Melck

TEN GENERATIONS
IN
SOUTH AFRICA
 Crest

MARTIN MELCK I
Martin signature + seal
FAMILY TREE
Parents Jürgen and Catarina
Martin born 20 October 1723

• Ship’s captain in Memel, East

Prussia (now Klaipeda,
Lithuania)
• Martin chose the land and went
to study in Riga. Became a
stonemason/builder.
• Why did he go to the cape?
• Von Rhenen
The Dutch East India Company

• Sailed from Texel, Netherlands

on 21 April 1746
• Left behind cool and wet East
Prussia, winters -2 to -40 C.
• Arrived Simon’s Bay 26 June
1746
• Though officially a mercenary,
he worked at Elsenburg as a
foreman. Then to the
Stellenbosch silver mine.
The Dutch East India Company
• Then employed by Jacob
Cloete, an influential settler.
• Discharged after four years to
become a free “Burgher”,
bought two farms.
• Married Anne Hop, former
master’s widow, at 29.
• She was 34, an enormous
change for him
• Elsenburg.
 Life in the Cape
• Change of fortune,
comparison.
• Children: only one son and
one daughter.
• Klapmuts signal post chief
• Flooding diversion Eerste
Rivier
• Property in Cape Town
• Ten farms and two loan
• Farms in Stellenbosch
 Life in the Cape
Capetown properties
• Lutheran Church and
Governer Rijk Tulbach
• Vice Admiral Stavorinus,
• Silver “Moeder Kerk”
• Death of Anne 1776, Nelson
visits Cape.
Martin Melck II/III
• Born 25.10.1761
• Married Anna Kriel
• Martin Melck III only child born
1787
• Martin Melck II dies same year.
• Anna Kriel re-marries, Kirsten
Martin Melck II/III
• Disaster strikes, some
horses acquired.
• Martin III marries Anne van
Reenen
• Family now settled at
Kersefontein
5 GENERATION
th
 Martin Melck IV
• Born 1821, only child
• Married Maria Myburgh of
Meerlust.
• Large family 12 surviving
children
• Resident at Kersefontein
• Duckitts
• Farms and families. Melck
clan grows.
Kersefontein today

• Near Hopefield on
the Berg river
MARTIN V
 5th Generation
• 12 surviving siblings
• 5 marry Duckitts of Esher Surrey
• Rijk and Albert my grandfather.
• All boys inherit or are bought farms
• The family grows
MARTIN MELCK VI
• Marriage #1 Myra Smuts.
• Sons Martin VII and Pieter
WW2. Moira, Punks Carolin.
Wargrave
• Marriage #2 Elise Duckitt
Martin Melck VI
 Martin Melck VII/VIII
• Septimus was a character
• In Cape Town and
• In the “Sandvelt”
• Son Octavius did not marry
• He died young.
• Brother Julian now runs
• Kersefontein
Rijk Melck 80th
Where do we come from?
One theory:
• Austria
• Counter reformation
• Melk Abbey
• Originally spelt
MELCK
 Stift Melk

• The Abbey is situated above

the Danube dates back to 980
AD
From Austria to Meml?
Theory proposed by museum
director during 1979 visit:
• During the counter- reformation
Lutherans had to convert to
Catholicism or sell up and leave
• Many chose to leave and set off
for East Prussia. The rest, as
they say, is history
Pa, Ma and Cape crayfish.
• Circa 1957 at Seaspray
Ronnie Melck

SFW and Muratie

9th Generation,My grandsons Jas, Ivan
and Antoni
Prof Antony Melck(8th) with Gudrun,son
Gustav(9th) Marisa and Marike (10th)
 OLD SAYING
• LIKE POTATOES THE
BEST ARE BELOW
GROUND.

• THANK YOU