Person:James Collett (1)

Parents : William and Martha

When the frontier was thrown open , he bought Olifantsfontein, and farms on the Koonap River in Fort Beaufort district. When the 1835 Frontier war broke out he stayed. He imported merino from New South Wales and Saxony and left 200 pound to his brother Joseph, who had emigrated to US with his sister Elizabeth. In 1942 he bought 3 large farms in Cradock area, based on Greonfontein in the direction of the AgterSneeuberg, he son gained arepuation as the most progressive farmer in the district. He was chosen to represent the district in the first Cape Parliament in 1854, but attended one session only. In 1857 he sold Groenfontein, and moved to up the valley to Dassie Krantz and Salt Pan Drift. But drought and recession drove him bankruptcy in 1862. All his farms were sold and he had to accept hospitailty of a cottage on Mulberry Grove, the farm of his son-in-law, Joseph Trollip. His successful son, John, redeemed him and placed him on Dassie Krantz. Relationships were strained, but he had lost his touch and after a frightening incident with a defiant servant, John removed his parents to Grassridge, where he died in 1875.

1. ↑ Mailing Lists and List Serves
   Keith Meintjes <[email protected]>, "James Lydford Collett" Online Posting, Fri, 09 Apr 2004 , SOUTH-AFRICA-L Archives, <http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/SOUTH-AFRICA/2004-04/1081559877>.