Capt. John Heugh Van Ryneveld ¹ ^,2 ^,10

Born: 24 Oct 1851, Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa ¹ ^,2 ^,10
Marriage (1): Anna Catherine Van Eyk on 15 Dec 1890 in St. Michael & All Angels, Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa
Died: 14 Jan 1939, Durban, Natal, South Africa aged 87 ¹ ^,2 ^,10
Buried: Durban, Natal, South Africa

Family Links

Spouses/Children:

1. Anna Catherine Van Eyk

(+ Shows person has known children.)

bullet Birth Notes:

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/IGI/individual_record.asp?recid=500364039377&lds=1®ion=0®ionfriendly=Africa&frompage=99

And

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/IGI/individual_record.asp?recid=500364039371&lds=1®ion=0®ionfriendly=Africa&frompage=99

bullet Death Notes:

http://ancestry24.com/wp-content/uploads/pages/Genealogies%20of%20old%20South%20African%20Families/page_02857.pdf

And

http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=1666642

bullet Burial Notes:

http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=1666642

bullet Sources of information or noted events in his life were:

• Military Service. ¹⁰ Fought in Zulu war on staff of Prince Imperial.

• Occupation. ¹⁰ Sailed the world.

And

Butcher.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23578-20181-26?cc=1468076&wc=MCMX-B38:44975801,52325201,53649601,53649602

And

Railway Guard.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFN9-ZNR

And

Railway Guard
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9T43-88P?mode=g&i=221&wc=SFV8-C6X%3A44975801%2C52325201%2C58992401%2C58992402%3Fcc%3D1468076&cc=1468076

And

Conductor.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6FDS-T8Z?mode=g&i=170&wc=SFVD-W38%3A44975801%2C52325201%2C52378301%2C52385601%3Fcc%3D1468076&cc=1468076

• Web Based Info. http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=1666642

And

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/MZZN-TZW

• Obituary. Death of Capt. John Heugh van Ryneveld - S.A. Press Assoc. Durban, Tuesday (presume 1939)
A young trooper who brought home the head of a hostile chief in his saddle bag, went through nine campaigns, was commissioned at 22 years of age, sailed around the world twice, when he was twelve years of age and who was attached to the staff of the Prince Imperial during the Zulu war - Captain John Heugh van Ryneveld, died at Bellair at the age of 87 on Saturday.
He was the son of Judge van Ryneveld, Judge of the Transkei for 30 years and was born at Graaff Reinet in 1852.
Pioneer of 87 dead - Capt. J.H. van Ryneveld - From our correspondent
Durban, Wednesday. - The death occurred at Bellair, at the age of 87, Captain John Heugh van Ryneveld, soldier and pioneer in Natal, the Cape and on the Rand.
Captain van Ryneveld led a life packed with adventure. As a boy he lived in the Transkei, where his father, Mr. John van Ryneveld was a judge. He was twelve when he ran away to sea and sailed twice around the world in a windjammer. He collected £700 in seven years and then returned home.
None of his family recognised him on his return. He met his younger brother while he was walking home, but did not disclose his identity. He merely told his brother "I know van Ryneveld very well. "Come home with me," the brother said, "My family will be glad to have news of him. We have not heard of him for five years."
So John van Ryneveld went home. His mother did not recognise him. It was night and his father was in bed. Somebody cracked a joke and John van Ryneveld laughed, his father heard, jumped out of bed immediately and ran into the room, saying, "Nobody but my son can laugh like that."
Mr. Justice van Ryneveld then coached his son for entry into the Cape Mounted Rifles. He was appointed and at the age of 21 volunteered to capture, dead or alive, a native chief who had murdered a European woman. Accompanied only by a native guide he sought out the chief's kraal and shot him dead. Before the man's followers moved to action he cut off the dead man's head, put it in his saddlebag and galloped away. He was pursued for three days by hostile natives before he reached headquarters.
For this deed he was appointed Lieutenant in 1887. The following year he made Captain. After serving in nine campaigns including the Zulu War when he was attached to the Prince Imperial's staff, he resigned from the C.M.R. and went to the Rand, in about 1884, before gold had been discovered.
He was in Barberton when gold was struck and pegged out one of the first claims. He did not mine himself, but selling his property amassed a small fortune. This he lost on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
He then entered the service of the municipality as a health inspector, retiring in 1925 after more than 40 years on the Reef. He was a well-known amateur wrestler in Johannesburg.
His marriage was the first to be celebrated in the first Church of England built on the Reef, at Boksburg. Mrs. Van Ryneveld who survives her husband, still keeps a Bible presented to them to mark the first marriage by the Rector of the church.
Captain van Ryneveld leaves a widow and four children - Mr. Fred van Ryneveld, of Durban, Mrs. Thomas, of Durban, Mrs. Beckbessinger, of the Cape, and Mrs.Schmid, of Bellair.

• General Comment. Copy of his daughter, Anette Grace Schmid's, Death Notice dated 7 Oct 1941 in RAB's possession.

John married Anna Catherine Van Eyk, daughter of Frederick Bernardus Van Eyk and Alwina Jane Mueller, on 15 Dec 1890 in St. Michael & All Angels, Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa. (Anna Catherine Van Eyk was born in 1865 in Stockenstroom, Cape Province, South Africa and died on 3 Jul 1943 in Isipingo, Natal, South Africa ².)

bullet Sources of information or n events in their marriage were:

• Web Based Info. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23578-20181-26?cc=1468076&wc=MCMX-B38:44975801,52325201,53649601,53649602
Witnesses:-
J. Walliers??
J.E. Adams

And

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91V-M3CK-J?cc=2727134

Van Ryneveld Table of Contents | Van Ryneveld Surnames | Van Ryneveld Name List

There will inevitably be errors and omissions and the whole purpose of creating this online record, is to invite feedback and corrections.
The data is specifically for non-commercial use and my clear intention is to build family records. The data may, therefore, not be used in any way for the purposes of financial gain.

Caveat:- Throughout the project UK GRO birth, marriage and death index data appears. The GRO data appears in Quarters. Q1 = January, February and March, Q2 = April, May, June , Q3 = July, August and September and Q4 = October, November and December. Similarly, Mar Q = January, February and March, Jun Q = April, May, June , Sep Q = July, August and September and Dec Q = October, November and December. Where these dates occur, they represent the date of Registration of the event rather than the date of the actual event. Logically, registration occurs AFTER the event. In some cases this may be days or months or even years after the event. The important thing is that the event was recorded and a copy of the document of registration could be obtained if necessary. This also applies to South African NAAIRS records.

Similarly, the UK system is confusing to the uninitiated because registration districts can span several counties. Accordingly GRO locations may not record the true location of the event. They do record where the record is actually kept or recorded.

Caveat #2:- I have used URL's throughout the website as sources. The URLs are often from paid subscription sites so you may not be able to access them without an account. Inevitably there are broken URL's. I have been to every URL recorded here and at the time they were operational. In this regard, the Ancestry24 records are a problem. There are numerous references in the South African data citing Ancestry24 records. Unfortunately Ancestry24 has closed down and these records are no longer available on line.

The early South African records on this site would not have been as good as they are without the work done by Delia Robertson. Where there are website addresses containing http://www.e-family.co.za... I record the citation should read Robertson, Delia. The First Fifty Years Project. This website can be found at First Fifty Years

Capt. John Heugh Van Ryneveld 1,2,10

Capt. John Heugh Van Ryneveld ¹ ^,2 ^,10