Nicolaas van Blerk was born in 1704 in Venlo, Province of Limburg, Netherlands and is the progenitor of the van Blerk family of South Africa. He was a soldier in the service of The Dutch East India Company, and was seconded on the 29th April 1722 to the ship Haaksburg.

The ship sailed from Texel in the Netherlands and arrived in the Cape of Good Hope on the 25th August 1722.On the 16th October 1722 the Haaksburg departed for Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies, and it arrived there on the 20th January 1723.
On the 26th October 1732 he returned from Batavia to Goeree in the Netherlands on the ship Ketel. The ship arrived in the Cape of Good Hope on the 28th January 1733 and departed on the 7th March 1733 and arrived in Goeree on the 28th June1733.

His last voyage was on the 11st June 1734 from Goeree in the Netherlands to the Cape of Good Hope on the ship Ketel. He arrived in the Cape on the 18th December 1734.
He remained a soldier in the service of The Dutch East India Company in the Cape Colony until he became a Free Citizen (Vryburger) in 1757.

Nicolaas had a child, Jan Barend van Blerk, with Dina van Deventer before his marriage to Catharina Maria Magetski on 6th Dec 1739. Their farm is indicated on an old water colour painting of Cape Town along with approx. a dozen other farms.



Nicolaas and Catharina had five children, Rogier Bernhadus van Blerk, Nicholas Jacobus van Blerk, Simon Petrus van Blerk, Catharina Cornelia van Blerk, and Francois van Blerk.

Rogier Bernhadus was born on 27th November 1740 in the Cape of Good Hope. He died at the age of 57 on 14th January 1798 in the Cape of Good Hope.

Nicholas Jacobus was born on 29thSeptember 1743 in the Cape of Good Hope, however, he passed away before 1758.

Simon Petrus was born on 18th April 1745 in the Cape of Good Hope. He died at the age of 67 on 2nd June 1812 in Stellenbosch.

Catharina Cornelia was born in 1748 in the Cape of Good Hope. She died at the age of 79 in 1827.

Francois was born on 27th February 1752 in the Cape of Good Hope. He died at the age of 38 on 6th April 1790 on his farm in Stellenbosch. He was buried on the 9th April 1790, op de kerkhof Stellenbosch.

Catharina Maria van Blerk nee Magetski died on 27th August 1796 on her farm Roode Hek.


Van Blerk family tree can be found on the following link:-
http://familytrees.genopro.com/693078/van-Blerk/

Researcher and Web Master is Clifford Roy van Blerk

E-Mail Address:-
vblerkc@telkomsa.net

Kindly forward any addition information to the e-mail address above.