The Vorster's and family History

Your Family's Journey Through Time

Arrival and origin of Jan Vorster

He arrived at the Cape on 13 May 1717 as a Sailor aboard the ship Velserhoofd. Upon his arrival, Mouritz Pasques (1714-1724) was governor of the Cape at the time. On various employment contracts where Jan was appointed as a building servant, his name was given as Hans Voster in 1717, Hans Vorster in 1718 and Johannis Foster in 1720. In the Cape, however, his name changed to the Dutch form, as Jan and his surname continued as Vorster.

On July 16, 1717, the "sailor Hans Voster van Bern" and Cornelis Leendert Hutspot, a Master Mason, made a contract in which Hans would work for Cornelis for a period of one year as a "mason's servant" for a fee of 12 Caroli. Guilders and 20 Pfennings per month. It is not known when Jan left Bern (Switzerland) for the Netherlands, to join the United East India Company (VOC), also known as the Dutch East India Company (HOIK), as a sailor.

His date of birth or baptism, the names of his parents, his marriage as well as his date of death are still unknown to this day.

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main imageWhile Jan was still leased to Schalk Willem van der Merwe in 1723, he applied to the governor Mouritz Pasques to "met het burgerschap deeser Colonie te begunstigen". His application was approved by the Political Council on December 21, 1723.

Jan Vorster was married around 1721 to Elisabeth, baptized 6 August 1702, the fourth child of Barend Lubbe and Jacoba Brandenberg. Jan and Elisabeth's first child Aletta was baptized on April 2, 1722.

The exact date of his death, as well as where he died and was buried, is unknown. His date of death can be calculated approximately. His widow, Elisabeth Lubbe, baptized a daughter named Elisabeth Bruyns in Paarl on 1 April 1730. On the baptismal register of Elisabeth Bruyns is written "the father unknown". His last son, Barend, was baptized on December 1, 1726. Thus, it can only be deduced that he may have died between 1727 and 1729.
Barend, the third and youngest child of Jan Vorster and Elisabeth Lubbe was baptized on 1 December 1726 in Cape Town by Rev. H. Beck.

Barend is the only son of the progenitor Jan who was married and who left numerous offspring, so that he is in fact the second progenitor of the Vorster generations in South Africa.
Barend Vorster of Cabo de Goede Hoop, a citizen of a remote out-of-district, Married Dorothea Maria Smit, born on 3 April 1746 in the church of Roodezand Land van Waveren (Tulbagh), by the first minister of the congregation, Rev. MA Meiring. She is the daughter of Alewyn Smit and Hester Bekker.

Children of Barend and Dorothea
They had 13 children, 10 sons and three daughters. Their eighth child John Stephanus, baptized April 10, 1762, apparently died very young, as their ninth child, baptized January 16, 1765, received the same first names. Twelve of Barend's thirteen children were most likely born during his stay on the farm tygerkloof, on which he owned grazing rights from 1750 to 1779. The eldest child Barend Johannes was baptized at Tulbagh in 1748, i.e. two years before he obtained refusal rights on Tygerkloof. All the children were baptized at Tulbagh. Perhaps he lived on Tulbagh all this time, before officially obtaining refusal rights on it. The youngest child, Gerrit Hendrik, was baptized in 1774. The last time Barend's name appears in the return rolls is in that of 1793 which was completed between 30 April and 2 May 1793. In the return roll of 1794 (29 April 1-2 May) only the name of Barend's widow appears.

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Family Crest

The Vorster family crest illustrated here comes from Cor Pama's book, Die Groot Afrikaanse Familienaam boek. The weapon was redesigned in 1945 to what it looks like today. There is also already in 1361 in St. Gallen, Germany named from a Vorster coat of arms which was a variation of green, black and purple with a rising silver-like bear. Then there was also documented in 1275 in Thurgau, Germany, of a coat of arms consisting of a silver-like black rising bear. The latter was not necessarily a family weapon but possibly used as identification between different tribes. The current emblem creates the impression of Vorster's descent from a forester.

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Jan Hendrik Vorster

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Casper Jan Hendrik Vorster
Kaapse Rebel

Kaapse Rebel

Kommandant Jan Vorster, alias Jan Pieter Retief, Kaapse Rebel. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Krygshistoriese Vereeniging, Military History Journal, vol 7 no 4. deur Dr P.W. Vorster,

Susanna Bingle Vorster

This book is in progress, but Bingle at the time help with the Vorster genealogy information before the times of internet when everything was still progressing with slow mail.

Die geskiedenis van die "Bingle familie in Suid Afrika". Susanna het die noem naam Bingle aangeneem en dit is ook hoe sy deur haar familie en vriende geken word.

Izak David Vorster
Izak David Vorster

Izak David Vorster

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The Vorster Family. 255 years - 1695 to 1950.bottom image

Background. The Vorster family genealogy site finding it and using it. The early history of the Cape. Transfer of Sovereignty to Britain. Compiled by Mike Vorster

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The Swiss in Southern Africa-1652bottom image

Arrivals at the Cape 1652-1819. By Adolphe Linder. This work documents the Swiss in the whole of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

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