
Objective
The purpose of this project is to record as many of the ORIGINAL settlers (Heads of the family groups) so that researchers can identify family lines and descendants.
Secondly, current researchers who are descendants of the German Settlers will be able to identify fellow researchers. --Important to remember no German state as an entity existed at that time .
NOTE: Most of the collaborators in this group are descendants of the Kaffrarian Germans.
Geographical Location of British Kaffraria
The area of British Kaffraria in South Africa was centred on King Williams Town with the current city of East London as it's sea port.
The Eastern border was the Kei River and settlements abounded encompassing in addition the current towns of Stutterheim, Cathcart, Berlin, Hamburg, Macleantown and many other smaller settlements that were swallowed up with the establishment of the "Homeland" of Ciskei by the apartheid South African Government which prompted the eviction of the ancestors of the Kaffrarian German Settlers from their historical farms in these districts.
Historical Summary
The Kaffraria Germans are actually members of three very different groups that settled in Kaffraria in the 19th Century:
- The German Crimean Legion, 1856 some not even " German but from other parts of Europe. --- https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F268112
- The Colonists of 1858 and
- The Colonists of 1877
The profiles linked to this Project are the ORIGINAL settlers who arrived in South Africa from Germany.
Note - This first URL leads nowhere - refer to the link below this - http://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/content/documents/coryli...
https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/content/corylibrary/doc...
How to Participate
If you have an ancestor who was a settler from Germany:
- Get yourself added as a collaborator
- Navigate to your ancestor's profile
- Under the "More Actions" link choose "Add to Project"
- Select the Germans in Kaffraria" project
Optional:
- Include in the "About Me" section of each person a brief biographical sketch of their lives. Also include the ship name and arrival date if known
- Include a photograph/painting of your ancestor if one exists.
- Your ancestor's profiles should be marked as "public" and not "private".
- All included profiles should include full identifying information including birth and death dates as well as birth and death locations. It would also be very helpful if the immediate family of your German ancestor, (their parents, siblings and children) profiles were public profiles also.
- Do not make public any profiles of living people.
NOTE: All settlers included on this project will have their profiles editable by other geni.com collaborators of this project.
External Links
- The Kaffraria Germans
- Historical Perspective A concise historical overview of the German Settlers
- An Index to the Settlers listed in "Germans in Kaffraria
- An index of all surnames mentioned in the book "Germans in Kaffraria", published by J.F. Schwar and P.E. Pape
Important to remember not all names on the passenger lists are in above list.
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See Also Related Geni Project Pages:
- SA Progenitors on Geni
- South African Genealogical Reference Centre is there to help with SA genealogical nitty gritty; naming conventions and language usages.