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Reference

History Webs would like to thank Hannarie Wenhold of Cape Town for allowing us to publish this research paper on what is often referred to as the Zuidmeer house. The house is on the corner of Main and Patriot Streets.

Acknowledgements

Hannarie Wenhold's report included the following acknowledgements: 
1. Various members of the Drakenstein Heemkring.
2. Prof I Carstens of Helderberg Village, Somerset West for information on the Zuidmeer family.
3. Mr Charles Press of  Tempelier Street, Paarl for sharing his knowledge about the old buildings in the area.
4. Mr P M Cross of Thabazimbi, whose grandfather had owned Main Street 221 from 1942.
5. Mrs Sarie du Toit of Paarl (88 years) and her son Mr Danie du Toit, who rented the wing on the right from 1953.
6. Recent previous owners Jan Tredoux 2003-2005 and Rozelle Nelson 2005-2007 very kindly shared all they knew about the building.
7. Staff at the Cape Town Deeds Office and the National Archives and National Library in Cape Town.

First properties

The first farms in the area to the east of Paarl Mountain, later known as Bo-Paarl and Suider Paarl, were allocated by the Dutch East India Company in 1689. This became the centre of the small village with a mill and church. The properties allocated in the ensuing decades were generally not large and many were taken over by retired officials of the Dutch East India Company.

Rozenfontein

Rozenfontein (4 morgen) was allocated to Pieter Meyering  in 1793 (Tr 148 of 11 October 1793). In the same period Rozenfontein Annex (2 morgen) was allocated to Elsabe Geldenhuys (the widow of  Paul Hendricus Eksteen). These two properties were situated on either side of the present Patriot Street, known in those days as a “deurdrif” providing access to the Berg River. .

Zuidmeer property, 219 & 221 Main Street, Paarl

Photograph from the Gribble Collection, Drakenstein Heemkring
The Rozenfontein property (4 morgen) was allocated to Pieter Meyering  in 1793 (Tr 148 of 11 October 1793).
    In the same period Rozenfontein Annex (2 morgen) was allocated to Elsabe Geldenhuys (the widow of  Paul Hendricus Eksteen). These two properties were situated on either side of the present Patriot Street, known in those days as a “deurdrif” providing access to the Berg River.
A nephew of Elsabe Geldenhuys, Hendrik Albertus Geldenhuys, later became the owner of both Rozenfontein properties.  (JC en WG le Roux in “Ons Drakensteinse Erfgrond”)
    In 1847 Rozenfontein was transferred to his son Guilliam Jacob Geldenhuys (Tr 152 of 21 April 1847). GJ Geldenhuys in turn sold to Abraham Johs. Marais and Son a portion of 3 morgen 464 roods 12 sq feet (Tr 94 of 8 June 1867).
    The property was subdivided by A J Marais and Son and several portions sold off, among them erf 2132 to Carel Christian Alexander de Villiers in 1879 (Tr 1633 of 6 Dec 1879) and erf 2133 in 1887 to the same CCA de Villiers (Tr 20 of 2 Dec 1887). Diagram 1633 of 1879  indicates the portion of about 800 sq meters on the corner of Main Street and Patriot Street (the present Erf 2132). Diagram 648 of  1887  indicates a portion of about 400 sq meters to the east of erf 2132. This erf was larger than the present-day erf 2133 and a building is indicated on the eastern end. 
    In 1894 the erf was subdivided and the part with the building on the eastern end was transferred to GP Steyn.  (Tr 4905 of 1 Sep 1894). These two erven have been transferred since their subdivision as one unit, the present building being on Erf 2132, while the smaller Erf 2133 is lower down to the east bordering on Patriot Street and provides access to the back of the building.
    The position of the property on the corner of Main and Patriot Streets placed the property in the centre of the mid 19th to early 20th century village. On the same side of Main Street to the south was  the tailor P M Cross in the building with the same name.
    On the northern corner of Patriot Street was the Patriot Building which played an important role in the development of the Afrikaans language.
    Next to the Patriot Building a new Post Office with prison cells was erected in the early 20th century.
On the west side opposite was the old Town Hall, which burned down in the 1920s, and next to that the first headquarters of the KWV were built on the southern corner of Pontac Street (today housing municipal offices).
    The well known auctioneering business of A B de Villiers was on the northern corner of Pontac Street in the building called Bonne Esperance. One of the very first residential areas with imposing Victorian houses developed lower down along Patriot Street.

Owners and tenants
Abraham Johs. Marais + Son:  1867-1879 (owner)
Abraham Johs. Marais is listed in the Cape Colony’s Voters’ roll of 1878 as a veldkornet for Suider Paarl and his address is given as Rosenfontein, Paarl. Whether he lived in the corner property on erf 2132 is not known, but unlikely. He had bought a large erf of more than 3 morgen of the original Rosenfontein and there were several buildings on this land. The portions he sold off seem to have each had at least one building on them, such as erf 2132 and 2133 and also portions sold to Sheldon & Green and to MJ Tomkin. See the diagrams. In the South African Directory of 1883-1884,  A J Marais and J son are listed as harness makers and  A J Marais and N son are listed as carriage manufacturers.  Which of them owned the land is not known. A recent owner found several horse shoes in the cellar, now in the possession of the Drakenstein Heemkring.  (R Nelson, personal communication 2007).

