DU PLESSIS

Willem married Miem DE WET. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: H409, H451

Notes:

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Died:
Y

Sarel married Jacoba Elizabeth (Ant Non) DE WET on 13 Apr 1915 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. Jacoba (daughter of Petrus Arnoldus (Piet, Oompie) DE WET and Margaretha Suzanna (Grieta) GREEFF) was born on 30 Mar 1895; was christened on 26 May 1895 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: H409, H451

Notes:

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She was born de Wet

Died:
Y

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.