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Waldecke (Boschfontein) Cemetery - Hermannsburg KZN South Africa

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  • Johannes Friedrich Heinrich Kohne (1864 - 1960)
    Marriage Record: Information of Death : Grave Image taken by Ilma Lucht (to be uploaded to eggsa) NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SOUTH AFRICA DEPOT NAB SOURCE MSCE
  • Margarete Marie Engel Köhne (1833 - 1926)
    Information of Death : Death Record: Grave Image taken by Ilma Lucht (to be uploaded to eggsa)
  • Siegfried Kohne (1909 - 1909)
    Buried in the same grave with his twin Elisabeth Kohne. Grave Image taken by Ilma Lucht (to be uploaded to eggsa)
  • Elisabeth Kohne (1909 - 1909)
    Buried in the same grave with her twin Siegfried Kohne Grave Image taken by Ilma Lucht (to be uploaded to eggsa)
  • Stillborn Daughter Kohne (1903 - 1903)
    Grave Image taken by Ilma Lucht (to be uploaded to eggsa)

The Boschfontein Cemetery is found on the farm Waldecke and was used as a family cemetery before the Eschede Lutheran Church was established and is now being used as a family cemetery of the Köhne Family yet again. A recent addition to the cemetery is the small chapel which accommodates the internment/ memorial wall. The Cemetery, under the watchful eye of Ewald Köhne, is in excellent condition and can be viewed on request.

The Book "Von Heidesand ins Heidenland" in Südafrika und eine Geschichte der Kirchengemeinde Eschede" written by Hans Türschmann details the origin and establishment of this Congregation as well as a detailed background to South Africa at the time.

The oldest grave in this Cemetery dates back to 13 July 1903 and belongs to the Stillborn Daughter of Karl Hermann Wilhelm Köhne and Wilhelmine Katharine Christine nee Prigge. The twin Theodor Heinrich Friedrich Johannes died 11 November 1904. Another set of twins Siegfried & Elisabeth Köhne (also children of Karl & Wilhelmine Köne) are buried on the other side of Theodor, their mother baptized them at birth, where after they died a few hours later, and so it is that two sets of Köhne twins were buried next to each other in 3 graves. I have only found the cause of death for Theodor which was given as 'Fits' on the Death Record.

This family cemetery became the Eschede Lutheran Church Cemetery between the period of 1909 and 1938 when the congregation was absorbed into neighboring churches.

There was only one Pastor at this congregation namely Pastor Martin Johann Friedrich Bielefeldt he was born in Kamin Germany and married Marie Louise Auguste Bock fromSalzwedel in der Almark Germany on 30 August 1907 in the Kirchdorf Lutheran Church in Wartburg KZN. He was a pastor at the Pella Church in Wartburg KZN first and in 1908 their firstborn, a son, was stillborn. He is buried in the old section of the Kirchdorf Lutheran Cemetery in Wartburg KZN.

The call for the establishment of the Eshede congregation came from the three Köhne brothers who had inherited the farm from their parents and divided it into three parts - each of them now raising their own families and thereby becoming a community of their own (there were 14 children between the three of them). When the children started to reach school age they requested a pastor to be appointed who would also teach their children.

Pastor Bielefeldt was asked to take on the role of Pastor at the Eschede Congregation on 04 July 1909, and so a small house (Manse) and church were built. The land where the church and manse were built belonged to the Köhne family who donated the land for this purpose, the land was on the Esperance Farm. Church services and school were held in the manse until the Church was inaugurated on 16 October 1910.

The small congregation consisted of 17 (7 adults and 10 children). Amongst these 10 children was Martin Friedrich Johannes Bielefeldt born 15 July 1910 at Eschede - he was baptised by his father in the Manse, they would have no further children.

At the 20th celebration in July 1929, Pastor Bielefeldt mentioned that there were 26 members of the Church. They had an active brass band and choir. Unfortunately, due to a lack of growth, the church was dissolved in 1938 when Pastor Bielefeldt went on retirement. The Church and the Manse were broken down in 1940 - the ruins are still visible.

Pastor Bielefeldt was a gifted artist and gave art lessons to many students in the area to help subsidize his income. He was also a tailor and made vestments for himself and other pastors in the area. The altar and baptismal font in the church were also manufactured by him. When the church was dissolved the altar and baptismal font were donated to other missionary churches.
As a missionary Pastor, he baptized 99 people during his time in Eshede and he taught the school lessons in English and German.

On 25 September 1914, he was arrested in Eshede for not reporting for military service and sent to Roberts Heights (Voortrekker Hoogte) Pretoria and then to Fort Napier Pietermaritzburg in presumably October of the same year. His congregants did their best to have their pastor released and finally, on 08 January 1915, he was paroled and he could return home to his family and congregation. He applied for naturalisation on 16 July 1920 which was granted on 02 October 1920.

Pastor Martin Bielefeldt died in Greytown Hospital on 24 June 1944 having suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis for about five years. His wife died on 06 May 1962 on the Hartebeestfontein Farm in Kranskop district due to Congestive Cardiac Failure. Both are buried at the Kirchdorf Lutheran Cemetery in Wartburg, KZN. Pastor Bielefeldt and his wife had been living on the farm Hartebeestfontein with their son and his family at the time of their death.