Summary

Early life in Europe

There is NO precise information available on the parents, siblings, birthplace(s) or birth dates of the Cronier brothers.

They made their way from Thymerais (a historic province) in France to Delft, Holland during July-August 1697 where assistance were given to them.

Estienne made his peace with the reformed church on August 7, 1697 and Pierre on January 22, 1698.

Pierre’s delay is accounted for in the minutes of the Delft consistory, which also reveal that the Croniers were Catholics by birth and upbringing. “Pierre Cronier”, we read, "qui avoit embrasse nostre Ste Religion depuis quelques anees ayant eu le malheur d’estre arreste en voulant sortir de france et la foiblesse de renoncer a son esperance a fait publiquement recogce de sa faute et (a) este regeu a la paix de Peglise”.
[Translated by the Google Translate function as: "Pierre Cronier, who had embraced our Holy Religion for a few years, having had the misfortune of being arrested, when he wanting to leave France and the weakness of giving up his hope has publicly recognised his fault and (has) been accepted at the Peace of the Church** "].

Relocation to South Africa

Pieter Cronier, alias Pierre Crosnier (known as "Cronjè" in South Africa) arrived on 3 September 1698 in Cape Town, South Africa with his brother, Stephen Cronier (alias Estienne Crosnier), on board of the ship Driebergen (the ship sailed on 25th of May 1698 from Holland under captain Martin de Jeugd with its final destination as Batavia) as French refugees. The vessel's voyage was enlivened by a successful engagement with a pirate north of the Canary Islands.

Farm, assets and murder

W.A. van der Stel has promised farms to the Huguenots in the "Wagenmakersvallei" on which they could lived and farmed and then, after a few years they would have received an ownership letter. In some cases the letters were not dated, but in the case of Pierre, the name of his farm was not indicated in the letter. However, his farm was called "Versailles", which was quite unusual as it was believed that he came from Normandy, which is quite far from Versailles (which is located south from Paris in France), but it is suspected that he called it "Versailles" as it became important during the time of Louis (Lodewyk) XIV.

Pierre shot and killed 2 Khoisan women, who trespassed on his farm in 1708. The government was very strict and has punished such crimes heavily. In this regard, he was banned for 25 years and the government has confiscated 50% of his assets. He was later pardoned.

Among the oldest farms in the district are Versailles and Olyvenhout, now standing on each side of the Wellington railway station. Little remains of the old buildings, though thirty-five years ago Dorothea Fairbridge claimed to have found an H-shaped house which might have been the original homestead. Pierre Cronier (soon to become Cronje)
was the first owner. His brother Etienne settled on Olyvenhout, where some restoration and enlargement of a very old building have been carried out.

Family life

Pierre married Susanna Taillefer(t), widow of Jean Gardè and daughter of Isaak Taillefer(t) in 1709. They had 6 children (2 sons and 4 daughters).

1. Maria ~ 1 Jun 1710 x Jean du Buisson

2. Elisabeth ~ 8 Nov 1711 x F Joubert

3. Pierre ~ 24 Sep 1713, burger Drakenstein (the ancestor of general Piet Cronje), x 19 May 1741 Susanna Roy.

4. Anna ~ 27 Jan 1715 x Benjamin d'Ailly

5. Izak ~ 31 May 1716

6. Magdalena ~ 20 Feb 1718

Death

Pierre passed away on 2 September 1718.

References:

• P Coertzen "Die Hugenote van Suid-Afrika 1688-1988" p.81, 88-89,100, 119-120
• GC de Wet "Die Vryliede en Vryswartes in die Kaapse Nedersetting"
• De Villiers/Pama
• Heese/Lombard
• JG le Roux en WG le Roux "Ons Drakensteinse Erfgrond: Wellington-Blouvlei"
• M. Boucher.M (1981). French speakers at the Cape: The European Background. Pretoria, UNISA: Ch 5: Cape settlers I: from the Loire to the Channel
• Lawrence G Green Beyond the city lights (See attached under Resources)
• Reference Material, Boksburg Library
• Reference Material,, Springs LDS FHC library
• Alet Malan & JE Malherbe, Huguenots who came to the Cape - History series Nr 6 Revised 2000, Huguenot Memorial Museum, Franschhoek

Compiled by

• Martina Louw (nee van Breda)
• Kennethl@xtra.co.nz
• AM van Rensburg

reviised on 09-01-2021

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=Detailed information=

French Huguenot who fled persecution in France with his brother Ettenne, first to Holland and then to the Cape of Good Hope, aboard the Driebergen .

