Historical records matching Michiel Otto, SV/PROG
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About Michiel Otto, SV/PROG
Michiel Otto 27 August 1688 in Germany or Sweden -1743 Cape.
Michiel OTTO was born on 27 August 1688 in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany. He died in 1743 in Somerset-West, Western Cape.
Michiel's parents were Johann Heinrich OTTO, born in 1665 and Dorothea MAUERSBERGER, born in 1668. They were married on 5 OCT 1687 in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany.
Michiel Otto came to South Africa 1 April 1714 on board the ship "Rijksdorp" of the Dutch East Indian Company, which sailed from Trondheim, Norway. [FFY describes the ShipVoyage On 18 January 1714 the Rijksdorp departed Texel enroute to de Caep de Goede Hoop where it docked on 18 May 1714 - but it's source is for 1656 not 1714 https://www.e-family.co.za/ffy/g8/p8628.htm#c8628.7 Sharo doubell 2024]
According to his testament he originally came from Stettin, which was under Sweden at the time. The present day spelling of the city name is in its Slavic form, Szczecin, pronounced 'Stettin'. This city is a port on the Baltic coast on the East Side of the Oder River in Poland. Michiel was the first of twenty-six Otto patriarchs who came to South Africa. Twenty of those Otto families came from the eastern part of Germany.
Michiel was a sailor in 1714. Michiel was made superintendent of the Woodcutters, behind the Steenbergen Mountains of the Western Cape and was released from contractual service responsibilities to the Dutch East Indian Company in 1719.
Upon completing the obligatory five years of service, he married Barbara CONTERMAN on 19 November 1719. No children were born from this marriage.
x 19 Nov 1719 Stellenbosch Barbera Conterman (<19 March 1702-<1722) d/o Hans Jacob Conterman & Anna Catharina Cleef,
xx 1 March 1722, Stellenbosch Anna Margaretha Siek (<13 Mar 1695 -), d/o Jan Siek & Geertruidt Helm
- Michiel Otto<21 Feb 1723
- Anna Dorothea Otto<20 May 1725 -<1743
- Maria Regina Otto<20 Jul 1727
- Johanna Christina Otto<6 Nov 1729
- Anna Dorothea oud 11 [c1732]
- Sophia Margaretha Otto oud 9 jaaren [c1734]
- Johanna Geertruy Otto <21 October 1736 - < 1743
VERGELEGEN ESTATE
Through his second marriage to Anna Margaretha SIEK on 1 March 1723, widow of Barend Gildenhuyzen, he became the owner of one-fourth of the 'Vergelegen' farm, on which the house and buildings stood. This farm originally belonged to Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel and is a South African heritage site. The estate is located about half a mile beyond the eastern extremity of the urban area of Somerset-West, Western Cape. Presently, the estate is one of Western Cape's tourist attractions, with a Cape Dutch style house, restaurant and wine cellars built into the hillside. Vergelegen has been called "The Versailles of Southern Africa", with its octagonal gardens and 300 year old majestic Camphors. The old oak trees are reputed to have been planted by Adriaan van der Stel.
Michiel also owned the farm Kleine Zwarte River till 1727 and then lived on the farm Kromme River, near Elgin in 1730.
Michiel's Testament and Will indicate he was a relatively rich man at his time of death. Michiel's wealth was most likely acquired through his marriage to the widow of the wealthy man, Barend Gildenhuyzen.
In the book, "Cape of Good Hope" published in 1787, there are serious allegations made against Michiel, in the extract from O. F. Mentzel. He writes,
In my time, a farmer named Michael Otto (commonly known as Michel Ox) owned the best farm in Hottentots Holland, noted for viticulture; but he was a savage, tyrannical to his slaves. Consequently he lost through desertion many of his slaves who fell into the hands of the Fiscal and the law. Flogging seemed to him far too mild a punishment for the smallest offence. Generally in summer he used to bind slaves who had committed some offence naked to a tree or pole in the sun, had their entire bodies smeared with honey and thus they were tortured unbearable for hours by flies, wasps, bumble-bees and other pests, especially by the African blind flies, called "Mosquitoes" in India. But after he had suffered great loss of slaves and also been severely punished several times by the Government on account of his inhuman conduct, he became annoyed, left his wife to farm alone on the estate and bought himself a house in the city; there sold his own wine at retail and what he could not sell he drank himself being never quite sober. When any farmer had a disobedient slave, the mere threat to sell or give him to Michael Otto unless he improved, was often more effective than other punishments would have been since every slave was afraid of this man.
