Calling all Van Heerdens (and Easts)

[Jdottie]

Hi, My name is Juliet Scanlan, are you a lost lost relative?

I am looking for the family of my grandmother, Annie Cecilia Van Heerden, who was born in South Africa in about 1881. Her first husband, John Henry East, was a policeman who was shot in South Africa during an uprising. They had one child, also John Henry. Her second husband was Arthur Digby Johnson, who was a british soldier she met while nursing him, and others, in a communal hospital tent during the Boer War (1899 to 1902). Her father didn't appove of the marriage and cut her off from the family. She came to the UK and Arthur died leaving her with three children and no money. She lived in a street which policeman would only enter in twos! Luckily her mother sent money which Annie spent only on the children, never on herself. Annie also destroyed all documents relating to her family so I it is very difficult to trace them.

Please ask your older relatives whether they know of a "bad girl or black sheep of the family" as far back as the 1900s. It would be great to find them.

Also, John Henry East, the policeman. Who was he and where is his family? He has a few offspring from his son in the UK too.

If you are on Facebook, visit my page and see photographs of Annie, her mother and her brother.

I would love to hear from you.

[ches]

Hi Juliet,

My grandmother was a Van Heerden before she married, from Ermelo in the then eastern Transvaal. Her family was Afrikaans, though, and it sounds like your grandmother was on the English side in the Boer war. My grandmother's family were very much playing for the "other team" (one was a decorated Boer general), although if your grandmother's family disowned her for marrying an Englishman, she could have an Afrikaaner heritage.

Ches

[Jdottie]

Hi Ches
Yes, my grandmother's family were from Holland, I believe, so she definitely had an Afrikaaner heritage. The photograph I have of her when she was in her late teens I would think, was taken in Pretoria, (so, in the right area) the photographer's name was "Bowers". This information was printed on the bottom of the photograph. She also looks to be wearing a nurses watch and chain.

If your family had a decorated Boer general then there could be a link somewhere along the line, because they were tough people who fought a tough war, and Annie was certainly a tough and resilient person herself. One of Annie's brothers, who attended her marriage to the british soldier, was called Peter (Pieter?) and that is the extent of our knowledge.

Would you like to see a copy of the photographs I have, maybe you have some photographs of your grandmothers family or wedding photographs which you could compare?

Juliet

[ches]

Juliet,

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of my grandmother in her youth. Ermelo was a long way from Pretoria physically and philosophically in the late 1800s/early 1900s, so I doubt that there is a close connection between our branches of the Van Heerdens.

You could try the National Archives National Archives of South Africa - Homepage and see if you can come up with anything.

Ches

[Jdottie]

Hi Ches
Yes, I can see that Ermelo is over 100 miles from Pretoria, a long way in those days.
I will give your suggestion a try although I already wrote to that office and they said they had no docs for the names I am looking for. But, having read through the site bumf I realize that the person replying could not have looked through all that must be available so perhaps I will have to employ somebody to search for me.
Thanks
Juliet

[Jdottie]

Hello

Well, since I posted last year I have managed to trace my grandmother back as follows:

Anna (Annie) Cecilia Van Heerden, was born in 1881. She had eight brothers and sisters:

Martha Maria, Okkert Johannes 1876 Steynsburg, Okkert Johannes 1877 Rouxville, Levina Maria 1878, Alwyn Johannes Francois 1879, Stephanus Johannes 1883, Pieter Willem, and Jan Matthys 1892 Aliwal Noord.

Her parents were: Okkert Johannes, gebore 1850, Cradock, D1893, Aliwal Noord and mother:
Martha Maria Fouche.

Okkert's parents were: Alwyn Francois and Anna Cecilia de Beer.

Anna married 1st: John Henry East, 1881 Benniworth, UK, (died 1902) on 14 Aug 1901 in the Pretoria Wesley Church, South Africa. They had one child: John Henry, born 6 Sep 1902 in Pretoria. We have been unable to find any details about the death of John Henry, although he was believed to have been murdered in the Pretoria area and might have been a policeman.

Anna married 2nd: Arthur Digby Johnson (B 1879 Portsea, UK, D 1917) on 22 Aug 1906, also in the Pretoria Wesley Church. They had two children, Arthur Digby 1908 Potchefstroom, SA.

Anna married 3rd: Gus Robert Razzell, details not tracked down yet.

If you recognize any of the above as members of your Van Heerden family tree, I would love to hear from you.

Juliet Scanlan

[grapetiser]

thats a large family tree to look through good luck!