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• Settlers home page
• A brief history of Grahamstown
• Notes on Wedderburn Settlers
• Mandela's speech re-dedication of the 1820 Grahamstown Settlers Monument, 1996
• A history of the Wedderburn name  
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GRW Introduction

GRW Chapter 1

GRW Chapter 2

GRW Chapter 4

GRW Chapter 5

GRW Chapter 6

GRW Chapter 7

CHAPTER THREE

As before stated, long trains of tented bullock wagons ere daily arriving to convey the settlers to their appointed locations in the interior, while their places were immediately occupied by fresh contingents disembarking from the vessels in the bay. After a fortnight’s delay, we find that the Wedderburn family have had the wagons detailed off for conveying them to their destination, as also other members of Geo. Smith’s party, among whom were the Walkers, Longs, Hayes and Buckley families.

Each family had two wagons appointed off for them and, when all was ready, loaded up with such agricultural implements, household effects, furniture and provisions, the long teams of oxen, driven by the Dutch farmers, with their Hottentot leaders, started off on the journey in the direction of the Zwartkops River, which they reached late in the afternoon, at a point near to where the village of Redhouse now stands, and here, beneath the spreading indigenous trees that skirted the river bank, the Camp bivouacked for the night. The wagons are drawn up in various comfortable nooks, the oxen are tied fast and camp fires are kindled, their ruddy glare contrasting pleasantly with the cold light of the moon which casts into deepest shadow the wild recesses of bush and brake, inducing many a furtive glance from the more timid of the settlers who see an elephant, a buffalo or a lion in every tree stump or stone.

The distance travelled on the first day was not great, for the lumbering ox wagons and slow moving oxen travel about three miles an hour along the heavy, unmade roads and there is a halt made at midday, for several hours, so that the travellers are not much fatigued, but were greatly interested at the novelty of the journey. If one had gone round to the various camp fires, what eager discussion he would have heard on this new land whither the settlers had come: what anxious speculations, what sanguine hopes, what noble plans, what great anticipation, for all were hopeful and enthusiastic.

With the dawn next morning, the convoy was on the move. Amounting, as it did, to something like 40 wagons, it presented an imposing spectacle, as it negotiated, first of all, the drift crossing the Zwartkops River, then wended its way up the steep hill leading up to the higher plateau and thence onwards to the Sundays River, which was safely crossed and up the Addo heights, until they reached Quagga’s Flats, where they camped for the night.

The interest of the journey increased with every novel experience and each new discovery, while preconceived notions and depression, hastily formed amid the dismal surroundings of Algoa Bay, were dissipated by the improved appearance of the country at each successive stage of the journey. Soon the travellers became accustomed to the nightly serenade of hyena and jackal, also the steep declines and crashing jolts over the rough roads and it speaks well for the ladies of the parties, many of them highly refined and unused to this crude form of travelling, that there is no record of their having taken these primitive conditions amiss, but all appear to have been disposed rather to make light of their difficulties.

The country they were travelling through and which they were about to occupy and colonise, had been recently overrun by Kaffir hordes. These had been cleared out and driven across the Great Fish River by the British and Colonial troops, leaving the land a wilderness. The area to be occupied was the undulating slopes of the Zuurveld, extending fifty or sixty miles along the coast, between the Bushman’s River and the Great Fish River, and was backed by the Zuurberg Range of mountains, about forty or fifty miles from the sea.

Leaving the Quagga Flats on the following morning, the convoy moved off in the direction of Rietvlei and later reached the Bushman’s River, whose steep and precipitous banks presented a formidable proposition to negotiate; but Dutch farmers were quite equal to the arduous and dangerous task, having  to attach a riem-schoen to the hind wheels during the descent – for there were no brakes on the wagons in these early days – which had to be released when the water’s edge was reached and, with much cracking of their long, unwieldy whips and the unintelligible jargon of the drivers while urging the oxen through the deep and swift flowing river and then up the steep bank of the drift crossing, the wagons were safely hauled up the declivity, reaching their camping ground, on what was later known as Woodbury, the farm of Mr Joseph Gush, MLA for Albany, and here, beneath the spreading branches of mimosa trees that studded the countryside, they spent the night.

