The Story of the South African Flemmers - Camilla Henriette Flemmer
Camilla Henriette Flemmer
CAMILLA HENRIETTE FLEMMER 1840-1922
HANS MICHAEL NAESTED 1827-1907
Camilla Henriette Flemmer was born on the 21st December 1840 in Denmark, the second child and first daughter of Dr. Christian August Flemmer and his wife Betty. As was the custom when the baby was healthy, baptism was delayed until the warmer months and she was baptized on 21st May 1841.
Camilla was 11 when she said goodbye to her school friends in Kørsor and set off with her family on the long and arduous trip to the Cape. One wonders how this young girl felt. Like her brothers and sisters, she would have heard her Uncle Töger's stories about the wilds of Africa. She would have been full of excitement at this great adventure and also some sadness at leaving her home village and her friends. In old family notes she is referred to as an artist. It is a pity that we have not been able to find any material that she left.
As the oldest girl Camilla was a big help to her mother on the first leg of their journey, initially to Copenhagen and then to London. No doubt she would be keeping an eye on her five younger brothers and sisters then aged between 10 and 2 years old. We can imagine them all, wide-eyed in their rooms near the London docks, with the noises, sights and smells of the busy port so very different from quiet little Kørsor.
As was the case with the women of her time there are virtually no historical records of Camilla Flemmer apart from the bare basics of birth, marriage, children and death. We are very fortunate to have some interviews with her in Eliza Butler's Reminiscences of Cradock. For the rest we have to rely on contemporary history and the well-documented life of her husband-to-be Hans Michael Naested. She turned 12 on the 20th December 1852 when the voyage to the Cape was at the half way mark. For Danes, anniversaries and birthdays in particular were very important and the födselsdagsbarn (birthday child) would normally be overwhelmed with good wishes, flowers and gifts, although this may have been somewhat restrained in mid-Atlantic!
In 1856 she turned 16 and the family would have been well settled into Cradock. Camilla was ready for what was regarded as the first great event of a Danish boy or girl's life - confirmation. An Anglican service was held at the Court House building as St. Peter's had not yet been built. A description of a typical Danish confirmation celebration gives us a hint of the festivities-
'After the ceremony in the church, to and from which the candidate, with her nearest relatives, is conveyed in a carriage and pair, there is generally a large dinner-party, the guests all bringing a variety of handsome presents, the girl receiving jewelry, fans, opera glasses, dainty knick-knacks etc.; the boy a watch and chain, scarves, pins and all kinds of smoking requisites….'
The Flemmers were fortunate to be able to celebrate some of their family milestones the 'Danish' way. They were a big family themselves with nine children by this time. The cousins Töger von Abo and his wife Methea, Hans Michael Naested and another Danish family, the Kälunds all lived in Cradock, and they all celebrated Danish high days and holidays together.
Hans Michael Naested, a cousin of Camilla's, was a highly educated and wealthy man. By 1856 he was thirty years of age and had been traveling around South Africa for about five years coming back to the family in Cradock between his adventures. At 16, Camilla, the attractive daughter of a Danish doctor, was a grown woman in an area where women were in desperately short supply. Small wonder that her parents were delighted to see her engaged to Hans Michael before he left on a long trip home to Denmark in 1857. During his trips into the interior he had made a significant collection of native artifacts, weapons and tribal costumes that he presented to three different museums in Copenhagen.
I heard the story of his journey to Copenhagen myself from one of my aunts who told me that among other things he had taken back an extensive collection of Cape butterflies. He was honoured by the Danish King with the award of the Royal Order of Merit medal, and my aunt said the King had given him a set of crockery by Royal Copenhagen, depicting Danish moths and butterflies. She could remember these plates being in daily use when she was a child. She was quite dismissive of them saying they were too dark and somber for her liking! I have not been able find a trace of this crockery and we are left to wonder what happened to it and to the medal. In Anna Louie Flemmer's The Little Dane, she describes seeing Hans Michael Naested and Camilla when leaving the church after her own wedding in 1902 and ' having a good view of the fine old gentleman, wearing his beautiful medal, a gift from the King, Christian IX of Denmark'. This is not quite accurate as the King was in fact Frederick VII. I managed to obtain a copy of the record of his award which is described by the Danish Ordenskapitlet as the Royal Medal of Merit in gold, and it was made on 15th March 1858.
