MATYS ANDRIES DE BEER

MATYS ANDRIES DE BEER (Stamvader van meeste van die De Beers in Suid Afrika) EN SY KINDERS Saamgestel uit navorsing gedoen deur Herta Bockelman En uit die boek deur DW de Beer De Beer, Dawid Willem 1826 – 1942, Sy Voorsate en Nasate Kopiereg 1998 Fransie Pienaar Museum Alle regte voorbehou Navrae:- FRANSIE PIENAAR MUSEUM Posbus 109 PRINCE ALBERT 6930 TEL & FAX 023 5411366 MATYS ANDRIES DE BEER arrived at the Cape as a soldier in the service of the Dutch East India Company. He was known as a carpenter, wagon-builder, Corporal and farmer. He came from LÜbeck which is situated at the “Lower Saxon Circle”, where Low German is spoken. His name appears for the first time in the list of “Militairen” of 1699. (Muster Roll VC 39) He most probably had arrived in 1698. This, however, could not be ascertained, as the list of that year is missing. We also find mention in 1698 of “Andries the Wagonbuilder” – it may be it was him. During 1701 and 1702 he is enlisted as “adelborst” (Cadet). The adelborst in the Company’s service did not designate a young man in training to become an officer. It was the description to indicate that he or his family had provided his equipment and he was not in debt for it to the Company. For the duration of his 5 years engagement as a soldier, his name is recorded as “Mathys Andriesz” and later from 1703 we find him by the name of “Matys Andries de Beer” . Comparing the signatures of 1702 and of 1705, we may well agree that they are from the same person. What made him change his name we do not know. There is also some confusion about his homeland. In the Company’s books “Mathys Andriesz” came from Lubeck, but according to the “Personalia of the Germans at the Cape” by Dr J Hoge, Matys Andries de Beer’s home was in “Waase”. This is a small place on the island “Ummanz” which belongs to the island “Rugen” on the Baltic Sea. At the time when Matys left, Rugen belongs to Sweden. Only in 1825 it came to Prussia. In 1702 he was loaned by the Company to Isaak de Cock from 13 March to 29 April; and later from 10 August to 31 May 1703 as a carpenter to Andreas Finger. According to the contracts Matys’ monthly salary was ten and thirteen Gulden. The employer had to provide “Spys and drank” and accommodation. He was still under obligations to the Company, and had to report at the Castle; in time of need or war he would have been called up to do his duties in the second company. (CJ 1124:250, 247) At the time when he arrived at the Table Bay, “Cape” (as Cape Town was then known) was a small place, with Heerengracht (now Adderley Street) and Keysergracht (Darling Street) as the principal streets. The whole population of the Colony (excluding servants of the Company) consisted of 414 burghers, 207 women, 255 sons and 289 daughters. There were (as a matter of interest) 1 654 100 vines planted in the colony. A large quantity of wine was delivered to the passing ships, and the rest was consumed on land. Life is said to have been generally quiet at the Cape. From time to time however, the Journal tells us of happenings which were rather colourful. So we read that a lion lurked around the watering place and later seized some cattle near Roodebloem, the house of a burgher, not more than 15 minutes away from the Castle, but the lion escaped. “Paarl Diamant” (Paarl Rock) “Colonies Moolen”, the watermill builds in 1699. The plot “Oranje” granted to Matys de Beer in 1703. Transferred to J Roux 28 September 1724. And when the fleet sailed into the Bay, great activity started. The farmers came to town to offer their produce to the ships and to purchase ware, china and silk from the East or the Netherlands. Three days before the fleet left, the drummers marched through the town, beating their drums and announcing that everyone has to be on board of their ships within 24 hours; a cannon was fired and the flag was hoisted on the Admiral’s ship, and those who missed their ship were sent to Robben Island. A big occasion was on 23 January 1699, the arrival of the Governor Simon van der Stel’s son and successor, Willem Adriaan van der Stel, from Holland with his wife and family, “escorted” by a roaring South-Easter wind. His ship, “Stad Cuelen” with her consort “Drie Kroonen” had taken four months for the passage and the report tells of 60 dead and 40 sick; not an exceptionally tall number for the period, as it was said. Soon after, on 11 February 1699, the big tattoo took place. Garrison men (I presume Matys was one of them), burgher melitia with bugles blowing and drums beating, attended the ceremony of Willem Adriaan’s taking up the duties as Governor. Later, o 13 November 1703, a plot called “Oranje” in the District Drakenstein was granted to Matys by the Governor. Though the plot was granted I 1703, it was 1712 before the official transfer was issued. (Old Stellenbosch Freeholds, Vol. 