Gerrit GERRITS was a soldier from Oldenburg, near east Friesland. He first appears in the Cape records in 1693. He lived for 35 years with Susanna van BAMBASER but never got married to her.

He took possesion of the farm Altona between Rondebosje and Roodebloem in 1706. He sold this farm and bought another property in 1714, which was part of Liesbeek.

Susanna's origin is a bit confusing since she is referred to us from Macassar and Madagascar, and then there is the obvious similarity to Bombasa. Yet we don't know of any other slave who came from Bombasa. She seems to have been at the Cape in the 1690's. Susanna was a slave and was emancipated in 1696. She was a slave to Anthony van Angola. She had a child with another man, and at that stage was pregnant with the child of Anthony van Angola. Anthony intended to free her and this son, but he died before being able to set them free.

Pieter van der Biijl and Hans Jurgen Grimpe vouched for the facts thus ensuring Susanna's freedom.

The two of them started to live together at Liesbeek. Very close live Hans Jacob Brits the stamvader of this family on the farm Koornhoop. These two families were going to form family unions.

They had the following children:
b1 Hermanus born 1701, X Anna Maria Brits
b2 Hilletje baptised 20 May 1703, never married, yet had a child with Cornelis Brits
b3 Maria baptised 30 Aug 1705,she married 5 dec 1722 at age of 17 to Rudolph Brits
b4 Sophia Elisabeth baptised 28 May 1708
b5 Susanna baptised 26 Jun 1712, died unmarried

Gerrit Gerrits died in 1730.

Sources:
Margaret Cairns "Gerrit Gerrits of Oldenburg and Susanna of Bambaser: An Early 18th Century Couple" Familia XVII 1980 no 3/4

Thanks to submissions by:
AM van Rensburg