Helena Elisabeth (van der Merwe) du Plessis (abt. 1755 - 1834)

Born about 25 Mar 1755 in Drakenstein, de Caep de Goede Hoop

Ancestors

Wife of Jan Abraham du Plessis — married 9 Apr 1780 in Tulbagh, de Caep de Goede Hoop

Descendants

Died 1 Jan 1834 at about age 78 in Tulbagh, Cape Province, South Africa

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Helena (van der Merwe) du Plessis was part of the settlement of the Dutch Cape Colony. Join: Cape of Good Hope - Kaap de Goede Hoop (1652-1806) Project Discuss: dutch_cape_colony

Biography

Houdenbek Slave Revolt 1825

One her ex-slaves, Pamela, was sold to the van de Merwe family at the Houdenbek farm. There, Pamela got into a relationship with Galant, the slave who later lead the revolt^[1]. In the written report of the trial at Worcester, we read that Pamela came from the 'Breede Rivier' farm, and hence that this was where Abraham du Plessis was based.

Slave Owner

In 1816, the Cape Colony authorities instituted slave registers, by District^[2]. This was to regulate slavery, end excesses, and prevent 'free blacks' and 'hottentots', and 'prize blacks' from becoming enslaved. When her husband died, she inherited his list of registered slaves (see his profile for details).

Sources

1. ↑ Space:Houdenbek Slave Revolt 1825, with a list of relevant wikitree profiles at Houdenbek Slave Revolt 1825 category
2. ↑ Space:Slave Owners and Slaves in South Africa

• Oude Kaapsche Familien