Hi Bev, There are actually a number of books covering this period, most them out of print. I have two, the one mentioned in my other post and another called "Gold! Gold! Gold! The Johannesburg Gold Rush" by Eric Rosenthal and published in 1970. As Johannesburg only exists because of the mining, virtually any book on the history of Johannesburg is going to include a fair chunk on the mining history. Cheers, Paddy On 19 February 2014 12:33, Bev <[email protected]> wrote: > What a gem this book would be to people who are researching this period. > When I went through the info that I got this morning, I realised that from > my research [mainly death cert] there were other mines and also wondered > what mine Gold Reef City original name was. The Primrose mine also rang a > bell! > Maybe a good indication for some genealogist to actually do a book! > Thanks Noelene! > Bev > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nolene Lossau > Sent: 19 February 2014 11:42 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. > > I have a History Book about Johannesburg called "Like it Was - The Star 100 > Years in Johannesburg" published by Argus in 1987 ISBN 0 620 09389 7 which > is a mine (excuse the pun) of information about the gold mines of > Johannesburg. The Star was one of the first newspapers published in > Johannesburg - the first edition went out on Monday 117 Oct 1887. Gold had > been discovered by George HARRION in February 1886. In the 6 July 1889 > edition The Star published a list of gold yields from various mines. These > mines were listed as follows: > > Aurora > Chimes > Crown > Croesus > City & Suburban > Durban Roodepoort > Henry Nourse > Jubilee > Langlaagte > May Consolidated > Mint > New Primrose > New Grahamstown > Royal > Simmer and Jack > Steyn Estate > Wemmer > Worcester > Wolhuter > > -----Original Message----- > From: Keith Meintjes [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: 19 February 2014 09:31 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. > > Dennis, > > Yes, but: > > What are the associated genealogy resources? Are the Chamber of Mines or > the Anglo-American personnel records available to researchers? > > I worked at Vaal Reefs in Stilfontein while I was an engineering student at > Wits. Let me just stay that mining a half meter thick gold vein that > angles > at 45 degrees upwards more than a mile underground with oppressive heat and > humidity is one of the most terrifying memories I have. > > On the radio here today (BBC on satellite in the USA) there are stories > about "illegal" miners being trapped underground. Desperate people, it > seems to me. > > Keith > > ------ Original Message ------ > Received: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 02:32:07 PM EST > From: "Dennis Pretorius" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. > > Hallo All > > Maybe someone would like to record all the Gold Mines - and maybe diamond > and coal mines as well - and store that somewhere on a website ? > > Any offers ? > > > Kind regards. > > > > Dennis Pretorius > Krugersdorp South Africa > Tel - 011-762-8911 > Cel - 083-679-8541 > Fax - 086-609-8541 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Irene de Villiers > Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 3:40 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. > > > On Feb 18, 2014, at 1:37 AM, Bev wrote: > > > Is there a source which lists the names of the mines [not the mining > > companies] and where exactly they were situated? Perhaps a map? > > > >> From what I can gather, [from death notices] although the men worked > >> on the > > mines, they did not necessarily live in mine houses? > > > > Thank you! Bev > > > Bev I do not know how much I coud help, but I lived on a gold mine and my > dad, and his dad were mine officials. The largest company of gold mines was > Anglo American of South Africa and I know the names of the AASA GOLD mines > of the 1900s if that helps? > > I grew up at Western Reefs mine, a new one which was started by my dad and > 16 others, in 1953 in Orkney, on the Vaal river, about 100 miles SSW of > Jo'burg. It had three shafts (one way to measure a mine's size is how many > shafts took miners up and down). > Then came Vaal Reefs, in a town of same name, a few miles away, and later > those two were both called Vaal Reefs, a huge mining area with 11 shafts. > Klerksdorp is about 8 miles north of Orkney and the largest town in that > area. It was also a gold mine but was closed down, emptied, by the time > Western Reefs was started. > The underground mine workings went all over the place, under Stilfontein > town, Westdriefontein, Orkney, Vaal Reefs, Vierfonteyn, and Klerksdorp, > these all being towns that were developed above