Elizabeth Dawson Benecke

She apparently was the first white female to be born in Port Elizabeth. She outlived all three husbands and died at 103 years old. Her first two husbands were brickmakers, which is not too surprising as her father owned the brickworks, and all of her brothers and brothers-in-law were involved there. There were no children from her third marriage, but her many descendants and relations all knew her with great affection as "Granny Geer". Some of her descendants have memories of her as a very old lady still being very much addicted to her snuff which she had enjoyed all her life (her snuff box is in the collection at No. 7 Castle Hiss Museum. She outlived three husbands and one of her descendants has quoted her as being fond of saying:

• My first husband was a man of the Devil.
• My second husband was a man of the World.
• My third husband was a man from Heaven.

The Eastern Province Herald reported an incident which took place on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the Settlers Memorial (the Campanile) on the 9th of April 1921 by the Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught. As their Royal Highnesses walked to their carriage their attention was drawn to a parked car in which a frail old lady was propped up on cushions. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Geer, nee Frost,who was accompanied by members of her family. The Prince and Princess engaged Mrs. Geer in conversation and displayed a lively interest in the near-centenarian's reminiscences.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Mar 13 2016, 9:07:23 UTC

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Elizabeth Dawson Frost had three husbands. She apparently was the first white female to be born in Port Elizabeth. She outlived all three husbands and died at 103 years old. She was known as "Granny Geer." Estelle (born Goosen), a fellow South African living in Texas is a great granddaughter of Elizabeth. She was also called "Lizzie." She received a letter from an aunt which included memoirs from Granny Geer's diary. This letter tells a little of their passage to and arrival in South Africa. The letter reads: "Granny Geer (Elizabeth Dawson Frost) was born on 16th September, 1821 in Port Elizabeth and died on 27th June, 1925. Her parents, Philip and Elizabeth Frost, with their children, Philip (11), James (10), William (7), Edward (6), John (4), and Mary (1-1/2), emigrated to South Africa and arrived in Algoa Bay in April, 1820, in the good ship 'Ocean,' which was under charter to Philip Frost in partnership with a Mr. Damant (who incidentally is the ancestor of the Chase family of Uitenhage). As these two were men of substance, as the well-to-do were called in those days, they were free to settle where it suited them; hence Philip Frost settled in Port Elizabeth and Mr. Damant in Uitenhage. The other emigrants were obliged to settle on land allotted to them by the Government in the Grahamstown and Albany Districts. It was thought that they would act as a bulwark on the border, against the marauding blacks at the time. (I received this through the Internet to Lesli from a Dawn Hurn) There is more information on the 'Ocean' which is typed separately and included with the Frost information. The information on where the family settled and how seems to differ from other information I have received from other sources. They all make for interesting stories.

Elizabeth is better known than the others of her family because she lived to be a very old lady, dying in her 104th year. She is buried in North End Cemetery. The Eastern Province Herald reported an incident which took place on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the Settlers Memorial (the Campanile) on the 9th of April 1921 by the Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught. As their Royal Highnesses walked to their carriage their attention was drawn to a parked car in which a frail old lady was propped up on cushions. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Geer, nee Frost, who was accompanied by members of her family. The Prince and Princess engaged Mrs. Geer in conversations and displayed a lived interest in the near-centenarian's reminiscences.

I received on 21 Dec 2001 this snippet from Estelle Elles: Mrs. E.D. Geer died at the age of 104 and was the first baby born to an 1820 Settler family after the Algoa Bay landing.

Her first two husbands were brickmakers, which is not too surprising as her father owned the brickworks, and all of her brothers and brothers-in-law were involved there. There were no children from her third marriage, but her many descendants and relations all knew her with great affection as "Granny Geere". Some of her descendants have memories of her as a very old lady still being very much addicted to her snuff which she had enjoyed all her life. (Her snuff box is in the collection at No. 7 Castle Hiss Museum.) She outlived three husbands and one of her descendants has quoted her as being fond of saying:

"My first husband was a man of the Devil My second husband was a man of the World My third husband was a man from Heaven!"

From Susan Viljoen of the Frost Clan, on 24th August, 2003 I received this: "There is a child, Alice Maria Frost, baptised in St. Paul's in Port Elizabeth on 13 Jul 1865. My notes for that reads - Only mother's name given and that as: Elizabeth Dawson Frost. Witnesses: William Frost, Ann Barnes Frost, S(?) Frost."

Received 16 Sep 2005 from Alison Geer - "I was tramping around Cuyler manor today with Becky Horne, and amoungst the thorn trees on the farm Waagensdrift where my dear gg granddad farmed (and died). Trying to find his grave! (Found some Van Ryneveld graves under the thorn trees). Did not realise there was a tenuous Cuyler connection and possibly that is how William and Elizabeth Dawson Frost Geer came to be farming there. (Elizabeth's first husband's aunt wa lady of the manor). (Following extract from Becky's postings on the Eastern Cape Roosweb list):

'On the 22 Feb 1837 Elizabeth Dawson Frost had married a brick-maker, Ian Philip Du Pre BENECKE in St. Mary's. He was the son of John VON BENECKE, (Royal Commissioner for establishing schools in the Cape Colony.) John VON BENECKE'S wife, Susanna nee HARTMAN was a sister of Mrs. Maria CUYLER of Cuyler Manor. Ian BENECKE dropped the "von" prefix but he was the brother of Martha Sophia who had married John Lowne FROST. This was the first in a series of many sibling and inter-familial marriages in the FROST clan.' "

DEPOT KAB

SOURCE MOOC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 7/1/214
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 57
PART 1
DESCRIPTION FROST, ELIZABETH DAWSON. WIFE OF JAN PHILIP DU PREEZ BENEKE. WILL.
STARTING 18530000
ENDING 18530000
REMARKS FILED 1853.