{"id":181,"date":"2026-10-11T13:28:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T11:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/?p=181"},"modified":"2026-10-17T13:24:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T11:24:42","slug":"the-first-settlers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/2026\/10\/11\/the-first-settlers\/","title":{"rendered":"The first Settlers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Who were the first people on the family tree that arrived in South Africa?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following groups are some of the people appearing in the family tree:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Huguenots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dutch &#8220;Weesmeisies&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1820 British settlers (see the Blog &#8220;Founder of Willowmore&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slaves<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The family tree goes as far back as the first ancestor who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope. Who were the first people in our family tree? The majority were Huguenots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Europe <strong>Huguenots<\/strong> were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed or Calvinist tradition of Protestantism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Huguenots gained influence and more openly displayed their faith, Catholic hostility grew. A series of religious conflicts followed, known as the French Wars of Religion, fought intermittently from 1562 to 1598.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The wars ended with the <em>Edict of Nantes<\/em> which granted the Huguenots religious tolerance and political and military autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Huguenot rebellions in the 1620\u2019s resulted in the abolition of their political and military privileges. Finally when King Louis XIV ruled, the persecution of the Huguenots increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The King issued the <em>Edict of Fontainebleau<\/em> (1685). This ended legal recognition of Protestantism in France and the Huguenots were forced to either convert to Catholicism or flee as refugees; they were subjected to death, violence, abuse and their belongings were stolen from them. Thousands fled from France to neighbouring Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1652 Jan van Riebeeck began the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope on behalf of the Dutch East India Company (VOC \u2013 Vereenigde Oos-Indiese Companie). Seeing that the settlement at the Cape required extra manpower to provide for the growing demand of fresh products by the settlers and the ships of the Company, the Dutch East India company decided to send more settlers to the Cape colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, in 1685 the Company sent a commissioner from the Cape Colony (South Africa) looking to attract settlers to the Cape of Good Hope. Among the settlers were many French refugees looking for a place where they could practice their faith in peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first mass migration of french settlers arrived at the Cape in 1688.  They were given farms around the Cape in an area later called Franschhoek (French corner). The valley was originally known as Olifantshoek (Elephant&#8217;s Corner) because there were large herds of elephants roaming the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among them arriving at the Cape were the following who appear in your family tree:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jacques Pinard (Pienaar) and his wife Ester (Hester) Fouche<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Estienne Bruere [Ferreira]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gideon Malherbe and his wife Marie Grillion, they got married at the Cape [Dreyer]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charles Marais and his wife Catherine Taboureux and their 3 children including Marie-Madeleine Marais [Dreyer]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hercule Du Pre (du Preez) and his wfe Cecilia D&#8217;Atis, they came from Belgium. [Dreyer]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charles Marais and his wife Catherine Taboureux with their children Claude, Charles and Marie-Madeleine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pierre Joubert sailed in 1688 with his wife Susanne Reyne. She died on board the ship. Pierre married Isabeau Richarde while on board the ship. She was the widow of, Pierre Malan, who had also died on board the ship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Louis Cordier and his wife Francoise Martinet, and their children Susanna, Luisa, Maria and Jean Cordier.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David Senecal [Ferreira]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another ship the Osterland arrived at the Cape with French Huguenots on 26 April 1688. Families on board among others were:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jacques de Savoye and his 2nd wife Marie Madeline le Clercq and his daughters Margurite-Th\u00e9r\u00e8se, and Barbere-Th\u00e9r\u00e8se  de Savoye and his baby son Jacques de Savoye [Ferreira]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Isaac Taillefert and his wife Suzanne Briet and their children  Isabeau, Jean, Isaac, Pierre, Suzanne and Marie Taillefert.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Daniel Nortier (Nortje) and his wife Marie Vitu <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Huguenots in the Family tree who arrived at the Cape are:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the 3 brothers Jacob de Villiers (age 28), Abraham de Villiers (age 28) and Pierre de Villiers (age 32). All 3 brothers married french woman at the Cape. [Dreyer] It is noted in a letter from the Chamber of Delft to the Governor at the Cape dated 16 December 1688, it reads: &#8220;With this ship (the Zion) we have again permitted the following French Refugees to sail to the Cape and earn their living as free men. Pierre de Villiers, Abraham de Villiers and Jacob de Villiers, all three brothers born near La Rochelle. We are informed that these persons have a good knowledge of laying out vineyards and managing the same, and thus we hope that the Company will aquire their good service. You are commended to give them a helping hand.\u201d Source: de Villiers CD from Juna Malherbe and Alet Malan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Huguenots had fled to the Netherlands in the very early years and subsequently emigrated to the Cape from the Netherlands, like Pieter Visagie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Source:- Huguenot Ships that arrived in South Africa between 1686 and 1726. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sa-passenger-list.za.net\/huguenots.php\">https:\/\/www.sa-passenger-list.za.net\/huguenots.php<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is interesting, is the french community at the Cape had their own Church services in french and the children even went to a french school at the Cape. It was a very close community and you had many french marry other french community members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the beginning the Cape authorities allowed them to speak french and have french at school, but as the years past they were against it and forced them to introduce afrikaans into their schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a baptism from the Drakenstein (Paarl) baptism books from 1697.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"535\" height=\"883\" src=\"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/10\/Baptism-Justina-Cleeff-in-french.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/10\/Baptism-Justina-Cleeff-in-french.png 535w, https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/10\/Baptism-Justina-Cleeff-in-french-182x300.png 182w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The very bottom baptism reads.  Le 13 avril Lannee 1697.  Justina fille de Nicolas Klef et Barbara Le fevre. Le temoins Et hercules depret Et marie Le fevre.     Source:  eggsa.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which translates to  &#8220;The 13 April in the year 1697. Justina daughter of Nicolas Klef and Barbara le Fevre. The witnesses were Hercules de Pret and Marie le Fevre.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-x-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. The dutch &#8220;Weesmeisies&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">On board the same ship, Berg China, as Pierre Joubert and Isabeau Richarde sailed and arrived at the Cape on 4 August 1688, were a group of eight orphan girls sent to the Cape following requests by Jan van Riebeeck  and Simon van der Stel that the Heeren XVII send between 20 and 40 marriageable girls to the Cape. When they were finally sent in 1688 the Heeren XVII wrote that they had been selected because of their experience in farming and it was suggested they be encouraged to marry farmers. Among them were:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adriana Jacobs [Ferreira]. She married Gerrit Janse van Deventer on 29 October 1688 in Cape Town. They had 9 children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Engeltje Cornelisse van der Bout [Dreyer]. She married Bartolemeus  Koopman  from  Utrecht,  Netherlands  on  11 October 1688 in Cape Town.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who were the first people on the family tree that arrived in South Africa? The following groups are some of the people appearing in the family tree:- The family tree goes as far back as the first ancestor who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope. Who were the first people in our family tree? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215,"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions\/215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ferreirashome.de\/familytree\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}