By 1859 Hans Michael was back in Cradock where he bought a shop owned by John Crooks and James Garland Davey for £650 'opposite Mr. Fisher's apothecary'. He and Camilla were married in the Dutch Reformed Church on the 9th October 1860, when she was 19 and he was already 33.Camilla and Hans married on the 9th October 1860
On 22nd August 1861, the first of their eight children, Betty Christiane was born. She was the first South African Flemmer grandchild, and a great family celebration was held after the ceremony at the DRC in Cradock. As it happened, a von Abo child had been born at about the same time. He was the son of Betty Flemmer's half brother Johannes Andreas Gerhardus von Abo. The infants were baptized on the same day. I am setting out the baptismal records for these children in full, as they give an interesting picture of the intermarriage between the Abo, Flemmer and Naested families:
No. 247 born 22.9.1861 Betty Christiane Naested, baptised 22.8.1861
Father: Hans Michael Naested
Mother: Camilla Henriette Flemmer
Witnesses: Joel Daniel van Dijk
Elizabeth Maria Jocina von Abo
Christian August Flemmer
Betty Camilla Augusta von Abo
No. 246 born 19. 8. 1861 Johan Gerhard von Abo baptised 22. 8. 1861
Father: Johannis Andries Gerhardus von Abo
Mother: Martha Francina Elisabeth van Buuren
Witnesses: Joel Daniel van Dijk
Elisabeth Maria Josina von Abo
Christian August Flemmer
Betty Camilla Augusta von Abo
Elisabeth Jocina Maria van Buuren
Sadly little Betty Christiane Naested was to live only four short months, dying on 22nd December of that same year, a day after her mother's birthday. It was a fact of life that infant mortality was high, many children dying in outbreaks of cholera and typhoid that swept through towns where sanitation and hygiene were still quite primitive. It must have been a sad and somber Christmas in the Naested home that year.
On 28th August 1862, Hans Michael's father Johannes died in Holbæk, Denmark and as the only son he inherited a major part of the estate. Two months later Camilla and Hans Michael's first son was born on 6th October 1862 and was named Johannes Hendrik in honour of his grandfather.
Hans Michael became very active in business in and around Cradock about this time. He had qualified in Copenhagen as chemist before coming to the Colony but never seems to have practiced in Cradock. By 1863 he was a director of the Cradock Fire Insurance and Trust and had opened his shop in Adderley Street, Cradock. He also served on a committee to watch the progress of the Legislative Assembly. Also on this committee were his father-in-law Dr. Christian August Flemmer, and another person who became prominent in one branch of the Flemmer family - John Sweet DistinNaested shop Adderley St. Cradock
There were upwards of 30 trading shops in the small town by this time and competition was fierce. A major source of business was passing trade and supplying farmers who came to town mainly for their nagmaal celebration. The position is set out plainly by Eliza Butler-
'The storekeepers in those day provided rooms for their customers, just the room with a fireplace, and here some "put up". There were often disputes over letting these rooms, if bespoke before, sometimes they found them occupied when they came. They never paid for the accommodation, the storekeeper was pleased to supply good customers who came to town to buy three or perhaps six months stores and who brought his wool in to him.'
Forty years later in 1905, when Eliza Butler spoke to Camilla Naested we can still hear a note of complaint about these arrangements when she says -
'I quitted our house once, but only once in our early married life for the accommodation of these visitors from a distance, and our home then was adjoining our store where Roberts' shop is now.
Where Fryers furniture store is there used to be rows and rows of rooms there for the accommodation of the farmers when they came to Naachmaal.'
As I have mentioned before we are very fortunate to have interviews with Camilla Naested on record. Not only do they give us some wonderful insights into the times she lived in, but also a direct and rare link to Camilla herself. She and her husband Hans obviously had close business dealings with the farmers, and she tells Eliza Butler the following about them -
'It is wonderful how the Farmers have assumed English ways. They thought nothing of whole families living in one room. Their furniture in those early days was mostly homemade, and I am told boxes called ottomans were covered and draped. This is done even now by some and I heard of a house recently in Cradock that the occupants thought ought to be called "Packing Case Cottage" as their furniture consisted largely of these [boxes] draped and disguised.
But the rimpie was very useful for seating chairs stools etc, and even now you often see couches and chairs where the caning has perished, the article has been cleverly reseated by the rimpie.
But gradually the Dutch built themselves houses in town and are not satisfied with home made furniture. We are all witness to that their style of dress has changed and that many Dutch ladies are more smartly dressed than the English.
I am told they could not be confirmed unless they had a little knowledge of scripture - but many could not read or write.'
There are also some more personal observations about their customers dress habits!
'When a Dutchman wanted to be very kind to his wife, he showed it sometimes in this way. He would put some rusty nails into the vinegar and put this on the veldt shoes to make them black and then take some chimney black and rub over. For black shoes were considered a little aristocratic.
At home the farmers' wives were content with the Cappé. Black silk cappés corded with white were considered very smart. The plain print dresses (Voerchitz) worn may have been of different patterns, but in those days the length cut-off for a dress for a stout or thin lady was seven Dutch ells, and a Dutch ell I am told is about three quarters of a yard, so about 5 yds and a quarter made a dress. The storekeepers had piles of these lengths on his counter for his customers to choose from we can imagine the consequence and how becoming some stout ladies looked in their scanty skirt.'
1863 also saw Hans Michael being summonsed in connection with a promissory note issued on the Union Bank of Cradock for £102 2s 6d. He had signed surety jointly with Carl Kälund and there were apparently 'no funds' when the note was presented. I'm sure the matter was dealt with because there is no further mention of it. Of interest is the connection with the Kälunds who had settled in Cradock some years before. Carl Kälund was a joiner and builder, who at one time owned what is now known as the Olive Schreiner House.