the extensive mining > operations and eventually it was all called Vaalk reefs, but the original > mines were these town names plus Western Reefs and minus Orkney. Orkney was > never a mine name. Western Reefs mine was in Orkney. (Underground railways > connected it all down there - so while there were all these discrete towns > up top, it was all a big connected area of mining operations underground, > and at several levels.) > > As for housing, that was a company policy matter. Anglo did offer its > workers housing, and you got a house with a size and shape according to the > job you did. You had to pay rent of two rand a month, just to make rental > official that you did not own the house. BUT - when you retired or left, > you had to leave the house and so it was smart to plan to buy one at > retirement elsewhere. > Black workers were housed in apartment style buildings, one for each tribal > custom group, with vegetable gardens per culture, and entertainment > ampitheatres per cultural group. Workers were made up in teams of ten who > spoke the same language. There were an average of fifty languages spoken on > one mine as workers came from all over Africa to work on mines. They did 2 > weeks above ground training on arrival, including intensive safety and > first > aid training, while thery acclimatized to the altitude of 6000 feet or > more. > > > (I am convinced the apartheid idea was taken from the very effective mine > system where workers had a choice of what language/culture group housing to > use. But of course the govt made a total controlling mess of things with > forced compliance instead of free choice and.......best I shall leave that > subject....) > > Further south in Orange Free State, Welkom area, was a cluster of mines > named: > Freddies > Free State Geduld > President Brand > Saaiplaas > President Steyn > Western Holdings > Joel > > > And further north circling Johannesburg (now Gauteng) the mines: > Western Deep Levels (East Levels) > Western Deep Levels (Levels West) > Western Deep Levels (Levels South) > Elandsrand > > > Those were Anglo mines and there were others but those I rememeber less > about. > Carletonville mine of course was famous because of sinkholes there. > East Rand Mine is at Boxburg. > East of the western Deep Levels mines is East Rand mine and still more > east, > Evander mine. > > Earliest GOLD mines were at Pilgrim's Rest and Barberton, after which the > Witwatersrand gold reef was discovered.......all those ANglo mines followed > from the 1886 gold rush. > > > DIAMOND MINES > > They started 1867 with diamonds on the Orange River bank, Kimberley > developed as a centre where you can still see the "Big Hole" > In the mid to late 1800s many people staked claims in the area, and each > owned their little claim area. > The van der Merwe joke about the later develpment of one giant digging at > Kimberley, was that VdM won the local biggest carrot grown that year > competition, but explained the carrot was too big to bring along to show > people. However, they could go see the big hole it came out of.... > > Diamonds were also found near Johannesburg at Cullinan mine. > > > OTHER MINES > > SA has uranium mines (esp at Western Reefs, now Vaal Reefs) coal mines (low > sulphur which is low pollution coal), vanadium, platinum manganese > zirconium > rutile and the list goes on. > Do you know what kind of mining names you need? > I hope you find what you nede. I thought this might be a starting place. > > Namaste, > Irene > Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom. > P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220. > www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.) > "Man > who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it." > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

What a wonderful man Eric Rosenthal was!!! He was utterly marvellous on quiz programmes on the radio when I was a teenager. He was a very popular professor at Wits. University ....my ex husband was one of his students...he spoke very highly of the man! One of my aunts had a 'close encounter' with him.... She'd taken some shorthand for a very demanding visiting company 'bigwig' from London boss but couldn't make sense of one word she'd written. She didn't want to have to say she couldn't read her own shorthand so she telephoned him (his number was in the telephone directory as most were in those days). She read the sentence to him and he gave her the correct answer to her great relief! Some years later I was doing a Surf promotion in his neighbourhood (my mum was visiting and I took the opportunity to earn a little money while she was there to look after my babies.) I noticed him pushing the trolley for his wife...when they