Willie KEMPEN

Mr married Geertruida Elizabeth LE ROES on 18 Apr 1881 in Victoria West, Cape, South Africa. Geertruida (daughter of Marthinus Hermanus LE ROES and Zacharia Petronella ESTERHU(I)(J)(Y)(S)(Z)E(N)) was born on 31 Jul 1862 in Fraserburg, Cape, South Africa; was christened on 31 May 1863 in Victoria West, Cape, South Africa; died on 12 Sep 1904 in Victoria West, Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

WHMA was born in Beaufort West. He farmed at Ystervarkspoort ( also spelt Yzervarkspoort ) near the present day hamlet of Loxton. He and his wife Anna lie buried on the farm which is today owned by Hentie Wiese. Anna was WHMA's first cousin. Anna's mother and WHMA's mother were sisters. I visited the graves in March 2000. Sadly, the small cemetery is in disrepair. Willem and Anna had 10 children and after her death in 1875 he married Magdalena Johanna Theron and they produced another 4 children. WHMA was 67 when his last child was born.
Ystervarkspoort is the birthplace of many Kempens as the second, third and fourth generation farmed there. They then continued farming and moved to farms such as Beyersfontein on the fringe of the Victoria West district and Kromvlei in the Carnarvon district. In later years the family branched out to the towns of Prieska, Britstown, Hopetown, Warrenton and Pofadder.

WHMA headstone reads:

TER GEDACHTENIS
VAN
WILLEM.H.M.A.KEMPEN
GEBOREN DE 31st JULLI 1818
OVERLEDEN DE 16DE JANUARI 1901

ZALIG ZYN DE DOODEN
DIE IN DEN HEERE STERVEN
OPDATZY RUSTEN MOOGEN
VAN HUNNUN ARBEID EN HUNNE WERKEN
VOLGEN MET HEN

OPB 14v13

Willem married Anna Margaretha Stoffelina WILDERS on 2 Jul 1838 in Victoria West, Cape, South Africa. Anna (daughter of Johannes Bernardus WILDERS(WILLERS) and Amerentia Maria NEL, b10c5d3e8) was born on 2 Jul 1821 in Quaggasfontein Farm, Victoria West, South Africa; died on 31 May 1875 in Yzervarkspoort Farm, Victoria West, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Anna was WHMA's first cousin. Her mother was the sister of Anna Catharina Nel, WHMA's mother. She lies buried at Yzervarkspoort

Her Headstone inscription reads
ANNA MARGRITA STOFFELINA KEMPEN GEBORE WILDERS. OVERLEEDEN DE 31 MY 1875 EN DE OUDERDOM VAN 54 JAAR 47 DAAGEN. WORD IK OOK BY MYNE VAADREN IN HET GRAF TER NEERGELEID. GOD ZAL EENS MYN STORVEN GAADREN LEEVEN DOEN VOOR DE EEUWIGHEID DAAR VERWACHT MY VOLGENOT BY MY MYN HEILAND EN MYN GOD

Notes:

Married:
Alt Marriage: Willem Hendrik Marthinus Abraham KEMPEN Date: 2 Jul 1838 Location: Victoria West, SA Notes: He married his cousin, the child of his mother's sister.

Notes:

He was f6, e4, d4, c1, b2, A (A3?) Source: Die families le Roux in Suid Afrika.

Marthinus married Zacharia Petronella ESTERHU(I)(J)(Y)(S)(Z)E(N) on 30 May 1853 in Victoria West, Cape, South Africa. Zacharia and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Stamvader van die Suid-Afrikaanse Kempenfamilie.

In 1798 onderwyser by J H Hattingh.
MOOC 7/1/148 nommer 95 Ingedien 1838. Inventaris........MOOC 7/1/148 nommer 96 Ingedien 1838
Sterfte Kennis MOOC 6/9/14 nommer 3072 Ingedien 1838.