The 1860's were very tough times in the Colony, with a severe drought and a financial depression leading to widespread hardship. Normal practice was to extend credit to farmers for goods bought against future crop sales. Conditions were so severe that many farmers lost their properties when forced auctions were held to settle debt. There are many stories of the resentment felt toward traders who "went on holiday to Europe" at the expense of an insolvent farmer.
Camilla's father was a staunch supporter and advocate of the temperance movement. It must have pained him to see in the Cradock & Tarkastad Register in 1864 that his son-in-law Hans Michael had applied to renew a bottle store license in Adderley Street. In fact the doctor was so vehement in his condemnation of alcohol that I believe this created a major rift in the family. At the very least it must have put Camilla in an invidious position, and it seems to be more than just a coincidence that Dr. Flemmer was no longer a witness at baptisms of the Naested children from this time onwards.
This same year Hans and Camilla had another daughter. Born on the 15th June 1864, Dagmar only lived about 18 months dying on 9th October 1865, by which time another child had already been born - Christian August Naested on 21st May 1865. This last birth is recorded as being on the farm Ruighter Vlei District Steynsburg. This seems to have been a farm owned by the Naesteds, and it was also where Dr. Flemmer died in 1870. One can only speculate why Camilla gave birth at the farm, but she may have been visiting her parents at the time. On 22nd April 1869, another son, Hans Michael was born. His birthplace is recorded as 'District Steynsburg' and he too was probably born at Ruighter Vlei. In 1869 then, Camilla and Hans had three sons - two daughters having died as infants.
By 1869 Hans' business interests had expanded beyond his shops to farms which he had bought in the surrounding area, including the farm Kruidfontein also known as Stone Hills. He was on the CradockTown Board and was also a keen member of the Rifle Association, the Cradock & Tarkastad Register recording that he won a competition with a score of 21 out of 25.
Farming in this area could be profitable but was a hard life with frequent droughts and infestations of locusts and other pests. In early 1872 Hans decided to sell his farm Ruighte Fontein and concentrate on his trading interests in Cradock. On 28th September 1872 another child, Charlotte Louise Camilla was born and baptised in Cradock.
Hans Michael also did something very unusual for this time - he and his family took an extended holiday. It is perhaps an indicator of his wealth that he could afford to go on holiday bearing in mind that most people were hard up by today's standards. But holiday the family did, returning to Denmark to see family and friends after an absence of so many years - 20 for Camilla and 15 for Hans. Bear in mind that this was a major expedition at the time - about 3 weeks by trek wagon to the coast and then at least six weeks to Europe on one of the new fangled steam ships. Although there are reports that they left for Denmark in 1872, this seems unlikely given that there was a newborn baby in the family. Leaving in mid -1873 the children were then -
Johan Hendrick 14
Christian August 9
Hans Michael 5
Charlotte Louise Camilla 9 months
An arduous journey for Camilla who would almost certainly have had a nursemaid to help her with her brood. But what tremendous excitement for them all at the thought of seeing their relatives in Denmark and telling them of adventures in the Cape Colony. And for Camilla to just see home again and share it with her children.
They came back to Cradock fairly soon as there is a record of Hans being a Divisional Council Commissioner from the years 1873 - 75. He continued his farming interests keeping his farm Kruidfontien just outside Cradock which he improved. By 1885, due to "droughts and adverse circumstances" he sold the farm to concentrate fully on his trading activities.
On 11th September 1874 another son, Valdemar was born and baptised at Cradock. I have found no trace of this child apart from the baptismal record and assume he died young. On 4th August 1880 their eighth and last child, Louise Sophie Emilie was born in Cradock.
Life seems to have continued quite uneventfully down the years. Hans was involved in various business ventures as there are records of mortgages he took against the security of his Adderley Street property. By 1892, 'Hans Michael Naested & Son' were listed as Produce Buyers, in the Cape Almanac. Hans would have been 68 by then and the "Son" in the business is his namesake Hans Michael.
After Camilla's father died in 1870 her mother Betty lived with her son Christian Ludvig for a few years before moving in with her brother Töger von Abo. When Töger died in 1879 Betty moved into the Naested home living there until her death 17 years later in 1896. No old-age homes in those days!
On 2nd September 1907 The Cradock Register published a Death Notice:
'Hans Michael Naested passed away peacefully at home, born at Holbaek Denmark March 13th 1827. '
He was 80 years old and left a wife and five children to mourn him. His obituary appeared shortly afterwards and its extent and detail is a tribute to a man who was held in high regard. He was also honoured with the naming of a major street in Cradock in his memory.Hans Michael Naested died 30th August 1907
His estate was uncomplicated and surprisingly not very substantial. It was soon dealt with - he left a total of £749.18. 2d. After various liabilities and costs there was a balance of £569 11. 0d. Perhaps the terrible hardships caused by the Anglo Boer War had badly affected his business interests. His will provided that one half of the total plus one half of a child's share, an amount of £332 5 0d, would be paid to Camilla. His children listed as Johan Henry, Christian August, Hans Michael, Camilla Charlotte Louise Bier and Louisa Emilie Sophie Naested would each received £47 9 4d. on the death of their mother.
