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Additional information has recently been brought to light about
some of the slaves that lived in the house early in the 19th century,
when the widow Margaretha Jacoba Smuts occupied the house.
The widow Smuts had been married to Hendrick Justinus de Wet,
President of the Burgher Council during the first British Occupation.
His will stated that his wife should have the first choice of his 26
slaves, where after his adult children (from two previous marriages)
could make their choices from the remaining 19. He stipulated that
slave families in his possession should not be separated. (A slave and
his 'wife' were not permitted to be married in a Christian Church, but
may well have been married under Muslim law, or lived together without
a marriage ceremony.)
The widow Smuts chose seven slaves, as follows:
- Jonas van de Caab, a cooper
- Citie, his 'wife'
- Hector and Jacob, their two children
- Theresia
- Kito van Mosambique, a cook
- July, a houseboy
By 1816, ten slaves were registered to the widow Smuts. July is not
listed, but the new slaves were:
- Lafleur, a woodcutter
- Lendor, a woodcutter, who in a later document is reported to
have died on 31 December 1822
- Kado (alias Bejoen), a tailor, aged about 30
- Nancy, a little girl, aged about 4. She was listed in 1829 as
having 3 girl babies, but the last born, Malatie, died a year
later. No mention is made of the identity of the father.
Jonas and Kado could be rented out for their services at other
venues, and this would bring in additional income for the widow Smuts
and her family.
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