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- Born on the 19th March, 1826, at Sweetnam's Post, on the Kareig River, the original location of William Menzies' Party from Kent, also known as the Dover Party. He was 6 or 7 years old when his parents left these parts and moved to the Winterberg and settled at Post Retief.
On 31st August 1858, he was married at Kamastone Mission, by the Rev. W. Shepstone, to HENRIETTA COVELL COLDRIDGE, born on 3rd August, 1837, Exeter, Devonshire, England, daughter of Charles May Coldridge and Maryanne Covell Gregory. Witnesses were Octavius Bowker and Mary Anne Bowker and Catherine E. Ralph.
Benjamin and Henrietta Sweetnom farmed at "Waterdown", on the Klipplaat River, near Whittlesea, where many of their children were born. It appears that they lived at "Stonehouse", Winterberg for a few years, as two of their children were born there during the period 1873/1876. Their final abode was a trading station in the district of Glen Grey, not far from Lady Frere and north of Queenstown. It was named "The Rest", for apparently it took what was left of Henrietta's inheritance to purchase the property.
Benjamin Sweetnam died on 9th September, 1896, aged 70 years. Henrietta Covoll Sweetnam née Coldridge died on 30th December, 1903, aged 66 years 2 months. They are buried at "The Rest", Mkapusie, Glen Grey.
The trading station is today owned by strangers who live in the original house and operate the store. About a hundred yards from the buildings there are seven old graves, no tombstones but large stones cover the mounds. Also buried here is Hannah Rosina McDonald née Sweetnam, a daughter of James Sweetnam.
The old Waterdown farm house is today covered by the waters of the Klipplaat Dam. In August, 1970, during a severe drought the farm house chimney and the upper section of one wall was visible above the water. This was shortly after the dam was constructed.
Whittlesea is a picturesque village at the foot of the Katberg on the Kllpplaat River, whose early history is closely associated with the Kaffir wars. Founded in 1836, it was named after Sir Harry Smith's birthplace in Cambridgeshire.
Queonstown, founded in 1853 by Sir George Cathcart, Governor of the Cape, is situated north of the Katberg. The town is laid out in the unusual form of a hexagon. This formation was adopted by the early settlers as a precaution against attack from hostile natives, the central hexagon forming a convenient rallying point whence their fire could rake every one of the main streets.
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