Tourtière Genealogy

Preparing tourtiére

My ancestry is French-Canadian on my mother's side of the family so one dish we had every Christmas was tourtière: a meat pie. In our household, the meat was always pork and I always assumed that tourtière meant "pork pie." However, in later years I learned that some people make tourtière from veal or beef. However, not until this week did I realize that tourtière is also often an indication of your ancestry.

On the buses: fifty years ago

Steve Hayes

The Last Tram ceremony, 18 March 1961

The Johannesburg Transport Department was a new name for what had previously been known as Johannesburg Municipal Tramways, which began in 1906 when the first electric trams were introduced, replacing the old horse-drawn trams which had been run by a private company. But the trams were being phased out, so they decided to change the name, but members of the running staff still referred to it as the JMT, and the letters JMT still appeared on the sides of some buses until they were repainted.

The American Jew who fought for the Boers during the Anglo-Boer War (1899 – 1902)

Ann Rabinowitz

Jews on commando

Chief Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz, better-known for his stirring sermons and political outspokenness, was also a keen historian.

SA-SIG

SA-SIG is the acronym for the Southern Africa Jewish Genealogy Special Interest Group, which aims to bring together Jewish genealogy researchers with a common interest in Southern Africa.

Op Kommando

Kommando’s het hul beslag gekry toe die Kompanjie soldate of burgers op ekspedisies uitgestuur het om gesteelde vee terug te kry. Die heel eerste kommando wat slegs uit burgervrywilligers bestaan het, het in 1715 só ’n sending aangepak. Ná 1739 was dit vir elke burger verpligtend om op kommando te gaan.

What our ancestors endured

Melissa Strojek, Mansfield News Journal, 9 December 2012

Women of South Africa - 1913

Women of South Africa - 1913 lists over 1500 Biographies of prominent Women of South Africa for the year 1913.

Die ontstaan van Afrikaans

Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew; if the transmission should be interrupted for one century, civilization would die, and we should be savages again - Will Durant

Oudste SA geslagsregister?

Die oudste bekende geslagsregister in Suid Afrika is in 1832 opgestel deur Magdalena Christina Marais, 'n gehoorgestremde.

Dié waardevolle dokument is in besit van die Genealogiese Instituut van Suid-Afrika. Klik HIER om dit te besigtig

Ancestry.com: Behind the scenes with Santa Claus

Click HERE to view a short video clip.

Genealogy for beginners

Genealogy is the study of the descent of families and persons from an ancestor or ancestors, while Family History applies to biographical research into one's ancestors.

Ossewaens: Hou Links

Graaf Caledon

Daar was twee eeue gelede reeds kommer oor die talle padongelukke in Kaapstad, en oor verkeersgeraas. Graaf Caledon, die eerste burgerlike goewerneur van die tweede Britse besetting, het tipies Brits beslis dat die kolonie die metropool se verkeersreëls moet gehoorsaam. Op 23 Junie 1809 het hy die ondervermelde proklamasie uitgevaardig.

“Ek het berigte ontvang dat ongelukke dikwels voorkom, en dat dit groot gevaar meebring, veral snags, weens die nalatigheid of wangedrag van Drywers van Rytuie, en veral Ossewaens wat tussen die Platte land en Kaapstad heen en weer ry. Ek beveel hiermee dat die volgende Regulasie streng gehoorsaam sal word:

Our ancestors’ dental care

It wasn't always like this!

200 000 years ago dental care was less efficient

In the olden days, man had to get creative to clean his teeth and make his breath less pungent to friends and family. We don't know who first invented the idea of tooth cleaning, although markings on teeth found in caves dating back to the Stone Age suggest that ancient man used makeshift toothpicks likely fashioned from wood or bone to remove seeds and bone fragments from between his teeth.

The practice of gnawing on aromatic sticks or twigs was probably widespread even before the invention of toothpaste; native herbs like mint and ginger freshened breath, while foods that required lots of chewing promoted salivation. Whole grains also acted as mild abrasives to help remove plaque buildup.

Die Eerste Vryburgers

Jan van Riebeeck

Van Riebeeck het ’n eenvoudige opdrag gehad: lê ’n groentetuin en vrugteboord aan, bou ’n fort en hospitaal, en ruil vee van die inheemse mense. Niemand het aan kolonisasie gedink nie. Van Riebeeck het egter gou raakgesien dat grond oos van Tafelberg, “met die heerlikste vars riviere wat ’n mens kan begeer”, uitstekend vir landbou geskik was. In 1657 het hy nege Kompanjiesdienaars vrygestel om voltyds op erwe van 13,3 morg (sowat 11,4 ha) te boer.

It is the second day of the month: back up your files!

Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter 

It is the second day of the month. It's time to back up your genealogy files.Then test your backups!

Adriaan Frans Christiaan Röscher, die grondlegger van Ventersdorp

Piet Butler

[Hierdie berig bevat uittreksels uit ‘n gelyknamige artikel wat Piet in 1988 geskryf het. Belangstellendes kan ‘n afskrif van die volledige teks bekom deur met hom in verbinding te tree by dawnviewinn@yahoo.com – Red.]

Adriaan Frans Christiaan Röscher is op 3 Augustus 1832 in die distrik Uitenhage gebore en verhuis in 1854 na die Transvaal. In 1856 tree hy in die huwelik met Johanna Sophia van Jaarsveld te Klerksdorp, waar hy ook tydelik sy beroep as onderwyser beoefen.