Sources: Cape Archives, Belinda Bacon, LDS, Opgaafrollen, De Villiers Pama, Heese & Lombard, Deidre Du Plessis as reasearched at the Rijksagrief in Amsterdam.
WILLEM boarded the Dutch East India Company ship HOORNWEGH under the command of Captain Simon Vaartjes. The HOORNWEGH, a ship of 880 metric tons, sailed for the Cape of Good Hope from the Island of Texel, Netherlands on 18th January 1790. He disembarked at the Cape on 29th April 1790. He was employed as a soldier by the Dutch East India Company until 27th December 1793. By 1798 he was teaching at J.H.Hattingh School at Graaff Reinet. On 19th March 1809 he married ANNA CATHARINA NEL in Graaff Reinet. They had 6 children. WILLEM died on 7th November 1838 at his farm Kafferskraal, Nieuweveld (Beaufort West district), South Africa at the age of 73 years, 5 months and 12 days.
According to the book by South African Authors, J.A.Heese and R.T.J.Lombard, Suid Afrikaanse Geslagsregister, Vol 1-V1, Willem was teaching at the JH Hattingh School,Graaff-Reinet by 1798. It appears that he went farming at a later time and owned the farm Kafferskraal which lies in the Nieuweveld Mountains on the road between Loxton and Beaufort West. I have found a record of Willem and Anna and their family in the Opgaafrollen (tax returns) for the district of Beaufort in 1825.
On his Death Notice it is stated that his fathers name was Gerhardus but that his mothers name was not known. It must be noted that there is a general acceptance that mothers names were not so important in this period of time. Their place of residence was not known either.
It is interesting to note that Willem did not marry until he was 43 years of age. His first child was born twelve months prior to his marriage to Anna. Anna was 18 years of age when her first child was born. Then there is a 10 year interval before the next child is born. His last child was born when he was 67 years of age. The OPGAAFROLLEN (Tax and census returns) of 1810 and 1811 of the Graaff Reinet area shows Willem but Anna 's first names are not given. It also shows that they do not have a child. It is possible that the birth date for their first child is 1818 and not 1808 !! In 1810 and 1811 Willem and Anna had 160 sheep and one wagon.
I found Wilhelmus Kemper ( with an R ) christened the same day, in the same town and with the same father as mentioned on the Death Notice of Willem. It has to be him. There is only one Catholic ( not Roman Catholic ) church in the small parish of Norf in the 1700's. I have a copy of the christening record of Wilhelmus and of his siblings as well as the Marriage record of his father Gerardus and Helena. I also have the marriage record of Gerardus' father and mother. Christoph Kemper and Catharina Schwartz and also the christening records of their children.

Wilhelmus married Anna Catharina NEL, b10c5d3e5 on 19 Mar 1809 in Graaff-Reinet, Cape, South Africa. Anna (daughter of Stephanus Johannes NEL, b10c5d3 and Anna Margaretha JANSE(N) VAN RENSBURG, b1c4d3) was born about 1789 in Boesmansrivier, Swellendam; was christened on 11 Apr 1790; died on 11 Jul 1847 in Beaufort West, Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sources De Villiers Pama, LDS, Belinda Bacon, Cape Archives

Johannes married Amerentia Maria NEL, b10c5d3e8 on 6 Aug 1820 in Beaufort West, Cape, South Africa. Amerentia (daughter of Stephanus Johannes NEL, b10c5d3 and Anna Margaretha JANSE(N) VAN RENSBURG, b1c4d3) was born on 18 Jan 1795; was christened on 18 Jan 1795; died in in South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Petrus married Catharina Francina M(E)(IJ)(Y)BURG(H) on 4 Oct 1818 in Tulbagh, Cape, South Africa. Catharina (daughter of Albertus M(E)(IJ)(Y)BURG(H), b2c5d6 and Maria Margaretha SMIT, a1b4c16) was christened on 9 Aug 1795; died in in South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]