Origin of Freehold Farms 1658-1795 Information

Question

Robert Shell published "Changing Hands" on CD which contains a variety of indexed databases which are now available online at www.ancestors.co.za. One of these searchable databases is "Freehold Farms 1658-1795", which contains details that seem to come from erfbriewe and farm sales/transfers. Where does this information originate from? And is the originals accessable online or elsewhere?

Answer 1

Contact him and ask him https://uwc.academia.edu/RobertShell/CurriculumVitae

Comments

Thank you for the feedback Louis, but Robert Shell passed away in 2015. I am trying to make contact with his wife who was also involved with Changing Hands. In parallel, I hoped someone here would be familiar with the origins of his work. I will be glad to share, if I uncover anything about the matter.

Answer 2

I managed to make contact with Heather MacAlister, who assisted with the Changing Hands databases and who currently maintains the ancestors.co.za website. The sources of the "Freehold Farms 1658-1795" database is the Old Cape Freeholds, vols 1-3, Old Stellenbosch Freeholds, vols 1-2 and the Receiver of Land Revenue, vols 1-32, which can be found in the Cape Archives. It appears that the originals have not yet been digitised. For those interested the Freehold Farms 1658-1795 database can be accessed HERE. You will have to register for a free account, but the database is part of the website's free content. It contains 2880 records and is searchable by buyer and seller name and contains transcriptions of the originals.

Comments

Dankie, bly jy het reggekom

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This is very interesting! I made an account, though I hate having to make so many accounts.  Now I find I can only search for the surname, not the name of a farm.. also, that there is precious little information about these farms. No (OSF) number or diagram.

I was trying to find Josua Joubert Gideons son, at the Zeekoegat farm along the Hexriver.  I find many other farms, but not this one..

And I found for "Ary Jacques Joubert" the farm "houdden bek gelegen over de Zoute Rivier agter de NVallei berg in't NVallei".

That sounds like the famous Houd den Bek of the later revolt.. except for the description with Zoute Rivier and 'NVallei'??

Anyway, intriguing stuff!

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Actually, it is not just freeholds (finally I understand that OSF="Old Stellenbosch Freehold"), but also 'loan farms' (ie Quitrent, e.g. ID's like Tul. Q 1.5).

And the database also has various bits of information about slaves in the dutch colony times.

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Searching for the Buffels Kraal grant to Pieter Hugot .. I find "Buffels Draal". There are more apparent reading mistakes, which makes this resource a bit tricky. But at least it gives a pointer to the underlying archives.