Brief Life History of Barend Petrus
When Barend Petrus Pretorius was born on 14 September 1850, in Natal, South Africa, his father, Willem Jurgen Pretorius, was 41 and his mother, Johanna Catharina De Beer, was 38. He married Elizabeth Maria Margaretha Maree on 25 April 1872, in Harrismith, Harrismith, Orange Free State, South Africa. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 4 daughters. He died on 22 September 1922, in Orange Free State, South Africa, at the age of 72.
Photos and Memories (0)
Do you know Barend Petrus? Do you have a story about him that you would like to share? Sign In or Create a FREE Account
Family Time Line
Sources (12)
- Barend Petrus Pretorius, "South Africa, Civil Marriage Records, 1840-1973"
- Barend Petrus Pretorius, "South Africa, Free State Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1848-1956"
- Barend Petrus Pretorius, "South Africa, Free State Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1848-1956"
Spouse and Children
World Events (8)
1852
Sand River Convention. Britain recognizes Transvaal as the independent Afrikaner South African Republic.
1856
Xhosa cattle sacrifices lead to famine.
1872
Introduction of pass laws to control labor force in Kimberley diamond mines.
Name Meaning
Dutch and German: humanistic name derived from Latin praetor, the title of various officials in Republican and Imperial Rome, sometimes adopted as the Latinized form of Dutch De Preter, an occupational name for a supervisor, commissioner or curator, or of any of various German surnames meaning ‘leader’ or ‘headman’ (see Prator ). The surname Pretorius is by far most common in South Africa; in the Netherlands and Germany it is very rare. In North America, it is also an altered form of the more common German variant Prätorius.
History: The progenitor of the South African bearers of the surname Pretorius was Johannes Pretorius, one of the earliest Dutch settlers in the Dutch Cape Colony. He was born in 1642 in Ouddorp in the Dutch province of South Holland to Wessel Schulte, known also as Wessel(ius) Pretorius. Johannes Pretorius settled in the Dutch Cape Colony in 1669, where he died in 1694. The city of Pretoria, executive capital of South Africa, is named after one of the most prominent of his descendants, Andries Pretorius (1798–1853), a leader of the Boers.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Possible Related Names
Discover Even More
As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.