Michiel's self-destructive drinking, abuse of himself and those around him proved too much for his marriage. Michiel, tormented by his demons, left the farm. Michiel and Anna were divorced in 1741 and Anna was left to manage the farm and family.
He died in 1743 in Somerset-West, Western Cape.
MOOC8/6.94 [disagrees with FFY dates of birth]
sijner vijf naargelaatene kinderen, met naame
- Michiel
- Maria Regina oud 16 [c1727]
- Johanna Christina oud 13 [c1730]
- Anna Dorothea oud 11 [c1732]
- Sophia Margaretha Otto oud 9 jaaren [c1734]
bij sijn overgebleevene gesepareerde huijsvrouw Anna Margaretha Siek in huwelijk verwekt
fathered in marriage by his remaining separated wife Anna Margaretha Siek
Slaaven
1 slaave jonge gen:t November van Batavia
1 slaave jonge gen:t Januarij van Boegis
1 slaave jonge gen:t Francies van Mosambique
1 slaave jonge gen:t Augustus van de Caab
1 slaave meijd gen:t Susanna van Coetchin met haar kind gen:t Frederik van de Caab
Sources:
Vince Otto: Genealogies of Otto Families Thanks to research by:
Vince Otto jusotto@sympatico.ca <mailto:jusotto@sympatico.ca>
- http://www.stamouers.com/index.php/stamouers/surnames-n-to-q/381-otto-
- https://www.e-family.co.za/ffy/g8/p8628.htm
THE OTTO FAMILY BRANCHES
Many of our Otto ancestors originally came from Pomerania, located in the north east of present day Germany. I have found 27 Otto individuals who immigrated to South Africa during the last 300 years.
About 69% of all Otto's are descended from Michiel Otto, who arrived at the Cape in 1714. About 19% of all Otto's are descended from Johann Friedrich Otto.
The rest belong to the other 25 Otto patriarchs.
There were 1200 people with Otto surnames recorded on Death Notices, as of the year 1999.
Michiel Otto and Johann Friedrich Otto are the only Ottos whose family were in South Africa prior to the great Trek. Some remained in the Western Cape, but most moved inland, to escape colonial rule by England. Generally, once they made the overland move, the Otto families remained in their new surroundings. The early twentieth century was ushered in by the Industrial Revolution and many moved for economic reasons to the cities. Pretoria became the city of choice for many Otto families, since most were Afrikaners.
The Otto family is a midsize South African family.
In comparisons, according to the 1964 Population Register of the Republic of South Africa the largest families were: Jacobs = 82500; Botha = 79500; Smith = 76500; Williams = 64500; van Wyk = 63000; van der Merwe = 60000; Nel = 49500; du Plessis and Venter = 48000; Pretorius = 46500; Coetsee / Coetzee = 46500; Fourie = 46500; Louw = 46500;van Rensburg = 46500; Smit = 45000; van Zyl = 43500; Adams= 42000; Hendricks = 40500; du Toit = 39000; Kruger = 39000; van Niekerk = 39000; Meyer = 34500; Abrahams = 34500; le Roux = 31500; Booysens = 31500; Swart = 30000; van Rooyen = 30000; Viljoen = 30000; Steyn = 28500; van der Westhuizen = 28500; Swanepoel = 27000; Muller = 27000; Marais = 27000; Joubert = 27000; Brown = 27000; Potgieter = 25000; du Preez = 25000; Jouberts = 24650; Olivier = 24000; Oosthuizen = 24000; Pienaar = 24000; Bezuidenhout = 24000; Petersen = 22500; Burger = 21750; de Villiers = 21000; de Beers = 21000; van Heerdens = 21000; Barnard = 21000; Isaac = 19500; Prinsloo = 19500 Fortuin = 18750; Thomas = 18000; Grobler = 18000; Vorster = 18000; Visagie = 17250; Lombard = 17250; Scheepers = 16500; Steenkamp = 16500; Theron = 16500; Source: South African Surnames by Eric Rosenthal, 1965 Descendants of Michiel Otto https://www.stamouers.com/index.php/stamouers/surnames-n-to-q/381-o...