came passed me I did my 'promotional bit and then mentioned the incident to him....he squinched up his eyes a little, looked at the ceiling and said "Your aunt's name is Sheila Basden, and the word she couldn't read was sabbatical...what a phenomenal memory! I found that completely incredible; I've remembered him with fondness ever since! Best wishes, Tombi Peck ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pat Brown" <[email protected]> To: "Genealogy - South Africa" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 11:11 AM Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. > Hi Bev, > There are actually a number of books covering this period, most them out > of print. I have two, the one mentioned in my other post and another > called > "Gold! Gold! Gold! The Johannesburg Gold Rush" by Eric Rosenthal and > published in 1970. As Johannesburg only exists because of the mining, > virtually any book on the history of Johannesburg is going to include a > fair chunk on the mining history. > > Cheers, > > Paddy > > > On 19 February 2014 12:33, Bev <[email protected]> wrote: > >> What a gem this book would be to people who are researching this period. >> When I went through the info that I got this morning, I realised that >> from >> my research [mainly death cert] there were other mines and also wondered >> what mine Gold Reef City original name was. The Primrose mine also rang a >> bell! >> Maybe a good indication for some genealogist to actually do a book! >> Thanks Noelene! >> Bev >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nolene Lossau >> Sent: 19 February 2014 11:42 AM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. >> >> I have a History Book about Johannesburg called "Like it Was - The Star >> 100 >> Years in Johannesburg" published by Argus in 1987 ISBN 0 620 09389 7 >> which >> is a mine (excuse the pun) of information about the gold mines of >> Johannesburg. The Star was one of the first newspapers published in >> Johannesburg - the first edition went out on Monday 117 Oct 1887. Gold >> had >> been discovered by George HARRION in February 1886. In the 6 July 1889 >> edition The Star published a list of gold yields from various mines. >> These >> mines were listed as follows: >> >> Aurora >> Chimes >> Crown >> Croesus >> City & Suburban >> Durban Roodepoort >> Henry Nourse >> Jubilee >> Langlaagte >> May Consolidated >> Mint >> New Primrose >> New Grahamstown >> Royal >> Simmer and Jack >> Steyn Estate >> Wemmer >> Worcester >> Wolhuter >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Keith Meintjes [mailto:[email protected]] >> Sent: 19 February 2014 09:31 AM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. >> >> Dennis, >> >> Yes, but: >> >> What are the associated genealogy resources? Are the Chamber of Mines or >> the Anglo-American personnel records available to researchers? >> >> I worked at Vaal Reefs in Stilfontein while I was an engineering student >> at >> Wits. Let me just stay that mining a half meter thick gold vein that >> angles >> at 45 degrees upwards more than a mile underground with oppressive heat >> and >> humidity is one of the most terrifying memories I have. >> >> On the radio here today (BBC on satellite in the USA) there are stories >> about "illegal" miners being trapped underground. Desperate people, it >> seems to me. >> >> Keith >> >> ------ Original Message ------ >> Received: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 02:32:07 PM EST >> From: "Dennis Pretorius" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. >> >> Hallo All >> >> Maybe someone would like to record all the Gold Mines - and maybe diamond >> and coal mines as well - and store that somewhere on a website ? >> >> Any offers ? >> >> >> Kind regards. >> >> >> >> Dennis Pretorius >> Krugersdorp South Africa >> Tel - 011-762-8911 >> Cel - 083-679-8541 >> Fax - 086-609-8541 >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Irene de Villiers >> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 3:40 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Early Witwatersrand gold mines. >> >> >> On Feb 18, 2014, at 1:37 AM, Bev wrote: >> >> > Is there a source which lists the names of the mines [not the mining >> > companies] and where exactly they were situated? Perhaps a map? >> > >> >> From what I can gather, [from death notices] although the men worked >> >> on the >> > mines, they did not necessarily live in mine houses? >> > >> > Thank you! Bev >> >> >> Bev I do not know how much I coud help, but I lived on a gold mine and my >> dad, and his dad were mine officials. The largest company of gold mines >> was >> Anglo American of South Africa and I know the names of the AASA GOLD >> mines >> of the 1900s if that helps? >> >> I