The next morning saw the camp early astir and moving off, in regular formation, supported by the menfolk, who usually did the trekking on foot to give more room in the wagons for the womenfolk and children. The convoy soon passes Dassie Klip, a particularly rough and rocky bit of road, and also dangerous, then over the “neck” through the bush-clad hills skirting the Komgha River, then onward past Nazaar, until they reached Seven Fountains, where two of the earlier parties had already been located, viz. Norman’s and Capt. Butler’s.

The emigrants had, by this time, changed their views considerably regarding the country and were charmed at many of the aspects that had presented themselves during the journey, one of which was, owing to recent rains, the verdure had been enriched and, in parts, the veld resembled a cornfield in its early stages and, enlivened as it was by herds of hartebeest, quagga, springbok and other wild game.

There was, however, a shadow laid on part of the pleasant picture, to counteract the idea that the Elysian plains had been reached, in the shape of two or three blackened and ruined farms of the Dutch colonists – sad reminders of the recent Kaffir War and the possibilities and uncertainties of the future.

It may be mentioned here that, owing to some disagreement with George Smith, the head of the party, the members petitioned the authorities, before leaving Algoa Bay, to supercede him and appoint, in his place, our great grandfather, Christopher Wedderburn, as head of this party and, to this the Lieut. Governor, Sir Rufane Donkin, agreed, so that the responsibility of supervising the arrangements of the trek rested entirely on his shoulders, assisted by one or two very capable lieutenants and they appear to have acquitted themselves satisfactorily, for the remainder of the journey was completed without incident, passing, en route, the location, at Salem, where the Sephton party were settled; and there it was that the Rev William Shaw founded the Weslyan Methodist Church in “South Eastern Africa”. The convoy continued on its way from there by way of Kariega and Clumber and thence on to Green Fountain, near the Kleinmonde River, beyond the Kowie, and here it was the party were to be located.

The portion assigned to Great Grandfather was a 100 acre plot, added to which there was a 100 acre plot given to his son William who, being about twenty years of age, was termed a settler and entitled to a plot or holding.

Thus the family settled down to the new conditions of life in this new – to them – country of their adoption with a firm resolve, with their Heavenly Father’s help, not only to make the best of it, under the crude and somewhat primitive and unfamiliar methods prevailing in those early days, and also to make a success of the venture on which they had embarked.

The first thought, on arrival, was to pitch their tents and load off all the goods and chattels from the wagons and make themselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit – anything would be found satisfactory after the rough journey, with its cramped and restricted accommodation within the precincts of their small tent on the wagon, and also the continuous jolting, as they travelled over the unmade tracks during the journey.

One of the young Dutchman accompanying the convoy, a very handy and useful fellow, was engaged  to assist in  the erection of a dwelling house and it was not many weeks before the walls of wattle and daub, with a substantial thatched roof, was erected near the fountain after which the farm had been named; and so well was the work carried out that, as late as 1846, just prior to the War, the old building was still  standing, being used as a store room and granary. The house of three rooms and kitchen completed, the next work to be undertaken was ploughing the lands and sowing the crops but, owing to inexperience in planting, these were not a success in the first year, more especially as they were sown on the virgin soil, but these improved as time went on and, in the course of a few years, good crops were reaped, despite the fact that rust in the wheat played great havoc and ruined the crop; but mealies and pumpkins, potatoes and various other vegetables did remarkably well, so that the settlers were able to tide over the years when severe hardships dogged the footsteps, at every turn, of the colonists all over the settlement.

Great Grandfather soon found, when his crops were a failure, that another branch of farming might be made a more profitable one and that was the breeding of cattle and dairying. He had, shortly after his arrival, purchased a small herd of Afrikander cattle from one of the Dutch colonials and, in the course of a few years, these had grown into a considerable number. Great Grandmother soon became well known on the Grahamstown market as the producer of the best butter and cheese in the district and always commanded excellent prices. The old cheese press, a wooden one, was made on the farm and was used for very many years and her butter press had a distinctive “star” for moulding the butter pats and this became a well-known mark for prospective buyers on the market for the purchasing of a first class article.  Thus, in the course of time, Great Grandfather became one of the leading farmers of the Bathurst District.

