Salomon Jacobus Petrus ERASMUS, b3c1d1e3f8

Notes:

On 1 February 1901, S J P Erasmus died. The Joint Will and Testament of Salomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus E.771 and Hester Susanna Erasmus (neé Oosthuÿhuizen) was drawn up in English on 4 May 1898. The details in the main are :
Allermanskraal No.46 left in equal part to Gert Cornelius Erasmus and Lourens Daniel Erasmus ; each of whom have to pay £200 to Susanna Salomina Vermaak (neé Erasmus)(deceased) and Cornelia Elizabeth Rudman (neé Erasmus)
Taaibosch No.43 left in value to Johanna Aletta Kotzee (neé Erasmus) and Hester Susanna Petronella Erasmus E.848
Ventersrust No.735 left to Hester Magdalena Potgieter (neé Erasmus)
Mainreef No.842 left to Solomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus who “may not sell, exchange, give or in anyway alienate or mortgage” and upon his death will transfer it to his natural children.
Lekkerlewen No.423 left to Abel Hermanus Christiaan Erasmus and Johannes Martinus Andries Erasmus ; each of whom have to pay £300 to Susanna Salomina Vermaak (neé Erasmus)(deceased) and Cornelia Elizabeth Rudman (neé Erasmus)
# with life-long usufruct on the farms to the surviving spouse and maintaining the full ownership of the estate and giving expression to full power of the Will only after the death of the last surviving
# with the survivor paying for the studies (in Theology) of Johannes Hermanus Erasmus out of the moveable portion of the estate
and, in the case of Allermanskraal, Lekkerlewen, Taaibosch and Ventersrust, the farms may be sold to strangers provided that they have been offered first to members of the family at market-related value an, in turn, declined
Erf No.91, in the town of Winburg bequeathed to each other mutually.
The value placed on the Estate was £10786.14.9. The first liquidation account was published on 14 August 1903, followed by one for £235.1.6 on 29 January 1906. The First Liquidation and Distribution Account is dated 9 January 1903; the final, the 29 January 1906.
This will was to cause great distress within the immediate and extended family. This related to a number of issues :
1.certain male beneficiaries had to find considerable sums of money to pay out female beneficiaries. Those that were left land with a responsibility for providing the cash to be disbursed experienced great hardship in an attempt to retain (as they were obliged to) the land; and clearly this led to disharmony. There was an insistence by beneficiaries in having land surveyed and subdivided, or neighbours in having lands fenced. In the absence of sufficient liquid assets, over two decades, these matters were referred repeatedly to the High Court of the Orange River Colony in Bloemfontein for resolution.
2.it was not viable to hold certain lands either in whole or subdivided, and permission had to be sought from the High Court to sell them - contrary to the terms of the will.
3.the manner in which monies and/or properties were managed and distributed on the death of certain named beneficiaries of the original will of E.771 led to dispute and, once again, a flight to law for a decision. This added to the sizable financial burden.
4.in the end, the considerable wealth of E.771 was essentially dissipated, being divided into almost trivial bequests of ever decreasing amounts.
With respect to these issues, the Kotzee family was not immune.
Johanna Aletta Kotzee K1669 death certificate was sworn on 4 July 1911 by J A Kotzee (father). She died intestate. She received one-fifth undivided portion of “Taaibosch” No.43 formerly owned by Salomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus E771. Life-long usufruct passed to Hester Susanna Erasmus (neé Oosthuÿhuizen).
Sarah Johanna Kotzee K1670 death certificate was sworn on 4 July 1911 by J A Kotzee (father). She died intestate. She received one-fifth undivided portion of “Taaibosch” No.43 formerly owned by Salomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus E771. Life-long usufruct passed to Hester Susanna Erasmus (neé Oosthuÿhuizen).
Johannes Albertus Kotzé K1855 died 17 November 1900. Sworn as dead on 5 May 1916 by S J P Kotze (brother). Here is found the first spelling of name as Kotzé. This child predeceased E771. There appears to have been no distribution from E771 in favour of this child and, through him, J A Kotzee (father).
