“Some names are inherited. Others are discovered.”
From Blerick to the Cape follows the Van Blerk and Vermasen family across four centuries — from the riverside households of Blerick and Venlo, through a VOC soldier's voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, to the fishing communities of Kalk Bay and the family as it stands today.
Every claim in the book is graded for how well it's documented, so the story can be read for pleasure and trusted as a reference.
Thirty years of research has traced almost 3,000 individuals connected to the Van Blerk family, from the earliest confirmed Blerick ancestor to branches living today. The tree is a living document — corrections, photographs, and family stories are always welcome.
Open the family tree
A short while before his passing, our dad started attending a course on writing. He was in the process of compiling his own collection, which I have re-typed into a little book format.
— Carl van Blerk, on his father, who passed away in 1970
Claude's own line runs straight through the story told in From Blerick to the Cape. His short stories are preserved here as he wrote them.
Read Claude's short stories (PDF)A growing archive of historical photographs, primary documents, maps, and family gravestones collected over three decades of research.
