The Great Trek Voortrekker Routes and Maps of the Boere Republics 1836-1886

All work and photo's supplied by Nantes Kruger from the Northern Transvaal Branch of GSSA

Photo shows the routes of the Voortrekkers

How can you use this information?

• You will have to have names, districts, dates. All in all do research.

1. Identify farm names on death notices, inventories, estates.
2. Try and identify the district the farm is in.
3. Ask for the map of the district to get the farm number
4. Look for the RAK reference on the catalogue and require the register.
5. Then you can look on Google Earth to get the route and see what the scenery looks like en get the GPS co-ordinates.
6. If possible, visit the farm to see if there are graves.
7. Talk to the town people to try and get more information on the former owners.
8. Remember to take a notebook and camera

If you can't visit an Archive in South Africa then ask one of the collaborators here and they will gladly guide you to somebody working in one of the provinces at at rate on freelance

Add Geni Profiles that participated in the Trek

• Daniel Jacobus Robbertze One of the first to Trek to Rustenburg

Secondly

• Grondregisters wat saamgelees word met bronne soos
• Baptism records
• Death Notices
• Gives movement on a family tree and register.

Met die huidige voorbereiding van die 175 jarige herdenking van die Groot Trek in volle aanvang in Suid Afrika, voel ons dat ons gerus ook hier op die projek ons bydrae kan maak

• The general idea behind the Boer Republics projects are to introduce and give a better perspective to the wider Geni family of the History and development of our lovely South Africa

How can you contribute

• As time goes on you will be able to indentify farms/owners/inspectors/etc. on Geni and join it with the project.

Main subjects of this project

• Background

# Oorsig geregistreerde grondeienaarskap in SA

1. Maps of the Cape Colony (1750-1835)
2. Voortrekker routes en maps of the Boer Republics
3. Oorsig oor Boere reoublieke en kolonies
4. Huidige Akte kantore

• RAK Cataloques, registsers and inspection rapports
• Farm names, maps and other sources
• Where and how to start - if you would like to research in SA
• How to use the information
• The road ahead in SA....................
• List of sources

Oorsig van geregistreerde groneienaarskap in Suid Afrika

• 1657 - Leningsplaas (Vrypag) sisteem
• 1732 - Erfpag stelsels (15 jaar huur)
• 1828 - Registrateur van Aktes en LG in Kaap
• 1838 - Request farms (Voorstrekkers)
• 1846 - Resistrasteur van Aktes in Natal
• 1856 - Registrateur van Aktes in OVS
• 1866 - Registrateur van Aktes in ZAR
• 1870 - Landmeter-general in ZAR
• 1902 - Prokureur Generaal in ZAR
• 1937 - Registrateur van Aktes in SA

Voortrekker Roetes en Kaarte van Boere Republieke 1836-1886

• Please see photo of project.

It looks a lot like a family tree, I think.

• The Trek started in the Cape mainly from Uitenhage and Graaff-Reinet, 1st taking two routes.
• On the left route from Graaff-Reinet a small branch moves West just after Philippolis in the Northern Cape going to Bloemfontein.
• Then the 2 Trek joins in Thaba Nchu with a branch again going West to the Vaal Rivier and then big splits starts at Winburg.
• To the North West a big branch turned to Potchefstroom, continuing to Suikerbosrand, over the Magaliesberg to Eerstepoort and Tweedepoort.
• During this time the Battle of Vegkop took place - October 1836 during the 1st Boer War.
• The other branch went East from Winburg and splitting within kilometers where the one gets into the clash of the Bloedrivier (Bloodriver) fight between the Zulu's and the Boers.
• The other branch went to Natal but again splitting in two near Weenen where one went to the Boesmansriver and at Weenen one North to Mgungundlovo near St Lucia Bay and the other south splitting in two at Pietermaritzburg, where a town was started about 89.9 km from Durban where one settlement was set up at the Umkumaasrivier and the other at the Umzimkuluriver.
• But alas, the main branch was still going North splitting into 6 different directions with the furthest away at Schoemansdal in the Soutpansberg, way North.
• More North-East was Andries-Ohrigstad and Lydenburg.
• More to the North West was the Waterberg on the banks of the rivers of the Limpoporiver and Nylriver.
• Inbetween was a settlemet at Makanpans Poort.