Camilla lived another 15 years, dying aged 81, at her home in Frere Street, Cradock on 14th October 1922, seventy years after arriving from Denmark. A Death Notice appeared in the The Midland News of 16th October
'Naested passed away peacefully at Cradock on 14th October 1922 after a brief illness Camilla Henriette Naested (born Flemmer) widow of the late Hans Michael Naested aged 81 years and 10 months.'
Like many women of her time she had had a difficult life. Apart from the hardship of early life in an outpost of the Colony and the loss of her children as babies, she buried her husband, and outlived two of her adult sons.
Her will signed in August 1920 was quite specific-
1. Her house to be sold by auction or treaty
2. £100 was to be used for the erection of a memorial cross over her son Christian August Naested who had died in 1920 at Mombasa
3. Balance of the estate to be divided into five -
- Johannes Hendrik Naested
- Camilla Bier (nee Naested)
- Louisa Robertson (nee Naested)
- Children of her son the late Hans Michael Naested
Two of her grandchildren Maxwell and Louise, Hans Michael's two youngest children, were to have a further share put in to a PO savings account
4. Her furniture was to be divided as follows
Johan Hendrik: A dining room suite consisting of Oak Telescopic table, two hall mirrors, revolving mahogany stand, couch, easy chair and six other mahogany chairs (total value £12)
Camilla Bier: Bedroom suite, rocking chair, double bedstead and bedding, large mahogany wardrobe, toilet table with large mirror and double washstand (total value £17 10 0d)
Maxwell: Large mahogany escritoire (value £10)
For some reason her daughter Louisa Robertson was not mentioned in the will. There was also a plot at lot 40 Frere St. Cradock valued at £355, sold to Louis S. Rood in 1923 for £320.
The matter of the gravestone for her son Christian August was obviously a little more complicated, bearing in mind the distance and communications between Cradock and Mombasa. A quote for a gravestone was obtained through the Standard Bank in Mombasa for £35. It would be hard to picture a bank providing this sort of service in this day and age!
The executor of Camilla's estate then had to suggest to the Master's Office what to do with the balance of the £100 that had been provided for the gravestone. It was agreed that the balance would be invested by the Bishop of Mombasa for the upkeep of the grave in perpetuity, with any balance being used for the benefit of the church. This agreement was formalised and is recorded in a document which is in the Cape Town Archive.
The Bishop of Nairobi signed a guarantee on 1st November 1923 that the sum would be invested for the upkeep of the grave and headstone. It was agreed that 'capital shall not be depleted in any way' and the document is signed Richard S. Bishop of Mombasa;
When I found this information I wondered if the arrangement was truly 'in perpetuity' and whether more than eighty years later the grave and headstone were still being looked after. Here is the account of a friend who found the grave in 2002
'We started at the Anglican Cathedral, the ladies in the office were very amused when I read out your message about the money being left for the Church to maintain the grave. A man who was also there was very quick to say that that Bishop had left and hadn't left instructions about the upkeep of the grave. Considering that the correspondence was dated 1923 I very much doubt if anyone present even knew the name of the Bishop! Anyway it would appear that this duty has been forgotten in the mists of time.
The cemetery is on Mombasa Island, between Likoni Ferry and the docks at Kilindini
Four men who work there joined in and we all spread out and searched the cemetery - Marty found the grave. Everyone was very happy and told us how well they have been looking after the grave The grave is in the shade of a huge mango tree and the light is poor, both Marty and I took photos but are not sure if the inscription will show. The
only damage to the monument is that one arm of the cross is broken off.'
So ends the story of the Danish Naested/Flemmers. What follows is what I have been able to trace of their children and their descendants.
1 Betty Christiane Naested 1861 - 1861
Betty was the first child of Hans and Camilla and died at six months. Her name is on the Naested gravestone at Cradock cemetery
2 Johan Hendrik Naested 1862 -
Hyla Magdalena Walkinshaw
Johan Hendrik or John Henry as he was also known is a man of mystery as far as I am concerned. As we will see the records of this descendant are skimpy and then he and his entire family seem to disappear from the South African records altogether. I found a baptismal entry registering his birth in the register of the Cradock Dutch Reformed Church-
No. 486 born 6.10. 1862 Johan Hendrik Naested baptized 8. 1. 1863
Father: Hans Michael Naested
Mother: Camilla Henriette Flemmer
Witnesses: Christian August Flemmer
Betty Camilla Augusta von Abo
Charlotte Maria Louisa Flemmer
He was named after his Danish grandfather who had died six weeks before his birth. His other grandfather, his grandmother and aunt were witnesses at his baptism.
