Jacoba Maria (Marie) GREEFF

Jacoba married Frank William WADSWORTH on 23 Jan 1948 in Benoni, Transvaal, South Africa. Frank was born on 14 Jul 1927 in Pretoria, SA; died on 21 Nov 2017 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Afrca. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Linda WADSWORTH was born on 12 Jan 1961 in Benoni, Transvaal, South Africa.

Other Events:

• Physical Description: Stood 5'10" with an athletic build. Brown hair and light blue eyes.

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The "Steyn" was added to the family name because Pieter was born on the birthday of President Steyn who was a personal friend of his father, Gabriël Johannes (Jan) Greeff.

Pieter's dream was to become a doctor. One of his lifelong passions was to assist those with illnesses and disabilities and given the lack of opportunities to study in this field, he achieved much, earning the respect of many who he helped towards better health by sound advice and the use of biochemical, herbal and traditional remedies.

Denied the opportunity to pursue his dream by his parents' wish for him to farm and their disapproval of his choice of spouse, he and his wife Sannie and two daughters, Marie and Ina relocated from Lichtenburg to the Witwatersrand by ox-waggon in January 1933. Into her old age, Ina remembered how the waggon got stuck en route.

Pieter found work on the gold mines during those difficult years of the Great Depression but his move away from his beloved birth-place, the farm Manana near Lichtenburg, led to him being disowned by his affluent parents.

The stress of being unable to care for his family as he would have liked, led to attacks of epilepsy, stroke and shingles.

Pieter and his family lived in Benoni, where he became well known, respected and loved. He was a hard and diligent worker and rose through the ranks to mine captain in a much shorter time than the vast majority of candidates. He continued his studies and earned promotion, so that he soon owned his own home and was later promoted to the position of economy engineer, due to his ability to plan and implement economy measures to the benefit of his employer. When he achieved financial stability for his family through sheer guts, determination, study and hard work, the epilepsy disappeared and his general health improved.

He regularly spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the black townships on weekends and was fond of ministering to children.

His love for children was very real and special to his own three children, who only have fond memories of the times they spent together as a family.

He left the mines to join his son-in-law, Corrie Botes in a welding business in Springs and after his retirement he devoted much of his time to his beloved Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ by distributing tracts to workers at railway and bus stations, often travelling by train to Johannesburg, Pretoria and other destinations for this purpose.

Once a black man refused to accept the tract he offered, commenting that he was a white rascist. Pieter calmly related to the man with an anecdote from his rural background, asking him what happens when a springbuck suddenly discovers that he is among the impala. The man responded by saying that it immediately sets off to its own kind. He took the point, changed his mind and accepted the tract.

Pieter and Sannie raised their two daughters, Marie and Ina in Benoni, where their only son Jan (Gabriël Johannes) was born in 1943.

He designed and handcrafted beautiful brass 21st birthday "keys" with loving care and had them chromium-plated, one for each of his children, when they turned 21.

His favourite hobby and lifelong passion was watch and clock repairs. He also pursued other interesting pastimes. For example, once he took to writing the Lord's prayer on the back of postage stamps with an extremely fine-pointed pen and a magnifying glass. His son recalls how he once wrote the full prayer onto a standard size postage stamp TWICE.

A lasting testimony to his creative ability and workmanship is the memorial designed and built by him for the grave of his grandfather, Hendrik Adriaan Greeff. The memorial can be seen at the family graveyard at Manana, about 8 kilometres to the east / northeast of Lichtenburg.

Pieter married Susanna Maria Magrieta (Sannie) REYNEKE on 9 Jun 1925 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. Susanna (daughter of Hermanus Casparus REYNEKE and Jacoba Maria VAN DER MERWE) was born on 28 Feb 1906 in Paardekraal; died on 8 Mar 1986 in Roodepoort, Transvaal, South Africa; was buried in Roodepoort, Transvaal, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sannie was a loving and faithful partner to Pieter for more than 58 years of their married life. Her priorities were her husband and the children, and she diligently looked after the family finances, carefully planning her savings to ensure that there were funds for an annual family holiday by the sea while ensuring that the household was always well attended to and in good shape.

She loved her children too much to spoil them. While they received everything that they needed, she did not tolerate ill discipline and did not hesitate to spank a child in public if this was called for, but never unjustified. Her children knew where they stood, knew right from wrong and grew up to understand and appreciate the value of "tough love."

Sannie loved to play tennis and won many local tournaments in Benoni and on the East Rand. She played tennis competitively well into her sixties. Then she took up bowls because all her friends had either retired, died or given up tennis for bowls. She also excelled at bowls, winning many club and East Rand titles as well as competitions in Ramsgate where she also loved to play during the annual family holidays. She became very well loved and respected at the club, as was the case at the tennis club previously.

After having been involved in a car accident while driving near Ventersdorp in the 'fifties, she refused to drive further and never drove again in her life. She made extensive use of public transport to get to wherever she wished to be.

After Piet (as she affectionately called him) passed away in 1983, she pined away to join him in their heavenly Father's home almost three years later, shortly after her 80th birthday.