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Birth 1671

1671: J.A. Heese & R.T.J. Lombard, South African Genealogies 1 A-C, HSRC SA Genealogies (Pretoria: Institute for Historical Research, Division Genealogical Research, Pretoria, 1986, 1989), ISBN 0-620-23962-X, p. 681. cited in http://www.e-family.co.za/ffy/g10/p10748.htm.

Death 2 Sep 1718

Drakenstein, Cape of Good Hope

'Pierre Croonje overlede den 2de Septemb. 1718'

- Botha, C Graham: The French Refugees at the Cape, 2nd Ed 1921 Drakenstein Congregation - Membership Register p112.

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Croniers in Boucher (see under Resources)

•M. Boucher.M (1981). French speakers at the Cape: The European Background. Pretoria, UNISA: Ch 5: Cape settlers I: from the Loire to the Channel

..the Driebergen, which sailed for Batavia from the United Provinces on May 25, 1698 under the command of Marten de Jeught. The vessel reached the Cape on September 3 after a voyage which was enlivened by a successful engagement with a pirate north of the Canary Islands. Aboard her were the future colonists Louis le Riche, Pierre and Etienne Cronier, Jean Duthuile and Philippe Drouin. p112

There is no precise information on the birthplaces of Louis le Riche and the Cronier brothers who accompanied Duthuile and Drouin on the Driebergen in 1698. All three made their way to Delft, where assistance was given on August 18, 1697 to Louis (le) Riche “pour aprandre son mestier”. …The Croniers arrived at about the same time. Etienne made his peace with the reformed church on August 7, 1697 and Pierre on January 22, 1698. Pierre’s delay is accounted for in the minutes of the Delft consistory, which also reveal that the Croniers were Catholics by birth and upbringing. “Pierre Cronier”, we read, “qui avoit embrasse nostre Ste Religion depuis quelques anees ayant eu le malheur d’estre arreste en voulant sortir de france et la foiblesse de renoncer a son esperance a fait publiquement recogce de sa faute et (a) este regeu a la paix de Peglise”. [Who had embraced our Holy Religion for a few years, having had the misfortune to be arrested by wanting to leave France, and the weakness of renouncing his hope, has publicly recognized his fault, and (a) is rejected at the peace of the church.. Sharon Mar 2017] Pierre, born about the year 1671, and his brother Etienne considered themselves Normans and may perhaps have come from the Thimerais. The abjuration of a Francois Cronier of La Ferte-Vidame at Leyden in September 1687 provides a possible clue. p118-9 [See Discussion about Thimerais NOT being in Normandy. Sharon 2018] - see Wikipedia reference below, which states that "Thymerais (or Thimerais) is a natural region of Eure-et-Loir, in France, where history and geography meet. Open to influences from Normandy, Drouais, Beauce and Perche, it is a transition zone like the Drouais. Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais ( with a population of 1,168 in 1793) and Thimert-Gâtelles are the historic centers of this district." (Maybe, they felt more attached to Normandy?)

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immigratie: [3 september 1698] Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa geni:occupation Farmer, Wine farmer - arrived in the Cape in about 1898 Stamvader: Pierre Cronjé kom saam met sy broer, Estienne vanaf Normandië aan boord die "Driebergen" in die Kaap aan. Hulle vertrek uit Nederland op 25/5/1698 en arriveer in Tafelbaai op 3/9/1698. Van huis was hulle Katolieke maar neem die Calvinistiese geloofsoortuiging aan voor hulle vertrek. Estienne is ongetroud oorlede (m.a.w. geen nasate) op 2/9/1724.