We can see from the baptismal entries of Johan Hendrik's children that he was married to Hyla Magdalena Walkinshaw. There are several baptismal entries for the Walkinshaw family in the Cradock DRC register, but I know little about this family. Charles Walkinshaw, a gardener came out with Wilson's party of 1820 settlers. I have not found any record of the marriage of Johan and Hyla at either the DRC or St. Peter's Anglican Church which may mean that they married away from Cradock.
I estimate that they were married in 1885 as their first child, also Johan Hendrik, was born in 1886 -
No.81 born 10.1.1886 Johan Hendrik Naested baptized 4.4. 1886
Father: Johan Hendrik Naested
Mother Hyla Magdalena Walkinshaw
Witnesses: Hans Michael Naested
Camilla Henriette Naested
Betty Camilla Augusta Flemmer
In this case the baby's proud grandparents are witnesses and so is his great-grandmother.
Johan Hendrik and Hyla had eight children-
2.1 Johan Hendrik b. 1886 Cradock
2. 2 Hilda b. 1888 Cradock
2.3 Wilhelmine b. 1889 Cradock
2.4 Frederick Gerald b. 1891
2.5 Herbert Viggo b. 1892
2.6 Ida b. 1893
2.7 Camilla b. 18962.8 Christian August b. unknown
Only the first three are recorded in the Cradock DRC baptismal records, and I have not found where the others were born.
We know that Hilda aged 10, was a pupil at Rocklands Girls School in Cradock in 1898. As we will see below her father had moved from Cradock in 1896 and Hilda was living with another family member while attending school.
In December 1892 there is a report in the Cradock Register about Johan being prosecuted in terms of the Scab Act along with two farmers from whom he had bought sheep. The farmers had signed clearance certificates saying the sheep were not scabby and Johan had accepted this knowing it was not true. This legislation had just been introduced in an effort to stop the spread of illness among stock and it is clear that the newspaper report of the case is sympathetic to the accused. In any event he was found guilty and fined £5.10. 0d.
It is very fortunate that there is a full record of Johan's Anglo Boer War compensation claim in the Pretoria Archives. Submitted in May 1903 at Winburg in the then Orange River Colony, it gives a fascinating insight into this branch of the Naested family and into the difficulties endured by ordinary citizens caught up in this terrible war.
The family had moved from Cradock to the farm Klippan, District Hoopstad, Orange River Colony at the beginning of 1896. A ten year lease had been signed with the farm owner and a house and store were built. The house was built of green brick, had a pitched thatch roof and was 42ft by 20ft in area. It was simple, being three bedrooms (eight children remember!) and a kitchen. There was no verandah and as was usual the ceiling was calico nailed to the roof beams.
When war broke out there was an attempt by the local commando to commandeer Johan Hendrik into serving with the Boer forces. The family found itself in a very difficult position. They were British Citizens loyal to the Queen. Many local Boers were customers but Johan clearly had no wish to fight on the Boer side. In October 1899 he obtained a 'Leave Pass' from the Government of the Boer Orange Free State that effectively made him a neutral in the conflict and freed him from any military service in the Boer forces.Vrystaat Leave Pass Oct 1899
Presumably a 'Leave Pass' was given on the understanding that the recipient stayed neutral, but despite this Johan Hendrik Naested was sending information to the British Forces about Boer movements in the area. The Free State was of course the setting for major conflict, and he certainly be put his family at risk through this patriotism. It seems the Boers got wind of what he was up to because in August 1900 the family locked up the house and store and fled with a few possessions and some cattle to the British occupied base at Hoopstad. Almost immediately after the family left, a force of six Boers broke into the store, removed most of the contents, took two remaining cattle and then burnt the house and store to the ground before leaving.
Meanwhile, on arrival at the Hoopstad base, his remaining 21 cattle including his prized trekspan of 16 oxen were commandeered by the British Army transport division. Yes, life was very tough for ordinary people, and the family lived as refugees for the remainder of the war. In April 1901 the British Army withdrew under fire from Hoopstad as part of the overall plan to concentrate their forces. The Naested family would have little choice but to go with them into another refugee camp. Dreadful times indeed.
All of this detail is shown in the Compensation Claim, which is fully supported by statements from various witnesses, including one Joseph Barolong (the name of a tribe) a servant who had stayed on the farm and had actually seen the Boers raid the store. After considering the whole claim, which included a claim for the British Army 'hiring' and then 'losing' some of the cattle, the Board awarded £670 of the total of £808 8 5d claimed.
Shortly after the claim was submitted Johan Hendrik or John Henry [as he sometimes called himself] Naested submitted a request for permission to import a Lee Metford sporting rifle from his brother Hans Michael of Cradock. From this we can see that in August 1903 Johan Hendrik was living at Albany Farm Smaldeel District Winburg in the Orange River Colony.
The strange thing about this branch of the Naested family is that this is the last record I found of Johan Hendrik, his wife Hyla or the eight children. I think that the family must have left South Africa after the Anglo Boer War. Many people did leave for British East Africa and for the emerging Rhodesia. I can only assume that this branch of the Naesteds left South Africa forever.
