Even in South Africa we find descendants of Johan Bodenstaff.
The first one to move to South Africa was Franciscus Bodenstaff. (born 12 Dec 1912 in Arnhem).
I found this branch by coincidence when I received an e-mail from Colette Bodenstaff. She wrote me asking if I could give her any information about her ancestors. In her e-mail she included a picture of her grandfather Frans Bodenstaff.
After sending out an appeal to all the Bodenstaff�s I knew, I heard back form Adrianus (Ad) Bodenstaff from Arnhem. He wrote that he knew who the man on the picture was. It was his uncle Frans whom during WWII had served with the Royal Air Force.
After WW II Franciscus returned from England to Holland. However he left Holland again without saying too much and immigrated to South Africa. Ad Bodenstaff immediately recognized the man in the RAF uniform as his "ome Frans" (uncle Frans).
With the information I received from Colette Bodenstaff and R. van de Werd it was not to hard to work out the ancestral family tree of Collette and her brother Louis.
Colette and her brother Louis live and work in South -Africa. |
