• General Notes

  Patriarch: Joachim Heinrich Martens was from Brandenburg (Prussia). Came to South Africa with the DEIC Arrives 2 Mei 1747 in Kaap de Goede Hoop as a soldier on the ship De Kasteel van Tilburg.
  Captained by Abraham Zwart the Kasteel van Tilburg departed from Texel on the 2nd of May 1747 with 254 souls onboard [129 seafarers, 115 soldiers, 2 craftsmen and 8 passengers].  In the holds would have been up to 7 tons of gold, silver and ingots for trading, as well as fresh water and food supplies for the journey.
  
  1748-50 Staljong. 1751-54 soldaat; 1755 staljong en burger in 1756; timmerman op Stellenbosch. Trou 5.8.1759 met Jacomina van den Berg
  Joachim Hendrik of Heinrich Maartens of Martens,
  
  He definitely was ill when he arrived, probably with Scheurbuik or something similar as he was hospitalised immediately upon arrival. Twent others had died during the voyage to the Cape.
  When eldest son Jacobus was born they were living in the Veldkornetskap of Veldkornet S. Coetzee
  In 1762 he was under command of Kaptein Josias de kock
  
  5 Aug 1759
  1759, den 5 Augst:
  Jochem Hendrik Martens
  "uijt het Oldemark , Brandenburg , Matsdorp", jongman
  burger aan Stellenbosch
  met
  Jacomina van den Berg
  van Cabo de Goede Hoop, jonge dogter
  Source: Nederduits Gereformeerde Gemeente (NGK), Tulbagh, Western Cape. marriage register, 1744-1839, page 9, entry no 6. Repository: NG Kerkargief, Noordwal-Wes, Stellenbosch, G4 9/1. Transcribed by Trysie Joubert, Marelize Keyter, Marie Greyvenstein and Annatje Erasmus as part of the eGGSA Project, from VC 664, Cape Archives Repository
  
  Alternative names from Baptism Register of his daughter.
  
  What we know is that our patriarch Joachem Heinrich Martens is that he came to the Cape with the VOC in 1747 and died about 1774. On his marriage certificate he is described as Jochem Hendrik Martens and his papers from the VOC has him as Jochem Heinrich Martens. His second son was Joachim Hendrik Martens so that the Joachem was probably the original name.
  
  His origin on his marriage certificate is given as "uijt het Oldemark , Brandenburg , Matsdorp",
  
  My interpretation was;
  Name; changed to suit Cape community.
  Origin;
  Brandenburg (as is)
  Oldenmark I interpreted as "Altmark"
  Matsdorp I interpreted as "Messdorf"
  
  If you look at; https://translate.google.co.za/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.stadt-bismark.de/de/meszdorf.html&prev=search
  
  It all seems to come together.
  The area described on the website does seem to be Saxony-Anhalt
  
  Then I found a source at Familysearch that provides me with the following details on a Joachem Heinrich Martens.
  Birth;  1 Jan 1727 - Meßdorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
  Death; 2 Feb 1774 - Cape Town, South Africa
  Parents; Christoffer Hinrich Martens b. 1886 married to Mrs Christoffer Hinrich Martens b. 1886
  
  The church in Meßdof seems to date to the 12th century and has not been destroyed in the war.
  

Details of Joachim's family with Jacomina van den Berg