2, part I. Deeds Office, Cape Town). “ORANJE” was 2 Morgen 250 Square Roeden in extent. It was situated at the slope of the: “Paarl Diamant” and near the “Colonies Moolen”. From this plot a magnificent view is obtained of the area from Wellington to the entry of the Drankestein valley through which the Berg finds its way. And as E E Mossop wrote of the early days: “wild animal shared with man the possession of this lovely domain”. In 1705 Matys received burgher rights of Stellenbosch, and was now free to take private employment or start his own industry. But he also had obligations: performing military service in the burgher force as well as paying tax. Carpenters, Wagonbuilders, smiths and also other artisans played an important role in the development of the village. Therefore burghers who wanted to develop their own trade or industry were financially assisted by various sources. The Heemraad Pieter van der Byl granted Matys a loan of 150 Gulden “Caapse valuation” on the 24 September 1705, which he repaired plus interest on 2 March 1709. This fund of the Diaconie was originally founded by the Government (D.E.I. Company) to assist needy persons. In 1687 ministers, elders and deacons of the Cape Church were appointed as the trustees of that fund. It was always well that supported. Another reference to the “Vry-wagenmaker” M A de Beer dated 29 September 1705 mentioned that he had permission to fell two loads of “Wagenmakershout” in Jan de Jonkershoek. And a similar permit was granted to him on 13 February 1706 for three loads “Timmerhout” and two loads of Wagenmakershout. (Signed by W A van der Stel – Defence W A van der Stel). The Wagonbuilders used various types of indigenous woods. The felloes were made of “roie-els” (Cunnonia capensis) or The “Colonieshouse” at Stellenbosch in 1710 (Cape Archives Depot). Of “Wilde-sering” (Burkea Africana); spokes from “assegai” (Curtisia dentata) and the “Waboom” (Protea arborea) which is a softer wood, was used for various parts as well as for “brake-shoes”. Matys had now decided to get married and set up a home. It was at Stellenbosch on 24 October 1705 that he was married to Hilletje, the 15 year old daughter of Jan Smit and Adriana Tol. Both her parents came from Holland. Helletjie’s father died around 1700 and her mother was remarried on 11 January 1705 to Andreas Kuyper (Kuper) a ship-carpenter and farmer. When Simon van der Stel in 1684 made up his mind to found and develop a village in the Eerste River Valley and called it after himself “Stellenbosch”, he wrote to the Directors of the Company “it should be worthy of its fatherland”. No doubt – this he had achieved. From the beginning it was the ordered European village as pictured by E V Stade in 1710. In 1710 the inhabitants of the area were few in number. There were only 543 of which 348 were Europeans (Whites) and 195 slaves. The village consisted of about a dozen or more houses, the Drosdty on the island, the Church and churchyard, a mill and a school. The Eerste River supplied the water for drinking and households, irrigating the vegetable and fruit gardens, and it also fed the mill and turned the wheel. In 1707 the first prison was built. (There were also rough customers ….) “Colonies Houses” were already built in 1693-1694 on the land between the Church and the River. This part had been reserved for dwellings for people who would offer various services to the community such as artisans, ministers or schoolmasters. They were the property of the “Council of Landdrost and Heemraaden”. On 23 November 1705, Matys obtained permission for the occupation of the Colonies House nearest to the place of the sick-comforter and Secretary Johann Mahieu. It was most probably the house at the east corner of Ryneveld and Dorlp Streets, where the minister Hercules van Loon lived before his death in 1704. a lease for six months had been signed by Matys and the rent was 2 Rixdollars? Which had to be paid promptly each month. On 1 December 1705 Hilletje and Matys moved into the “Colonies House” and lived there until 1707. (I/STB 2) Their first Christmas in the home must have been long remembered by them. In the middle of the dry season torrential rain fell in the valley for 2 days. The river overflowed its banks, flooded lands and vineyards, corn in the valley had been washed away and housed and roads were damaged. The de Beer’s nearest neighbours were Hans Conterman, the smith, and across the way lived the sickcomforter and Secretary, Johan Mahieu. About him Adam Tas had quite a few witty remarks in his Diary. So he called him to be rather a sick-sadderner than a comforter; at church he is said to have been an extremely boring and long-winded reader. And on 9 July 1705 Tas wrote of an incident which gives us a little glance at the village life of these days: after Mahieu had read a passage from the Bible at a