Anton, van Vuuren

Anton married Louisa Maria Mantovani [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jan married Mercia May Vermaak [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

W + - wife of W J van Vuuren. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Sarel Petrus 'Piet' Vermaak
• Occupation: an SAR & H Train Guard

Notes:

It is not known who his parents were but possibly he has his fathers names and that his mother was either Isobel or Martha. He was employed by the SAR & H as a guard on the trains. He was stationed in Kroonstad for many years and there he retired.

Sarel married Ivy Ann Whittal on 5 Jun 1923 in the Magistrate's Office, Kroonstad, OFS.. Ivy (daughter of John Henry Whittal and Sarah Ann Futter) was born on 24 Feb 1902 in Bolo Reserve, Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 7 Aug 1979 in Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa; was buried in Kroonstad Cemetery (New Civilian), Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Occupation: a Housewife

Notes:

She married Piet Vermaak against her fathers wishes as soon as she turned 21 but the date and place of the marriage is not known. Father and daughter were however reconciled and she named her eldest son after him. They had 8 childres & 5 daughters. She had the family's artistic talent and used to sketch and paint flowers and birds.

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Name: John 'Henry' Whittal
• Occupation: Bolo Reserve, Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, South Africa; a Farmer

Notes:

Extract from "They took root and grew" by V.R.Whittal:
John Henry Whittal son of Francis Whittal

John Henry Whittal was the 16th child of the 1820 Settler Francis Whittal. He was born at Cuylerville where he grew up. He married Sarah Ann Futter, a grand-daughter of 1820 settlers. Her sister Eleanor Jane had married Henry's brother, James William and they were farming in the Stutterheim district near Bolo Reserve. Henry also bought a farm in that area and named it "Inverbolo" and this is where most of their children were born and grew up. I was told that Henry was a strict but fair father. Sarah Ann died in the Stutterheim hospital on 24 August 1913 after an operation to remove a tumour, and she is buried in the Stutterheim cemetery.

Henry decided to move to the Orange Free State some time after Ann's death. He left his farm in the care of his eldest children and took the younger ones with him. He hired ground in different places and I do know that he was farming at "Groenpan" in the Kroonstad district in the 1920's. He visited David Walter Randall and his family in that area. Henry's older brother, Charles John, was married to Sarah Ann Randall, a relative of Dave's, and Henry' s sister, Sarah Elizabeth, was married to James Arthur Flanagan, a relative of Dave's mother, Elizabeth Flanagan. Dave Randall was born and grew up in the Peddie district and they may have known each other from childhood. However, the result of this meeting was the marriage of two of Henry's sons to two of Dave's daughters and one of Henry's daughters to a nephew of Dave's, William Foxcroft, the son of Sarah Jane Foxcroft (née Randall).

Henry never married again and when he got older he spent his time moving from one child to another. In this way most of his grandchildren were able to get to know him and I am sure that many of them have the most pleasant memories of this remarkable old man. I can remember that he liked playing marbles with me. I had to place the marbles in a row and we each had one marble to play "Skiet". As a small boy I invariably missed, but after a while he would hit the whole row and laughed when I took all my marbles, refusing to play further because he had cheated. He once found my sister, Daphne, with her hand in the jam bottle, so he took her, wiped her hand, gave her a spoon, and told her to enjoy herself. I am sure that each of his grandchildren could tell you something that they can remember.

My Dad told me the story of Grandpa who went to milk a cow which always gave a lot of trouble and which seemed to resent being milked. This day the cow once again gave problems, so Grandpa tied her to a sturdy pole in the kraal and commenced milking her after tying her hind legs with a "spantou". She kept bucking and kicking and eventually knocked the old man over and spilled the milk. He promptly picked up a piece of wood, hit the cow on the head and unfortunately knocked her out. It was at this stage that my Dad peeped over the kraal wall and saw the old man trying to arrange the senseless animal while mumbling that "If I can' t milk you standing up, I will milk you lying down". I understand that after regaining her senses the cow was as tame as a lamb and never again created any problems when being milked, especially by the old man. He must have been a man in his seventies at this stage in his life.

In the end Grandpa went back to "Inverbolo" and was cared for by his daughter, May. He died of cancer on 11 April 1941 and he is buried in the Anglican Churchyard at Bolo Reserve.

He was the 16th child of Francis Whittal the 1820 Settler. Like most of his siblings, he was born and grew up at Cuylerville. After he married Sarah Futter, he started farming at Bolo in the Stutterheim district on 'Inverbolo'. (Hisdon Whittal, still farms there today.) The farm is situated on the Kei River and according to my father, Bert Whittal, it was a growing up boy's paradise. 'Henry', known by the Xhosas as 'Mbolambi', was a tough man and was as strong. He took part in the Kaffir wars and once when surrounded by the Xhosa he wheeled his horse around and with his sword waving at their heads he charged through their ranks to safety. This was the courage and determination of the man.ath of his wife, Henry moved to the Free State where he leased farmlands for many years. He and his wife had 8 children, 5 sons & 3 daughters. His wife was a very small woman with the result that not one of his sons were very big men or his brothers. He eventually went back to 'Inverbolo' where he died. He has many descendants of whom I am proud to be one. (Vernon Whittal)

John married Sarah Ann Futter on 23 Mar 1887 in Kei Road, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Sarah (daughter of William Futter and Eleanor Mary King) was born on 20 Nov 1855 in Kei Road, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was christened in Southwell, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 24 Aug 1913 in Mrs G Sutherland's Home, Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Stutterheim Cemetery, Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Occupation: a Housewife
• Confirmation: 23 Jun 1894, Bolo Reserve, Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Notes:

It appears the Futters were not tall people and she was very small with the result that her sons were short men and not like their father at all.

Description: Rev William Moodie