Henning Familiemuseum – Die Henning families as tipiese trekboer families
Begin die toer | Start the tour
Welkom by die Henning virtuele museum.
Ons virtuele museum is gebaseer op die uitstalling wat die Henning familie gedurende 1991 by die Kerkpleinmuseum, Aliwal-Noord opgerig het. Tydens die eerste landwye Henning Familiefees wat gedurende Oktober 1988 te Aliwal-Noord gehou is, het ons te hore gekom dat die Aliwal-Noord munisipaliteit beplan om ‘n dorpsmuseum in die eerste kerkgebou wat gedurende 1857 te Aliwal-Noord opgerig is, te vestig.
Tussen 1988 en 1991 het Olivier Henning *1943 (b7.c8.d8.e3.f4) as Bondsekretaris van die Henning Familiebond en beamptes van die Aliwal-Noord munisipaliteit onderhandel en uiteindelik tot ‘n ooreenkoms gekom dat die Henningfamilie ‘n uitstalling sou voorberei as deel van die dorpsmuseum.
Ons het besluit dat die tema van ons uitstalling sal wees: “Die Henning families as tipiese Noord-Oos Kaap Trekboere” en dat die fasade van ons uitstalling ‘n replika sal wees van die eerste permanente huis wat Gert Frans Henning *1785 gedurende 1850, toe hy 65 jaar oud was, op die plaas Damfontein gebou het.
Die Henning stamvader, Pieter Hendrik Henning en sy gesin het hulle reeds in 1784 in die Graaff-Reinet distrik gevestig. Van die begin af moes hulle saamleef met weerpatrone in die binneland van Suid-Afrika, wat daarop neerkom dat daar altyd langer periodes van droogte as periodes waar daar goeie reën val sal wees.
Gedurende droë periodes was boere verplig om vir lang tye elders weiding vir hulle veë te gaan soek. Wanneer die droogte gebreek is, keer hulle dan weer terug na hulle plase in die Kolonie. Soos kinders groter geword het, moes hulle ook plase kry en het grond binne die Kolonie skaarser geword. Met verloop van tyd het baie boere besluit om hulle permanent buite die Kolonie te gaan vestig.
Gert Frans Henning, gebore 1785, sewende kind van stamvader Pieter Hendrik Henning en sy gesin was ‘n goeie voorbeeld van die Trekboere van die negentiende eeu. Gedurende 1841 het Gert Frans vir hom ‘n plaas in die Barnardspruit wyk, wat later die distrik van Aliwal-Noord sou word, uitgemerk. Met hierdie museum probeer ons die lewe op die plaas Damfontein gedurende die 19de eeu en eerste paar dekades van die 20ste eeu illustreer.
Die museum is in verskillende afdelings opgedeel:
a. Die Henning Stamvader Pieter Hendrik Henning (Skyfievertoning)
b. Aliwal-Noord Uitstalling
c. Henning Familie as Tipiese N.O Kaap Trekboere (Damfontein)
d. Ander Artefakte
U kan elke afdeling op sy eie besoek of u kan op een slag van die eerste afdeling tot die laaste afdeling deurwerk.
Ons hoop u sal u besoek aan die Henning virtuele museum interessant vind en geniet!
Welcome to the Henning Virtual Museum
Our virtual museum is based on the exhibition that the Henning family established in 1991 in the Kerkplein museum in Aliwal North. During the first country wide Henning Family Festival, which was held in October 1988 in Aliwal-North, we became aware of the Aliwal-North municipal’s plan to establish a town museum in the first church building that was erected in 1857.
Between 1988 and 1991, Olivier Henning *1943 (b7.c8.d8.e3.f4), as secretary of the the Henning Family League, negotiated with officials of the Aliwal-North municipality and eventually agreed that the Henning family would prepare an exhibition as part of the town museum.
We decided that the theme would be: “The Henning Families as typical North-East Cape Trek farmers” and that the facade of our exhibition would be a replica of the first permanent house that Gert Frans Henning *1785 built in 1850, when he was 65 years old, on the farm Damfontein.
The Henning progenitor, Pieter Hendrik Henning and his family settled in the Graaff Reinet district during 1784. From the beginning they had to live and adapt to weather patterns of the interior of South Africa where there were longer periods of drought than periods with good rains.
During dry periods farmers were forced to search elsewhere (mostly outside the borders of the colony) for grazing for their cattle. When the drought ended, they returned to their farms in the colony. As children grew older, they also had to obtain farms and land became scarcer. Over time more and more farmers decided to settle permanently outside of the borders of the colony.
Gert Frans Henning, born 1785, seventh child of progenitor Pieter Hendrik Henning and his family were good examples of the Trekfarmers of the nineteenth Century. During 1841 Gert Frans measured off a farm in the Barnardspruit ward, which later became the district of Aliwal North. With this museum we try to reconstruct the life on the farm Damfontein during the nineteenth and first few decades of the twentieth Centuries.
The museum is divided in different sections:
a. The Henning Progenitor Pieter Hendrik Henning (Slideshow)
b. Aliwal-North Exhition
c. The Henning Family as Typical North East Cape Trek Farmers (Damfontein)
d. Other Artefacts
You can visit each section on its own or you can visit the museum beginning at the start and ending with the last section.
We hope you will enjoy your visit and find the Henning Virtual Museum interesting