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Pieter Voltelyn Graham van der Byl

Caledon, 21 Feb 1889 – Muizenberg, 21 Jan 1975

6 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born21 Feb 1889, Caledonnot verified1 source
  • Died21 Jan 1975, Muizenbergnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 21 Feb 1889

    Born in Caledon

  2. 11 Nov 1923

    A son is born

  3. 21 Jan 1975

    Dies in Muizenberg, aged 85

Family

See the tree

Children · 1

During his lifetime

He lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Caledon.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1880s · Pieter is born in Caledon

In the news1886

Gold discovered on the Witwatersrand

The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand led to the rapid rise of Johannesburg and massive influxes of immigrants and capital.

Getting around

Train travel was slow and unluxurious

In 1889, a railway journey from Cape Town to Bloemfontein took ten days, though by 1900 this had significantly improved. Trains were often composed of compartment-style carriages where passengers had to provide their own bedding and deal with oil lamps.

At the table

The national obsession with drinking coffee

Coffee was the national beverage, and people drank it throughout the day, sometimes up to fifteen cups daily. It was often brewed black, strong, and hot.

Europe divides Africa. At the Berlin Conference, European powers set the rules for carving up Africa; within thirty years almost all of it was colonised.In Africa · 1884–1885

Europe divides Africa. At the Berlin Conference, European powers set the rules for carving up Africa; within thirty years almost all of it was colonised.

Adalbert von Roessler · public domain

What people wore

Money hidden in hat ribbons

Boer women sometimes hid money inside the striped ribbon bands of their popular straw boater hats to keep it safe during the war.

Music

Diverse song traditions across South Africa

Zulu people composed private songs for personal milestones, while Cape residents developed comic satirical songs called moppies for local celebrations.

Daily life

Limited access to formal education

Formal schooling for white children was scarce, and in some areas, children were reported to be growing up illiterate. Wealthier families hired private tutors for daily instruction from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., while others sent children to live at distant farms to attend school.