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A summary of
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When I first started this family tree project, never did I guessed that I would be able to go so far back in tracing my family’s roots, and all in such a short time. My good fortune lies in the fact that because of my Dutch heritage, there are many records still available for research, thanks probably to the meticulous nature of the Dutch, especially when it came to keeping records. The result, a direct line of family history going back to before 1677 - more than 323 years and 11 generations of family history!Dennis DeWitt
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THE MAIN LINKS |
My family history begins with a person named Willem de Wit from the Dutch colony in New York, New Nederlands (USA). He had a son named Jan de Wit who was born there in 1677. In 1700, Jan de Wit left the American Dutch colony from Norfolk, sailing for another Dutch colony in Cape Town, South Africa.We know that Jan de Wit was from a prominent family as we have managed to find the coat-of-arms and seal used by him. In South Africa, he was married and thus began the first of 4 generations of my ancestors there.In 1816, a South African ‘Boer’ by the name of Petrus Johannes de Wit, a descendant of Jan de Wit, decided to leave his ancestral home to sail for another small Dutch colony in the Indies then called “Malakka”. When he arrived, he was first employed only as a clerk but he soon married a daughter of a prominent local Dutch burgher. Later, Petrus became a merchant, but unfortunately he died young, at Batavia (now called Jakarta). His children survived him, and thus began the lineage for the “DeWitt family of Melaka”.It was also discovered that the family name was changed from “de Wit” to “DeWitt” (or slight variations thereof) at the time of the second generation of DeWitts in Melaka. So far, from the first ancestor to arrive in Melaka to the youngest descendent, my daughter Avery, there have been 7 generations of family members here in Malaysia. |
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Melaka/Malacca Dutch Eurasians
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Progenitor in South Africa
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The Dutch settlement
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Jan de Wit, of Stanton White, Norfolk was born in New York, Nieuw Nederland [ie. now New York, USA] in 1677. Arrived [at Cape of Good Hope] in 1700, died in April 1755. Jan was married on 20.3.1707 to Maria, "voordogter" [daughter from a previous marriage or relationship] of Anna Pieters, of Batavia. Learn more about Jan de Wit.A Family Legend
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Petrus Johannes DeWitt (born 1716 in South Africa), son of Jan de Wit and the first generation of De Wits born in South Africa, and the grandfather to Petrus Johannes De Wit who first arrived in Melaka, was a farmer and member of various Public Associations. From his parents he inherited the farm Stellenberg and he became the first exporter of "aloe juice". Initially he monopolized this trade but later other farmers were also allowed to export it. Find out more.See a transcript and translation of a 25 page document which constitudes the last will and testament of Petrus Johannes de Wit and Aletta Jacoba Blankenberg of South Africa made on 7th October 1756 (amended 1st Spetember 1779). Find out about the property and the slaves they owned. Learn about the family's connection with one of Britian's famous historical figure, Clive of India. Find out more. |
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At the age of 23 years, Petrus Johannes de Wit (born 1796 in South Africa, the progenitor of the DeWitts of Melaka) married Jacobina Elizabert Koek, the daughter of a prominent Dutch figure in Melaka, Adriaan Koek. Petrus must have made quite an impression of himself on the local Dutch community in Melaka then, if he was able to marry one of the daughters of Adrian Koek. Learn more about the the prominent Melaka Dutch Burgher Adriaan Koek and his family. |
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The Victorian Cross |
Albert DeWitt died in Mesopotamia during the war there while serving the British Army. He was said to have been given a medal of honour for his deeds of galantry in the military. The medal was kept by the family of John Charles DeWitt. However, the medal which was said to be in a shape of a cross was lost during the Japanese occupation in Malaya during the Second World War. To avoid persecution from the Japanese Imperial Army, the British medal was buried at the family residence.Was the medal that was said to be in a shape of a cross, actually was the Victorian Cross? Find out more. |
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Visit our Links to other recommended genealogy resource web sites and other useful web sites. |
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View our list of documents of historical value pertaining to the DeWitt family. |
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See the list of Gravestone Inscriptions for departed family members. |
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Visit our updated Timeline. It gives a comparison of events on World, Local and DeWitt Family history. |
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Reflections - a tribute to Mr & Mrs Frank de Witt contributed by their son, by Mr. Jerry de Witt from Perth, Australia. However, there is still the question about the nickname of Frank de Witt that has not been satisfactorily answered. |
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe information here would have been impossible without the invaluable help of three very important persons. The first is my late father, Mr. Albert Horace DeWitt, who with his guidance and encouragement has cultivated my interest on the history of my family. Also my uncle, Mr. Aloysius E. Robless, and last but not least is my cousin, Mr. Christopher Pereira .Our special thanks also goes out to Gerda Pieterse from South Africa, Herman Oomen from the Netherlands, Faith Roberts from Hong Kong, Clive Skelchy from Melbourne, Australia and Barry Pereira from Singapore for their invaluable assistance in making my family project a success. |
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