Armozyn Claasz Leij, SM

Armosyn Claasz, Cape Born, appears never to be recorded halfslagh - see Mansell Upham in 'Armosyn Revisited'. http://www.e-family.co.za/remarkablewriting/ArmosynRevisited.pdf

See First Fifty Year Project at http://www.e-family.co.za/ffy/g9/p9369.htm

Armozyn/Armosyn Claasz van de Kaap

It would seem that Armosyn had 8 children according to Combrink Family Tree - see Capensis 2/2000

Born c.1661

According to her will Armozyn was 67 years old when she made her will in 1728. Her mother was a slave as when Armosyn's child was baptised on 15 Jan 1688, he was described as a child of Armosyn van die Kaap, a company slave. The father was probably white and called Claas as she was given that patronym.

One theory suggests that Armosyn's parents were Isabella van Angola and Cornelis Claasen,Combrink Family Tree - see Capensis 2/2000. Notes

Armosijn was baptised as an adult on 23 February 1887.

She was in the Slave Lodge until 1699. She was probably a prostitute there as a number of children are recorded as hers while she was in the Lodge. She had four children in the lodge - 2 sons were

See also The first Fifty Years Project

In 1711 Armosyn was a free black, and she applied to the authorities for the freedom of her daughter Marie. The request was granted on condition that Maries gave another three years of service. The document supplying this information also states that Armosyn held the position of matron of the slave children at the Slave Lodge, succeeding her brother's wife, Maaij Beatrice. As matron she would have been a schoolmistress, living in a separate room next to the Lodge's schoolgirls. Her daughter Manda Gratia succeeded her as matron.

The origin of her name "armozijnen is a thin satin-like material named after the town of Ormuz (Kristoff Glamann, Dutch Asiatic Trade 1620-1740, p 21, 134).

She was emancipated by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel. by mid-1704. She was granted a title of a property opposite the company gardens in June 1708, which she later transferred (T 1349/ 30 September 1720) to her son-in-law Hermanus Combrink, who was married to her daughter Magdalena Ley. She was the 3rd free black women to be granted a title deed at the Cape.

In her Inventory of 1733. MOOC 8/5 76.26 Nov 1733, she left the slave Sabina van Mallebaar to her grand daughter Margaretha Geertruy Frisnet, and everything else to her daughter Magdalena. Four children are mentioned in the will.

Children

She never married but had several children by various European and non-European fathers.

• Frans baptised 15 August 1677 probably died young
• Willem baptised 6 May 1685 probably died young
• Johannes baptised 8 Sept 1686 probably died young
• Claas Jonasz baptised 1 August 1688 who married Dina van Bima on 11 March 1725.
• Anna baptised 7 Sept 1692 probably died young
• Magdalena Ley baptised 26 August 1697. She was called 'halfslag' indicating that her father was white. She married Hermanus Combrinck on 14 April 1720 and was the stammoeder of the Combrinck family. They had nine children.
• Manda Gratia baptised 19 Nov 1679. She died before Armosyn and had off spring. She applied for her freedom on 3 April 1711.
• Maria Stuart, who died c. 1713 before Armosyn and had children. Two took the surname Cleef.

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See the two articles by Mansell Upham - 'Armosyn Revisited' and 'Made or Marred by Time - the other Armosijn' on http://www.e-family.co.za/ffy/ui46.htm. He makes a convincing argument that the two Armosijns were the daughters of Cornelia and Lijsbeth Arabus, respectively.

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Inventaris van alle de goederen en contanten die naargelaten en met de dood sijn ontruijmt bij de vrijswartin, Armosijn Claasz: van de Caab ten voordeelen van

haar kinderen en kindskinderen als eerstelijk haar dogter Magdalena Leij getrouwt met den burger Hermanus Comrink

Jan Smesing

Margareta Geertruijd en

Willem Frisnet alle drie representeerende haar overledene moeder Manda Gratie en mede dogter van bovengen: Armosijn Claasz:

voorts haar soon den vrijswart Claas Jonasz: van de Caab en

laastelijk de beijde kinderen van wijle haar dogter Maria Stuart, als Maria Cleeff getrouwt met den corporaal Hendrik Hessen en

den absenten Absolon Barentsz: Cleeff leijfeijgenen van de E: Comp:

...

Aldus g’inventariseert aan Cabo de Goede Hoop den 23:e Octob:r 1733.

[Inventories of the Orphan Chamber Cape Town Archives Repository, South Africa Reference no.: MOOC8/5.76]

The 4th grant (30 June 1708) is to Armosyn van de Caab – the Cape’s 2nd Cape-born heelslagh to be granted land.

https://mansellupham.wordpress.com/2020/02/25/1st-land-grant-to-a-n...

1] Cape Archives (CA): DO/CT, G.[rant] 41 (25 February 1667); Anna J. Böeseken, Slaves and Free Blacks at the Cape 1658-1700, p. 127 (reproduced verbatim in an appendix, pp. 102-3); Margaret Cairns, ‘Armosyn Claasz of the Cape and her Family 1661-1783 [sic], Familia, 1979/XVI, no. 4, p. 98, n. 13.

• Cape Town Baptisms 1686
• Eodem dito (8 Sept)
• Johannes
• de moeder klein Armosi, slavin

http://www.eggsa.org/