Graf Jacob von Reenen, SV/PROG

Jacob von Renen * Memel, Pruise c. 1703 a. 1721 as adelbors, burger in 1725 † 7.6.1764 as ‘n baie ryk man s.v. Daniel von Renen en Catharina Elizabeth Crofki x Kaapstad 1.7.1725 Johanna SIEKERMANS * c. 1703, weeskind v. Amsterdam † c. 1755 xx 9.10.1757 Maria Elisabeth LOUW ≈ 27.6.1728 † 26.3.1804 d.v. Adriaan Louw en Maria Malan

b1 Jacob ≈ 11.5.1727, leier v.d. ‘Kaapse Patriotte’ † 13.8.1793 x 4.12.1746 Maria FRANKE ≈ 24.8.1721 d.v. Johannes Franke en Catharina Verwey

b2 Catharina Elisabeth ≈ 30.1.1729 x 6.8.1752 Willem VAN SCHOOR ≈ 26.8.1725, luitenant s.v. Jan van Schoor en Elisabeth Maas

b3 Daniel ≈ 15.10.1730, lid v. Burgerraad en Weeskamer † 4.12.1776 x 14.6.1761 Catharina Christina BECK ≈ 17.2.1743 † 22.5.1771 d.v. Jan Zacharias Beck en Geertruyda Christina Blanckenberg xx 15.9.1771 Johanna Levina COLYN (wed. v. Johan Nicolaas Schott) ≈ 12.8.1736 d.v. Johannes Colyn en Johanna Appel

b4 Beatrix Cornelia ≈ 28.10.1731 x 10.7.1751 Diederik WILHELMY v. Stockholm

b5 Anna Margaretha ≈ 19.4.1733 x 28.11.1751 Joachim Jan Lodewyk WERNICH ≈ 6.8.1730 s.v. Johan Lodewyk Wernich en Magdalena Elisabeth Taats

b6 Geertruy ≈ 29.4.1736 x 23.11.1755 Jan SERRURIER, predikant v.d. Duitse Kerk † c. 1785 s.v. Louis Serrurier en Hester de Visch

b7 Adriaan ≈ 4.5.1760 x 18.4.1779 Engela VAN NIEKERK ≈ 3.5.1761 † 7.11.1810 d.v. Albertus Bernhardus van Niekerk en Elisabeth Catharina Lambrechts

b8 Jan ≈ 7.11.1762 † c. 1764

b9 Maria Jacoba Christina * 10.6.1764 ≈ 17.6.1764

ID: I80421452

Name: Jacob VAN RENEN(VON RHENEN)

Given Name: Jacob

Surname: VAN RENEN(VON RHENEN)

Sex: M

Birth: 1703 in Memel, Prussia

Death: 6 Jul 1764 in Cape Town

Change Date: 15 Sep 2001

Father: Daniël VON RHENEN

Mother: Catharina Elisabeth CROFKI

Marriage 1 Johanna SIEKERMANS b: 1703 in Amsterdam, Holland

Married: 1 Jul 1725 in Cape Town

Children

Jacob VAN RENEN b: 1727

Catharina Elizabeth VAN RENEN b: 1729
Daniël VAN RENEN b: 1730
Beatrix Cornelia VAN RENEN b: 1731
Anna Margaretha VAN RENEN b: 1733
Geertruyda VAN RENEN b: 1736
Marriage 2 Maria Elizabeth LOUW b: 1728

Married: 9 Oct 1757

Children

Adriaan VAN RENEN b: 1760

Jan VAN RENEN b: 1762
Maria Jacoba Christina VAN RENEN b: 10 Jun 1764
"The 'stamvader' of the van Renen/Reenen family in South Africa was Graaf Jacob von Renen. He was from Memel a coastal town in Prussia (today Lithuania). It is told that the Graaf was forced to flee from his country after fighting a duel, which was forbidden in those times. To make matters worse his opponent died. His financial affairs were also not quite in order when he fled his homeland. He gave 'Power of Attorney' dated 11 February to Juriaan Westerman of Amsterdam. He had the right to receive certain monies that were owed to him (Jacob). He moves to the Netherlands where he sailed with the ship 'Astrea' to the Cape from Goree in Zeeland on 18 October 1721. The ship anchored off Robben Island on 25 Feb 1722. He landed at the Cape of Good Hope on Thursday 5 March. Had the rank of adelhorst in the regiment of Cocchius between 1721 -1725, one higher than private. In 1724 he is appointed as a 'seelsnyer (segelslager) in the service of the V.O.C. He became a 'Vryburger' in early 1725. On 5 February 1726 he is promoted to the rank of corporal in the Burgerkrysraad in the place of Jacob van Bochem who was promoted to sergant. On 20 January 1729 he is promoted to sergant and on the 30 August 1732 he is appointed as Brandmeester. On 14 December 1734 is Marthinus Heems and Jacob van Renen 'geeligeert tot Commissarissen van Civile en Huwelike Saken'. The President of the college was Ryk Tulbach. On 8 April 1743, Jacob van Renen is chosen as a member of the 'Weeskamer' and was generally known as the 'Oude Weesmeester'. An inventory drawn up on his first wifes death in 1755 showed the estate as being valued at 60617 Rds, a huge sum for those days. Not only did he farm but speculated in property, rented out houses, had interests in the supply meat and wine to the Company.. He also was a moneylender. Its no wonder that he became one of the most prosperous men in the Colony.