grew up at Western Reefs mine, a new one which was started by my dad >> and >> 16 others, in 1953 in Orkney, on the Vaal river, about 100 miles SSW of >> Jo'burg. It had three shafts (one way to measure a mine's size is how >> many >> shafts took miners up and down). >> Then came Vaal Reefs, in a town of same name, a few miles away, and >> later >> those two were both called Vaal Reefs, a huge mining area with 11 shafts. >> Klerksdorp is about 8 miles north of Orkney and the largest town in that >> area. It was also a gold mine but was closed down, emptied, by the time >> Western Reefs was started. >> The underground mine workings went all over the place, under Stilfontein >> town, Westdriefontein, Orkney, Vaal Reefs, Vierfonteyn, and Klerksdorp, >> these all being towns that were developed above the extensive mining >> operations and eventually it was all called Vaalk reefs, but the original >> mines were these town names plus Western Reefs and minus Orkney. Orkney >> was >> never a mine name. Western Reefs mine was in Orkney. (Underground >> railways >> connected it all down there - so while there were all these discrete >> towns >> up top, it was all a big connected area of mining operations underground, >> and at several levels.) >> >> As for housing, that was a company policy matter. Anglo did offer its >> workers housing, and you got a house with a size and shape according to >> the >> job you did. You had to pay rent of two rand a month, just to make rental >> official that you did not own the house. BUT - when you retired or left, >> you had to leave the house and so it was smart to plan to buy one at >> retirement elsewhere. >> Black workers were housed in apartment style buildings, one for each >> tribal >> custom group, with vegetable gardens per culture, and entertainment >> ampitheatres per cultural group. Workers were made up in teams of ten >> who >> spoke the same language. There were an average of fifty languages spoken >> on >> one mine as workers came from all over Africa to work on mines. They did >> 2 >> weeks above ground training on arrival, including intensive safety and >> first >> aid training, while thery acclimatized to the altitude of 6000 feet or >> more. >> >> >> (I am convinced the apartheid idea was taken from the very effective mine >> system where workers had a choice of what language/culture group housing >> to >> use. But of course the govt made a total controlling mess of things with >> forced compliance instead of free choice and.......best I shall leave >> that >> subject....) >> >> Further south in Orange Free State, Welkom area, was a cluster of mines >> named: >> Freddies >> Free State Geduld >> President Brand >> Saaiplaas >> President Steyn >> Western Holdings >> Joel >> >> >> And further north circling Johannesburg (now Gauteng) the mines: >> Western Deep Levels (East Levels) >> Western Deep Levels (Levels West) >> Western Deep Levels (Levels South) >> Elandsrand >> >> >> Those were Anglo mines and there were others but those I rememeber less >> about. >> Carletonville mine of course was famous because of sinkholes there. >> East Rand Mine is at Boxburg. >> East of the western Deep Levels mines is East Rand mine and still more >> east, >> Evander mine. >> >> Earliest GOLD mines were at Pilgrim's Rest and Barberton, after which the >> Witwatersrand gold reef was discovered.......all those ANglo mines >> followed >> from the 1886 gold rush. >> >> >> DIAMOND MINES >> >> They started 1867 with diamonds on the Orange River bank, Kimberley >> developed as a centre where you can still see the "Big Hole" >> In the mid to late 1800s many people staked claims in the area, and each >> owned their little claim area. >> The van der Merwe joke about the later develpment of one giant digging >> at >> Kimberley, was that VdM won the local biggest carrot grown that year >> competition, but explained the carrot was too big to bring along to show >> people. However, they could go see the big hole it came out of.... >> >> Diamonds were also found near Johannesburg at Cullinan mine. >> >> >> OTHER MINES >> >> SA has uranium mines (esp at Western Reefs, now Vaal Reefs) coal mines >> (low >> sulphur which is low pollution coal), vanadium, platinum manganese >> zirconium >> rutile and the list goes on. >> Do you know what kind of mining names you need? >> I hope you find what you nede. I thought this might be a starting place. >> >> Namaste, >> Irene >> Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom. >> P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220. >> www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.) >> "Man >> who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it." >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message