Not much is known of our one ancestor, John Dyason
Hitchcock (1857), but his birth and death certificates, a newspaper clipping,
letters by his parents’ peers, information gleaned from one of his grandsons, and
his Bible reveal some valuable information.
He was born on 21 September 1857, and died 27
January 1928. He was the 12th child of his father Thomas Joel
Hitchcock (1803,) being the 4th child of Thomas Joel Hitchcock’s
second wife, Helena Dorothea Meyer Hitchcock.
His name –
John Dyason Hitchcock
His first name John
was obviously a first name that had been popular among the Hitchcocks for
several generations. But where did his middle name Dyason come from? It must have been the last name of what we assume
were close friends to his parents. On John Dyason Hitchcock’s baptism record in
the Church of the Province of South
Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004 (available at
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KYJ6-9S8)
appear the names of the witnesses at his baptism. They are, “John Dyason” and
“Julia Dyason” and (first names ineligible) “Heudk Jac Meyer.” The Meyer obviously was someone from his
mother Helena Meyer Hitchcock’s side of the family.
So, John Dyason Hitchcock must have received his
names from his father’s friend, Mr. John Dyason. Mr. John Dyason’s wife was Julia Laura
(Hayward) Dyason. In Mrs. Dyason letters from South Africa to her family abroad,
she mentions the Hitchcocks several times.
These letters are available at
http://family-history.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/South_African_Letters.pdf.
She writes fondly of Thomas Joel Hitchcock (1803),
and mentions his one son Tom, and
daughter Fanny, which reflects the
close friendship the Dyasons had with the Hitchcocks.
When Thomas Joel Hitchcock (1803) named his son John Dyason Hitchcock, it was probably
done in honor of his friend John Dyason.
His
occupation – a butcher, and hotel owner
On our John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s Form of Information of Death, his
occupation is noted as a slachter
(Dutch for butcher.)
In addition to being a butcher, he also owned the
hotel in Stormsvlei, according to his grandson, Neville Hitchcock.
Lady Grey,
McGregor
John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s son John Dyason
Stephen Hitchcock (1892) (my great grandfather Oupa Boy) bequeathed to me a
Bible he had purchased at an auction. The original owners of the Bible were
“Kempen” who are not related to us at all. I have since been in touch with a descendent
of the Kempens.
Regardless, John Dyason Stephen Hitchcock (1893)
wrote a note in that Bible to me, laying out the direct line of descendants
from Thomas Joel Hitchcock (1803) to me (Thomas Joel Hitchcock 1968.) Unfortunately,
the type of ink smeared when it came into contact with glue by an antique book
repairman. However, it is still in good enough legible condition.
In it, we read “… John Dyason Hitchcock… of
McGregor & Stormsvlei.” This has led to quite some speculation about who or
what McGregor is. Some speculated
that perhaps a Hitchcock had been adopted from the McGregor family. But all
this speculation is easily laid to rest when we realize that the original name
of the town of McGregor was Lady Grey.
Lady Grey must
not be confused with the village of Lady Grey north of the Eastern Cape on the
border of Lesotho. The village of Lady Grey had been originally named after
Eliza Lucy Grey, the wife of Sir George Grey – the governor of the Cape Colony.
It was during this time that our John Dyason Hitchcock (1857) had written the
words Lady Grey in his Bible.
However, according to http://mcgregorvillage.co.za/history
“The growing settlement was originally called Lady Grey. Confusingly for the
authorities of the day and the post office, the village shared this name with
another in the Eastern Cape. But in 1904 the congregation of the Dutch Reformed
Church decided to call their parish and new church in Voortrekker Street after
their much-loved pastor, the Rev. Andrew McGregor, who had just retired after
40 years of dedicated service in Robertson. Two years later, in April 1906, the
relieved authorities followed suit and gazetted an official name change to
McGregor.”
So, Lady
Grey was renamed McGregor. John
Dyason Hitchcock (1857) wrote Lady Grey in
his Bible, and his son John Dyason Stephen Hitchcock (1893) wrote that his
father was from McGregor – the new
name of Lady Grey.
His wife
There is a note in John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s
Bible, which reads, ““J.D. Hitchcock, From [illegible, maybe “Stormsvlei?”.]
