Jacobus Cornelis Martens

Koos Martens

Jacobus, known as Koos, was born on November 26th, 1864 in Greytown and his baptism took place in May 1865.  Koos' father was Jan  Thomas “Tommie” Martens and his mother was Anna  (Sibella) Catharina Elisabeth Pretorius.  His paternal grandparents were Jan Thomas(1) Martens and Anna Maria Isabella Coetzee; his maternal grandparents were Dewald Johannes Pretorius and Elizabeth Jacoba Pretorius. He had five brothers and five sisters, named Oom Tom Hakelaar, Dewald, Piet, Oupa Jolie of Oom Jool, Eric, Elizabeth, Anna , Martha, Maria and Tant Nelie.  He died at the age of 65 on April 4th, 1930 in Greytown.

• Death Notes

  Highbury

• General Notes

  Have Death notice
  Check birth - Death Notice gives his age as 64yrs & 4 mnths
  In his estate filles at;(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7P-23V7-X?i=353&cat=229462)
  he owned trhe following properties which were to be sold at auction;
  Farm Highbury comprising of;
  1. Lot B of Hartebeestvlakte 200 acres
  2. Remainder of Hartebeestvlakte 547 acres
  3. Remainder of subdivision A of portion D of Hartebeestvlakte
  4. Subdivision B of Subdivision C of subdivision AB of Broedershoek 16 acres
  
  THE NATAL AFRIKANER AND THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
  http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03072006-095936/unrestricted/08chapter8.pdf
  Acting on information provided by an Afrikaner loyalist from Greytown, Jan (TJ) Nel, and without
  informing the magistrates of either the Umvoti or the Kranskop districts, Mills removed the
  following individuals to Pietermaritzburg: FE van Rooyen (stock inspector), LMJ van Rooyen jnr
  (Wonderfontein), PH van Rooyen (Good Hope), Ds GS Malan (Greytown), John Keyter (Frogmore),
  LMJ and PJ Nel (Ongegund), TJ, JPC and PR Nel (Spitzkop), AJJ Nel (Berning), LL Nel
  (Greytown) and JC Martens, LJ Potgieter and JP van Rooyen (all of Broedershoek). The men had no
  idea why they were removed but attributed it to the fact that they did not instantly comply with
  earlier commandeering orders issued for their wagons and oxen.108 According to Missionary
  Hofmeyr, who worked in the Umvoti area, the men were removed for collecting money for the
  support of the wives and children of the imprisoned rebels and the rebels themselves.109 What irked those removed the most was that they were relocated soon after the first rains, which meant that they
  could not plough and plant.110
  On investigating the removals the magistrate of Kranskop concluded that most of the men were sent
  away as undesirables and because of minor disputes with the military, such as the loyalist John
  Keyter who had not instantly complied with a commandeering order and LMJ van Rooyen (jnr) who
  had a disagreement with the military over 25 sheep and 10 oxen that were commandeered from
  him.111 This was only partly true. Mills had acted on information that the men were disloyal and that
  they would join the Boers if they were to invade.112 Furthermore, this was the first time since the war
  had broken out that reliable evidence could be procured against Afrikaners from Umvoti, thanks to
  Jan Nel breaking the ranks. The military therefore possibly felt that they had to act.
  Two of the men who were removed, JC Martens and JP van Rooyen, did not take kindly to the fact
  that they were sent to reside in the Pietermaritzburg Concentration Camp. In a letter to the colonial
  secretary they made their sentiments clear:
  We have been told we can live in the Boer Refugee Camp in a Bell Tent at Government
  expense - we are not able to do this without being subjected to great inconveniences, and we
  desire to live at an Hotel in Maritzburg and we beg to request that an allowance may be made
  to enable us to do this, and we shall be glad if you will deal with this matter or forward this
  application to the proper Authorities in order that it may be dealt with. Apart from the
  inconvenience of living in the Boer Camp it is distasteful to us at the present time to have to
  live amongst Dutch Refugees.
  Not surprisingly their request was rejected.113
  The removal of the men from the Umvoti county infuriated several leading local Afrikaners who
  believed the treatment was unfair. A father and son, LMJ and JS van Rooyen of Welgevonden, felt
  so strongly about the matter that they were prepared to stand security to the amount of ,10 000 for
  six of the men.114 The strongest petition for the liberation of the men came from Theuns (TJ) Nel a
  former MLA. Nel made it clear that the men in question, as landowners, all had vested interests in
  the Colony and valued the protection and privilege provided by the British Empire. It would
  therefore have been unwise for them to be disloyal at that stage of the war. He proceeded to point
  out that the men in question had complied when wagons, oxen and horses were commandeered, and
  would suffer economically if they remained away from home for much longer.115Prime Minister Hime, in response to Nel=s petition, advised the GOC that the men in question should
  be allowed to return home since he thought: AThey had a severe lesson.@ A month later, after the
  Natal Police had unsuccessfully investigated the complaints against them, the GOC allowed all the
  men except LL and TJ Nel and PH and FE van Rooyen to return home.116 This brought an end to
  their six week exile to Pietermaritzburg.117 Soon afterwards the remaining prisoners, except for JE
  van Rooyen, were released and allowed to return home.
  The DRC congregation which suffered the least disruption was that of Greytown and as a result the
  church managed to continue functioning in an unhindered manner, that is apart from the six week
  period in late 1901 when Ds GS Malan and several leading members of the congregation were
  removed under Martial Law to Pietermaritzburg.180 The war was generally not discussed during the
  church council meetings of the Greytown DRC. The meeting of 22 September 1900, however, was
  different since letters of brotherly love were sent to the sister congregations at Weenen, Ladysmith
  and Newcastle. The issue of the war was only raised again roughly a year later. At the meeting of 24
  August 1901, S Martens suggested that a special collection be held so as to provide the
  AAfrikaansche gevangenen@ in Pietermaritzburg with coffee.Although not reflected in the minutes of the church council meetings, the Greytown congregation
  endlessly supported fellow Afrikaners who suffered due to the war. Firewood and other gifts were
  sent to the Pietermaritzburg Concentration Camp from time to time.182 Afrikaners in Northern Natal
  especially were recipients of charity from Greytown. On two occasions Ds Schoon received ,5 from
  funds collected in Greytown for Afrikaners banned to Pietermaritzburg,183 while foodstuffs were
  also forwarded to individual Afrikaners in need. In one such case Mrs JM Pieters of Paddafontein,
  Dundee, received a bag of flour, a pocket of sugar, a box of candles, and 20 pounds of coffee.184 The
  Newcastle congregation also benefited from donations made by the Greytown Afrikaners. On 3
  October 1900, 18 bags of flour, sugar, salt, rice, coffee, and soap arrived in the town. The military
  immediately confiscated the goods to prevent Afrikaners suspected of treason from distributing it.
  Requests by the Bosmans for the goods to be released did not to sway the military. The provost
  marshal eventually used a wagon and members of the Natal Police to distribute the goods to the
  poorest of the poor amongst the Newcastle Afrikaners, some of whose clothes were in tatters and
  who were reduced to begging.

Details of Koos' family with Hendrina Christina Nel

Details of Koos' family with Anna Catharina Elisabeth Scheepers