DE BEER's FAMILY ROOTS IN BRITS, SOUTH AFRICA

BAKIE DE BEER

Kallie De Beer

DE BEER's BEHIND THE MAGALIES MOUNTAIN RANGE

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