3 Dagmar Naested 1864 - 1865
Dagmar was born and baptised in Cradock and died at just over 18 months. Her name is on the Naested gravestone at the Cradock cemetery
4 Christian August Naested1866 - 1920
We know very little about Christian August, named after his grandfather Christian August Flemmer. He was born on the farm Ruighter Vlei District Steynsburg, in 21st May 1866 and was baptised at the Cradock Dutch Reformed Church. No witnesses are shown for him in the baptismal register. He died aged 54 on 17th June 1920 on Mombasa Island, British East Africa. There are very few documents about him in the archives, and he was unmarried.
He grew up in Cradock and would have been about nine when the family went on its trip back to Denmark in 1873 - a wonderful adventure for all of them no doubt.
As we have seen his mother's will made provision for a gravestone to be erected in lieu of £100 'because it was due from his father but was never paid'. It is dangerous to draw conclusions but £100 was lot of money and I am left to wonder why his father owed it to him and why he never paid it. It is pure speculation but it gives me the idea that there had been some sort of split in the family and that Christian August had taken himself off to the newly developing territory of British East Africa.
In 1919 he was living at Nakuru with his Uncle Andreas Salvator Flemmer who was on his farm Mereroni by then. Also farming in the area were his second cousins, the Nolan Neylans.
In 1920 he was an assistant on a coconut plantation called Three Hills Estate near Mombasa, so he had hardly got far in the world considering he was 54 by then. He may have been on holiday on the island as he died at the Tudor Hotel, while being taken to Mombasa by James Paton, manager of Manginja and Three Hills Estates. This part of the world is tropical with malaria and other diseases very common so I wouldn't be surprised to find he died of malaria.
Christian August had made a will in 1915 and in 1920 a first and final distribution of his assets was made in Cradock. His estate was valued at a nett amount of £187 6fl. 89cts. the equivalent of £187 13. 10d. As an aside: there was a curious mixture of currencies in use in BEA at this time. The Indian Rupee had been in use and had been worth 1s 4d for many years. After the First World War it rose to 1s 9d, then 2s 4d, then 2s 6d, and reached a peak of 2s 10d. In order to try and stabilise the rupee's value it was proposed to introduce a Florin (2/-) and although 7 million were minted, it seems they were never actually put into circulation. The whole thing was a huge scandal in 1921 and it seems the local Blacks were cheated particularly badly.
Christian August left his entire estate to his nephew, Hans Michael Naested, then 19 years old, son of his late brother Hans Michael and to the boy's mother Elsie Marie Naested (born Nel). A supplementary account was presented when a further Fls. 105 13 0 was found in a Standard Bank account in Mombasa. This was the equivalent of £9 8 9d.
We saw above that the wishes for his grave expressed in his mother's will had been met. It is good to know that 80 years later the grave lies peaceful and well tended under the deep shade of a giant mango tree -
' To the memory of Christian August Naested son of Hans Michael Naested born at Ruightervlei in the District of Steynsburg on 21st May 1865 died on 17th June 1920. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy'
5 Hans Michael Naested 1869 - 1915
Elsie Maria Nel 1876 - 1951
Hans Michael was born on 22nd April 1869 in the "District Steynsburg". It seems likely that he was born on the family farm Ruighter Vlei. There is a record of his baptism at the DRC Cradock:
Doop Register G11 5/8 1869-1881
Born 22.4.1869 Hans Michael Naested Baptized 18.7.1869
Father: Hans Michael Naested
Mother: Camilla Henriette Flemmer
Witness: Hans Christian Flemmer
The witness mentioned here is my own great grandfather - the baby's uncle.
Very little is known about Hans Michael Naested. He was presumably educated in Cradock and was in business with his father in 1899, when he would have been aged 30. In 1903 he was advertising ostrich feathers for sale by mail order. Hans' feathers could cost as much as 21/- and were posted out in a tin tube. Of course ostrich feathers were the height of fashion at this time and were fetching enormous prices. By 1909 prime feathers were fetching £50 a pound!Ostrich Feather advert 1903
Hans Michael Naested married Elsie Maria Nel at the DRC, Cradock and the entry reads as follows:
No.1 19.1.1898 Hans Michael Naested 27 Jonkman Koopman Cradock
Ellie Maria Nel 21 Jongedochter
Cost shown as £3. 7. 6d
Getrowd in het huis van den Heer Naested Sr. te Cradock voormeld na geboden door my J.C. Reyneke
The name of his wife is spelt in various forms in different documents 'Ellie', 'Elsie' and 'Elsje'. We can see he was a trader and also that the couple were charged £3 7 6d for their marriage. All other entries in the Register show a charge of £1 10 0d, so maybe the Naesteds were better off than most.