Gert Cornelis Kotzé K1856 died 16 October 1900. Sworn as dead on 5 May 1916 by S J P Kotzé (brother). The first spelling of name as Kotzé. This child predeceased E771. There appears to have been no previous distribution from E771 in favour of this child and, through him, J A Kotzee (father).
In July 1909, Gordon Fraser and Mc.Hardy of Bloemfontein “are instructed” (by whom, not stated; but it was the Erasmus Family) to seek a ruling from the Master of the Supreme Court with regard to whether it was correct that J A Kotzee (spouse and father), at that time living with his “new” family at “Vrijheid” : P O Klippan, in the district Hopetown, had inherited a two part share of “Taaibosch” from his children K1669 & K1770 who were not mentioned in E771 and themselves died intestate after E771.
In 16 May 1911, Gordon Fraser and Mc.Hardy of Bloemfontein make application for the surrender of the Insolvent Estate of J A Kotzee K81. Sole assets quoted were the inheritances from Johanna Aletta Kotzee K1669 and Sarah Johanna Kotzee K1670. It was filed 8 November 1912. Outcome unknown.
Another (undated) document exists showing monies were recovered from K1670 and (father) Johannes Albertus Kotze. The outcome was payment of £77 to three survivors, brothers and sister.
Petrus Jacobus Kotzee applied for his inheritance ito. E771, E848, E379, K1669, K1670 on 7 August 1913 (age 21 yrs). (signatures “ Kotzee ”)
Hester Susanna Kotzé applied for her inheritance on 4 February 1915 (age 22 yrs). For the first time, the signature on the document reflects the spelling of the family name as being “ Kotzé ”. (signatures “ Kotzé ”)
Salmon Jacobus Petrus Kotzé b 20 April 1895 claimed his portion of this estate in 1916. It was granted once it was certified that his mother, aunt and four siblings were dead (E379; E848, K1669; K1670; K1836; K1855). Here again, the signatures on the documents reflect the spelling of the family name as being “ Kotzé ”.
Portions of “Taaibosch”, which had been “retrieved” for the minor children by the legal action of the Erasmus Family, were inherited by each of Petrus Jacobus Kotzee, Hester Susanna Kotzé (150 morgen) and Salmon Jacobus Petrus Kotzé (“Idalia” of 150 morgen). PJK later bought out his siblings. Until they reach majority, the Erasmus’s took full responsibility for these three children, PJK and SJPK being raised by their uncles Daan, Gert and Jan; and HSK by her redoubtable and greatly revered grandmother.
The deaths of Johanna Aletta Kotzee (neé Erasmus) E379 and Hester Susanna Petronella Erasmus E848, each of whom possessed their own property and inherited further from E771 added to this confusion.
I suspect that the action was brought against Johannes Albertus Kotzee (JAK : the father) through the Orphan Chamber by the Erasmus Family or one (or all) of the three surviving children, namely Petrus Jacobus Kotzee (Kotzé)(PJK : then 17 yrs), Hester Susanna Kotzee (then 16 yrs), Salmon Jacobus Petrus Kotzé (SJPK : then 14yrs), who were the only children mentioned in the death certificate of S J P Erasmus (SJPE) E771 and thus possibly thought to be the only ones alive on the date of his death, 1 February 1901. However, the girls, K1669 and K1670 were in the Brandfort camp as was PJK and SJPK. The death dates of K1669 and K1670 post-date that of E771 so one should think that, in terms of the wording of the will of SJPE E771, they should have inherited together with their surviving siblings and, through them (dying as they did intestate), their father.
It appears highly improbable that JAK, on enquiry of the Master of the High Court or the Orphan Chamber, misrepresented the dates of death on the certificates dated 4 July 1911 as the same death date for K1670 appears in the Brandfort camp register written in the same hand as the original family entry in the register. Thus, recovering monies from JAK, and, in the process, declaring him insolvent, would appear to have been an unfortunate decision.
INFORMATION RELATING TO FARMS MENTIONED IN VARIOUS DOCUMENTS IN RELATION TO THE FAMILY KOTZEE (KOTZé) OF WINBURG : including present day landmarks, registration numbers and magisterial districts

