Who let the dogs out? …
by Mansell Upham
The farm Estherdal, formerly Hon(d)swij(c)k [Hondswyk] and now known (since 2004) as Under Oaks – situated at Dal Josaphat, Drakenstein (between the Western Cape towns of Paarl and Wellington) became the country retreat (until her death in 1720) of my double paternal ancestor (8x & 9x great-grandmother), the liberated slave woman (also slave-owner!): Maaij Ansela van Bengale aka Moeder Jagt …
Purchased (1705) by her Eurasian son Johannes BASSON (1675-1706). The farm is bought from the burgher Jan Harmansz: Potgieter for the sum of f 2190. It is 58.200 morgen in size. He dies ‘single’ (sometime after 18 February 1706) and is certainly deceased by the time the muster roll (1709) is drawn up.
Johannes Basson never marries and features as an adult and single in the census (1700 & 1705) even though actually in a de facto relationship with another ancestor:
Zacharia Jans: VISSER (1665-1722)
the widow of another ancestor Diederik PUTTER / PöTTER (dies 1699) from Zierenberg, Hessen-Cassel, who later remarries (5 July 1706) – yet another ancestor:
Andreas KRüGEL (from Tennenlohe).
She appears separately in the muster rolls (1700 & 1705) as a widow with her children & again (1709) as the wife of Andries KRüGEL. His mother Moeder Jagt, however, and not his mistress (and mother of his illegitimate son), ‘inherits’ Honswijck from him and keeps the farm until her death (1720). An inventory of her deceased estate at Hondswyk is drawn up (11 September 1720):
“Staat en inventaris van ‘t vee en andere goederen, naergelaten en met ‘er dood ontruijmt door Ansla van Bengalen so als ‘t selve door d’ ondergetekende als mede erfgenamen en naaste bloedverwanten opgenomen en bevonden is, op de plaats gen:[aem]t Hondswyk”.
The farm is then sold from her deceased estate to another ancestor (this time maternal 7x great-grandfather): Daniel MARAIS (son of Charles Marais Jr. from Le Plessis-Marle, Ile de France, France, and Anne des Ruelles from Guisnes, Calais, France, for a price lower than the original purchase price, f 1820.
Muatze 