Communion service, elder Dirk Coetzee, former elder Pieter van der Byl and others stood talking outside the church, whereupon Mahieu remarked to the congregation that a “Klapschool” (gossiping circle) was conducted outside the church. To this remark they took such strong exception that they refused to come to church until Mahieu had read an apology before the congregation “…. And this was only after more than a year. At the time, When Matys and Hilletjie started married life; it was a rather disturbed period. The burghers had A lot of complaints against their Governor, William Adriaan van der Stel and they took strong action aginst him, with Adam Tas as their leader. This conflict reached its climax between 1705 and 1706. van der Stel then took drastic decisions and one of them had been dismissal of officers of the Stellenbosch and Drankenstein burgher force, and the replacement by others. So it happened that Matys was appointed Corporal of the Stellenbosch Infantry on 6 October 1706. That post was held by him till 1708. The position of a Corporal (Fieldcornet or Wagtmeester) was honourable and unpaid. He was chosen by the Landdrost and Heeraaden on account of his conduct and integrity from amongst his fellow burghers. He was responsible for law and order in the area and in time of necessity it was his duty to assemble the “Manschaft”. To sum up, he had functions of many types for which his only advantage was however the exemption of paying tax. Matys appear in the Muster Roll as follows: 1705 “Manschaft” (101 men) Stellenbosch Infantry 1706 - 1708 Corporal of the same Compagnie 1708 - 1709 “Manschaft” (14 men) Drankenstein Infantry 1710 - 1724 “Manschaft” Stellenbosch Infantry 1724 Released from military service During 1708 and 1709 census records show that de Beers lived in Drakenstein. We find Matys’ name on the list of the road roll of 1708 on the “Kruespad” from “Bange Hoek Jacobus van As Willem van Zyl”, and in 1709 “Aan de West side van de parel van Dirk Schalkwyk as tot Lambert Smit.” All burghers whose names are mentioned obviously lived along these roads and had to assist in the upkeep of the same, which seems to have been an everlasting problem. They returned to Stellenbosch in 1710, where they had to witness the disastrous fire on 17 December, which swept through the village and destroyed most of the settlement. It was a terrible blow for the whole community. In 1711 we read that the burghers were busy rebuilding their houses. However, the church of which only the walls and titled floor remained, was untouched for along time. Matys is mentioned in the “Paden en Wagen Rollen” of 1711 – 1714, when he occupied a dwelling in the section of Stellenbosch between the ruins of the church and the “Steenebrug” and between Fredrick Wallinga and Pieter Saaiman. And soon after, there was another shock for them. It was I 1713 during the severe outbreak of smallpox that they lost their two children, Samuel, two years old, and Helena, three years old. Nearly 25% of the “Caapse-Vlek’s” population was wiped out. However, in 1714 another son was born, whom they also named Samuel. There is now a relatively long period, during which not much could be found about the doings of the de Beers. On 21 November 1718 Matys received payment from the council of Landdrost and Heemraden for making a “Vootbrug” (wooden bridge) across “Botmasdrift” (farm Welgevallen) (I/STB I/6). On 15 December 1719 he had acted as a witness in a court case, and Hilletjie, on behalf of her husband, brought Hans Jurgen Beyer to court. He owed the rent for a whole year. This was on 10 April 1723. the document shows Hilletjie’s signature. (I/STB 18/42-43). A very popular bit of Stellenbosch’s village life was the yearly and traditional October festivities. Everybody took part. It was the season for the annual military exercises of the burgher force and for the “fair”, which gave the burghers the opportunity to sell their produce and wares. From near and wide the families and friends arrived for a yearly reunion. Even burghers from “Cape Town”, sailors and officers of ships in the Bay, made the wagon trip across the sandy flats to take part in this unique and colourful event. The famous “parrot shooting” (Schutzen-fest for the Germans) at the west of the Papegaaisberg came to an end in 1706. (This, at the time let the feelings of the burghers run very high). The big parade with bugles and drums, the infantry and the Dragoons in their blue jackets and white breeches brought the days of training, leisure and relaxation to an impressive end. Records show Matys in Drakenstein during 1723 and 1724, at a place with a vineyard of 9 000 vines. As farm names are not mentioned I the early tax return records, we do not know if he had been on his own place at the “Diamant Rock”. He sold his plot “Oranje” to J Roux. It was transferred on 28 September 1724.