty group finished at 1.30pm. We gathered at a nearby restaurant for a relaxing lunch.

It was a successful and productive day in peaceful surroundings away from the noise and rush of the city. The area is surprisingly beautiful once you leave the main roads.

Eating

Thank you to all who were involved in making this day a success. All information will be sent to the eGGSA gravestone project. GPS readings were taken at each of the cemeteries.

There are more cemeteries to be recorded in this area. Members who missed this occasion will have another opportunity to participate.