Farm Properties he bought and sold.

Langverwacht (T1715), aan die kloof van Stellenbosch - ongeveerdrie kilometer oos van die huidige dorp Kuilsrivier.

11 January 1726 Velthuizen - net noord van Wynberg 

De Bosch Heuvel - die geskiedkundige plaas teen Wynbergheuwel wat eens aan Jan van Riebeeck behoort het. Bought 17 Feb 1758 for 4000 gulden, sold 13 Sept 1758 for 6000 gulden. 2000 gulden profit in 6 months.

Goedgeloof naby WittebomePaardevlei in die Hottentotsholland

De Voorzorg in die Goudini distrik

He had another twenty six properties registered in his name in the vacinity of the Cape.

He was a rich man when he died, his estate was valued at 180,000 gulden.

[Graaf] Jacobus Von Rhenen (known as Jacob Van Reenen) was born in Memel, East Prussia in 1703. His parents were Daniel Von Rhenen & Catharina Elisabeth Crofki. His brother, Daniel, who was Burgermeester Von Altenburg of Prussia owned large estates on the Rhine. It is believed that from 1721-1725, Jacobus was in the Service of the Dutch East India Company. In October 1721 he sailed from Goree in Seeland aboard the 'Astrea', arriving at the Cape in February 1722. In 1724 Jacobus joined the cocchius regiment and in 1725 he became a free citizen of the Cape. In that same year married Johanna Siekermans, an orphan, from Amsterdam. Johanna, three of her daughters and their husbands and a grandson, died in 1755 during the devastating smallpox epidemic which claimed many lives at the Cape. Jacobus and Johanna had six children:Jacobus (Jacob) 1727-1793; married Maria Franke Catharina Elisabeth (1729-1755); married Willem Van Schoor Daniel (1730-1776);m1-Catharina Christina Beck; m2-Johanna Levina ColynBeatrix Cornelia (1731-1755); married Diedrick WilhelmiAnna Margaretha (1733-1755); married Joachim Jan Lodewyk WernichGeertruy(da) (1736-?); married Jan (Johan) SerrurierJacobus married his second wife, Maria Elizabeth Louw, in 1757 and had a further three children:Adriaan (1760-?); married Engela van NiekerkJan (1762-1764)Maria Jacoba Christina (1764-?) Jacobus owned large estates at the Cape and in 1742 the family acquired meat and wine contracts with the Dutch East India Company. His descendants were ranked among the most outstanding farmers and agriculturalists of the early Cape Dutch settlement and owned vast areas of land in the colony. Jacobus's eldest son, Jacob the younger (1727-1793), was a Burgher Councillor and as leader of the 'Kaapse Patriot' was one of the delegates who went to Holland in 1779 to lay the burghers' grievances before the Council of Seventeen in Amsterdam. He owned the farm 'Welgelegen' at Mowbray. In 1746, in Cape Town, Jacob married Maria Franke. They had nine sons and five daughters. Three of their sons, Johannes Gysbertus, Jacob and Sebastiaan Valentyn, farmed in partnership until 1795. The South African wool industry was largely promoted by their experiments in cross-breeding the indigenous Cape sheep with Spanish merinos. Another son, Dirk Gysbert, who had farmed with his brothers since 1792, owned the brewery at Newlands and the farm 'Rhenoster Fontein' at the mouth of the Breede River where he established a dairy and cheese factory. Jacob's younger brother, Daniel (1730-1776), married Catharina Christina Beck who died in 1771. Daniel married his second wife, Johanna Levina Colyn, a widow in 1773. His eldest son, Jacob, was educated in England and many of his descendants served with the British armed forces in India. My great-grandmother, Sophie Becker,was born in South Africa in 1848 and died in Australia in 1936. Her mother, Aletta Hillegonda Van Reenen was a great-great-grandaughter of [Graaf] Jacobus. Aletta married Carl Johannes (known as Henry) Becker who was born in South Africa in 1826 and died in England in 1881. Henry's parents were Charles Arnulph Ettienne (known as Karel Arnoldus) Becker (1790-1844) & Johanna Elizabeth Scholtz. His grand-parents were Jean Becker & Catharine Greiner of Wolmunster in France.

