• Birth Date 1705
• Death Date 1740
• First Name Catharina
• Last Name Gaucher
• Maiden Name Bock
• Gender Female

Catharina Bok

The First Fifty Years Project

Born before 27 December 1705

Father-Candidate Darius van Bengale b. c 1677; There were two men known as Darius van Bengale. The first was Darius van Cochin who also appears in the record as Darius van Bengale, but who, by 1693 had been freed and was working for Guilliam Heems. The second was the slave purchased by Hans Casper Geringer from Maria Jansz Visser, the widow of Lambertus Simons Stam who, due to proximity, is the likely father of the girls Maria en Catryn.1

Mother Anna Groothenning van Bengale b. c 1670, d. a 1719

Step-father Christiaan Bok1 b. c 1669, d. b 27 Aug 1716

Birth Catharina Bok was born before 27 December 1705 at de Caep de Goede Hoop.1,2

Baptism-Candidate Catharina Bok may be the individual who was baptized on 27 December 1705 at Nederduitsche Gereformeerde Kerk, (Cape Town), de Caep de Goede Hoop.3

Marriage She married Steven Gous, son of André Gauch and Jacqueline Decré, on 6 March 1718 at Nederduitsche Gereformeerde Kerk, Stellenbosch, de Caep de Goede Hoop.4,2

Slave Emancipation On 27 August 1709 de Caep de Goede Hoop Anna Groothenning van Bengale, Johanna Bok van der Caep, Michiel Bok van der Caep, Catharina Bok and Maria Groothenning was emancipated by Hans Kaspar Geringer, the manumission was made in terms of a will drawn up by Geringer.5

Family

Steven Gous b. c 1684

Child

Stephanus Gous

Citations:

• [S629] Personal communication between Mansell Upham and Delia Robertson. 27 Dec: [1705] Twe Kinderen van Dare[s] van Bengale en Anna van Bengale onder getuijgen van Willem Fenning en Katrina de Vos Maria en Catryn.
• [S153] J.A. Heese & R.T.J. Lombard, South African Genealogies 1 A-C, HSRC SA Genealogies (Pretoria: Institute for Historical Research, Division Genealogical Research, Pretoria, 1986, 1989), ISBN 0-620-23962-X, Page 314. Hereinafter cited as S.A. Genealogies 1.
• [S629] Mansell Upham.
• [S331] Webpage Ball Family Records (www.ballfamilyrecords.co.uk) "http://www.ballfamilyrecords.co.uk/gous/I076.html, last accessed on 21 Oct 2010; 7 Church Registers - Cape Town Congregation, Cape Archives, originals in the Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerk Argief, Stellenbosch, VC 603, 604, 605, 621 - baptisms and marriages 1695+
• marriages, page 7, 1718
• 6.Maartii
• Steeven Gauche van Geneve, jongman, en Catharina Bok van Caabo de Goed Hoop, jonge dogter."
• [S198] Margaret Cairns, "Geringer and Bok: a genealogical jigsaw", Familia (Geringer and Bok) 13, nr. 2 (1976): On 27th August 1709, Abraham Poulé, the official of that time together with his clerk, grappled with this third will. Geringer aged fifty-six and Bok forty-one, first cancelled their previous testaments executed either singly or in partnership; the survivor was again to be sole heir with the usual provisions for Christian burial and payment of just debts. Anna and the children were all granted freedom and Michiel was recorded as 'Michiel Geringer' for the first and only time.. Hereinafter cited as "Geringer and Bok."
• [S408] Drakenstein Heemkring, compilers, Drakenstein I Baptisms., CD-ROM (Paarl) Drakenstein Heemkring, 2006 , Baptism Register, 1721; Den 5de Jann; Andries, zoon van Andries Gaus en Janna Conterman, Getuijgen Pieter Gaus en Lena Bok. [Although the witness is named as Lena Bok in this record, I suspect she was perhaps Catharina Bok, the wife of Steven Gous, this child's uncle.]. Hereinafter cited as Drakenstein I Baptisms.

