Gerrit van Wijk: period 1700-1784
email: Richard Ball
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The generally accepted view has been1 that Gerrit van Wijk was the son of Arie van Wijk and Cornelia Helms; that he was three times married, to Elisabeth Vivier, to Maria Provo and to Maria Magdalena Eekhof; that he produced nineteen children between 1723 and 1764.

My investigation of the extant church registers, wills, estate accounts and estate inventories has made it plain to me that there were, in fact, two men named Gerrit van Wijk, neither of them the son of Arie van Wijk and Cornelia Helms.

1  

Gerrit, the son of Arij van Wijk and Cornelia Helmes was baptised in Stellenbosch on 14th December 1707, his godparents having been Adam Tas and Elisabeth van Brakel, and, in all probability, buried2 in the same place sometime before 12th August 1708.

His mother, Cornelia Helmes made two wills. The first was made in April 1713,
3  a joint will with his father, Arij van Wijk, probably at that time on his death bed, and the second made in May 1720, a joint will with her third husband4, Jacob Coetser, shortly before she herself died. In both wills her children by Arij van Wijk are stated to have been 8 in number and are individually named; in neither will does a child named Gerrit appear.

When Willem van Wijk, called the elder (d'oude) died in 1772 he left no will and no wife or descendants. The account of his estate was drawn up by the officials of the Weeskamer. His brothers and sisters, whole and half, or their children, are carefully named5. It is clear that he was the son of Arij van Wijk and Cornelia Helmes, and once again there is no mention of a brother named Gerrit.


2  

In the Inventory drawn up on 16th August 1730 after the death of Elisabeth Vivier, her husband is named as Gerrit van Wijk, but in the joint will made by him with his second wife6, Maria Provo, he is named as Gerrit Willemsz: van wijk. This will was presented to the Weeskamer on 8th January 1738.

And in the Instrument drawn up by Maria Provo upon her subsequent marriage with Gerrit van Schalkwijk, dated 21st October 17407, her late husband is again named as Gerrit Willemsz: van Wijk.

This would imply that the Gerrit van Wijk who was married firstly to Elisabeth Vivier and subsequently to Maria Provo, had died before January 1738 and was the son of someone called Willem (see my notes on his probable parentage).


3

Gerrit van Wijk and Maria Magdalena Eekhof were married at Drakenstein8 on 2nd November 1738, when Gerrit the husband of Elisabeth Vivier and Maria Provo had been dead almost a year. 

No mention is made in the marriage register of his or her marital status (ie. jongman/bachelor or weduwenaar/widower) as was usual at that time and on that page, before and after this entry, but the reason for this becomes plain when one sees that their eldest child was baptised at the same service8 at which his parents were married (it was normal to baptise children and marry couples at the end of a normal Sunday church service).

In 1775 Gerrit and Maria Magdalena drew up a will in which they make special provision for their sons Arie Willems and Gerrit Matthij9. In this will they are named as Gerrit van Wijk Ariisz: en Maria Magdalena Eijkhoff. This will was filed in November 1776, presumably after the death of Maria Magdalena.

When Gerrit van Wijk died intestate in 1787, the accounts drawn up at that time name him as 'Gerrit van Wijk Arrysz:' and list his eleven children, starting with Ary Willemsz van Wijk and including Gerrit Matthijs van Wijk, mentioned in the will above.

When Willem van Wijk died intestate in 1774, his estate accounts10 describe him as 'Willem van Wijk Arijsz:'. He apparently left no wife or children since his estate is divided amongst his brothers and sisters, whole and half, first among whom is Gerrit van Wijk Arijsz:. The names of his brothers and sisters make it plain that this group of Van Wijks are the children of Arij van Wijk Willemsz: and Antonetta Campher. 


The above notes were written and researched by Richard Ball ©2003
using microfilmed copies of the documents from the Cape Archives, obtained for me by Graham Lloyd.


1.
C.C. De Villiers, revised C. Pama, Geslagsregister van die ou Kaapse Families
page 1153, where his names is given as Gerrit Arie, 
and his baptismal date as 14 December 1704.

2.
Ockert Malan - Verlore Dokumentasie oor die Gemeente Stellenbosch van 1689 tot 1725, 
In: Capensis, June 2001, issue 2 of 2001, pp 36-41.

Generale Kassarekeningen 1689-1724
1708: 12 aug een kind van Arij van Wijk f3


3.
1/STB 18/3, 22
Will of Arye van Wijk and Cornelia Helmes
dated 29 April 1713

... den Land-bouwer aan Stellenbosch Arije 
van Wijk siekelijk te bedde leggende ...
En Cornelia Helmes ... Woonende aan Stellenbosch, ...
... de Onmondige kinderen 
bij Malkanderen In dit hun huwelijk 
geprocre-eert (ofte die sij luijden nog mogte 
krijgen) als namentlijk Roelof oud 
agtien Jaren, Alette oud Seventien,
Willem Sestien, Sara vijftein, Maria 
negen, Adrianus agt, Catrina drie Jaren, [en] 
Hester Ses Maanden, .... 
... institueerende sij testateuren 
hare voorn' agt kinderen en die zij nogh mog,,
te krijgen, tot hare Erffgenaamen, als mede 
Catrina, Jannetie en Johs. vanden Bosch 
zijnde de voorkinderen vande testatrice 
geprocreert bij wijlen Jan vanden Bosch ..
.