Five children are recorded as having been born and baptised in Cradock -
Paulina Jacoba b. 5th August 1900
Hans Michael b. 27th April 1902
Elizabeth Maria b. 22nd February 1904
Phillip Jacobus Maxwell b. 10th April 1910
Louise Camilla b. 5th January 1916
In 1914 Hans Michael drew up his will appointing his wife executrix and sole heir. He was probably already ailing as the following notice appeared in the Cradock Register the next year -
'14th June 1915 Naested- Died at Cradock on 9th June after a long and painful illness at peace with God and man Hans Michael Naested son of the late Hans Michael Naested and Camilla Henriette Naested aged 46 years. He was a good husband, a loving father, son, and brother and a true and faithful friend.'
He left his wife Elsie with four children aged between five and fifteen. Adding to Elsie's difficulties another child, Louise Camilla was only born 6 months after her father died. His estate was valued and filed at an amount of £667 15 0d.
Elsie herself seems to have remained in Cradock where she lived at 60 Frere St. until her death on the 5th July 1951, 36 years after her husband.
They lie side by side in the Cradock graveyard under a stone that reads
In Liefdevolle Herinnering aan
Vader
Hans Michael Naested
Geb. 22 April 1869
Oorl. 9 Junie 1915
Moeder
Elsie Maria Naested
(geb.Nel)5 May 1876
5 Julie 1951
We know the following about the descendants of this couple-
5.1 Paulina Jacoba Naested 1900 - married Nel. They had one child
5.1.1 Fransie Nel
Very little is known about this family. Paulina was baptised at home:
No.36 born 5.8.1900 Paulina Jacoba Naested baptised 23.10.1900
In huis 12/-
Parents: Hans Michael Naested
Elsje Maria Nel
Witnesses: Camilla Henriette Naested
Phillip Jacobus Nel
She may have been sickly to be baptized at home, for which interestingly the normal charge of 8/- was increased to 12/-. Her grandmother Camilla (born Flemmer) was one witness and Phillip Jacobus Nel was almost certainly an uncle.
5. 2 Hans Michael Naested 1902 - 1959 married Annie Magdalena Botha 1913 - 1991 - one child
5.2.1 Irving Lionel Naested 1931 - married Pamela Joy de Wet 1939 -
Hans Michael was born in Cradock and his baptismal entry is:
No. 151 born 27.4.1902 Hans Michael Naested baptized 10.6.1902 8/-
Parents: Hans Michael Naested
Ellie Maria Nel
Witnesses: Herman Bekker
Catharine Johanna Bekker
In the 1920's he was still in Cradock where he played rugby for Cradock Rovers
On 1st September 1959 Hans Michael died of a coronary thrombosis aged 57 at Tabankulu in the Transkei. At that time his Death Notice records that we was working as a clerk with 'Bantu' Affairs, headquartered in Pretoria.
Hans and Annie had one son
5.2.1 Irving Lionel Naested 1931 - married Pamela Joy de Wet 1939 -
In the 1950's Lionel joined the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia for a few years before going to work in Edmonton in Canada. He then joined Claude Neon and worked for them for many years. At the time of writing he was living in Port Elizabeth and is the only Naested I have met. Lionel and Pam had two daughters:
5.2.1.1 Julie Naested 1962 - one child
5.2.1.2 Andrea Naested 1963 - married Ali Razi 1969 - one child
5.3 Elizabeth 'Bessie' Maria Naested 1904 - married Hermanus Johannes Moolman 1884 - 1946
Elizabeth was born in Cradock and her baptismal entry reads:
No. 127 born 28.2.1904 Elizabeth Maria Naested baptized 17.4.1904
Parents: Hans Michael Naested
Ellie Maria Nel
Witnesses: Louisa Naested
Paul Jacobus Nel
In this case we see an aunt and uncle from each side of the family as witnesses.
Bessie married a widower about 20 years older than her. Hermanus Johannes Moolman (1884-1946) was a farmer with 6 children from his first wife who had died in 1928. The oldest child of this marriage was only three years younger than Elizabeth. Hermanus and Elizabeth had two children before he died on the farm Grootpan Val, District Standerton. I have not attempted to research these children, but there are records of legal cases involving Hans Michael 'Mick' Naested Moolman dating from the 1950's and 60's in the Pretoria Archives. I am told that Bessie lived in Pretoria in the 60's with her son 'Mick', a pharmacist.
Bessie and Hermanus had two children:
5.3.1 Hans Michael 'Mick' Naested Moolman
5.3.2 Jacobus Johannes Moolman
5. 4 Phillip Jacobus Maxwell 1910 - married Erika Christiane Röhe 1917 there were no children
'Max' was born in Cradock and his baptismal entry from the DRC reads-
No. 85 Born 10.4.1910 Phillip Jacobus Maxwell Naested baptized 29.5.1910 In huis 8/-
Parents: Hans Michael Naested
Elsie Maria Nel
Witnesses: William Truber Robertson
Louisa Emily Sophia Naested
Once again Aunt Louise is a witness but his time her new husband, who she had married in 1908 is the other witness.
