Erasmus Smit
Erasmus Smit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Erasmus Smit 28 August 1778 Buiksloot, Netherlands |
| Died | 3 August 1863 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa |
| Occupation | missionary |
Erasmus Smit (1778, Buiksloot – 1863, Pietermaritzburg) was the first minister of the Voortrekkers.
Biography
He was born on 2 August 1778 in Buiksloot near Amsterdam.[1] He was the son of a mate on a ship trading with the West Indies. He spent some of his youth in an orphanage.[2] He became a missionary in America in 1801 and arrived at the Cape in 1804.[3] He worked with Dr. Johannes van der Kemp at Bethelsdorp. After the Dutch Reformed Church refused to ordain him, he became a teacher. He married the sister of the Voortrekker leader Gerrit Maritz and joined the Voortrekkers in 1836. He became their unofficial minister, regularly holding services, performing marriages and accompanying the Trek to Natal.[4] His diary is an important document of the Trek. He settled in Pietermaritzburg where he died in 1863.
References
- ^ "ERASMUS SMIT (1778-1863)". April 6, 2023.
- ^ Smit, Erasmus (August 4, 1972). The Diary of Erasmus Smit. C. Struik. ISBN 978-0-86977-013-9 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Erasmus Smit Family History & Historical Records". MyHeritage.
- ^ "The diary of Erasmus Smit - Smit, Erasmus: 9780869770139 - AbeBooks". www.abebooks.com.
Sources
- (in Afrikaans) Swart, M.J., e.a. (red.): Afrikaanse Kultuuralmanak. Aucklandpark: Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge, 1980, p. 152.
- Schoeman, Karel: Die wêreld van Susanna Smit 1799-1863, Human & Rousseau, Kaapstad, 1995
- Smit, Erasmus:, Joernaal van 'n trek: uit die dagboek van Erasmus Smit red. Merwe Scholtz, Tafelberg, 1988 ISBN 0624026779
- Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Eric Rosenthal, 1967
External links
Media related to Erasmus Smit at Wikimedia Commons