• ---

The Gous Family Tree – first generations (by Richard Ball):

André Gauch, smith and farmer, living in Drakenstein Born: Le Pont-de-Montvert, Languedoc - died 26 February 1698 x Jacqueline Decré 13 January 1683 Celigny, Geneva died before 1691 (assumed); xx Johanna de Clercq 19 August 1691 Stellenbosch, born Zeeland, died circa 1748 His own signature gives his name as André Gauch. At the Cape the name was variously spelled; mostly ‘Gausch’ and ‘Gousch’ in the early documents (reproducing very closely the sound of the French name using Dutch spelling) and later apparently taken to be the word 'Gouws' and spelt thus or as 'Gous'. I have decided to standardise the form of the name as Gous from his children onwards. The marriage entry in the Celigny, Geneva, register gives his father's name as the late Pierre Gauch of Pont de Monvers aux Sevens, but does not record the bridegroom's age at that date. So far as I know there is no source for his date of birth.

The children and grandchildren of André Gauch and Jacqueline Decré:

b1 Steven Gous, born between 1683 and 1684 at Geneva, died before March 1758 farmer, of Berg en Daal, Koeberg, x Catharina Bok, 6 March 1718 Cape Town ( born: circa 1704-1705 at the Cape, died circa December 1779 father: Christiaan Bok, mother: Anna Groothenning [A slave woman - Sharon Doubell 2014] )
I have assumed that he was the son of Jacqueline Decré. There is, so far as I am aware, no proof of this. He gave his birthplace as Geneva at the time of his marriage, so it seems very likely. Although he appears as 'Etienne' in SAG, De Villiers / Pama, Boucher’s French Speakers at the Cape, and many of the web sites which list this family, I have found not a single historical source for this name. So far as I know we have no record of him other than what is housed in the Cape Archives where his name is always Steven.

b1.c1 Stephanus Gous, baptised 1 September 1720 Cape Town and died (in all probability) between 1720 and 1721 as an infant. Although given a large progeny by SAG this child almost certainly died as an infant. The opgaaf (tax cum census) returns for this family list no children for the year 1721. Later returns of 1725 to 1738 list only daughters in this family. The return of 1741 lists 1 son and 5 daughters. In addition the will of Catharina Bok, widow of Steven Gous, 17 March 1758, lists her 5 daughters and her one son, Andries Stephanus and the estate accounts of Clara Bok, who died without children of her own in 1798, lists the then living children and descendants of her late sister Catharina Bok, 'procreated within marriage with her likewise deceased husband Stephanus Gousch' as Andries Stephanus Gousch, Sara Gousch and Clara Gousch.
b1.c2 Anna Gous, baptised 30 September 1721 Cape Town
b1.c3 Catharina Gous, baptised 1 August 1723 Cape Town
The two daughters above were still living when their mother made her opgaaf return in 1773 but had died by the time the estate accounts of their aunt, Clara Bok, were drawn up in 1798 (MOOC 13/1/22, 4).
b1.c4 Gous, baptised 18 March 1725 Cape Town, died circa 1792
b1.c5 Sara Gous, baptised 6 April 1727 Cape Town, date of death unknown, except that it was probably after 1798 since she is mentioned as one of the heirs of her aunt, Clara Bok (MOOC 13/1/22, 4).
b1.c6 Clara Gous, baptised 20 July 1732 Cape Town, died circa July 1821
b1.c7 Stephanus Gous, baptised 12 June 1740 Cape Town, died circa October 1814 x Maria Hendrina Mulder born at the Cape. This couple had no children of their own but their apparently unrelated adopted son, Andries Stephanus Faculyn Gous, left a large progeny (see SAG).

b2 Marie Gous, baptised 31 May 1690 Amsterdam, Oude Waalse Kerk, died presumably before her father arrived at the Cape.

Details for Doc: The Gous Family Tree, by Richard Ball

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