(divon lan:) from "Genealogies of old S.A. families": Aank. 1721, adelborst. Burger 1725. Hy was 'n ryk man en by sy dood is sy boedel op 180,000 gulden geskat

From MOOC8/11.45a (full document attached). sijnde die uit het eerste bed

1. den burger lieutenant mons:r Jacob van Renen de jonge
2. 't kind van Catharina van Renen, door haar in huwelijk verwekt bij wijlen den burger Lieutenant mons:r Willem van Schoor in naame Jan van Schoor
3. Jacob Hendrik Wilhelmij bij plaatsvullinge van desselfs moeder Beatrix Cornelia van Renen, gehuwt geweest met den van hier naar Stokholm gerepatrieerden burger Diederick Wilhelmij
4. Magdalena Elisabeth Wernich bij repreesentatie van wijlen haar moeder Anna Margaretha van Renen huijsvrouw van den oud burgercommissaris van Huwelijx Saaken, mons:r Joachim Johan Lodewijk Wernich
5. Juff:w Geertruijd van Renen huijsvrouw van den oud Burgerraad s:r Jan Serrurier en
6. Daniel van Renen
7. Adriaan van Renen en ook voorts uijt het laatste huwelijk
8. 8) het kind door de bovengen:e juff:w weduwe op den 10:e deeser ter weereld gebragt, en bij den H: doop gen:t Maria Jacoba Christina van Reenen

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Inventories of the Orphan Chamber Cape Town Archives Repository, South Africa

Reference no.: MOOC8/11.45a

Testator(s):

Jacob van Renen

24 Junij 1764

Inventaris van alle sodanige goederen ende inneschulden als des nagts tusschen den 6 en 7 deeser maand Junij ab intestato metter dood zijn ontruijmt ende naargelaaten door den oud burgerweesmeester s:r Jacob van Renen d' oude, ten voordeele van desselfs weduwe juff:w Maria Elisabeth Louw ter eenree, mitsgaders de kinderen en kindskinderen uijt desselfs eerste huwelijk met wijlen Johanna Siekermans gesprooten, ende in zijn bovengem:e laatste huwelijk geprocreeerde twee kinderen ter andere zijde:
Slaves listed

Reference no.: MOOC8/11.45c

Testator(s):

Jacob van Renen

11 Julij 1764

Specificatie van sodanige kleederen, mitsgaders goud− en silverwerk als tot het lighaam van wijlen s:r Jacob van Renen d' oude hebben gehoord en in maniere als volgt onder zijne drie nagelaatene zoons Jacob, Daniel en Adriaan van Renen bij lootinge zijn verdeelt en te beurt gevallen, namentlijk

Reference no.: MOOC8/11.45b

Testator(s):

Jacob van Renen

11 Julij 1764

Specificatie van sodanige roerende en onroerende goederen als agtervolgens Heeren Weesmeesteren resolutie van den 22:e Junij a:c: soo in opvolginge van het door wijlen Jacob van Renen d' oude sub dato 30:e December 1762 opgeregte en metter dood bekragtigde geschrift, als ten verzoeke van desselfs naargelaatene weduwe juff:w Maria Elisabeth Louw aan de volgende zijn overgelaaten, namentlijk
Slaves listed

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By 1780, the Van Reenens had become possibly the wealthiest family in the Cape, thanks to patriarch Jacob van Reenen’s vast landholdings and major involvement in the meat and alcohol trade over several decades. On his death in 1793, Jacob left a number of sons, all of whom rose to prominence in Cape society. The one son, Dirk, built one of the largest and most successful wine businesses. A further two sons, Jacobus Gijsbert and Sebastiaan, went into the lucrative meat merchanting business. Both branches of the family, meat and wine marketers, must have provided merchant credit — however, it was the meat marketers who caused problems.

The Van Reenen brothers had a key advantage: they acted as intermediaries between Cape Town and the far flung districts of the interior, issuing slagtersbriefjes (promissory notes) which could be exchanged in Cape Town and the interior. Because hard currency was regularly in short supply at the Cape, the slagtersbriefjes became the de facto currency. But this allowed for unsecured loans which by the beginning of the 1790s totaled thousands of rijksdaalders. In fact, writing in 1795 to the new British government at the Cape, Johannes Frederik Kirsten complained that “by far the greater part of the Farmers and the Inhabitants of the Town are Bankrupts (sic), the rest have their property under Sequester, and every individual looks forward to impending ruin.” The collapse of Gebroeders Van Reenen would pull down the entire Cape economy.