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What follows are my reasons
for assuming that Barent Burger, born 1692, died 1729 Willem Burger, died 1731 Andries Burger, died 1750 Helena Burger, born 1702 Jacobus Burger, born 1704, died are all siblings, the children of Barend Burger, died 1705 and Marritie Schalks Willemsdr (van der Merwe) died c 1709 |
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1 |
We have baptisms for: |
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The inventory of the estate of Barend
Burger 2, drawn up after his death in 1729, states:
This is the weakest point in my argument: |
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Having assumed that Willem Burger was one of the children we move on to his own Estate Inventory3, drawn up in 1731, when Andries Burger attended to oversee the interests of the children, and Jacobus van der Merwe attended on behalf of the widow. |
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When Maria van der Merwe, first wife of Andries Burger, died somewhere between 1725 and 1727, an inventory of her and Andries's joint estate was drawn up by Schalk Willems van der Merwe and Willem Burger. Later, Andries Burger, in his will dated 1727 named the above pair once again as the guardians of his children, identifying them as his father-in-law and brother4 . |
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The order of their birth. From the Opgaaf (tax) returns of 1692 we know that the first child must have been a daughter (who had presumably died before 1693 when the couple appear in the muster rolls as having just one child). This child must have been Barend Burger junior, baptised 7 September 1692 who must have been the second child. Barent first appears as an individual in the Cape Muster rolls in the year 1708, at the age of 16. Next to appear is Willem, in 1713, then Andries in the roll dated the end of April 1716. Helena appears in the roll of 30th April 1718 as the wife of Jan Olivier, Jacobus Burger not
until 1725. Since no other person surnamed Burger appears during those years we must assume that the son whose name we do not know, died before he was of an age to be registered as an individual.5 . |
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I therefore
conclude that Andries Burger and Willem Burger were brothers. From my previous deductions about Willem I now assume that Andries was another son of Barend Burger and Marritje Willems Schalck. The sixth child is still unknown (to me). I would be very glad to hear of any more evidence that anyone may have discovered. |
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The above notes researched and written by Richard Ball ©2003 | |||||
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1. Cape Archives, MOOC 13/1/1,26 Boedelrekening Marritje Willems Schalck (excerpts) 11 Julij. ,den baes Smit Sigismundus zijnde 't geene deselve uijt den gemeenen boedel van Lam bert Smit te pretendeeren had, en aen de minderjarige kinders van Marritje Willems Schalk vereert heeft ... " 21.-.- - - do. " de ses minderjarige kinders van barent bur,, gert en Maritje Willems Schalk in voldoenin,, ge van haer Vaderlik bewijs sijnde voor Jeder een somme van f1000:-:- " 6000,-,- " do. ,het Vaderlijk bewijs van de ses minderjarige kinders van Wijlen Barent Burgert, soo als de Generale Reeke. van haer schoonvader Lambert Smit ten Laste gebragtis ten bedrage van f.1000:-:- Jeder .... " 6000,-,- - 17 Julij " Lambert Smit in voldoening van desselfs geheele Erfportie uijt deesen boedel behalven seekere f300:-:- die voor een jaer in sequestratie blijft tot betalingh van de nog opdagende schulden, en om deselve daer na of wel het Restant van dien goetgedaente worden aen de Reeken. van Jacobus en Helena Burgert jeder voor de helft " 1660,-[] 1711 28' Februarij ,d erfportie van Marritje Willemsz Schalk uijt den voorsz geneemden boedel van haer ver sondene Man Lambert Smit ... " 2193.7.10 |
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2. Cape Archives, MOOC 8/5, 11 1729 Inventory - Barend Burger ...So en in diervoegen als deselve bevorens bij goede mannen en naaste Bloedvrinden volgens inventaris sijn opgenomen, en heden door d'ondergetekende gecomitte. Weesmr. in presentie van d'onderget: als naaste bloedvrind en goede men getaxt. Note from Bob Kernkamp, by email 8th March 2003: The phrase "in diervoegen" or "in dier voegen" means "in such a way", and is therefore another way of saying "so". I bet you must have come across many of these double phrasings in old records. They just love to say things twice, like "attesteren ende verklaren". The word "dier" is a declension of the indicative "die" (this, that), probably the genitive ... "Bloedvrienden" can be translated literally into "bloodfriends" or "friends of the blood", and is another way of saying family, or relations. It was mostly, as indeed it is here, used in phrases like "naaste bloedvrienden", meaning the closer relatives or next of kin. It is just one of these extinct words that you will come across. The complete passage might thus be translated as follows: "such as these have been described in an inventory by good men and nearest kin" |
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3. Cape Archives, MOOC 8/5, 35 1731 Inventory - Willem Burger Andries Burger attended the estate inventory of 1731 to oversee the interests of the children, while Jacobus van der Merwe attended for the widow. Andries, in his will dated 1727 named his brother, the farmer Willem Burger, as one of the guardians of his children. |
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5. Cape Muster Rolls, Cape Archives, VC39 and VC40 and Opgaaf (Tax) returns The Opgaaf (Tax) returns were lists of Free persons at the Cape with their belongings and their yearly produce, crops and animals, upon which their tax contribution was based. What has been consulted here is the computerised version of this information as produced at the University of the Western Cape. In the Opgaaf return of 1692 Barend Burger and Maria van der Merwe are recorded as having just one daughter, in the muster roll of 1693 they have just one child (sex not specified) and in the opgaaf of 1695 they have just two sons. |
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Names and words in blue are links to more information | |||||
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