BECOMING KUIPER – Part 3: The Society of Benevolence
In 1818, General Johannes van den Bosch founded the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid (Society of Benevolence), an idea which came from…
Series
THE DORSLAND TREK – Part 5: Into the Wild
The camp was quiet, the wagons huddled close together in a rough circle. Night had fallen, and the fire flickered…
THE DORSLAND TREK – Part 4: Trails of Sorrow
The fires in Ghanzi were dying out. For a few short weeks, the limestone wells had given us rest. Our…
THE DORSLAND TREK – Part 3: Die Dors
The Sixth Dorsland Trek In January 1893, Pieter Jacobus Vorster and his wife, Cecilia Johanna Steyn, left their home in…
BECOMING KUIPER – Part 2: A Crime Called Poverty
The Napoleonic Wars took place from 1803-1815, and in its aftermath, the economy stagnated, regional crops failed, and the population…
BECOMING KUIPER – Part 1: Patronyms and the Birth of Surnames
Grietje Alberts was the daughter of Albert Martens and lived in the province of Groningen, Netherlands, from 10 January 1794…
THE DORSLAND TREK – Part 2: Farewell at Bethal
Since Pieter Jacobus (1868) had made his decision to join the Steyn family on the Dorsland Trek, fewer words had…