Search for Johann Wolfgang van Grum (Burgt)
I am researching an ancestor of mine from Europe, Johann Wolfgang von Grune/ Grüne (van Greunen) (born 1766), who settled in South Africa about in 1793.
According to his death record he was originally from Germany. He died in 1842.
Records from the *Dutch Verenigde Oos-Indiese Kompanjie
gives the following information of someone who possibly might have been him:
Voornaam opvarende Johann; Patroniem opvarende Wolfgang; Tussenvoegsel opvarende van
Achternaam opvarende Grum; Herkomst opvarende Burgt; Datum indiensttreding 1790-01-18
Functie bij indiensttreding Soldaat; Uitleg over functie Militair; Uitgevaren met het schip Gouverneur-Generaal Mossel; Datum uit dienst 1793-08-31; Waar uit dienst Kaap de Goede Hoop
Can someone perhaps advise me with regard to:
1. Where I can look up records of soldiers from Burgt from the time period 1780 to 1793.
2. Was or is the names Johann Wolfgang used or given to children in the Netherlands or is it expressly German?
3. In terms of Burgt as referred to in the *VOC document someone brought to my attention that the reference to Burgt may refer to:
a. Burgtal, Stockach, Konstanz, Baden
b. Burgthal, Höxter, Minden, Westfalen, Preussen
c. Burgthal, Mühldorf, Oberbayern, Bayern
d. Burgthann, Nürnberg, Mittelfranken, Bayern
e. Burgtiefe, Oldenburg, Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Preussen
f. Burgtonna, Gotha, Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha
g. Burgtreswitz, Vohenstrauss, Oberpfalz, Bayern
4. What do you think of that (question 3)? Is that possible?
I would like to trace JW van Grum (as to verify a possible connection to my ancestor).
Any help with regard to this will be appreciated.
Best Answer
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The FamilySearch Wiki says there are Muster rolls for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) at the "General State Archives". Possibly this is the National Archives, where you found the above record.
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Netherlands_Military_Records#Dutch_East_India_Company_.28VOC.29
Muster rolls may enable you to find additional information about the man in the record above.
I do not know whether the Muster Rolls are available online. If not, you would need to hire a researcher.
The databases appear in this link https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/zoekhulpen/overzicht-van-archieven-over-de-voc-in-het-nationaal-archief#collapse-5951
If a man was recruited to the VOC from Germany I would expect him to come from Northern parts of Germany, not too far from the Netherlands, not from Southern parts such as Bavaria which were much further away.
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