Back in 2006 I started this blog and my first blog post was about Me, "who am I"? After many many years of doing research and Genealogy, I think I may have found out!
It's all so very interesting and a very long story.
I decided to give up on trying to trace my fathers Heritage and concentrated on my mothers which all proved very interesting, the Marais and de Villiers families who arrived in South Africa in the late 1600's with the French Huguenot's via Holland - Over 300 years of history in South Africa where they encountered many challenges and my grandparents were even prisoners in concentration camps during the Anglo Boer War in 1901. My great-grandfather on my mothers side (Marais) was sent to India to a concentration camp along with many other South African men. My grandfather on my mothers side was in a concentration camp in Pietersburg with his half-sisters and pregnant mother, who died the day after giving birth to another son, sadly the son passed away 2 days later. They were then sent to another camp in Howick until the camps were disbanded.
My grandmother (de Villiers) was in a concentration camp with her family in Krugersdorp.
As for my father this is all the information I had: -
My Father Harold Kemp was born 6.9.1896, the only clues I have from his past are what I have found on the South African Archives his 2 other divorces, a marriage certificate to his first wife in 1919, a copy of a photo of his mother with the name Elizabeth Mary Kemp, his WW1 Medals, so I got his military records of which there were a few with name changes, and a Medal from Argentina. Also in his Military records it said he had been to Buenos Aires.
I then spoke to my half sister's daughter (my father's daughter from his first-marriage) and asked her if she would please do her DNA with Myheritage, that way I could distinguish the matches between her and I that would help me research my fathers heritage.
Unfortunately there were a few matches but nothing that shouted at me as I did not really know what I was looking for.
Then I received a message on the 5th of February from a Diego Dickason on My Heritage saying that I was a match with him, I automatically thought it must be a match with my daughter and probably on her father's side. But on investigation I found that I was the match, he was my 1st cousin twice removed - 2nd cousin once removed, he doesn't speak English as he lives in Argentina, however get this he speaks "old" Afrikaans and Spanish, his daughter Becky kindly send the email on his and her behalf.
They thought I must be a relative on the "Dickason" side of the family, however, again after lots of searching and investigation and finding out about the "Boers at the end of the World" (Afrikaner's who left South Africa at the end of the Boer War" for a better life in Argentina (Patagonia). However, i could not find one other Dickason that I was related to via Myheritage and a lot of them had done their DNA, so I thought okay so if I am not related via the "Dickason" branch I must be related via the female side.
It turned out that his mother (Johanna Gertruida Margaretha Dickason (born Verwey)) her mother was (Johanna Gertruida Margaretha Verwey (born Grobler)) and working back from there, her father was Nicholaas Jacobus Grobler.
Now trying to fit in the pieces, his father was (Hendrik Christoffel Ignatius Grobler) and mother Maggel Anna Susanna Grobler (born Els)) and Grandfather and grandmother were (Petrus Hendrikus Hendricus Grobler, b5c4d1) and (Johanna Gertruida Margaretha Grobler (born Kemp)) aaah Kemp, my maiden name but could not find a connection there.
If Diego was my 1st Cousin twice removed then Nicholaas Jacobus Grobler would be a close relation to my father.
So I went back on the records I had found, in order to get it all straight in my head and then put it down in myheritage I wrote down everything I found, matched up partners dates etc. This took me a few evenings of working many late hours, some of the information I found was here:
Hendrik Christoffel Ignatius Grobler (2.7.1829 - 9.5.1908) and his wife Maggel Anna Susanna Grobler (born Els) (x.4.1832 - 20.01.1910) Diego's Great-great Grandfather and great-great Grandmother! And my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother.
One thing we must remember is that most of the time Names were passed down the family line and normally the oldest son would be named after the father either on the Mother or the father's side of the family.
Hendrik and Maggel had 6 children
Maria Magdalena Grobler - 23.05.1851
Johanna Gertruid Margaretha - 1856
Nicholaas Jacobus Grobler - 21.5.1859 (Diego's Great Grandfather)
Magdeld Anna Susanna Grobler - 1864
Elizabeth Maria Grobler - 30.05.1868 (My Grandmother)
Engela Gertruida Grobler - 30.07.1870
According to the death certificate of their mother Maggel Anna Susanna Grobler (born Els), died 20th January 1910. Elizabeth Maria Grobler was a widower her married name was Kemp and her late husband was Petrus Hendrik Kemp. Another Kemp perhaps this is it?
I still wasn't sure of the connection until I did some more searching, In Familysearch.org I found a death certificate for a Elizabeth Maria du Plooy, formerly Kemp (nee Grobler). On the Death Certificate (she died 18th September 1913) in Marquard, Senekal - it states that she has 2 children:
- Pieter Kemp Born 6th July 1899
- Hendrik Kemp Born 6th of September 1896 (The same date as my father)
The Death certificate was signed by the surviving Spouse Roelof du Plooy who would more than likely not have known the full names of the children as it seems they only married March 27th, 1910
But my father was Harold Kemp, in the Military records I have the first one has him listed as Herald Christoffel Ignatius Kemp, the 2nd one is just Harold Kemp but both say he has a brother Pieter Kemp who lives in Thaba'Nchu. These documents are dated 1914 and 1917.
However if it wasn't for the Match with Diego I would have thought otherwise.
This would make sense if Nicholaas and Elizabeth were brother and sister, and Elizabeth is my Grandmother then Nicholaas would be my Great Uncle, his daugher (Johanna Gertruida Margaretha Verwey (born Grobler) would be my fathers Cousin, and therefore my cousin once removed (Johanna Gertruida Margaretha Dickason (born Verwey) would be my 2nd Cousin and Diego is therfore my 2nd Cousin, once removed (or 1st cousin twice removed).
Is this the end of the Road?
Unfortunately I cannot find anymore documentation and I have a lot of questions to which I have my own theories - Why did my dad change his name to Harold.
His father Petrus Hendrik Kemp died in 1900 (during the Anglo Boer War), his mother had 2 small children aged 1 and 4.
I still have so many questions?
- Did she pretend to be English to avoid being captured and put into a concentration camp?
- Did she perhaps call him Harold as a child and Pieter Peter?
- How did her husband die?
- I cannot find any record was he captured by the British and killed?
How did she die at such a young age of 45? I just discovered she died of Pneumonia, however interestingly she died 3 and a half years after her marriage to her 2nd husband Roelof Michel du Plooy (he was captured in 1901 during the Anglo Boer War and sent to Ceylon), his 1st wife died in the ABW Concentration camp in1901 he married 4 times 3 of his wives having died before him, just unfortunate or not? Amazing what you uncover searching through old records from 100+ years ago.- The Certificate of death I found also shows a 3rd son who died at 2 months of age, when was this child born?
- Who was the father?
- Why are there not baptism certificates for Hendrik or Pieter?
- Why is there no Marriage certificate for Elizabeth & Petrus?
- Harold would have been only 17 when his mother died, his brother Pieter only 14. Did this make Harold go off and join the war, an orphan at 17?
- On his Marriage certificate for his 1st Marriage, why does is say he was born in Buenos Ayres?
- Who does the medal belong to that I have from Argentina? (I know Jorge is looking into that for me)
- Whatever happened to Pieter Kemp from Thaba'Nchu?
That is where I leave my investigation for now, hopefully I will find the answers to these questions soon.
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