KAREL J DE BEER'S ANCESTORS, SOUTH AFRICA

From left to right in the front are my aunt, Hannetjie with our grand mother, Ouma De Beer. In the back from the left are my uncles, Carel, Willem and my dad, Barend Petrus de Beer in their house in Petrusburg (circa 1940).

AUNT HANNETJIE VAN DER BERG (Née De Beer)

My father, Barend Petrus De Beer's sister in her late eighties with my wife Christa in an old age home in Bloemfontein (2010-03-13). Aunt Hannetjie is the second eldest sister in the family. She was born and baptized in Petrusburg and married Willie van der Berg. Initially they lived in the East Rand, Johannesburg, where uncle Willie was a miner in the goldmines to save money and to buy a farm. Eventually they moved to their farm, ALFA, between Bloemfontein and Verkeerdevlei until uncle Willie died in the middle ninetees. When her sister Dolly was born, my grand father, Karel J De Beer and his wife were very poor due to economic conditions in South Africa. They gave the little baby to a wealthy family on the farm Voigts post next to Petrusburg to look after. (I was surprised that the indigenous Indian families of the very cold northern parts of Canada, still have this practise, that is to get their off spring adapted by wealthier families to ensure that their children will be carrying forth their blood line.) As my grand father became a permanent railway worker, the family got a sink cottage next to the railway line near Petrusburg. Little Dolly then moved back to her parents and later on helped to raise her sister, Hannetjie, and her four brothers, Barend, Philupus, Willem and Carel. When my grandfather won a lottery ticket in the Rhodesian Sweep Stakes, he build a permanent house for the family in Petrusburg. Aunt Hannetjie has three sons and one daughter. Some of her grand children are living in New York and elsewhere in the Free State.

FAURESMITH NG CHURCH BUILDING, SOUTH AFRICA

In the background of this photograph one can see the original NG Church of Fauresmith where my first De Beer ancestors were baptized until the Petrusburg parish also build their own church building.

FREE STATE DIAMOND ROUTE, SOUTH AFRICA

Some more road signs to the Jagersfontein De Beers mine and http://kareldebeer.blogspot.com

DE BEERS DIAMONDS AT JAGERSFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA

With reference to my previous posts about the De Beers of Fauresmith, one can take the road on to Jagersfontein and visit the deepest hand dug diamond mine in the world. It has a Little museum to view the interesting photo's and artefact's of this historic site in diamond history. The guide told us that this mine delivered the very scarce blue diamonds which the DE BEERS company keep in its possession as part of the group's assets.

Also see http://kareldebeer.blogspot.com

TRAIN STOPS IN MAIN STREET OF FAURESMITH, SOUTH AFRICA

With reference to my previous publication about the De Beers in the Fauresmith NG-Church parish, this interesting little town has a railway track running in the centre of the main street !

FAURESMITH NEDERDUITSE GEMEENTE, SOUTH AFRICA

Fauresmith is a little town in the South Free State province. The first De Beer trekkers (my De Beer roots) who moved deeper into the hinterland of South Africa from Graaf Reinette and Colesburg in the former Cape Province settled round about 1840 (circa) in this region. They wer mainly farmers who helped to establish the Fauresmith community. Barent Petrus De Beer and some of his offspring were born and christianed in the Nederduitsse Parish (NG-Church) of this town. Registers of the NG-Church could be consulted in the archives of the church in Bloemfontein, however, the building in the photograph above, is also a cum museum/church office in Fauresmith. My great ancestors got farms from the sovereign rulers of the day to settle themselves on farms surrounding Fauresmith. They eventually build their farm house on INHOEK (near Petrusburg in the free State) and occupied a salt pan with lots of grazing for their cattle. Their graves could still to be identified at INHOEK next to the salt pan.

SANMARIé SCHLEBUSCH (Néé De Beer), SOUTH AFRICA

Sanmarié is the sister of Johan and Christo de Beer in the previous blog publications. She also commenced her school career at Onze Rust and attend the Hennopspark primary school in Centurion. She completed her grade 12 at the Fichardtpark Secondary School in Bloemfontein and holds a National Diploma in Office Mangement of the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). She is a qualified judicatory in Free Style dancing and runs an online web site for dancers in the Free State. Sanmarié is married to a businessman, Louwrens Schlebusch. They have two daughters, Elrie and Sané. In the photograph she holds Sané as a young baby while Elrie's balet photo's are published elsewhere in my blog. ( www.danceonline.co.za)

CHRISTO AND LARA DE BEER, SOUTH AFRICA

Christa's and my second oldest son Christo with his wife Lara (néé Probert) are picking grapes in a Western Cape vineyard for the winery. They run a Christian outreach service in Stilfontein next to Klerksdorp near Potchefstroom in the North West Province of South Africa. Christo was born on 19th July 1976 in Bloemfontein and commenced his primary school years in Onze Rust Primary School, Gen. De Wet, Bloemfontein. He completed his primary school years in Centurion near Pretoria when after he attended the Fichardtpark High School in Bloemfontein. Christo hold a National Diploma in Ceramic Science of the Central University of the Free State (CUT). He has provincial colours in gymnastics both for the Free State and former Northern Transvaal. To view his works of art and Lara's outreach , see www.chosenbygod. za

LAKE LOUISE, ROCKIES, CANADA: JULY 2009

Christa and I at the beautiful Lake Loise in the Rockies national park during the summer of 2009. This lake gets its pristine water from the glacier in the back ground. We experienced a very relaxed atmosphere, however, the weather changed several times during the day. As South Africans living in Bloemfontein in the Free State which has specific seasons --dry and hot sunny summers, soft autumns, short brisk frosty winters (without snow most of the time) and a short introduction to spring, the weather pattern in Beautiful British Columbia (BBC) was very interesting. That is, never a dull or a sure moment. After our camera session next to the lake, we went up with a hiking trial several thousands of meters up the mountain to view the lake from above. In the little wooden tea cabin high up in the mountain, we enjoyed original Rooibos tea. All the way from South Africa ! Down hill we met two Afrikaans speaking couples who are living in Canada. Subsequently we experienced the new globalized South Africa...

GRADUATION OF KALLIE AND CHRISTA'S ELDEST SON

Christa and my eldest son, Johan Barend de Beer carries a double name, namely the Johan part of his grandfather from his mother's side, Jan Johannes Booysen Van Wyk, and that of his grandfather from the father's side, Barend Petrus de Beer. Johan was born in Boemfontein (1973-09-13), schooled in Onze Rust primary school and attended respectively the Technical High Schools in Bloemfontein and Swartkops in Centurion near Pretoria where he matriculated. Johan received a bursary from the electricity company, ESKOM, to complete his National Diploma in Engineering: Electrical Heavy Current at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). In 2009 he completed a Baccaulareus Technologiea: Management in Engineering at the Durban University of Technology in KwaZulu Natal. Johan is married to Henriette (néé Reinders). They have one son, Reinhardt and one daughter, Kalista, and lives in Polokwane (Pietersburg) in the Limpopo province. Johan is keen of fly fishing and hiking.