Letter from Mrs J. Campling - '.... the Dutch at Thika were called Bekker. They were mostly concerned with transport - long lines of hump backed oxen pulling wagons. Rather like the Voortrekkers. Education at the Government School in Nairobi was free to those who were really unable to pay school fees and so the Dutch children began to mix more with the British children as they grew up. .....Afrikaners were unfortunately despised by both blacks and whites and referred to by the Africans as 'sawasawa mzungu''.

Rootsweb Our family members (marked in yellow) who moved to Kenya were the following individuals and their extended family f3 Nicolaas Wilhelm * 8.11.1837 George 30.7.1838 x Willowmore 20.3.1871 Anna Magdalena SENEKAL * c. 1853 † Nyeri, province Kikuyu, Kenya 29.12.1924 d.v. Theodorus Cornelis Johannes Senekal en Elizabeth Magdalena Alida Gesina Kilian (Anna Magdalena Bekker, b 1853, residence Nyeri, died at age 71 in Nyeri, province Kikuyu on 29 Dec 1924, heart failure related to malaria. (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/9 part 1) g3 Elizabeth Magdalena * 7.7.1878 22.12.1878 † Boksburg April / May 1966 (88) x Johannes Hendrik (Hennie) BEKKER * Lydenburg 18.10.1876 † c. Kenya 1947 (Emigrate to Kenya in 1902/3) h1 Hester † Tanganyika h2 Petrus Johannes (Piet) x Jacoba (Kotie) (both buried Sundra cemetery, RSA). h3 Nicolas Wilhelm * 1906 † Nairobi 17-7-1916. Malaria (untreated) and heart failure. (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/6) h4 Dowalena Fredrika * Nairobi 8 Dec 1915 h5 Magdalena (Liena) * 8 Des 1916 x Cornelius Petrus Jacobus VAN DER MERWE * 28.2.1909 † 25.4.1966 h5 Elizabeth (Liesbet) * . 5 Mar 1907 x NN VAN DER MERWE xx Cornelius (Kerneels) STEYN (both buried in Boksburg cemetery) h6 Johanna Marguerita Katrina (Hannie) * Limuru, Kenya 11.9.1913 † Boksburg 17.7.1997 x Thika, Kenya 18.10.1930 Jan Adriaan BEKKER * Thika, Kenya 31.3.1908 † Boksburg 14.2.1996 s.v. Marthinus Wilhelm BEKKER (brother of Johannes Hendrik (Hennie) BEKKER) and Catharina Wilhelmina Jacomiena Johanna (Van der Westhuizen) i1 Marthinus Wilhelm (Martin) * Thika, Kenya 6.8.1931 † Boksburg 17.11.2006 x Joey i2 Magdalena Elizabeth (Lena) * Thika, Kenya 28.2.1933 † Pietersburg 24.3.1979 x Kenya Stephanus (Fanie) DE BEER i3 Johannes Hendrik (Boet) * Thika, Kenya 16.6.1935 † Kenya Sept 2009 i4 Christina (Tina) * Thika, Kenya Nov 1937 † Kenya March 1945 (age 7) Accident with hunting rifle. i5 John Adrian * Thika, Kenya 4.6.1944 x Germiston 16.3.1968 Elsie Maria Elizabeth ESTERHUIZEN * Germiston 12.1.1947 i7 Johanna Marguerita Katrina (Hannie) * Thika, Kenya 20.3.1952 † Kenya 6.4.1952 (0.17) h7 Nicolas * Nairobi 6 July 1923 (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/8) h8 Johannes Hendrik (Jannie) * 23 Mar 1925 x Jacoba (Kotie) g4 Marthinus x Hester g5 Hendrik (called Hakka) x Lily h1 Nicolas * Kenya h2 Gwen * Kenya g6 Fredrik g7 Johannes x Elizabeth (Bettie) g8 Anna x Kenya Pieter Swan Ongekoppeldes: Johannes Hendrik † 1917 x possible Lea Magdalena Maria Helena Elizabeth Rautenbach b1 Hendrik Johannes * Transvaal 1861, occupation “settler” Kiu Stream † Kyambu, district Kikuyu, province Ukamba 22.8.1910 (49) (Cause of death Typhoid fever & pneumonia.) c1 Johannes Frederick (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/2) b2 Nicolas Wilhelm x Johanna Margaretha (Occupation of Nicolas: farm manager.) c1 T’Odores Cornelius * Chania Bridge, district Fort Hall, province Kikuyu 18.11.1913 (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/3) b3 Petrus Johannes Casparus (Pietie) x Hester Sophia c1 Maria Elizabetha * Fort Hall, district Fort Hall, Province Kikuyu 22.8.1924 (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/9 part 1) b4 Johannes Hendrik (Hennie), farmer, Kyambu, Kenya * Klipfontein, Lydenburg / Machadodorp district 18.10.1876 † c. Kenya 1947 x Elizabeth Magdelena BEKKER (b4c1d7e3f3g3) * 7.7.1878 ≈ 22.12.1878 † Boksburg April / May 1966 (88) (Emigrate to Kenya in 1902/3) (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/3) b5 Marthinus Wilhelm (Martiens) * Klipfontein, Lydenburg / Machadodorp district 21.4.1872 † Kenya c. 1952 x Catharina Wilhelmina Jacomiena Johanna van der Westhuizen (Cathy) * 12.8.1878 † Kenya 23.9.1944. Buried in die Thika Imani Cemetery, now a pineapple plantation. c1 Martha Magdalena* Lydenburg 28 Sept 1898 † 23.11.1979. (Source Headstone Springs Geduld Main cemetery) x Frans Jooste * South Africa † Kenya. c2 Marthinus Wilhelm * 18.10.1903 † ??.9.1926 (22) (Drowned in Tana river in September 1926 during a hippopotamus hunt. Buried in Thika Imani Cemetery. He was not married.) c3 Jan Adriaan * Thika, Kenya 31.3.1908 † Boksburg 14.2.1996; x Thika, Kenya 18.10.1930 Johanna Marguerita Katrina (Hannie) BEKKER (b4c1d7e3f3g3h6) * Limuru, Kenya 11.9.1913 † Boksburg 17.7.1997 c4 Johannes Jurgens * Nyeri 23.10.1911. (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/3) c5 Nicolas Wilhelm * Nyeri, Kenya 9.7.1911. (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/3) c6 Hester Maria x Willem PIENAAR c7 Marthinus Wilhelm * Transport Training Camp, Ruiru 16.2.1915 (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/3) c8 Ingenatias * Maragwa, disctrik Fort Hall, Province Kikuyu 10.2.1921 (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/7) c9Jurgens Johannes (Oom Johannes) * Thika, district Fort Hall, Province Kikuyu 9.12.1922 (Ref British Public Records Office, RG36/8) † Empangeni, Zululand x Maria SCHUURKOOL/SCHUURKOGEL † Empangeni, Zululand d1 Marthinus Wilhelm, d2 Johannes (Klein Johannes) d3 Catharina Wilhelmina Jacomiena Johanna (Katrina). c10 N E BEKKER * 27.8.1910 † 12.1.1945 Thika Imani Cemetery c11 NN Hope this is not too much Regards Alta -----Original Message----- From: afr-kenya-bounces(a)rootsweb.com [mailto:afr-kenya-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Nigel Driscoll Sent: 27 August 2011 02:18 AM To: afr-kenya(a)rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [AFR-KENYA] BEKKER family Hi Alta, Do you have any specific names or initials because there seem to have been a lot of Bekkers in Kenya and not just at Thika. I have selected the Thika ones but if you have some other names I might be able to provide additional details. Note that "Arrived in" probably means the year in which the first recorded details of them being in that area, so it may not be totally accurate. Bekkers in Thika Bekker PJ arrived in 1930 Bekker CWJJ Buried at Imani Cemetery Bekker John Hendrik arrived in 1922 Bekker JP arrived in 1920 Bekker Martinus William died in 1926, drowned in the Tana River, buried at Imani Cemetery Bekker NW arrived in 1919 Bekker PG arrived in 1930 Bekker PJK arrived in 1930 Bekker TA arrived in 1930 Bekker WC arrived in 1930 I also have the following Bekkers who served in the Kenya Regiment: Jacobus Hercules Johannes Cornelius Johanes/Johannes Jurgens Lenard Arnoldus Marthinus Wilhelm Martin William Nicholas Niklaas Willem Petrus Johannes