BERGTHEIL, JONAS

BERGTHEIL, JONAS
BERGTHEIL, JONAS (1819–1902), pioneer in Natal, South Africa. Bergtheil emigrated to Cape Colony from Bavaria in 1834 and moved in 1843 to Durban, where he formed a company to bring settlers from Europe and grow cotton for the first time in South Africa. To encourage immigration to South Africa he took a Zulu to Germany in 1847 as an example of the indigenous population and recruited 188 non-Jewish settlers whom he took to Natal. The 47 families concerned were each given 250 acres of land at New Germany in the Pinetown district some 15 mi. (24 km.) from Durban. Although cotton growing was initially a failure, the settlement prospered. Bergtheil was also director of a company which built the first railway line in South Africa, a short stretch starting in Durban. He was elected in 1857 to the first legislative council in Natal, holding the seat until 1866. He was one of the founders of the Cape Town Hebrew Congregation in 1841. In 1866 he left to settle in England. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. Saron and L. Hotz (eds.), Jews in South Africa (1955), index; Jewish Affairs, 9 (Johannesburg, 1954), no. 6. (Louis Hotz)

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Deutsche in Natal — Zwei Gruppen aus Deutschland ließen sich im 19. Jahrhundert in der damaligen britischen Kolonie Natal, Teil des heutigen KwaZulu Natal (Südafrika), nieder, die Bergtheil Kolonisten und die Hermannsburger Missionare. Im Jahr 1935 lebten etwa 6250… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • POLITICS — Introduction Jewish involvement in national politics in the various countries in which they settled dates from the period of Jewish emancipation at the end of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century. In fact, personalities such as joseph… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Wilhelm Gueinzius — (15 March 1813 ndash; 24 January 1874) was a German naturalist, collector and apothecary.LifeGueinzius was born in Trotha, a suburb of Halle. In his youth he attended the grammar school Franckesche Stiftung in Halle, but showed little academic… …   Wikipedia

  • Karl Wilhelm Posselt — Karl/Carl Wilhelm Posselt (20 June 1815 Diekow bei Berlinchen, Neumark, Brandenburg 12 May 1885 Christianenburg, Natal, South Africa), was a German missionary from the Berlin Missionary Society and was active in South Africa where he became known …   Wikipedia

  • DURBAN — DURBAN, port in KwaZulu Natal, third largest city in the Republic of South Africa. The relatively small Jewish population has always played a prominent part in the life of the city. One of the founders of Port Natal (Durban s original name) was… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • SOUTH AFRICA — SOUTH AFRICA, republic comprising nine provinces – Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State, and KwaZulu Natal. Prior to 1994, when multiracial democracy was introduced, there were four… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”