Philippus Arnoldus (Flip) DU PLESSIS

Philippus married Susanna Elizabeth (Sannie) PRETORIUS on 16 Apr 1955 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa (Klipkerk). Susanna was born on 6 Apr 1935 in Marico, Transvaal, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Anna Judith Susanna (Annulien) DU PLESSIS was born on 1 Nov 1957 in District Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa; died on 15 Feb 2007 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa.
2. Magdalena Susanna (Linette) DU PLESSIS was born on 28 Sep 1960 in District Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa.
3. Susanna Elisabeth (Sanet) DU PLESSIS was born on 15 Dec 1963 in District Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa.
4. Johan Hendrik Fouche DU PLESSIS was born on 10 Dec 1974 in District Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa.

Other Events:

• Reference Number: H457

Johan married Magdalena Susanna (Lenie) DE WET. Magdalena (daughter of Petrus Arnoldus (Piet, Oompie) DE WET and Margaretha Suzanna (Grieta) GREEFF) was born on 16 Jul 1899 in Lichtenburg; was christened on 27 Aug 1899 in Lichtenburg; died on 10 Jun 1993. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: H457

Notes:

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Lives with her daughter (wife of Andrew du Preez, a minister in the DR church) in Warmbad since being widowed

Other Events:

• Reference Number: H439

Notes:

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Piet (Oompie) de Wet was the brother of Carolina Petronella (Totie) de Wet who married G J (Jan) Greeff, *13 Sept 1870. He was the lead singer in the "Blouklipkerk" in Lichtenburg for 44 years and was honoured for this by a Citation issued to him by the church council on 6 April 1929.

Oupa Piet (Oompie) de Wet het op die plaas Manana in die Lichtenburg distrik geboer. Hy en Ouma (Greeff) het 13 kinders in die wereld gebring waarvan die oorgrote meerderheid baie oud geword het. So hierdie gene is van die beste in die land want die meeste van hul kleinkinders het ook hoe ouderdomme bereik sonder enige ernstige siektes. Hartkwale, kanker en ander groot siektes kom feitlik nie in ons familie voor nie. Die storie word deur hul kinders vertel dat Ouma wat 'n diep gelowige Christen was, haar nageslag arm gebid het.

Destyds met die diamant delwerye in die omtrek was sy erg gekant teen die sondige lewenswyse en geldgierigheid van die delwers en sy het glo gereeld tydens huisgodsdiens gebid dat haar kinders altyd net genoeg sal he om van te lewe en dat hulle nooit deur mammon verlei sal word nie. Ook dat hulle nooit diamante op Manana sal ontdek nie. Sover ek weet is daar dan ook nooit op Manana gedelf nie en het daar geen magnate uit haar nasate te voorskyn gekom nie. Al haar nasate was egter oorvloedig geseen met ryk vol lewens sonder gebrek (Want Ek bewys barmhartigheid aan duisende van die wat my liefhet en my gebooie onderhou).

Wat 'n wonderlike nalatenskap vir haar nageslag sodat ons nie God se toorn hoef te vrees wanneer Hy se - EK is 'n jaloerse God wat die misdaad van die vaders besoek aan die kinders, aan die derde en vierde geslag van die wat My haat). Ek weet nie van een van haar nasate wat nie 'n belydende Christen is nie.

Die oudste seun Hennie en my vader Peet is dan ook Stellenbosch toe gestuur om vir predikant te studeer. Daar was nie geld nie en hulle moes na hulle BA grade eers onderwys gee en vakansies werk om vir hul studies te betaal. Ek weet dat my vader al reeds in sy vyftigs was voor hy sy studie skuld afbetaal het.


(Getuienis deur P A (Arno) de Wet, *13 April 1935)

Petrus married Margaretha Suzanna (Grieta) GREEFF in 1883. Margaretha (daughter of Hendrik Adriaan GREEFF and Suzanna Maria REDELINGHUYS) was born on 12 Nov 1868 in Zemanangombe, Damaraland; was christened in in Potchefstroom, Transvaal, South Africa; died on 5 Jul 1938 in Germiston, Transvaal, South Africa; was buried in Manana, Lichtenburg. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: H439
• Alt Birth: 12 Jan 1868
• Alt. Death: 5 Jul 1938, Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa

Notes:

Born in Bechuanaland (Botswana), in an ox-waggon. A Damara woman helped with the birth. Her older sister, Lenie, wrote memoirs about her childhood in which she describes Grieta's birth. She wrote (translated freely):

"One day mother told the children to go play. This we loved, but when we returned to the waggons later in the day, we were overjoyed to see a baby girl dressed in a little dress made by mother using cloth from her own dress.

When the baby was two days old, she went off into convulsions. She was terribly ill for two days and then improved slightly. Two days later she really became very sick. It became so bad that father said to mother that we would remove the large chest from the waggon and use it as a coffin for her little corpse. He said that they could mark the spot with a pile of stones so that they could fetch her remains later on, but mother refused to give up. She told father to fetch some of the bitumen run-off from the waggon which she used to manufacture a plaster. This was placed on the baby's back between her shoulder blades. This proved to be a wonderful remedy, because thirty minutes later she opened her eyes and started to improve. Her recovery gained momentum and she never got sick again."

Grieta later became a well-known and respected midwife in the Lichtenburg area, where she married Piet de Wet. The couple had thirteen children, eleven of which were raised successfully, an exceptional achievement in those days of very high child mortality.

In an obituary to her on 6 July 1938, the Noordwester described her as the most remarkable woman in Western Transvaal. The nursing and midwifery services rendered by her, especially to the poor, was described as legendary. She had seen to the birth of thousands of children throughout the district, in Marico, Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom and Wolmaransstad.

She was a devout Christian who led the family devotions until the evening before her death. Not surprisingly, two of her sons became ministers of religion: H A de Wet who served in Christiana and P A de Wet in Deplooysburg.

Birth:
Tombstone gives 12.8.1868

Christened:
Gedoop deur Ds D van der Hoff.

Other Events:

• 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

Notes:

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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.

Notes:

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