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From: "Becky Horne" <>
Subject: [ZA] Putting the fun back into Genealogy - HART
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 20:20:56 +0200


Robert HART is said to be the first English speaking South African
(although he had a Scots accent). He came out first with the troops in
1795, but returned to Scotland about 1804, when he married Hannah
TAMPLIN, and it is presumed that his wife came out shortly after the
second occupation of the Cape in 1806. They had a family of 2 sons and
6 daughters.

b1. Anna HART b. 1805 m. Capt. Chas. Lennox STRETCH, 38 Regt. He was
Diplomatic Agent with the Gaika Xhosa.
2. Harriet HART b. 1807 m. ?
3. Susannah HART b. 1809
4. Robert HART, 2nd. (1810-1867), m. ? MEINTJIES
c1. Robert (3rd) m. NASH
c2. Stephanus (1830-1914), m. Mary COTTINGHAM
c3. Johanna m. ? WIENAND
c4. Richard m. C. FERRIER f. 1. Norman, 2. Ernest

b5. James HART b. 1811
6. Margaret HART b. 1815 m. ? FLEISCHER and m2. BIRT
7. Ellen HART 1818 -1840 m. William Dods PRINGLE of Lynedock
a. Robert Hart PRINGLE
8. Sarah Elizabeth HART m. Robert Mitford BOWKER of Craigie Burn,
Somerset East. f. 8 sons, 5 dau.
c1. Robert HART (3rd) m. NASH
d1. Fred m. ? BAKER f. 1. Robert, 2. Duncan, 3. John, 4. Louis
d2. Charlie m. Ethel Mitford BOWKER. f. 2 dau.
c2. Stephanus HART m. Mary COTTINGHAM
d1. Newton m. McKAY m2. Elizabeth HART
d2. Sidney m. Agnes
d3. Ida m. Horace MAGGS
d4. Osborne m. CAIRNS
d5. Annie m. ROBERTSON f. 3 daughters
d6. Lillian m. Senator DUTHIE
d7. Eulalie m. Miles BOWKER
d8. Meintjies m. SPARKS
d9. Myrtle m. ROBERTS
d10. Gladys m. Thomas Bourchier BOWKER, M.P. 2 sons 1 dau., John,
Hubert and Cecily NORDEN
d11. Pearl m. HUTCHINSON

Robert HART (1776-1867) came from Strathavon in Lanarkshire and as a
young man joined the 78th Highland Regt. The newly formed National
Convention of the French Republic had just declared war on Great
Britain and Holland, and was preparing to take possession of the Cape.
So the British decided to take it first and immediately dispatched
Admiral ELPHINSTONE with a fleet, which anchored in Simon's Bay in
1795.

Robert HART's regiment under Gen. CRAIG was sent out with the troops
that were to occupy the Cape. At this time the Cape was torn asunder by
political intrigues and revolt against the bankrupt and despotic Dutch
East India Company, and Graaff-Reinet and Swellendam had declared
themselves Republics, but agreed to come under the rule of the
British.

In 1799 the Third Frontier War broke out and Chief Ndhlambi invaded
the Zuurveld and Lieut. HART served with his regiment in the fighting
on the frontier, which ended in a patched up peace leaving the Xhosa
in possession of the ground they had occupied.

In 1802, by the Treaty of Amiens peace was ratified between Great
Britain and the French Republic, and the Cape of Good Hope was given
back to the Batavian Republic. British troops were withdrawn and
Robert HART left with his Regiment for India. From here he returned to
Scotland and married Hannah TAMPLIN.

When the English retook the Cape in 1806, Robert HART was again with
the army of occupation under Gen BAIRD. In the following year HART's
regiment retook the Zuurveld, occupied by the Xhosa since the Third
Frontier War, and pushed them over the Great Fish River. This gave us
Albany and Bathurst, where the bulk of the Settlers were located in
1820.

Grahamstown was founded in 1811, and Lt. HART with his wife and family
were stationed here until 1817, when he was put in charge of Somerset
Farm which supplied wheat, fodder and slaughter animals for the
military in the Eastern Province. Money was of little use in this
area, so cattle and sheep were purchased from the Afrikaans farmers
with trade goods.

When Thomas PRINGLE, the first S.A. poet, and his party of 1820
Settlers visited Somerset Farm on their way to their holdings in the
wild Adelaide mountains, Robert HART conducted them to their farms and
gave them their first fruit trees. During the two years of distress
and famine that followed the arrival of the Settlers they were
rationed from the stocks on Somerset Farm.

Robert and Hannah HART's six daughters were in great demand among the
lonely Settlers on the frontier, and William Dods PRINGLE of Lynedock
married one of the HART girls.

When Somerset Farm in 1825 became the town of Somerset East, Robert
HART, for his long and faithful services with the Government, was
given the farm Glen Avon, which he enlarged by purchasing additional
land, and his descendants (BROWNs) are living there to this day. Under
the skilful hand of Robert HART, Glen Avon became a model farm, a show
place that was visited by Governors and other distinguished visitors
when travelling through the Eastern Province.

Robert HART was Heemraad for his area, and when Somerset East was
founded he was responsible for the building of the Dutch Reformed
Church there. Some years later he contributed £1,300 to the building
of a Presbyterian Church in Somerset East.

There is a bronze bust of Robert HART modelled by the writer (I.M.B.)
in the Albany Museum, Grahamstown.


Best wishes
Becky
Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Researching: HENWICK; HILL; HORN(E); MEREDITH; DEYZEL; LARSEN; WILSON;
LYNAR; HENNING; STERLEY; THECK; BEST; BRAUN, GREENER; GLANVILLE.

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