Dreyer Tree » Lisbeth Saunders (1659-1743)

Personal data Lisbeth Saunders 

• She was born in the year 1659.

  Attention: Was younger than 16 years (1) when child (Maria van Bengale) was born (??-??-1660) .

• She died in the year 1743, she was 84 years old.
• A child of PN and Lijsbeth Arabus

Household of Lisbeth Saunders

(1) She is married to Louis van Bengale.

They got married

Child(ren):

1. Maria van Bengale  1660-1722 
2. Elizabeth Louisz  1680-???? 
3. Maria Louisz  1686-1710 

(2) She is married to Johann,"Jan" Herfst ,"Herbst".

They got married.

Child(ren):

1. Gerbrecht Herfst ,"Herbst"  1702-1773 

(3) She is married to Willem Teerling.

They got married.

Child(ren):

1. Clara Herfst ,"Teerling"  1689-1714 

Notes about Lisbeth Saunders

 

De facto*

Lijsbeth Sanders was born before 2 March 1659 de Caep de Goede Hoop most likely in the household of Hendrick Hendricksz Boom and Anna Joris given that her putative mother had been re-allocated to them by the time of the 1657 muster.3,4
Lijsbeth Sanders and Louis van Bengale were in a defacto relationship circa 1678 Cabo de Boa Esperança.5
Lovers*	Circa 1684 Lijsbeth Sanders and Willem Teerling were lovers de Caep de Goede Hoop.6
De facto*	Lijsbeth Sanders and Jan Herfst were in a defacto relationship after January 1699 Drakenstein.5
Engagement	She and Louis van Bengale were engaged on 17 March 1687 Stellenbosch, Cabo de Boa Esperança,They appeared before the Magistrate and executed a pledge to marry. According to Hattingh some researchers interpreted this pledge as as a marriage; and Louis' later application to be released from it, as divorce. Hattingh argues that instead, it was merely an agreement or promise.5
Death*	Lijsbeth Sanders died circa 1743 de Caep de Goede Hoop.5
SlaveTransaction	When, on 6 January 1665, Hendrick Hendricksz Boom ,sold his entire household, including the adult slaves Anna van Guinea and Claes Kelder van Angolato Matthijs Coeijmans, Lijsbeth Sanders was likely one of two child slaves sold with them.7
SlaveTransaction*	Lijsbeth Sanders was sold by Matthijs Coeijmans, to Adriaan Willemsz van Brakel on 2 March 1671 de Caep de Goede Hoop.3,8,9
Crime*	Between 28 April 1678 and 30 April 1678 de Caep de Goede Hoop Lijsbeth Sanders confessed that she had broken into the home of Louis van Bengale and stolen a gold ring and 3 silver buttons - een guide ringh en 3 paar silvered cnoopjes - she was ceded to Louis in compensation for his loss and her accomplices - two sailors - were banished to Robben Island.10,11,12
Slave*	She is named as een slavin van Louys van Bengale in the baptism record of her daughter, Elisabeth on 6 June 1680 de Caep de Goede Hoop.13
NameRecord	The name of Lijsbeth Sanders was written in the record as Elysabet NN 6 October 1680.14
(WitnessParent) Baptism	She is named as a parent in the record of the baptism of Elizabeth Louisz on 6 October 1680 Nederduitsch Gereformeerde Kerk, (Cape Town), de Caep de Goede Hoop.13,15,5
SlaveEmancipation*	On 27 July 1683 Cabo de Boa Esperança Lijsbeth Sanders was emancipated by Louis van Bengale her owner and lover, who described her in his application as“mijn meijt genaemt Lijsbeth van Cabo”. Two of Lijsbeth's unnamed children were freed along with her. In return, Lijsbeth was required to loyally serve Louis for a further year. Hattingh suggests the two children were Elizabeth Louisz and Anna Louisz; Mansell Upham suggests the second child was Willem, a possible son of WillemTeerling. Both were baptised a month apart in 1685 - Anna in April (parents Louis and Lijsbeth) and Willem (unnamed parents) in May. While I agree with Upham that Willem was probably the son of Lijsbeth and Teerling - my own view is that Anna was the unbaptised child freed with Lijsbeth and Elisabeth. Given the volatile relationship between Lijsberth and Louis - the latter wanted to reinstate her in slavery when she was carrying Teerling's child in 1689 - I think he would far less likely have freed her if she had recently given birth to a child by another man.16,5
(WitnessParent) Baptism	She is named as a parent in the record of the baptism of Maria Louisz on 10 February 1686 (Cape Town).17,18
