• General Notes

  Have Death Notice
  Only the twins are listed on her DN
  Lived on Jammerdal before her death.
  Mary Elzabeth's mother was Mary McKenzie (nee Clark b 08/08/1842 d.23/05/1920). She too was buried at "Jammersdal" as she was living with her daughter at the time of her death. Her father was John McKenzi
  Mary's mother, Mary Clark Mckenzie, went to live with her daughter after the death of her husband John Mckenzie. She died at Jammersdal and I am told, was buried there. John was buried at Talana near Dundee. His gravestone was recently relocated to the Talana museum.
  Also have record from Eric Martens (FacebooK) that she was born in Liverpool.
  She wrote two books:
  "A woman of small account" & "A daughter of sin"
  Daughter ofsin is about a white South African woman who has a baby by a black man. In such an eventuality, the law required that the man be given 25 lashes and two years' imprisonment with hard labour. The woman was also to receive two years' hard labour, so one presumes the baby was removed from her care. Mary Martens dedicated this book to 'the women of Natal who have to suffer under this wicked law'.
  It was under Section 16 of the Natal Colony's Act 31 of 1903 that these provisions were laid down. It appears that this law was repealed only in 1957 and was replaced by the Sexual Offences Act-better known as the Immorality Act.
  
  Mary Elizabeth Martens (nee McKenzie) was born in Liverpool in 1870. She married Roelof Gerhardus Petrus Martens, and they lived on the farm Jammerdal in the Kranskop district. They had seven  children.
  http://www.natalia.org.za/Files/30/Natalia%20v30%20notes-%20queries%20C.pdf

Details of Mary's family with Roelof  Gerhardus Petrus Martens