Death place of Gerhardus Petrus Kotzé
Address of Jacobus Kotzee when put in Brandfort CampKareeboomfontein No.8 (later No.261) district Winburg (1350 morgen)
To-day, Kareeboomfontein No.196 district Winburg (MR1)(MR2) and diminished in size.

In the Estate of Salomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus (E.771)
First distribution 9 January 1903; final and last 29 January 1906.

· Allermanskraal No. 46 district Winburg (3095 morgen)
Allermanskraal No.46 district Winburg (MR2) today forms the western sector of the Willem Pretorius National Park, that sector that lies west north and south of the dam Allermanskraal Dam wall (built 1960).
· Lekkerlewen No. 560 district Winburg (2900 morgen). Inherited half by Abel Hermanus Christiaan Erasmus and half by Johannes Marthinus Andries Erasmus E 381 (died 19 February 1900 in Laager Gen. Cronje, Battle of Paardenberg) and wife Catharina Elizabeth Erasmus (neé Oosthuÿhuizen) O.310, both of Erf 186, Ventersburg
Lekkerlewen No.3 district Ventersberg (MR2). Its consolidation with Ventersrust and Mainreef formed a sizable continuum.


Mainreef No. 842 district Winburg (750 morgen). Inherited by Salomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus, to be passed on to his six children. An application to the Supreme Court dated 9 April 1907 asks for this bequest to be waived and permission granted for a sale as the property is “useless” and “without water”.

Mainreef No.376 district Ventersburg (MR2). Inherited by Salomon Jacobus Petrus Erasmus, to be passed on to his six children. A application to the Supreme Court dated 9 April 1907 asks for this bequest to be waived and permission granted for a sale as the property as “useless” and “without water”, for the Orphan Chamber to hold the money until a better property could be identified for purchase. From MR2 it is evident that the viability of running this farm diminished immensely once access to the Rietspruit was denied by its separation from Ventersrust



Taaibosch No.43 district Winburg (1650 morgen)

To-day, Taaibosch No.43 district Winburg, now broken into Nos. 43, 1691 and Désirée 1653 (MR2) and originally continuous with Allermanskraal to the east. Diamond-bearing reef present.


Ventersrust No. 735 district Winburg (550 morgen) later owned by Jacobus Nicholas Potgietor (sic) (husband of Hester Magdaline Erasmus) who agreed to sell this with Mainreef to make a viable purchase for a future owner.

Ventersrust No.325 district Ventersberg, later farmed by Jacobus Nicholas Potgietor (sic), husband of Hester Magdaline Erasmus and who, together with his mother-in-law Hester Susanna Erasmus (neé Oosthuÿhuizen) who had life-long usufruct on the farm, agreed to sell this with Mainreef to make a viable purchase for a future owner.



Owned by J J van den Bergh, neighbourKleinfontein, neighbouring farm to Ventersrust and Lekkerlewen. Land exchanged between JJ vd B and S J P Erasmus with regard to “London” (see below) to facilitate efficiencies, with a portion of “London” belonging to the estate and later needing consolidation with Ventersrust and Lekkerlewen.


To-day, Kleinfontein No.210 district Ventersberg (MR2), now Nos. 134 and 210(sic), neighbouring farm to Ventersrust and Lekkerlewen. Land exchanged between JJ vd B and S J P Erasmus (cadastral lines 36(6) London, 61 New York, 3 Paris, 136 unnamed) to facilitate efficiencies. These portions of the farms belonging to the estate later needed formal consolidation with Ventersrust and Lekkerlewen.



Owned by Gerhardus Cornelius Oosthuÿhuizen
“Nooitgedacht in district Winburg”


Nooitgedacht No.2 in district Winburg (MR2), owned by Gerhardus Cornelius Oosthuÿhuizen, northerly neighbour of Taaibosch, is now broken into No. 2 and No. 1483.


Owned jointly by Johannes Albertus Kotzee and Johanna Aletta Erasmus

* Afgunspan (1891) district Winburg

* Bultpan (1901) No. 336 district Hoopstad (1200 morgen)


To-day, Bultpan No.336 district Wesselbron (MR3) and very much smaller in comparison to MR1.


Johannes Albertus Kotzee living here when declared insolvent in 1911/12

* Vrijheid : P O Klippan district Hopetown


To-day, Vrijheid No.199 district Hopetown (MR3). Klippan No.410 district Hopetown, north of Doornbult and westerly subdivision of Doornplaat No.30. The post-office (post-restante) was open between 1904 and 1922 (MR1)(MR3).


Map references used in research at the offices of the Surveyors-General, Cape Town and Bloemfontein :
MR1 Hopetown, Boshoff, Winburg, Military Field Intelligence Dept, Cape Town 1900

MR2 No.2826 Winburg : Pretoria 1959

MR3 No.2726 Kroonstad : Pretoria 1966

MR4 No.2826 Winburg : Pretoria 1986

Died:
Death notice of his wife gives 10.6.1900. Estate file E771

Family/Spouse: Hester Susanna -OOST(E)HUI(S)(Z)E(N) OOSTHUYSE(N). Hester was born about Apr 1842; died on 1 Sep 1922 in Winburg, O.F.S., South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Salomon married Hester Magdalena COMBRIN(C)K on 2 Apr 1849 in Uitenhage, Cape, South Africa, and was divorced. Hester and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Salomon married Hester Magdalena COMBRIN(C)K on 2 Apr 1849 in Uitenhage, Cape, South Africa, and was divorced. Hester and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]