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Pierre CRONIER, gebore ongeveer 1671, was 'n Franse Hugenoot (was voorheen Katoliek) wat met die Driebergen in 1699 aangekom het. Hy het in 1709 met Susanna TAILLEFERT getrou. Sy was die weduwee van Jean Gardé, en dogter van die vlugteling Isaac Taillefert. (Sy broer Estienne was 'n landbouer en eienaar van Champagne en Olyfenhout in die Wamakersvallei. Hy is egter ongetroud oorlede in 1724.) Pierre het homself in 1699 te Versailles in die Wamakersvallei gevestig. Susanna trou na sy afsterwe in 1718 met die stamvader Jacob Naude. (Kyk onder hierdie stamvader vir meer inligting oor Susanna Taillefert) In 1707/1708 (Coertsen gee die datum as 1708, en De Wet gee dit as 1703) het Pierre twee hottentot vroue doodgeskiet op sy plaas, omdat hulle onwettig op sy plaas was. Hy was verban vir 25 jare maar hulle het hom later begenadig.Hy is oorlede op 2 September 1718. Susanna is dood in 1724. Hy het 2 seuns en 4 dogters gehad.

Bron: SA Stamouer webwerf (AM van Rensburg)

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Sentence of banishment for shooting 2 khoi-san in 1707 not carried out. Owned farm Versailles (currently railway station), 28/2/1699

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*Thymerais - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymerais and Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teauneuf-en-Thymerais

The origin of Thymerais goes back to the 7th century, when king Thierry III gave this territory to Theodemer, prince of the Merovingian family. The country was then called Theodemerensis (literally "Theodemer Territory") in his honor, then abbreviated to Themerensis and gallicized to Thymerais or Thimerais. The country was attached to the Kingdom of France in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais is a commune Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, which was once an important stronghold reigning over the whole natural and historic province of Thymerais.

Born of the fierce determination of its first lords to face the threat brought by the Duke of Normandy upon the Kingdom of France, and devastated and much fought over through the ages, the castle that rose out of it was eventually demolished, but the city remained. It gradually lost its importance and a dynastic feud was the center of which it was dismembered, so that it became a barony in the eighteenth century, although it was far from having the same extent that it did in the thirteenth century.

Also, instead of being a single fief, the Thymerais was composed of four: the barony of Châteauneuf, the county of Senonches, the marquisat of Maillebois and the county of La Ferté-Vidame.

In financial and administrative terms, the Thimerais was part of Verneuil-sur-Avre, included in the Généralité of Alençon, and divided into four subdivisions (Thimerais addition, still included eight parishes in the province of Perche since the abolition of the election Longny-au-Perche in 1080 and a number of the Norman parishes).

In military terms, the Thimerais was part of the government of the Île de France and there was in Châteauneuf a constabulary and archers.

In the late eighteenth century Châteauneuf was dependent on the election of Verneuil-sur-Avre and generality of Alençon.

It was the chief town of the district from 1790 to 1795, and took the name of Puy-la-Montagne to the revolutionary era.

The last traces of the castle moat, were gradually filled during the nineteenth century. The last traces of them were erased in the first half of the twentieth century to make way for new roads (including the streets of Pont Tabarin, Petite Friche, and Dulorens).

In the twentieth century the city suffered through bombardment in 1940 during the Battle of France. When the war was over, Châteauneuf saw the arrival of families of U.S. soldiers housed in a subdivision south of the city and many people worked on the U.S. air base south of Crucey Brezolles. They left in 1966 upon the withdrawal of French forces from the NATO Command, as decided by De Gaulle, in effect expelling all U.S. bases from the country.

'**Peace of the Church' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_the_Church

The "Peace of the Church" is a designation usually applied to the condition of the Church after the publication of the Edict of Milan in 313 by the two Augusti, Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and his eastern colleague Licinius, an edict of toleration by which the Christians were accorded liberty to practise their religion without state interference.The term "Peace of the Church" is also applied in England and Ireland to the end of persecution that followed the Acts of Catholic Emancipation (1778-1926)