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From: "Gerda" <>
Subject: Re: [ZA] German Settlers
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 21:45:57 +0200
References: <20020404011122.19750.qmail@uadvg137.cms.usa.net>


Anne Lemkuhl wrote:

In 1858-1859 the German settlers that arrived in Kaffraria, were the ones
who made their home in South Africa. Sir George GREY was instrumental in
bringing them out, through the emigration agency of J.C. Godeffroy & Son of
Hamburg. Dieseldorff & Co. did the actual recruiting work for Godeffroy &
Son. W. Berg & Co. of Cape Town were the South African agents for Godeffroy
& Son.
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As an addition:

One of the Familia's (CD 4 I think) devotes a whole section to the arrival
of these Germans. It makes for most interesting reading and incidentally
ties in with my Frisian family history.

Although many Lutherans came to the Cape at that time, and also individuals,
many of the immigrants were German Baptists, a missionary sect with rules
similar to the Mennonites but with an evangelising bent, who took the
opportunity to take their followers away from their homeland, where the
Church was modernising too much to their liking. At the Cape they
established missions as well as their own schools and brought in their own
teachers, etc. Communities which operated according to the very strict rules
of their beliefs. Because they were frugal, uncomplaining and extremely
hard-working, they were pretty much left to their own devices at the time.
An Afrikaner, Jacobus Odendaal, was impressed by their teachings and
lifestyle, and started the Afrikaanse Baptiste kerk under the tutelage of
one of the German missionaries. This church still existed in South Africa
in the 1960's (possibly even today) and the Odendaal family was still
involved.

Incidentally, at roughly the same time German missionaries also established
similar Baptist Churches in the Northern Provinces of the Netherlands, and
from 1870 onwards, many of their followers (including many of my own
relatives) emigrated to Grand Rapids, Kent Co, Michigan to start missions
there. Some of this work also continues up to the present.

Gerda Pieterse
Richards Bay



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