The original “stamvader” Gottfried Friedrich KOCH arrived in the Cape,on 25 Dec 1765 (having left Fort Rammekens, Zeeland on 4 Aug 1765) as a "soldier", on the ship “Vrijburg”, which left the Cape on 4 Feb 1766 en route to Batavia. However, according to “De Villiers and Pama” the arrival date is 1776, which is incorrect , given the subsequent dates. In fact subsequent research shows that Heese & Lombaard: ”SA Geslagregisters”;Vol 4, p 363 also state 1766 as the arrival date!) from Köthen in the province of Anhalt, Germany, via the Netherlands.

He was born about 1745/6 at Köthen, Anhalt, Sachsen in the then Prussian empire.

It appears that the family had moved from its previous home town of Brüssow, (the town is now located in the in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg, near the Polish border) Brandenburg, Prussia to Köthen, probably as a result of the 30 Year religious wars.

No direct details of Gottfried Friedrich’s parentage are listed on the birth certificate but taking the relative ages into account, as well as the prevalent practice of naming sons after fathers or grandfathers (although it is clear that many sons were named after the Emperor/kings Friedrich and Wilhelm of Prussia) it is very likely that Gottfried Friedrich’s father was:

GOTTFRIED
Christened: 8 April 1719 at Brüssow

He married (when he was 24 years old) Dorothea Sybilla SCHEULLER, on 16 July 1742, also at Köthen, and just 3 years before GFK’s birth.

Dies: 28 january 1793

His father in turn was:
FRIEDRICH

Born: between 1669 to 1673 at Brüssow, Brandenburg, Prussia

Possibly first married in 1692 to Catherine Klette, also of Brüssow, (born 1671) and there after to Sophie WOLLENBERG ( born 1675 in Brüssow) on 20 May 1695

Gottfried Friedrich KOCH becomes a “vry burgher” in 1775, (1772 according to Hoge: “Personalia of the Germans at the Cape", p 208 ), moves to Stellenbosch were he works as a tailor. He is married in Stellenbosch on 28 January 1770 to Rachel van de Kaap. This takes place only a few days before the birth of his 1st son:

b1 Godfried Frederik, on 4 February 1770. This boy is presumably the result of the union with said Rachel. Interesting enough no further records are found of this son or his descendants (presumably because of the political attitude of the time).

He then moves to Swellendam where, on 4 April 1779, Gottfried Friedrich marries for a second time: to Aletta Claasz, (born 2 November 1749 in Cape Town and the daughter of Claas Claasen and Aletta Alida Knoetzen). She was the widow of Johannes Detlefs (who died on 13 February 1777). Her sister: Maria Magdalena is born 27.9.1744. She dies in Waveren (Tulbagh) in July 1786

Gottfried Friedrich buys a farm in 1790, possibly goes bankrupt in 1791 and dies in 1832 at Swellendam.?!

A word of caution: at the time Swellendam was a very large geographical unit, it included subsequent towns as Riversdal, Heidelberg, Caledon even George. Therefore one should be very careful in assuming that with Swellendam the 20th Century town is meant!

From this marriage 2 children were born:

b2 FREDERIK WILHELM I
Is christened on 17 December 1780 at Swellendam and he becomes a burgher in Swellendam.

On 10 June 1804 he marries Cornelia Steijn in Swellendam. He files a Will in 1812 and dies in 1822.

b3 CHRISTOPHORA FREDERICA
Born on 15.12.1782 and was married in Stellenbosch on 7.8.1798 to Hermanus Santjes, who was from Leer, Oos-Friesland. She marries for a second time to ANDRIES Tekstvak

Researcher:
Derek Koch derko@pandora.be