“Johanna de Smidt, Lady Grey, Dec 13th, 1878.” This is the only clue we have
the name of John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s spouse – Johanna de Smidt. However,
I have not found any proof or confirmation that Johanna de Smidt was indeed his
wife. Perhaps the inscription in his Bible was only that Johanna de Smidt might
have given that Bible to him on that date. I hope to clarify who his wife was,
and who Johanna de Smidt was, as further information comes available.
His
children
Our John Dyason Hitchcock (1857) had two children.
They were John Dyason Stephen Hitchcock (1893), and Redvers Phillip Hitchcock
(1902.)
John Dyason Stephen Hitchcock (1893) has the same
names as his father, but the name Stephen
was added. My father Tony told me that the name Stephen was added in honor of the doctor who brought him into the
world. He became a well-known auctioneer in the Stormsvlei/Caledon region, and
was affectionately known in the area as “Oom Boy.” More information on John
Dyason Stephen Hitchcock (1893) is available in my other writing about
him.
Redvers Phillip Hitchcock (1902) was the second of
two children. I have communicated with his son Neville Hitchcock, from whom I
received the information about Redvers. He was born in Stormsvlei as far as
Neville knows, on either 2 April or 6 April 1902. His identity book noted his
birthdate as 6 April 1902, but Neville says that his father Redvers always
maintained that he had been born on 2 April 1902. He died in “1980 somewhere,”
meaning approximately 1980. He was a
general laborer, working on farms, etc. In his later years, he built houses,
helping his older brother, and then became a caretaker of some kind.
His death
and burial
John Dyason Hitchcock (1857) died on Friday, 27
January 1928. His Form of Information of
a Death notes the cause of his death as “nierkwaal,” i.e. kidney disease,
and that the duration of the disease had been “ses weke,” i.e. six weeks. The
informant of his death is noted as “J. Hitchcock,” i.e. his oldest son John
Dyason Stephen Hitchcock (1892,) and that “Vrouw tegenwordig bij sterfte,”
(English: Wife present at [the time of] death.)
I have in my possession an original newspaper
clipping (name of newspaper and date of article unknown,) which contains his
obituary. It reads as follows:
“OBITUARY: We regret to record the death of Mr. John
Dyason Hitchcock, which took place on Friday, 27th ult., t
Stormsvlei. The deceased gentleman was 71 years of age and was a well-known
inhabitant of Stormsvlei. He leaves a widow and children, to mourn his loss. A
son of his is Mr. J.D.S. Hitchcock, the well-known auctioneer of the Caledon
Trust Co. We tender our condolences to the bereaved family.
His Bible
I feel exceptionally honored that I am in
possession of John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s Dutch-language Bible. It is located
in my home in the USA, where it is displayed on my bookshelf, and at other
times I keep in in my firesafe.
From this Bible we glean some wonderful
information. It is well-aged, indicating that it was used often. The
hand-written information is also both puzzling and revealing.
They are:
Firstly:
2 3 6
2
6 6 12
2
19 18 36
What these numbers mean is a mystery. 2x3=6,
6x2=12, 6+6=12, 3x6=18, but neither 2+6 nor 2x6 equals 19, nor does 12x2 equal
36.
Secondly:
John D. Hitchcock, Lady Grey, 28 Jan ’82
I do not know what the significance of this date is.
Perhaps it was the day he received this Bible.
Thirdly:
J.D. Hitchcock, from (illegible) (illegible),
Johanna de Smidt, Lady Grey, Dec 13th, 1878”
I am unsure if perhaps Johanna de Smidt gave him
this Bible on this date, or if this was the date on which him and Johanna were
married, if indeed Johanna was his wife.
Finally:
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good”
These words are an exact quote from Proverbs 15:3.
This might have been John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s favorite verse, but it
could also have been written by another person. It is of note that the
handwriting on this page differs from the handwriting on the other page.
“JD Hitchcock”
John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s christening record
– 2nd to last line
John Dyason Hitchcock (1857)’s death, listing his
occupation as a butcher, his cause of death as a kidney disease, that his son
J. Hitchcock was the informant of his death, and that his wife was present at
the time of death.