The Danielskuil Archive
Obscure records hold fascinating information.
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Our study begins with Danielskuil - a project sponsored by the National Heritage Council (NHC).
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Baptism records, church membership and marriage records are traces of lives lived in the area. We hope that their descendants will find this information useful to re-discover their ancestors!
Why visit and study cemeteries?
People who visit graves are nostalgic about their families or friends. They may be curious about their ancestors, or take social pride in their deceased family or community members.
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Some people who are buried in cemeteries are important because of their leadership roles, or did interesting things during their lives.
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Finally, cemeteries can be a site of serenity and contemplation. If cemeteries are unkempt, we often feel that people who have passed away deserve to rest in a place of beauty.
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Gravestones are also important heritage artifacts, illustrating local styles, skills, materials and beliefs.
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Multiple cemeteries in communities
Cemeteries have their own histories. They reflect local social groupings, whether religious, linguistic, cultural or racial groups. They also often reflect class divisions. Wealthier areas often have more elaborate headstones in the cemeteries, or the cemeteries are better maintained.
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Social divisions and solidarities in human lives are often reflected in their final resting places.
The oldest gravestone in the Kuilsville Cemetery is that of Louw Daniel Erasmus, who was born in 1896, and died in 1958.
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It is a homemade gravestone, with a melancholy poem:
Kom treur wy dan
Gee moedig voor
Wag vertrouend op Sy Woord
Hoe Moedlik die weg skyn
Die einde sal seker salig skyn.
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(How we are grieving, and are trying to be courageous; we wait, trusting on his Word;
How difficult the road seems, the end will surely be blessed).
The cemetery at Kuilsville, Danielskuil
Louw Daniel Erasmus
To download the Kuilsville cemetery archive, click here.
Church records
Danielskuil records are available here:
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United Reformed Church of South Africa Baptismal Records
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United Reformed Church of South Africa Confirmation Records
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NG Church in Africa Baptismal and Confirmation records
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Congregational Church (the erstwhile London Missionary Society) Baptismal Register
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Congregational Church Marriage Register
Church records capture important and useful family histories. These include births, baptisms, marriages, and parents and siblings.
In many cases, these are almost the only record that our ancestors ever existed.
The images of the gravestones will soon be offered on the Genealogical Society website: https://graves-at-eggsa.org/
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