MICHAEL OTTO .+ Stettin (according to his will). Sa. 1714, wood-cutter 1716, b. 1719.XX (1) 19.11.1719 Barbara Contermann XX(2) 1.3.1722 Anna Margaretha Siek, wid. Barend Gildehausen, d. of Johann Siek (q.v.). 7 children by his second wife. Later divorced. + 1743. Through his second marriage he became the owner of “Vergelegen,” which had once belonged to W. A. v. d. Stel. Mentzel (Beschreibung . . . II, p. 64) mentions that he treated his slaves with great cruelty and took to drink in his old age. (GMR 1714-18; Rq. 1719: 117; Stellenbosch Arch., vol. 13, p. 359 and vol. 653 nr. 53; G.R. nr. 687; CJ 807: 7; Inv. O.C. 6:94.)
Michiel OTTO * 27 AUG 1688 in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany. 1 He † 1743 in Somerset-West, Western Cape.1 Michiel’s parents were Johann Heinrich OTTO, born in 1665 and Dorothea MAUERSBERGER, born in 1668. They were married on 5 OCT 1687 in Chemnitz. Michiel arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 1 APR 1714 aboard the Dutch East Indian Company’s ship “Rijksdorp” sailing from Trondheim, Norway. According to his testament, he originally came from Stettin, which was ruled politically by Sweden at the time. This city is a port on the Baltic coast on the East Side of the Oder River in Poland. Michiel was the first of 31 Otto patriarchs who came to South Africa and of those 23 Otto families came from the eastern part of Germany.
a1 Michiel (Michael) Otto
van Noorweë, maar volgens sy testament van Stettin. Matroos 1714, houtkapper 1716. Burger 1719, gesterf: 1743. Deur sy tweede huwelik word hy eienaar van "Vergelegen" in Somerset-Wes, die plaas wat oorspr. aan Willem Adriaan van der Stel behoort het. getroud: 19 Nov 1719 Barbara Conterman(n); hertroud: 1 Mar 1722 Anna Margaretha Siek, dogter van: Johan Siek, weduwee van: Barend Gildehausen.
Maria Regina Otto in South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers, 1660-1970
Baptism: July 20 1727
Cape Town, Cape Of Good Hope, South Africa
Father: Michiel Otto
Mother: Margareta Lieck
GS Film number: 2214107 Digital Folder Number: 4322620 Image Number: 00119
Immigration 1 April 1714 Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa From Germany to South Africa
Owner of "Vergelegen", district Somerset-West through his second marriage. Also owned "Kleine Zwarte River" until 1727 and in 1730 owned "Kromme River", district Elgin, Somerset West
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Otto-233
Michiel Otto gained ownership of part of the Vergelegen farm through his marriage to Anna as this had belonged to her first husband who had died. Need to do more research for further information.
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Michiel Otto, SV/PROG's Timeline
| 1688 |
August 27, 1688
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Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany
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| 1714 |
January 4, 1714
Age 25
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Kaapstad
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| 1723 |
February 21, 1723
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Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
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| 1727 |
1727
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Somerset West, Western Cape, South Africa
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| 1729 |
November 6, 1729
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Vergelegen, Lourensford Road, Cape Town, Cape Town, WC, 7130, South Africa
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| 1732 |
September 14, 1732
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Somerset West, South Africa, Cape
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| 1734 |
1734
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Somerset West, South Africa, Cape
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