Person:Gerrit Jansen Van Vuren (1)

Was known in the town of Vuren only as Gerrit. If he were to be distinguished from other persons by the same name he was called Gerrit Janszoon to identify him as the son of Jan (the shortened version of his farther name Johannes).

Gerrit emigrated to the Cape in 1687. His reasons for the leaving the Netherlands are not known but on the website "Water in Vuren" (see «u»http://www.waterinvuren.nl/«/u») it is mentioned that at the beginning of 1680 the town experienced high levels of poverty. This is said to have been mainly due to a widespread "watersnoden" (flooding) and damage caused to the area by the French in 1672 during the Third Anglo -Dutch War (1672 to 1674). Perhaps Gerrit emigrated to the Cape to escape these circumstances.

Gerrit and arrived on the Southern tip of Africa in September 1687 on board of one of the following ships: "De Lek, Waterland, de Grote Visserie" or the " t'Rad van Aventure". About 50 persons on board the above ships requested Commandant Van Der Stel to stay on in the Cape as farmers. Most of the requests were denied and only 17 persons allowed to stay behind. On 16 October 1687 23 farmers, Vryboere (free citizens not in the service of the Dutch Indian Company or VOC), were allocated farms in the Bergriver Valley below the majestic Drakenstein mountains. Gerrit was allocated what was to become known as the farm Bellinchamp.

He started cultivating the farm with life stock, wine vineyards and seedlings. The first crop was collected in 1689 and the details thereof was recorded on the 1690 rolls of the Rijksarchief at 's-Gravenhage in the Netherlands. The roll indicated that he was married at the time with no children and that he «i»inter alia «/i»possessed 350 sheep, 9 oxen, 2 cows and 2 pigs. That the farm was planted with wine seedlings are obvious from the 1600 wine reeds listed on the roll. He also possessed a number of weapons including two "snaphanen", one "karabijnen" and one "zijdegeweer".

He and his wife Suzanne called the farm Bellingchamp. The name is of French origin and undoubtedly was the choice of his wife Suzanne who was of French descent. The name possibly refers to a meadow in which animals like sheep graze with bells around their necks to warn about any dangers such as thief's. The farm is today known as Bellingham and is the estate that produces the famous Bellingham label of wines.

On 8 October 1695, eight years after he was allocated the farm the formal deed of grant (drawn up already in 1694) was issued. The deed contained the name of the farm and the family name and therefore for the first time established Jansen van Vuren as an official surname. It could be said that if the said deed was never issued the surname might never have been known in Southern Africa.

1. ↑ JPJ van Vuren. Die Familie van Vuren: Stamboom van Gerrit van Vuren. (Published by Craft Pers, Babelegi)
   page 43.
2. ↑ JPJ van Vuren. Die Familie van Vuren: Stamboom van Gerrit van Vuren. (Published by Craft Pers, Babelegi)
   Page 43.
3.   JPJ van Vuren. Die Familie van Vuren: Stamboom van Gerrit van Vuren. (Published by Craft Pers, Babelegi)
   pages 30 to 13.

   Verified: YES

4. ↑ Gerrit's inventory at the time of his death included 6 oxen, 1 bull, 6 cows, 4 calves, 8 cattle, 1 wagon, 1 plough, 2 spades, 2 pix axles, 2 garden forks, 1 axe, 2 chairs, 1 table, 2 pots, 1 kettle, 5 spoons, 1 lamp, 1 cake pan, 10 chickens and lots of unused building material perhaps pointing to the intention to build a new home.
   
   Gerrit died without a will and with two minor children and the "Weestmeester" (orphan master) managed his estate on their behalf. Bellingchamp was sold per auction by the "Weestmeester" on 1 July 1770 to the "stamvader" of the Joubert family for 2400 gulde.
   
   The farm subsequently changed hands a number of times. On 18 July 1870 the farm was for the first time officially surveyed by Charles Bell who miss spelt the surname of its first owner, Gerrit as Jansen van Vuuren on the official survey documents. This led to many of the Van Vuren descendants wrongly spelling their surname with two U's.
5. ↑ Photo of the current house on the Bellingham farm.