Our family connections - Ons familie verwantskappe

In the spring of 1861, tensions between the northern and southern United States over issues including state's right versus federal authority, westward expansion and slavery exploded into the American Civil War.

The South African Republic (Dutch: Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, ZAR), often referred to as the Transvaal and sometimes as the Republic of Transvaal, was an independent and internationally recognised country in Southern Africa from 1852 to 1902.

The Orange Free State (Dutch: Oranje-Vrijstaat, Afrikaans: Oranje-Vrystaat) was an independent Boer sovereign republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province.

The Eureka Diamond was the first diamond discovered in South Africa. It weighed 21.25 carats (4.250 g), and was found by Erasmus Jacobs near Hopetown on the Orange River in 1867. The diamond, cut to a 10.73-carat (2.146 g) cushion-shaped brilliant, is currently on display at the Mine Museum in Kimberley. The discovery of diamonds in South Africa led to the Kimberley Diamond Rush, and marked the beginning of the Mineral Revolution.

In 1881 gold in the Barberton area was discovered by Tom McLachlan who found alluvial gold at Jamestown. However due to the location (the hot lowveld region was rife with malaria) no-one wanted to go there until Auguste Roberts (French Bob) discovered gold in Concession Creek in 20 June 1883. This discovery resulted in a gold rush to the area.

Discovery of the Main Reef in Witwatersrand. Gold rushes to Pilgrim's Rest and Barberton were precursors to the biggest discovery of all, the Main Reef/Main Reef Leader on Gerhardus Oosthuizen's farm Langlaagte, Portion C, in 1886, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the subsequent rapid development of the gold field there, the biggest of them all.