OORSIG OOR BOERE-REPUBLIEKE

• Die republieke sal in die volgorde van ontstaan geplaas word met 'n Almagameer/Nota by:
• Afkortings: Rep - Republiek
• v :van

Tydperk\Time Rep./Republic Amalgameer-Amalgamate/Note

• 1836-1844 Rep. v. Winburg Potchefstroom
• 1838-1845 Rep v. Potchefstroom/Winburg Winburg val weg.
• 1839-1843 Rep. v. Natalia Annekseer deur Britanje
• 1845-1852 Rep.v. Potchefstroom ZAR-Winburg na OVS
• 1845-1846 Rep. Ohrigstad Ontbind
• 1849-1852 Rep.v.Zoutpansberge ZAR
• 1854-1902 Rep.v. Oranje Vrystaat Ontbind
• 1852-1856 Afrikaanse Rep.(Transvaal) Word ZAR
• 1854-1858 Rep. v. Utrecht Lydenburg toe ZAR
• 1856-1860 Rep.v. Lydenburg ZAR
• 1856-1877 Zuid Afrikanse Republiek-ZAR Annekseer deur Britanje
• 1880-1881 Suid Afrikaanse Rep(Heidelberg) Word staat van Transvaal
• 1881-1884 Staat v. Transvaal Word weer ZAR
• 1884-1902 Zuid Afrikaanse Rep. ZAR Ontbind
• 1882-1883 Rep. v. Goosen (VS v. Stellaland) Ontbind
• 1882-1885 Rep. v. Stelllaland(VS v. Stellaland) Ontbind
• 1884-1887 Nieuwe Republiek(Vryheid) ZAR - terug na Natal in 1902
• 1886-1891 Klein Vrystaatse Rep.SW v. Swaziland ZAR( Distrik v Piet Retief

Argivale Registers/Archival Registers

• These registers all have a reference as does any Archival Register here have. In this case it is called the RAK.

Diverse/Diverse Registers

• RAK 2433 - Plaas/Farm Requesten-regiter of the Voortrekker farm (1838-1864)
• RAK 2434 - Inspection/Inspeksie Register (1841-1888)
• RAK 2435 to 2437 - Register of Transports (1858-1899)
• RAK 2438 - Register van Eiendomsplase (1867-1899)
• RAK 2440 - Register of Farms (1877-1906)
• RAK 2441 - Register of farms in Lydenburg (1893-1898)
• RAK 2434 - Inspection Register (1841-1888)
• Having the following:
• Alfabetiese lys van Inspekteurs wat ook aandui die distriksgebied waar hulle werksaam was.
• Alfabetiese lys van plaaseienaars wat aandui:

1. Op wiesen reg geinspecteerd
2. Door wiesen geinspecteerd
3. Datum
4. Naam van Plaats

• Naam van inspekteur kan gebruik word om distrik te bepaal waar plaas geleë is.

• RAK 2435-7

Registers of transports(1858-1899)

• Alphabetccal list of farm owners that shows:

1. Name of farms ( as wel as Gedeelte no) transported
2. District where farm are in
3. Transport no.
4. Koopprys/Buying price
5. Date of sale/transported to new owner
6. Transport no.

• Registers blyk nie baie volledig te wees nie.

• RAK 2438

Register van eiendomsplase

• Afsonderlike gebinde afdelings van plase in die distrikte:

1. Pretoria
2. Heidelberg
3. Potchefstroom
4. Lydenburg
5. Rustenburg
6. Nylstroom
7. Waterberg
8. Utrecht
9. Wakkerstroom

• Indekse voor aan sommige van afdelings wat name van eienaars of plase alfabeties aantoon
• By meeste van die plase is nommers in rooi ingeskryf wat ooreenstem met die plaaasnommers wat voorkom in die onerskeie plaasregisters van elke distrik (Tested with the Heidelberg registers)

• Please look at photo's in this project of how the different registers look like.

Other registers - Heidelberg, Transvaal(Gauteng)

• Oordragregister (RAK 1503 - (1861-1963)

• Only stands and not farms.

• Indexes

1. Two registers, both of Heidelberg, Transvaal.
2. Farm owners alphabetical in both registers
3. Verwysings nommer(s) by elke inskrywing.

• Indexe: Names of farms (RAK 2675)

1. One register of Lethaba farms.
2. Two registers of Klerksdorp farms
3. Entries of Potchefstroom, Lichtenburg and Wolmaranstad in one of the Klerksdorp registers. Old or new farm name.
4. One register of Krugersdorp.

• RAK 2440

Register of farms from 1877-1906

• Alphabetical list of farms that gives the farm names:

1. Name of farm
2. Number of farm
3. District
4. Folio

• Could not yet say what document the folio is referring to.
• Various districts of the old Transvaal.

Method of measuring a farm

"Een uur gans overkruys"

• By horse in 4 hours.
• Speed = 25 Kaapse roede (90 meter) per minute.
• Half an hour to the North West.
• Half an hour to the South West
• Half an hour to the North East
• Half an hour to the South East.

That would give you a farm of approximately 3000 morgen