The story of Elsje begins with Jan van Riebeeck delaying a ship in March 1658 so that her father Hendrik van Suurwaarden could marry her mother, the beautiful 19 year old Grietje Meeckhoff. He proposed to her a mere few days after meeting her, when her ship docked in Cape Town en route to Batavia. A true case of "Love at First Sight"!
Their daughter Elsje was born in Cape Town in May 1662. By all accounts she inherited her mother's beauty, and was married at 18 to Albert Jansz van Breugel, the first of her three husbands. Five years later Albert died on a voyage to Madagascar to purchase slaves. Elsje next got involved in a relationship with Andries De Man, who was at the time assistant governor to Simon van der Stel.
One of Andries' tasks was supervising the building of an outpost and kraal for 4 000 sheep in the area between where DF Malan High School and Willowbridge now stand. When Simon van der Stel stayed over at the outpost for two days in 1688, he named the outpost "Elsje's Corael", likely on Andries' suggestion.
In 1689 Elsje and Andries were married and made application for land up-river from Elsje's Corael. Unfortunately Andries died in 1695 before the farm could be legally handed over. He was buried with full military honours as a result of his outstanding success as an administrator.
In 1696 Elsje married her third husband Hendricus Munquerus, Landros of Stellenbosch, and on 7 July 1698 the deeds to the farm De Tijgerbergen were officially awarded to Elsje, signed by Simon van der Stel himself. Following Hendricus' death, Elsje became the first of several widow farmers in the area, earning her the title of "Die Boerin van De Tijgerbergen"
Elsje was clearly a distinguished woman in Cape society. All three of her husbands were senior VOC officials and the farm she was awarded was twice the size of those usually granted to Vryburgers at the time. The suburb of Elsies River is named for the river that flows through the area, so it's also indirectly named after Elsje. Her farm, which lies to the North of the cache, was later renamed Altydgedacht and until recently farmed by Jean Parker, the current "Boerin van De Tijgerbergen".
The cache is placed at one end of a footbridge over a relatively unspoiled stretch of the river on what was once Door-de-Kraal farm, which has sadly been swallowed up by housing developments. The road alongside is destined to become a busy through road to Durbanville, so enjoy Elsje's quiet while it lasts.
FTF Honours to Burton38