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• Reference Number: H475

Notes:

Date of his death provided by Francois Greeff, e-SAGI, Mei 2007, source to be confirmed.

According to anecdotal evidence from Andries Petrus (Boet) du Preez *9 Aug 1928, confirmed by G J (Sonny) Greeff, *3 Nov 1926, Jan Greeff who was adjutant to General Koos de la Rey during the Anglo-Boer war, was in charge of operations during the battle of Magersfontein, where Buller was defeated.

This is known as one of general de la Rey's finest victories but ironically he was not present. He was attending the funeral of his son Adaan who had been killed in action. The battle was fought under the leadership of Col Jan Greeff.

Emily Hobhouse, in her book "Boer War Letters," Human & Rosseau, ISBN 00 0 7981 1823 7, pp 2880 para 4:

I was taken about the district by Mrs de la Rey's brother, a young Mr. Greeff and we dined at his house, a dreadful ruin, with the floors all rooted up and the doors gone and the wall broken. It was a fine big house and remained intact until 12 May 1902, when ten days before Peace and during negotiations the troops took it into their hands to wreck it utterly. So they live in terrible discomfort in a couple of rooms and wonder if they will ever have enough money to rebuild it, seeing compensation is a fraud and they have no cash properly to restock the farm.

And on pp 289 para 3: I was driven by Mr Greeff and Mr Malan and found the entire population of the hamlet assembled in the marquee school to receive me...

Pieter du Preez (grandson) recalls that oupa Jan lived in the farm house at Manana before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer war. He owns a copper chandelier which had been plastered into the wall together with a few other valuables when they had to leave the house during the war.

He vaguely remembers that great-grandpa H A built a small house on the farm which was later replaced by the large farm house by his son, Gabriël Johannes.

This evidence appears to be incorrect. Subsequent word-of-mouth evidence derived from direct descendants indicate that the large house was built by H A Greeff.

Gabriel married Carolina Petronella (Totie) DE WET on 6 May 1891 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. Carolina was born on 8 Apr 1873 in Dordrecht, Cape, South Africa; died on 3 Jul 1947 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa; was buried in Manana Cemetery, Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• Reference Number: H475

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Hermanus married Jacoba Maria VAN DER MERWE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Died:
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• Alt. Birth: 29 Jan 1828, Lichtenburg, Durbanville, Cape, South Africa
• Alt Death: 4 Mar 1884, 'sandspruit', Wakkerstroom, Transvaal, South Africa
• Alt. Death: 3 Apr 1884, The Farm Rooipoort, District Volksrust, Transvaal, South Africa

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The particular bonding that exists between Hendrik's descendants was triggered by the occasion when, near to the place where he later founded the town of Lichtenburg, his prayer for water was answered by the Lord. Hendrik returned to the place to give thanks on his 50th birthday.

Many of his descendants have spontaneously followed suit, arranging family gatherings at the site and honouring the Lord in a special way on their 50th birthdays.

The farm where he was born in Durbanville, Cape was named Lichtenburg, after the area in Germany from where his ancestor, Matthias Greeff came to South Africa in the 17th Century.

Hendrik's date of birth has yet to be confirmed. The inscription on his gravestone reads 19 Jan 1928, the National Archives say it was 26 Jan 1828 and Gretha du Preez in her book "Stigter van Lichtenburg, Kommandant H A Greeff" states that the date was 29 Jan 1828. The latter date is shown provisionally, until further confirmation is found. In his book "Die wel en wee van Hendrik Adriaan Greeff", pp.34, A D Bosman quotes from the writing of ds de Vries, where he described how he joined Hendrik for his birthday celebration on 29 January 1878, thereby providing a further source to indicate that 29 January 1828 could be the correct date of birth.

The first four large concentration camps in Germany were already in existence in 1937, two years before the war. They were Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen and Lichtenburg! (Source: Page 61. Veranov, Michael (Ed). 1998. The Third Reich at War. Siena Publishing.)

Pieter du Preez remembers (2016) that great-grandfather H A Greeff owned a large home in a Lichtenburg suburb known as Doornfontein, later Retief Park. The house was later demolished. He doubts whether H A Greeff would have built the farmhouse at Manana. He was focused on the founding of the town.

Later word-of-mouth evidence from close family members does, however, suggest that Hendrik did, in fact, build the stately farmhouse.

Hendrik married Suzanna Maria REDELINGHUYS on 16 Jul 1855 in Hopetown, Cape, South Africa. Suzanna (daughter of Johannes Hermanus REDELINGHUYS and Jacoba Elisabet GROBLER) was born on 6 Jan 1837 in Malmesbury, Cape, South Africa; died on 21 Jan 1888 in Manana, District Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa; was buried in Manana, District Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

During 1858, while camping on the farm Elandsfontein where they wished to settle, Hendrik and Suzanne were guarding the cattle during the night. She saw something prowling around the camp, took aim and fired. Hendrik thought that she had imagined things but when morning came they found a lioness that had been shot by Suzanne.

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Married:
Getroud deur Ds J Murray.Alt Marriage: Hendrik Adriaan GREEFF, b2c1d4e1f6g1 Date: 16 Jul 1855 Location: Hoopstad, O.F.S., South Africa