Carel Christian Alexander de Villiers: 1879-1891  (owner)
In the Cape Colony’s Voters’ roll of 1878 a Carel Christian Alex de Villiers is listed and his address given as “Paarlsche Welvaart”, Paarl. CCA de Villiers is also mentioned in publications of the time: In both the South African Directory of 1883-1884 and the 1888 General Directory of South Africa CCA de Villiers is listed as Taylor and Clothier. One CCA de Villiers was also a Commissioner of the Municipality. (The Cape Almanac of 1887 and of 1889). There were two Paarl residents with the same initials, one referred to as CCA de Villiers Junior, who was the owner.

Anna Christina Myburgh: 1891- 1921 (owner)
Anna Christina Myburgh (born Basson) was born in 1869. She became the owner of the property for which 1700 pounds had been paid to the insolvent estate of CCA de Villiers. When she died in 1913 her husband Willem Hendrik Myburgh became the usufractuary until such time as their minor son, also Willem Hendrik, could inherent the building. It thus remained in the name of the deceased estate until 1921 when it was sold. It would most probably have been her husband who was trading as Merchant tailor and Gents outfitter in the building, as depicted on Photo E.  The photographer (James Gribble) chose a position to show the shopfront to its best advantage and it can presumed that  the small pony cart, the children and the man with dog were all part of the Myburgh household. One of the boys on the cart was therefore probably the son,Willem Hendrik Myburgh (born 1898), who was nearly 14 years old at the time of his mother’s death in 1913. The man standing on the photo with the dog would have been the taylor, Mrs Myburgh’s husband.

Johannes Vlok Basson: 1921 -1941 (owner)
JV Basson (born 16 Jul 1889 – 1929) was a dentist. He left the building to his wife.
Dental surgery -  According to Peter M Cross, who grew up next door in the building owned by is grandfather, his mother had been a dental assistant before her marriage in the late 1920s in the southern part of the building where there no longer was a Victorian shop front (PM Cross, personal communication 2007). In the 1929 telephone directory of  the Cape, GJ Beyers of Main Street Paarl is listed as a dental surgeon. Mrs Elsa Steytler (born Joubert)  remembers that a dr Beyers had a dental surgery in the building. Presumably JV Basson had let the surgery to another dentist before his premature death in 1929.  (Elsa Steytler of Cape Town, personal communication 2007). Basson and his neighbour signed an agreement registered in the Deeds Office  in 1922 whereby Cross was allowed to extend his building to the wall of the Basson building and close a window in the south wall of the Basson property. According to this notarial deed, Cross and any later owners of that property are to provide good and safe guttering on the south side of  the building on erf 2132.
Zuidmeer Kindergarten - Basson’s widow, Edith Lydia Jane Basson (born Starke on 11 Jun 1892) let the part with the bay window from at least the early 1930s to Mrs  Agnes Margaret Zuidmeer, born Osmond (1874 - 31 Oct 1954) who ran a kindergarten on the premises. She was assisted by her daughter, Elsa Marion Zuidmeer (8 Sept 1913 –  1 Jan 1956). It is not known exactly when this “infant school” was established, but it was already in  in existence in 1935, when Mr Len van der Merwe of Paarl attended. (Len van der Merwe, personal communication 2007). Mr Peter Cross from next door attended in 1939 for a short while and Charles Press of Paarl attended in 1952. (Charles Press, personal communication 2007). After her mother’s death in 1954, Miss Zuidmeer continued on her own until she passed away on 1 January 1956. (Personal communication, Dr  I Carstens of Helderberg Village, Somerset West 2007) When Miss Zuidmeer died unexpectedly while on holiday in Vishoek, a report in the Paarl Post states that Paarl would now be without a Kindergarten. (Paarl Post of 6  Jan 1956). The Kindergarten was in the wing with the bay window and the central front door gave entrance to the  Zuidmeer home. It was called “Lyndale” (Paarl Post of  6 Jan 1956) and Charles Press remembers there was a sign with this name in the front.

Peter Murray Cross 1942 – 1967 (owner)
PM Cross, who became the owner in 1942, also owned the building next door which he had bought in 1903 and where his son, Murray, was at that stage living and running a general dealership. At that time there were two tenants in the building: Mrs Zuidmeer and daughter were on the side bordering Patriot Street (Main Street 221). After 1956 Willie Koch rented that side. He was followed by Lourens Marais and by 1963 Danie Krynauw was the tenant. (Sarie du Toit, Danie du Toit, personal communication 2007) The wing on the right (Main Street 219) had various tenants, among them a Mrs Phyllis Smuts-de Villiers, followed by a Mr Keyter with family. (PM Cross of Thabazimbi, personal communication 2007). In 1953 Mrs Sarie du Toit and family moved in. They stayed until at 1963 and were followed by Mr Lourens Marais.(Mrs Sarie du Toit, and her son, Danie du Toit, 2007 personal communication)

PM Cross  descendants 1967 – 1970 (owners)
Following the death of PM Cross in 1950, the property was managed by his son, who was the executor of the will. All nine children and grandchildren jointly inherited the property. (PM  Cross, personal communication 2007). All the other Cross properties, including a property in Lower Patriot Street and the two adjacent Main Street properties were offered for sale by public auction in April 1965. (Paarl Post of  23 April 1965)

Giovanni Bonanno 1970- 2002 (owner)
Transfer of ownership to Giovanni Bonanno was registered in 1970  and upon his death his widow, Anna Iolanda Bonanno, became the owner in 1979. They did not live in the house and let various parts to tenants.  It can be assumed that they neither improved nor changed the building. The last tenant at 219 Main Street was Mrs Iris Staples. She lived in Tempelier Street until 2007. Her shop front was stil in tact in 2002.    

Jan Tredoux - 2003 – 2005 (owner)

Rozelle Nelson – 2005 -2007 (owner)
These two owners undertook various changes and both lived in the building with their families.
 
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