Kaptein Michiel de Buys

• Coenraad de Buys, the First Transvaler (dissertation by A.E. Schoeman)

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Ds. MacKidd het aan die begin van 1863 'n versoek deur bemiddeling van ene Cornelis Lottering van kaptein Michael Buys (of De Buys, 'n seun van Coenraad de Buys) ontvang om na Soutpansberg te kom om hom en sy kinders en hul onderhoriges te onderrig. ... Die volgende jaar neem onrus onder die inboorlinge in die Soutpansberg so 'n omvang aan dat Hofmeyr verplig is om saam met die Buysvolk, onder wie hy in die eerste plek sy sendingwerk verrig het, suidwaarts te verskuif na die plaas Noem-noem-draai, wat hy gekoop het en wat later die sendingstasie Bethesda geword het. Einde 1870 keer Hofmeyr en sy gesin met die Buyse terug na die oorspronklike stasie Goedgedacht. Tydens die Eerste Anglo-Boereoorlog het die bewoners van die sendingstasie bevel gekry om na die Boerelaer te gaan. Die Buyse moes help vee oppas, terwyl eerw. Hofmeyr dienste vir die mense in die laer gehou het. Omstreeks dié tyd het eerw. Hofmeyr ’n groot teleurstelling beleef toe die Buyse die stasie verlaat en hulle ’n klein entjie daarvandaan gaan vestig het. Hierdie nuwe nedersetting het hy Mara genoem na aanleiding van Eksodus 15:23 ("Toe hulle by Mara aankom, kon hulle nie die water drink nie, omdat dit bitter was. Daarom het hulle die plek Mara genoem.") omdat dié ervaring vir hom ’n bitter beker was om te drink. So het dit sedertdien bekendgestaan. Selfs die Kaapse Kerk het deur middel van ’n deputasie probeer om die Buyse van hul besluit te laat afsien, maar vergeefs. - https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanus_Hofmeyr

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Michael, Gabriël and Doris, with their families as well as other Buys, at first settled on a farm at Goedgedacht and later at Kranskop in the Soutpansberg. It was to these places that Michael arranged for a Scottish missionary couple, Reverend Alexander MacKidd and his wife, to come to live and to work amongst the Buys people and this they did from May 13, 1863. It was in fact this missionary who facilitated their access to these farms which belonged to neighbouring farmers. Michael often related how his father Coenraad read to the family from the Bible and prayed, and this made a profound impression on him. Ironically though, the Buyses had by now, in general, Michael included, adopted the practices of the local black communities, polygyny included, circumcision being the only one strongly discouraged by him. He soon forbade his children to marry more than one wife, although he ‘took’ some 20 women [24 wives & concubines] in the course of his life – he did however eventually relinquish all but one of these wives. Both the influence and the demands of the mission and the missionaries resulted in the Buyses increasingly rejecting what was regarded as black/heathen customs and practices. They furthermore regarded themselves as superior and demanded to no longer be part of a mixed congregation and to be educated separately and not in Sotho but in Dutch. Michael Buys was concerned about the future of his offspring. At all costs he wanted to prevent further ‘verswarting’ (blackening) and purposely endeavoured to ensure that marriage should only take place between ‘those of a kind’. In his view whiteness of skin was the Buyses most important asset. - https://www.myheritage.com/person-4006008_166510931_166510931/michi...

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• Mike de Jongh South Africa's Forgotten First People Lecture 4
• Coenraad de Buys
• Hugenote nasate ly oor trou aan Boere Coenraad en sy seuns Machiel en Gabriël was die eerste pioniers wat hulle in die Marico-Bosveld, die Waterberg en Soutpansberg gevestig het. Toe die Voortrekkers onder Louis Trichardt in 1837 hulle in die Soutpansberg gevestig het, het die betroubare Gabriël as boodskapper opgetree en ook ruilmiddels, soos ivoor en wildsvelle, vir die Trekkers na Delagoabaai weggebring. Hy en sy broer Doors het ook aan die Hendrik Potgieter-trek allerlei dienste bewys. Hulle het onder meer met die Trekkers saamgereis om die weg na die binneland en Mosambiek te wys en hul kinders het dikwels as veewagters vir die Trekkers opgetree. Vanweë dié diens het die latere Volksraad van die Transvaalse Boererepubliek dit goedgekeur dat die Buyse die reg verkry om vuurwapens te besit. Ook is die gebied aan die westelike punt van die Soutpansberg rondom Mara, wes van Louis Trichardt, "in ewigdurende besit" aan die Buyse gegee. Hul nasate woon steeds daar op die nedersetting Buysdorp.

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DEPOT TAB SOURCE SS TYPE LEER VOLUME_NO 726 SYSTEM 01 REFERENCE R5500/82 PART 1 DESCRIPTION MICHAEL BUYS EN 12 ANDERE DER FAMILIE LEDEN - VERZOEK OM BURGERLIJKE REGTE ALS AANKOOP VAN AMMUNITIE. HET REGT OP AANDEELEN IN DE ZOUTPAN ETC. ONDERSTEUND DOOR ZENDELING SH HOFMEYER. STARTING 18820901 ENDING 18820901

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DEPOT TAB SOURCE SP TYPE LEER VOLUME_NO 15 SYSTEM 01 REFERENCE SPR710/89 PART 1 DESCRIPTION PUBLIEKE AANKLAGER, PIETERSBURG. MICHAEL BUYS GECOMMITTEERD TER TERECHTSTELLING. STARTING 18890323 ENDING 18890323

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" ...documents inter alia entitled Crown Grant No 80/1909 which seems to affirm that the land in question had been “ceded and transferred” to Coenraad, Jeftha and Benjamin Buys, “in their capacity as representatives of the Buys Tribe” by the Deputy Governor and Minister of Lands on behalf of His Majesty Edward the Seventh. It is also indicated that they shall “possess [this land] in perpetuity” (De Jongh 2004:89)." - https://www.emich.edu/coer/Journal_2007/de_Jongh.html

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Baptism

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The Birwa living around the Blouberg hills of the Northern Province recorded the arrival of Coenrad De Buys (junior), Michael De Buys and Doris De Buys, who settled among them as hunter-traders in close contact with the Tsonga and Afro-Portuguese of the East Coast. These De Buys’ of mixed Boer-Birwa origins, helped the first Trekkers in the north - first the scouting party of Scholtz in 1834-35, then the Trichardt and Jan Van Rensburg treks in 1835, and the Soutpansberg colony of Potgieter in 1848.

Robert Wagner gives the following birth and death dates: Coenraad De Buys 1761-1822, and his sons Gabriel (1808-55), Theodorus Comelis (1810-51?) and Michael (1812-88).https://debuys.blogspot.com/2011/02/who-was-coenraad-de-buys.html