Adam Johannes Botha, g1h6

By: Deon GH Botha
Part: 1

THE CHOSEN
The chosen in each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow, they know and approve. Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors, "You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us.". How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying - I can't let this happen.

The start of my genealogical path was inspirited by my great grandfather Adam Johannes Botha 1868-1901, growing up as a young boy the story was told that he died during a battel in the Anglo Boer War 1899-1902 and that was all we as a family knew.
My father as well did not know much as his Father (my grandfather) died when he was 15 years old and his grandmother Maria Magdalena Botha (my great grandmother) when he was 11 years old, The only other information we had was that my father was named after him and that (2-3) of his sons died with him in the Anglo Boer War as well.
As I always felt him a missing part of our family and wanted to find his history and war grave so in 2008 I started my research and eventually found and stood Infront of his grave in 2013 on Renanda Trout Farm and my genealogical research has just kept on growing from then on.
This led me down a wonderful and intrusting road making new friends and meeting unknown family members along the way and still going strong which I have come to realise is a consternated on-going enjoyable project, and much more finding their old farms and trek routs they followed.
The main families I am doing research on is: Appel, Both, Kickers, Botha, Potgieter, Van Niekerk, Van der Sandt, ODwyer/Dwyer, Six and may more for instant my great grandmothers throe the ages