Misc*	On 15 March 1688 Stellenbosch Lijsbeth Sanders was sued by Louis van Bengale for being "absent". He demanded before the court that she must marry him. Lijsbeth claimed that she was not denying her pledge to marry, but that it had actually been conditional as the Magistrate had cautioned Louis to desist from tyranically treating her "met smijten, slaan en dreijgementen van dooden" (by throwing things at her, hitting her and threatening her with death). The court attempted to bring them to agreement, i.e.: “met allerhande sachte middelen p(ar)tijen eerst soekende te bevredighen, hebbe door haar interpositie niets kome obtineeren (bewerkstellig), alsoo de Gh(edaag)de absoluijt verklaerende, noch te kome noch te willen met dito Lovijs om reedenen vooren gemelt trouwen,noch huijshouden dus hebben p(ar)tije met wedersijds bewilligingh ijndelijk geaccordeert, dat Lijsbeth soude gaen, waer het haer beliefde, doch niet met een ander trouwen noch doen by houden, immers niet te mogen in huwelijk met een ander treeden, soos langh Lovijs ongetrout was; ende dat de Vaders gelijk begeerden de kinderen bij dito Lijsbeth in onecht geprockeert, soude tot hem neemen alleen het jonghste kindt noch een jaer bij de moeder latende, mits aan de selfde voor lijfs onderhout int sefde jaer uijtkeerende vijf en twintigh Caapse gls, doch soude Lovijs gheholden sijn, gedachte kinderen in alle deucht en Christelijke plicht op te trekken, en doen opvoeden, soo met school te senden als anders: en sij p(ar)tijen voor den Achtbaaren Raad met dit accoort vergenoegt geweest”. An agreement was reached before the court, but it did not hold for long, because later that year, Louis sued Lijsbeth and her lover, William Teerling, and demanded that the court reinstate her in slavery. It is unclear when the relationship between Lijsbeth and William Teerling began. He was born in England and worked for the company (VOC) for several years before becoming a vryburger and was for a while a servant and sheep herder for Louis van Bengale. Louis fired Teerling because of his relationship with Lijsbeth and sued them both, demanding custody of the youngest child (presumably Maria); release from the promise to marry her, "haer t’enemael ten opsigte van trouwbeloften en anders ontslagen te sijn”, adding that he had failed to comply with the promise to marry because she was was not a Christian, "sy nietin de Chr(istelijke) religie onderwesen, off gedoopt was". He also demanded that the court reinstate her in slavery,“wederom in slawernij bij den eijs(e)r gestelt”. Hattingh writes that the court determined that he could get the child once he had paid Lijsbeth the full "kostegeld" - perhaps the expenses related to the child's upkeep.5
(Mother) Note	Clara Herfst has widely been assumed to be the biological daughter of Jan Herfst but the events in the life of her mother Lijsbeth Sanders and in her own life make this highly unlikely. It is far more likely that her biological father was Willem Teerling and that Herfst was her step- or de facto adoptive father. Starting with the most recent key event in the timeline is the birth of Clara's daughter Johanna Potgieter before 3 May 1707 - the date on which she is baptised. Even given the very early age of motherhood for some women at the time (for example 14 years), Clara must have been born at least as early as May 1693, but probably even earlier. On 6 April 1689 Lijsbeth confessed that she was four months pregnant with Teerling's child. She saidshe had become sexually involved with Teerling after he left the employ of Louis van Bengale. Two and a half months earlier she refused in court to marry Louis because of his abusive treatment including hitting her and threatening to kill her. Teerling's child was due in September 1689, and this date fits a logical birth date for Clara who then would have been 17 when her daughter Johanna was born - a not unusual age for the birth of first children in that period. I am of the view that Lijsbeth Sanders and Jan Herfst only became romantically involved around 1699/1700 after she was released from a three year term in a chain gang. Her only biological child with Herfst would then be Gerbregt with Clara becoming his de facto adopted or step-daughter.19
Crime*	On 6 January 1696 de Caep de Goede Hoop Lijsbeth Sanders convicted of housebreaking and theft. She was sentenced to be flogged and to 3 years hard labour in chains.20
Crime	In January 1699 de Caep de Goede Hoop Lijsbeth Sanders would have been released from prison and working in the chain gang if her sentence had been carried out in full and assuming it was not extended for any reason.21
Name Variation	Lijsbeth Sanders was also known as Lysbet Sanders.22

Family 1	Louis van Bengale b. c 1652, d. 1716
Children	Elizabeth Louisz+15,5 b. b 6 Oct 1680 Anna Louisz+23,5 b. b 27 Jul 1683 Maria Louisz+5,24 b. 10 Feb 1686

Family 2	Willem Teerling b. c 1633
Children	Willem Teerling b. b 8 May 1685, d. 1713; candidate relationship, offered with a view toward further discovery in the record.25 Clara Herfst+24,26 b. c Sep 1689, d. b 18 Feb 1714

Family 3	Jan Herfst b. c 1660
Child	Gerbregt Herfst+26 b. 1 Oct 1702, d. a 4 Mar 1773

Citations

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Timeline Lisbeth Saunders

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