THE SWISS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 1652-1970 - swissroots-za.ch

Revel’s assistant, a local woman who had done her goodhearted best, assisted by her
husband the hangman. Revel was very ill as a result of his bout of intemperance and
from that time onward foreswore temptation and the acquaintance of his temptor, whom
he described as le vilain cuisinier du General Dundas (a very second rate cook who had
brought the wine – possibly with evil intent born of envy?). From then on he is reported
as cooking to perfection; calamity never again occurred at the hands of the penitent
Revel.
/ Fairbridge: Lady Anne Barnard at the Cape,
Gritz, Francois origin, place and date of birth not known. According to Swiss Family
Name Book might originate from Canton Fribourg. Recorded 7.11.1797 as passenger on
a home-bound ship temporarily in Cape Town. / KAB, BO 195-6.
Staufer, Albert, Swiss?, place and date of birth not known. 1800 resident at 18 Boom
Street. / Cape Almanac 1800.
Orffer, Christiaan born Bönigen near Interlaken BE 28.1.1773, son of Ulrich Urfer
and Maria born Seiler, died 23.9.1831 at Paardeberg near Malmesbury.
Christiaan arrived from England on the English ship Ladoiska on 2.6.1800, during the
first British occupation, and found work as a carpenter. 1 1811-1813 Town carpenter 2
and 1812-1816 first firewarden then inspector of fire engines. 3
Eventually he lived in Leeuwe Street where he had a workshop and like a true Swiss
kept a cow. 4 This single cow did not however satisfy his farming instincts. In 1814 he
applied to the government for a grant of land. 5 This was unsuccessful but around 1817
he nevertheless moved out into the country in search of a place where he might live his
life to the full. At Paardeberg north of Paarl he met a lovely girl , Susanna Hendrina van
Dyk, baptised at Paarl 31.1.1790. When, soon after, he obtained grazing rights on a farm
in the Cold Bokkeveld near the top of Gydo’s Pass, he married her 6 and started a family.
They had two sons and a daughter who were baptised at the Tulbagh church.
Orffer had been farming for about ten years, not very successfully, when he found
himself in financial difficulties. His creditor obtained a Supreme Court judgement
against him and on 28.10.1828 the Deputy Sheriff of Worcester was sent out to auction
all his possessions. At a court case 7 held after certain turbulent happenings at the
auction, the Deputy Sheriff testified that on his arrival at Orffer’s house, Orffer had
confirmed that he could not pay the amount owing in cash, whereupon he being under
necessity to proceed with the auction, requested Orffer to hand over the Certificates of
Registration of all his slaves – which he did except that of the female slave Spasie,
whom he would not allow to be sold, claiming she was free-born.
The Deputy first sold the oxen and horses, then the few articles of household and
farming implements and finally the slaves. When he called for Spasie to present herself
to the bidders, Orffer ordered her away into the bushes on pain of death, supported
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