A few years later, about the year 1826, William, the eldest son, decided to give up farming and moved to Grahamstown which, by this time, had become a town on considerable importance, being the military headquarters of the East Province and the centre of a considerable amount of commercial activity, as also the seat of the magistracy, which had been removed there from Bathurst and it was there that young William established a business, which later assumed large proportions, and which was known, for many years throughout the settlement, as “Wedderburn’s Emporium”, which he conducted with much success.  Great Grandfather, having purchased the plot from William, had also purchased three other plots, or holdings, from settlers who found them too small to carry on farming operations, so that, by 1830, he had acquired quite a nice little farm of 500 acres, added to which he had grazing rights over, what was called the Commonage and held quite a prominent position amongst the farming community of Bathurst district.

Great Grandfather’s second son, George had, by this time, become his father’s right hand man. He was aged twenty years and has been described as a very active and capable young fellow and, a few years later, was taken in as partner in his father’s farming operations.

But, we are anticipating events rather hurriedly and must retrace our chronicle of them to the year 1821 for, on November 12th of that year, there was born to Charles Thomas Croft and his wife Mary (née Hancock), a little daughter, in their little stone cottage in Salem. This cottage is now only marked by a ruined wall just above the house, later owned by Mr Chas Butt. To this little girl they gave the name of Mary and, as we shall see later, she was destined to become a very important member of the Wedderburn family.

So, events moved along at the well established and hospitable home of the Wedderburns at Green Fountain, sunshine and shadow, intermingled with joy and sorrow such as everyone experiences in the course of years – this was what they met with but an indomitable courage and fortitude enabled them to overcome the troublous and distressing times of these early days.

A great sorrow befell the old home on 7 August 1829, when the second daughter, Elizabeth, was called away to her heavenly home and the dear one, aged 18, a sweet and lovable character, was laid to rest in the quiet churchyard at Bathurst, on 10 August 1829. (The officiating minister being the Rev. James Barrow).

William, as before mentioned, left the farm and went into business at Grahamstown and later married Martha Patrick, a daughter of Benjamin Patrick, one of Sephton’s party, about the year 1829, by whom he had three sons, William, John and Christopher and two daughters, Ann and Esther, to whom reference will be made later.

Many amusing incidents have been related as having occurred during Great Grandfather’s residence at Green Fountains, one of which would indicate what a variety of alarms they were subjected to. On one occasion, the household was awakened by the sound of trumpeting during the night and Great Grandfather suggested the possibility of its being the Heavenly Trumpets announcing the end of the World and the Day of Judgement. He, therefore, assembled the family in the living room and, after reading a portion from the old bible, proceeded to commit themselves into the keeping of their Heavenly Father and await the coming of our Saviour, only to find, next morning that a herd of elephants had passed through the lands and played havoc with the mealie crops, hence their trumpeting  and, we suppose, had a glorious time consuming much of succulent stalks of the young mealies. Another incident which shows how the old settlers had always to be on the alert in view of the constant raids that were carried on by the Kaffirs across the Fish River, which were usually attended with depredations of the settlers’ stock and often led to armed reprisals, if not open warfare. It happened one night after the family had retired, that a native herd came and gave a terrific shout, telling Great Grandfather that there was fighting on one of the adjoining farms, for he could hear shouting and the discharge of firearms. The family was assembled in the living room and the doors and windows barricaded and the two old muskets and an old revolvers were got ready and loaded and, in this suspense, they awaited the oncoming raiders. Shots and shouts were certainly heard, added to which there was much bellowing of the cattle in the kraal and sounds, as if the store room, some little distance away, was being burnt down and thus, the family waited until the dawn, no-one daring to go outside in case the raiders would be lying in wait to kill the unfortunate settlers who dared to do so. However, Grandfather George was the first to emerge from the house when, to his astonishment, he found the store room intact and the kraal still full of cattle – nothing had happened, except that, on making enquiries at one of the neighbouring farms, he discovered that a number of young settlers had just returned from one of these armed reprisals and, in their jubilation at having recovered their stolen cattle, were celebrating the event in the manner referred to – firing off muskets and shouting – and this was what the Wedderburn household were kept awake for much of the night, to their discomfort, but not a little grateful that the cause was as above stated. Amusing, but not a little disconcerting.