Em Lo writes: I have a theory that widowed MICHIEL BASSON (b5) posibly had an illegitimate daughter in 1717 with his slave PETRONELLA VAN DIE KAAP. I think there is a strong likelihood that the child was my matrilineal ancestor JOHANNA PETRONELLA BASSON whose south-east Asian mt-DNA I carry and who married WILLEM DU PLOOY (b2) in Stellenbosch on 30/9/1742 also becoming a du Plooy ‘stammoeder’.
Michiel Basson’s wife Maria Daasdons/Dansdons/Daalsons died in 1714 [Inventory MOOC 8/2.118, 15 Aug 1714], leaving him aged 35 with 3 sons to take care of. In die 1716 opgaafrol Michiel Basson is shown without a wife with 3 sons and no slaves. I believe he must have acquired Petronella van die Kaap soon thereafter, because after his death 5 years later early in 1719 [Inventory MOOC 8/4.25, 3 Maart 1719] he leaves behind 3 teenage sons (Arnoldus 19 ½, Michiel 17 ½, Johannes 13) and a slave Petronella with ‘n young child.
NOTE – unusual (!) Petronella and her child are NOT listed in the usual fashion in Michiel’s estate inventory, nor are they sold at his estate auction! (MOOC 10/2.17,21 Nov 1719) Instead, they are taken in by his mother, well known freed slave Angela/Ansela van Bengale! Angela even purchases “1 mandje met poppe goet” for 4:5 Rd:s from amongst Michiel’s belongings at his estate auction – presumably the little slave girl’s toys (she would have been about 2 years old at this time)
Not only is Johanna Petronella Basson’s age and names in line with being the daughter of Michiel Basson and his slave Petronella van die Kaap, but the way Michiel’s mother Angela van Bengale shielded them from being sold and took them under her wing strengthens my belief in this theory.
Unfortunately fate stepped in a year later when Angela van Bengale died [Inventory MOOC 8/4.15, 18 July 1720] and it appears to have become unavoidable for them to be sold. Petronella van die Kaap and her young child are sold along with Angela van Bengale’s belongings on 24 Aug 1720 [MOOC 10/2.13 (Angela) en MOOC 10.2.17 ½ (“een meijd genaamt Petronella van de Caab met haar kind” – for Michoel Basson’s account)] Mother and child are sold to sick comforter Tomas Verrijn for 141 Rd:s.
QUESTIONS! One cannot help but wonder if this slave child was indeed Michiel’s daughter as I suspect, why she was not recognised as such at least by Angela and mentioned in her will? Was the rest of the family, especially perhaps Michiel’s 3 sons strongly opposed to recognising this slave child as their ‘sister’? Did the family not want to share the proceeds of Michiel and Angela’s estates with her? Was there another reason? Was her slave status a stumbling block? Or is my theory perhaps incorrect?
Sadly things went from bad to worse for Petronella van die Kaap and her child after this. Their new owner Thomas Verrijn died 2 months later on 28/10/1720, so they had to be sold again! Unfortunately I can not see an auction document for Thomas verrijn on TANAP to see who bought them next. They are listed in his inventory as “1 slavin met haar kindt gen:t Pieternelle 80 Rd:s” (MOOC 8/4.17, 19 Feb 1721).
Years ago I found a 1730 slave transfer on Ancestry 24 which could be for Petronella van die Kaap:
#3921, Petronella sold 20/3/1730 by Elias Kina’s (baker) widow Barbara de Savoye to Jan H Potgieter (farmer). No mention is made of a child but she would have been a teenager and likely working independently by then.
If this Jan H Potgieter was Jan Harmen Potgieter aka Johannes Potgieter *23 Sept 1674 x Clara Herbst, then this too would have been a short-lived ownership since he died in 1733.
I have no idea whether Petronella van die Kaap was ever freed or when she died. She does not witness any of the BASSON-DU PLOOY children’s baptisms, so if she was their grandmother she may have died prior to their births from 1741 onwards.
Baptismal record for Johanna Petronella Basson
I have been anable to find the baptismal record of my matrilineal ancestor Johanna Petronella Basson who x Willem du Plooy amongst the transcribed Cape Town records (eGGSA).
The entry in e-SAGI is incorrect: 1716, child of Cupido van Batavia and Clara van die Kaap – this was not a BASSON child!
I can see that Johanna Petronella Basson was baptised before 20 Feb 1735, since she signs as witness at the baptism of Anna Francina (“of Sara Elizabeth CAAP en Pieter van Coast”).
Baptismal record for Johanna van die Kaap
I also have been unable to find a baptismal entry for Petronella van die Kaap owned by Michiel Basson 1717-1719 amongst transcribed Cape Town records (eGGSA).
Daar are a few possibilities, eg from Ancestry24:
“1682/12/13, Creole, baptised by owner Anthonij van Bengal, Mother is Petronella, father is Jacob Masers (skipper). [Dutch Reformed Archives Reference Source: GR 1 1/1, Page Number: 27-28 Sequence Number In Original: 0012]” This Petronella van die Kaap would have been 35 in 1717 – similar age to Michiel Basson himself – they could have had a child together. [Info I have from Corney Keller indicates there may be an error in this date, but I am not sure what it is yet]
“1703/07/06, Creole, baptised in the Lodge, mother is Kiamach, father’s binary number is 10. [Dutch Reformed Archives, Reference Source: GR 1 8/1, Page Number: 67, Sequence Number In Original: 0485].” This Petronella van die Kaap would have been only 14 years old in 1717 – young but not impossible to have had a child with owner Michiel Basson.
I think there is a good chance my theory could be correct, but without proof it will remain just that and there will be no certainty regarding the identity of Johanna Petronella Basson who became a du Plooy stammoeder.
If anyone has access to slave transfer records which could identify the name of Petronella van die Kaap’s child as Johanna Petronella, and/or find baptismal records for mother and/or child maybe in Drakenstein or Stellenbosh, or indeed add any other information useful to my theory and quest to find “who was Johanna Petronella BASSON?” - I would be eternally grateful!
Sincerely,
Em Lo
