Welkom Cuzzins NewsLetter for those of you not on our Geni SA FB site: http://www.facebook.com/groups/243811932355680/243812019022338/

Private User draws our attention to a Useful new web-site - Records and Resources - an online repository & secondary sources relevant to family & social history research in Southern Africa, with the goal of making it simple & keeping it free.
http://www.recordsandresources.com/joomla25/

Lee Cahill posted another: This is an excellent resource for information about the Anglo-Boer War (aka South African War) concentration camps - hosted and managed by UCT. It includes a search facility that provides access to exceptionally comprehensive information about individual prisoners.
http://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/

Very big news is Private User' setting up of a FB page for:
The virtual branch of the Genealogical Society of South Africa.
http://www.facebook.com/virtual.eggsa

Geni made our own Oscar Pistorius profile of the day during the Olympics http://www.geni.com/blog/profile-of-the-day-oscar-pistorius-376491.... (which Private User covered on a day to day update basis for all of us) - adding a couple of names to our Famous South Africans project: http://www.geni.com/projects/Famous-South-Africans/3516

Louis Elwin Lauritz Müssmann got help finding his ancestry linked to Genl. Jacobus Herculaas (Koos) de la Rey

Thanks to Henry Doubell, c5 adding his family, we made some progress on the Doubell family project: http://www.geni.com/projects/Doubell-genealogy-of-South-Africa/5662

Then Andrew Grundlingh b8c7d1e1f11g5 added a mystery that sounds like a good book in the making. He was bemoaning the lack of info about the Shipwreck of the ‘Elephant’ (1750) - A Danish ship commanded by Captain Andries Evertsz Grimstra. Run ashore close to Gourits River while on a homeward-bound voyage from Tranquebar, India on 8 August 1750. She was trying to reach Mossel Bay, but was wrecked on purpose in an effort to save the lives of the desperately sick crew. No lives were lost; the crew of 65 walked to Cape Town.(• Cape Archives, V.C.29)

When I professed ignorance, he chided me: “Come-on cus, one of the survivors was one of your proginators, Johannes David Griesel, SV/PROG.

This is Andrew’s problem: “I've been battling to get hold of the ships manifest in Copenhagen, but no luck so far. Even a Dane was/ is still trying. There is very little info available locally, according to an archivist at the Cape Town Archives.
The ship Elephant/Elefant was a Dutch ship under command of Capt Andries Everts Grimsta in the employ of the Danes and plied between Copenhagen and the Danish colony at Tranquebar. [Google: Impressions Tranquebar] The ship it self was carrying a crew of 65 (no mention of passengers) on its way to Copenhagen when due to illness on board the Capt decided to ground the ship at Gouritzmond. The crew then walked to Capetown, according to the Diaz Muzeum at Mosselbay. One of the crew was Johannes David Grootschell, Later named Griesel. According to research done by Dr Anthony Turton's brother, Johannes was baptized in Copenhagen on 11.5.1740, the same year he was born, [Google: A South African Diary: Contested Identity Dr Anthony Turton, page 39]
Hope someone will find that church for the Griesel/Griessel family. Of couse, the Griessel could've been Gressel, they also settled in the northern Cape amongst the Griesels, Willemses and Lootse”

Anyone interested in researching and writing the bestseller? I know we have acouple of potential writers amongst us - Private User is one who comes to mind, but you must see Daan Botes stretch out a yarn if you give him half a chance :-)

Then our other great granny, Krotoa 'Eva' of the Goringhaicona, got her face on a stamp: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.452283494816596.119029.186..., and Private User, Private User & I were just glad that they hadn’t used the ‘doek’ picture that Daan Botes had felt demeaned her status on Geni. (Dit is ‘n ander storie about how we photoshopped many many prente of her before Daan felt she had had justice done to her full potential. Personally, I think Lea’s version would have been better on the stamp altogether.)

After all this, and also a long discussion Krotoa 'Eva' of the Goringhaicona#/tab/discussion on how politically incorrect her history could be on her profile: Daan’s comment on the stamp was this “ Looks much better - must have inherited her tan. Would this improve my chances for a land claim on some of the properties near the Castle!”

We told him it would improve his chances of getting into Robben Island – Eva Krotoa’s other home. ;-)