Willem de Wit, I

From: Gerda <gpieterse@intekom.co.za>

To: Mike Rushby <rushby@dnet.aunz.com>

Date: Tuesday, 2 April 2002 6:57 PM

Subject: Re: A Letter from Eleanor

Dear Mike,

What we know about Jan de Wit already is that he was most likely born in

1677, and according to his own information in Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw

Nederland (New York, now USA), son of Willem de Wit, who was still residing

in Nieuw Jork (sic) at the time of his arrival at the Cape in 1700. The note

with all publications refers to the fact that he changed his name from John

White to Jan de Wit, and alludes to an 'interesting tale' but no further

clues what this 'tale' might be. We haven't been able to find a specific

baptism for either a John White or a Jan de Wit, son of either Willem or

William around 1677 in the New World. A gr grandson, Petrus Bochardus

Borcherds, came up with a theory and some of this data was included in

publications about the family as if it were primary data.We have not been

able to prove or disprove this theory. Your letter may just shed new light

on the whole story!

Jan de Wit married Maria Adriaansz on 20 March 1707 at the Cape, but there

again is an interesting twist. He was only confirmed at the Reformed Church

(the only legit Church at the Cape at the time) in 1710, with his

mother-in-law as a witness. What this means is as yet unsure, but it may

well mean that he was not Dutch Reformed in America! A kinsman, Thomas de

Wit, son of Pieter de Wit and Abigael Bele from Nieuw Jork came to work for

him as labourer in 1731. Another link we are trying to follow up.

What we do know: Jan and Maria had seven children. You are descended from

their son Petrus Johannes de Wit and Aletta Jacoba Blankenberg

The children were:

b1) Anna Catharina de Wit x Johannes Wiltens, assistant buyer VOC

b2) Maria Elizabeth de Wit (died young?)

b3) Willem Adriaan Christiaan de Wit (died young?)

b4) Petrus Johannes de Wit x Anna Margaretha Sandenbergh xx Aletta Jacoba

Blankenberg

b5) Isabella de Wit x Jasper Westpalm of Batavia

b6) Johanna de Wit x Thomas Swellengrebel of Archangel, VOC buyer in

Batavia

b7) Johannes Henricus de Wit, Captain in the Dutch Fleet

I am attaching two bmp files, extracts from de Villiers and Pama

Geslagsregisters van Suid Afrikaanse Families. The writing is in Afrikaans,

but the names and dates are what you are interested in, after all and they

are the same in any language!

• is born, "gedoopt" (baptised) is "=" , x is married , + is died

The numbering system works as follows:

a=progenitor

b= first generation (children b1, b2, b3, etc.)

c= second generation (children c1, c2, c3, etc)

and so forth

Your gr grandmother's number is b4c8d4e12

Kind regards

Gerda

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: May 28 2021, 18:02:09 UTC