Person:Antony Van Bengale (1)

Anthony was the first free black (mardijker) in the Cape. He bought property after being freed as a slave. After his and Catharine's death he left his stepson, Christoffel Snyman, a sizeable estate that provided for his education and a substantial inheritance.

A number of sources mistakenly makes Anthony the farther of Christoffel Snyman. This might be because Christoffel on 8 April 1691 referred to himself as "als universele erfgenaam mijn Vader Anthonie van Bengale... in zyn leven mede vry borger alhier".

Subsequent research however proved that Anthony was Christoffel's stepfather and that his real farther was the soldier Hans Christoffel Snijder.

1.   Kobus Snyman. Die Snyman Familie in Suid Afrika. (August 2006 ISBN:0-620-36538-2)
   Introduction.
2.   Various. South African Stamouers website. (http://www.stamouers.com)
   Catharina van Bengale.
3.   M Upham. In Hevigen Woede:Groote Catrijn: Earliest Recoded Female Bandiet at the Cape of Good Hope. (Study in Upward Mobility by Capenis published as part of a series in September 1997).