I am told that Max lived in Cradock for many years. He worked for a company called Cull & Kew and lived on a smallholding at Scanlen where he had a small dairy herd that produced milk for sale in Cradock. In 1954 at age 44 he married a divorcee, Erika Christiane Goetz-Belstedt (born Röhe) then aged 37, in Windhoek. The marriage didn't last and they were divorced in 1958 in Pretoria where he was apparently living. Although I have no death notice I was told he died in his late 60's in Pretoria.
5. 5 Louise Camilla Naested 1916 - married George Anderson 1910 - 1986
Louise was born about 6 months after her father died -
No.68 born 6.1.1916 Louise Camilla Naested baptized 12.2.1916
Parents: Hans Michael Naested
Ellie Maria Nel
Witnesses: Camilla Henriette Naested
Cornelius Johannes Nel
Gert Lourens Venter
She was named after her grandmother who was one of the witnesses. Very little is known about Louise Camilla. There is a record of her living with her mother at 66 Frere St Cradock in 1927, when she would have been 11. She had been married once when she met George Anderson, with whom she worked in the post office in Middelburg. He became Postmaster and they married but had no children. George Anderson was a Scot born in Aberdeen in 1910 who died in Middelburg in 1986.
6 Charlotte Louisa Camilla Naested 1872-1934
Hieronymus Gerard Cornelis Herman Bier 1865 - 1955
Charlotte Louisa Camilla Naested
Charlotte Louisa Camilla Naested was born in Cradock on 28th September 1872 and the record of her baptism is in the DRC archives-
No 28 born 28.9.1872 Charlotte Louisa Camilla Naested baptized 24.10. 1872
Father: Hans Michael Naested
Mother: Camilla Henriette Flemmer
Witness: Töger Abo August Flemmer
The witness was of course her uncle, then aged 30. Very little is known about Charlotte. She probably went to the new Rocklands Girls School. At age 19 she married the splendidly named Hieronymous Gerard Cornelius Herman Bier at the St. Peter's Anglican Church in Cradock on the 22nd June 1892. He was 24, a clerk from Bloemfontein.
All I know about this couple is what I have found in their death notices and estate papers in the Pretoria Archives.
Camilla died aged 61 in hospital in Lourenco Marques, Mozambique on 16th August 1934. Her estate consisted of a plot, erf 145 Jooste Street Pretoria that had been bought in 1920 for £775, and her beneficiaries were her four sons.
Hieronymous Bier was born in Bloemfontein on 28th April 1865, and died aged 89 at 71A Fifth Street La Rochelle Johannesburg, 21 years after his wife on 8th February 1955. His occupation is shown as schoolmaster and clerk, and his only possessions were personal clothing and an old tool chest.
The couple had four sons-
6.1 Gerhard Henry Johan Naested Bier b. 16 April 1893
6.2 Waldemar Michael Bier b. 6 August 1894
6.3 Herman Michael Bier b. 2 February 1906
6.4 Wilfrid Lionel Bier b. 18 April 1911
7 Valdemar Naested 1874 -
I know nothing about this child except his date of birth and the fact that he was baptized at the DRC in Cradock. I assume he died as a baby.
8 Louise Sophie Emilie Naested 1880 -
William Truber RobertsonLoiuse Sophie Emilie Naested
Louise was the last child born to Hans and Camilla Naested and was born 4th August 1880 in Cradock. The DRC baptismal register shows the following -
No. 125 born 4.8.1880 Louise Sophie Emilie Naested
Father: Hans Michael Naested
Mother: Camilla Henriette Flemmer
Witnesses: Betty Camilla Augusta Flemmer
Charlotte Maria Louisa Gilfillan
Edward Gilfillan
Here the witnesses are her grandmother and her aunt Charlotte Gilfillan (Flemmer) and Charlotte's husband.
Louise went to Rocklands Girl's High School and we are very fortunate to have a photograph of her aged 17 with her classmates in 1897.
Rocklands Girls School Cradock
She married relatively late for those times aged 27 on the 22nd April 1908. The wedding took place at St. Peter's in Cradock and she married the 29-year-old Assistant Resident Magistrate William Truter (or Truber) Robertson. The couple had at least one child
8. 1 Wilma Camilla Robertson 1909 -
I have found no other information on this branch of the family.
And that brings me to the end of the history of the Camilla Henriette Flemmer and the Naesteds in South Africa. I did find traces of other family members who I list here-
Violet Naested b 24. 1. 1903 married Liversage and married Vivian Sydney Maree in 1947
Don D. Naested of East London a stepson
John H. Naested of Harare
Pat Naested his sister
George Edward Naested also known as Godfrey Hamilton Naested
W. Naested who lived in Johannesburg
Jeff Naested who lives in UK
J.V. Naested who appears in a photograph at the Kimberley Africana Museum, taken in 1976 of the Snipers Course at the Daniel Theron Combat School
Kristoffer Naested who appears in the archives but is in fact Naestad - a Norwegian.
All of these people except the last must be related to the original Dane, Hans Michael Naested but I have not been able to bridge the gaps in this family's history.
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