Samuel Friedrich Bode, SV/PROG 2

SAMUEL FRIEDRICH BODE

1730 Samuel Friedrich Bode was born in 1730 in Lüneburg, Germany - a town in northern Germany.
Cityscape of Lüneburg in the 16th-century atlas Civitates Orbis Terrarum

In the medieval old town, red Brick Gothic–style buildings frame Am Sande square. Housed in the former Lüneburg Saltworks, the German Salt Museum details the history and importance of salt mining, the source of the city’s medieval wealth. Many buildings in the historic quarter lean due to centuries of mining. Lüneburg Kalkberg, a limestone hill, sits in a nearby nature reserve.


Brausebrücke bridge in Lüneburg - photo by kaʁstn

According to legend the family is believed to have migrated from France (as Hugenots) possibly to the Netherlands and then to Germany. The surname changed from Boudier (France) to Boodjee (Netherlands) to Bode (Germany) and finally to Botha (South Africa).

In 1766 the family stayed in Hannover

Illustration of Hanover by Matthäus Merian, 1641 first issued

Leine river in Hanoverwith the the Beguine Tower and remnants of the city's medieval city wall - Wiki Commons

In this year Samuel left the "Schwarze Hussaren" [a class of light cavalry] as a result of a possible serious offence relating to a comrade and went to Amsterdam to offer his services to the VOC as a sailor.

The 17th-century Canals of Amsterdam contribute to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North" - photo by Peter K Burian

He embarked aboard the "Noord Beverland" and sailed under the Captaincy of Michiel Hendrik Wunder from the island of Texel on Christmas Day 1766 on his way to Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Dutch ships in the roadstead of Texel, 1671 by Ludolf Bakhuizen

Diagram of an early 1700s warship in the Public Domain.The 'Noord Beverland' was a transom return ship built in 1756 for the Chamber of Zeeland in a shipyard in Middelburg, in use by the VOC from 1756 to 1773. Although huge cargo and passenger transport ships (the 'Noord Beveland' had a load capacity of 1150 tons), in appearance, these transom return ships did not differ much from the warship shown above. They were generally armed with the same type of cannon, but fewer in number. Most of the Company's large ships were equipped with a sun deck for the quarter deck and an air freshener on the quarter deck , features that were common on these ships that had to sail the tropics.They were three-masted, with the fore and main mast carrying under, top and top sails; the mizzen mast was rigged with a cross sail and a longitudinal lateen sail. Characteristic of these ships is the galleon.

1767 After an arduous voyage, in which 27 died at sea, the "Noord Beverland" arrived in Cape Town on 23 March 1767 with 54 sick members in its complement. The sick having been landed for treatment and the ship replenished, it sailed for Ceylon on 9 April, arriving at Colombo on 28 June 1767, a further 35 persons having died at sea. Among those put ashore at Table Bay was one "Fredrik Boode van Lunenbourgh" (SFB) who was permitted to remain at the Cape in the service of the VOC after he had recuperated.

1774 The Cape government expected that soldiers, in addition to their duties as guardians, had to assist the citizens. It is therefore not surprising to find that the services of SFB as a carpenter is contracted out to Hans Mohr for 36 Guilder plus full keep for a period of one year. (Image is of 3 gulden in silver from Utrecht, Dutch Republic - 1763 - 1794; Composition: Silver - 92%; Weight: 31,82 gram; Diameter: 41 mm )

1775 On the 12 December 1775 Samuel made a formal request for his release from the Company's service and the granting of burgher rights and his name appears on the list of persons granted burgher rights at the end of that year.

As in the case of Friedrich Both the pronounciation of the surname of Samuel Friedrich Bode in the Cape "dialect" also caused the name to undergo a change to Botha.

1776 On 21 January 1776 he married Anna Elisabeth Delport, widow of Johann Friedrich Staakmann and the marriage register reads 1776. 21 Jan: Fredrik Botha van Lunenburgh Burger alhier? jongman met Anna Elisabeth DelPort van Cabo de GoedeHoop Laat.. wedu? den ?Medeburger Johan Fredrik Staadgman "South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers (Cape Town Archives), 1660-1970

Baptism Johannes Petrus Botha 8 August1779

1779 8 Augustus
Johannes Petrus
de Vader is Samuel Fredrik Botha
de Moeder Anna Elisabeth Delport
getuigens Michiel Pens Johanna Maria Jurgens Johann Breedenkamp en Johanna Elisabeth Breedenkamp

BODE SAMUEL FRIEDRICH (S). - Lüneburg. Arr. 1767 as so., loaned as house-carpenter 1774, b. 1775, a joiner. ~ 21.1.1776 Anna Elisabeth Delport, wid. Johann Friedrich Staakmann (q.v.). 2 children: Johanna Elisabeth and Johan Samuel Fredrik. + 20.6.1791. (GMR 1767-71; CJ 1157: 51; Rq. 1775: 90; Test. CJ 1101: 5; CJ 1099: 30; Test. O.C. 35: 10; Res. of Cape Church Council of 5.12.1803.) The name of Bode was changed to Botha. Among his descendants is the former Chief Archivist of the Union of South Africa, Mr. C. Graham Botha, according to whom S. F. Bode was a descendant of the Huguenot family Boudier, who had settled in Germany and adopted the name Bode.

- Dr. J. Hoge, Personalia of the Germans at the Cape, 1652-1806, Archives Year Book for South African History (Cape Town: Government Printer, Union of South Africa, 1946)