4.
MOOC 7/1/2, 123
Will of Jacob Coetser and Cornelia Helmes
dated 23 May 1720

... den Vrijlandbr. aan 
Stellenbosch Jacob Coetser en de Eerbare Cornelia 
Helmes, ... haar voorige 
man Zalgr. Arie Van Wijck  ... 
...
Wijders nog hare agt kinderen, Rolof, Aletta, 
Willem, Sara, Adriaan, Maria, Catarina 
en Hester VanWijk.


5.
MOOC 13/1/8,3

Generale Boedelreekening van alle zodanige goederen als ab inte[s]tato metter dood ontruijmt ende nagelaten zijn door den landbouwer Willem van Wijk de oude, tot wiens Erfgenamen de volgende komen te succedeeren Namentlijk: 

des overledens volle broeders en susters ofte derselver kinderen bij representatie, met Namen._ 

1/. Sara van Wijk weduwe Isaak D'algue
2/. de kinderen van wijlen Aletta van Wijk gehuwt geweest met Johann Kraaij ... 
3/ de kinderen van wijlen Maria van Wijk eerst gehuuwt geweest met wijlen Jan Joubert en daarna met Wolraad ... Striegel ...
4/. Catharina van Wijk, weduwe Hendrik Lubbe
5/. Hester van Wijk, huijsvrouw van Pieter van Zijl en 
6/. de kinderen van wijlen Roelof van Wyk ...
7/. de Elff kinderen van wijlen Adriaan van Wijk ... 

mitsgaders eijndelijk des overleedens halve broeder van 't moeders zijde.

8/. Johannes Coetser._


6.
MOOC 7/1/6, 5
The will of Maria Provo and Gerrit Willemsz: van Wijk,
dated 27 March 1730.

... den landbouwer Gerrit Willemsz: van wijk, en Maria 
Provo, egte luijden, ... 
... den testateur ... 
... zijne vier kinderen in vorig huwe,,
lijk geprocreert, bij desselfs overledenen 
huisvrouw Elisabeth Vivier ... 


7.
CJ 2656, 24
Will of Maria Provo and Gerrit van Schalkwijk
dated 21 October 1740
(in fact an instrument making provision for the children from previous marriages)

... getuijgen Maria Provo wed: wijlen 
den Landbouwer Gerrit Willemsz: van Wijk, geadsisteert 
met haar jeegenwoordige bruijdegom Gerrit Schalkwijk ...


8.
G3/5/1A Drakenstein marriage register

Den 2 November 1738
Gerrit van Wijk van Cabo de Goede Hoop Burger aan Drakensteijn en 
Maria Magdalena Eykhoff van Cabo voornaemt.

G3/3.1/ Drakenstein baptismal register
page 145

1738, 2 Nov. Arie Willemsz
de Vader Gerrit van Wijk, de Moeder Magdalena Eijkhoff
de getuygen Willem van Wijk en Anna Maria Campher


9.
MOOC 7/1/23, 54
Will of Gerrit van Wijk and Maria Magdalena Eijkhof
dated 11 April 1775

... den Landbouwer Gerrit 
van Wijk Ariisz: en Maria Magda,
,lena Eijkhoff, beijde van deezen uijthoek 
geboortig ... 

... verklaarden de Testateuren aan 
hunlieder oudste Zoon Arij Willemsz 
van Wijk ...

Vertoond ter Weescamer 
aan Cabo de Goede Hoop 
den 21 November 1776

10.
MOOC 13/1/9,4 dated 1775

Generale Reekening des Boedels, ab intestato [met e]r dood ontruijmd ende nagelaten door den Landbouwer Willem van Wijk Arijsz: ten voordeele van Zijne Susters en Broeders [als] heele als halve, ofte derselven Kinderen bij repreesentatie, te weeten 

als heele Broeders en Susters 

1/ Gerrit van Wijk Arijsz:
2/ de drie nageblevene kinderen van wijlen des overleedens Broeder Christoffel van Wijk Arijsz: ...
3/ de nagelatene dogter van wijlen des overleedens Suster Elizabeth van Wijk in Egt verwekt bij wijlen Harmanus Louw ...
4/ Jacoba van Wijk wed: van wijlen Jan Meijntjes van den Berg._
5/ de overgeblevene ... Kinds Kinderen van wijlen de [ove]rleednes Suster Catharina van Wijk gehuwt geweest met Diederik Koekemoer ... 

als halve Susters van de overleedens moeders Zijde

6/ Anna van der Swaan wed: Lodwijk Putter d['0u]de
7/ Maria van der Swaan wed: Hendrik Kruger.


(in the references above, text in italics indicates direct quotes from the documents, and three dots/... indicates that text has been omitted. The references are to documents in the Cape Archives)

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