Tes Rogers
Jan Heijstek new life in South Africa
Most of the story this week comes from the autobiography that our Oupa-grootjie Jan Heystek wrote in 1926.
Our timeline moves to 12 April 1863 in the Boer Republic of Transvaal, where it was time for the Heijsteks to start a new life beyond the little two-rooFm home provided by the Rev. Postma. They had survived a fairly traumatic year since they left Giessen in Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. Jan (snr.) had lost his beloved Johanna nine months earlier on board the Willem Hendrik. The five boys must have grown up pretty fast during this year, and little Elizabeth was now five years old, needing a mommy herself. On this day, forty-seven year old Jan Heijstek got married to his second wife, twenty-three year old Hester Maria du Plessis. A week or so later the family moved to a piece of farm land given to Jan by a certain Johannes Venter. Originally named Waterval (no.4) and a bit later renamed Arnoldistad, the land was situated right next to the Hex River. This is now in the Transvaal (not the well-known Cape Hex River valley), near the present-day Kroondal area, as far as I can track the location. At this point we lose all new information about Jan and Johanna’s little Elizabeth. It is assumed she died in childhood on this Arnoldistad land. The youngest surviving son on the journey to South Africa, Pieter, lived until 1883, when he died at 31 years old without getting married. Another six sons were born to Jan and Hester between 1864 and 1877. Adding the four sons from Giessen and six sons from South Africa who all got married and had children, our Heystek clan in South Africa expanded quite a bit. In fact, Jan had eighty-two grandchildren! Now start a South African Heystek-family tree with that, and it is no wonder we have all lost contact with one another, all those hundreds of cousins in South Africa alone. ‘Anyone up for a family-gathering?
Groot-oupa Jan Heystek, 1848-1932
Christening of the youngest daughter, Hester Maria, in 1888 at the Rustenburg Reformed Church. (Middle of the page)