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Of mine and mines - a brief look at descendants of Alexander Basch in South Africa

Sam J. Basch [Familia 2017 Vol. 54/1 p23-42]

At present there is not much information on Alexander Oskar Adolf Berthold Basch (1837-1902) who was born in Silesia, at the time part of Prussia but now a province of Poland. His Death Notice described him as a blacksmith and farmer. From his first marriage to Martha Smit, four children were born, the youngest of whom was ultimately the author's grandfather Samuel (Sampie) Jacobus Basch (1868-1934). Alexander owned a portion of the farm ‘Elandsloof' near Dullstroom, where he farmed until his death at the end of the Anglo-Boer War in 1902. The author describes the part Alexander and his sons played in the Anglo-Boer War, as well as briefly the lives of some of his descendents in South Africa.

These descendents lived in difficult times, even as many other white South Africans, and the author provides interesting facts about the ‘poor white’-problem, which led to many of these relatives to find employment on the mines. The mine is where the author also grew up, as his own father, Samuel (Sam) Jacobus BASCH (1918-1980), managed to build a relatively successful career as a mining official. Notwithstanding the mines' somewhat tarnished reputation in South Africa today, they did have a major impact on the economic development of the country – and that of many displaced Afrikaner families.

Extract from panel adjudicators' comments:

The article is well curated in terms of language and is a pleasant read, richly illustrated with photographs and also contains new information about the family. His source references meet bibliographic requirements and the genealogical notation is aligned with those accepted by Familia.

Apart from meeting all the criteria as required, it is one of the few articles that provides sources according to research criteria, viz. those that one can follow up AND verify.