Gerrit Maritz

Gerrit Maritz
Statue in Pietermaritzburg
Born	Gerhardus Marthinus Maritz[1] (1797-03-01)1 March 1797 [1] Suurveld ward, Graaff-Reinet district[1]
Died	23 September 1838(1838-09-23) (aged 41)[2] Sooilaer (Maritzdam), Klein-Tugela river
Resting place	Reburied near Blaauwkranz monument[2] 28°51′02″S 29°50′34″E / 28.85056°S 29.84278°E / -28.85056; 29.84278
Residence	Caledon St 8 (1824-30), Noorderkant St 1 (1830-36), Graaff-Reinet[3]
Occupation	Ward master, provisional Field cornet, wagon builder[4]
Spouse(s)	Angenitha Maria Olivier[5]
Children	Salomon Stephanus[6] Cornelis Johannes Francois Debora Susanna Sophia Gerhardus Jacobus Johannes Stephanus Maria Magdalena
Parent(s)	Salomon Maritz[1] (c.1769-1828), Maria Elisabeth Oosthuijsen[1] (1777-1846)

Gerhardus Marthinus (Gert or Gerrit) Maritz (1 March 1797 – 23 September 1838) was a Voortrekker pioneer and leader, wagon builder.^[7][8][9]

Gerrit Maritz was the son of Salomon Stefanus Maritz and Maria Elizabeth Oosthuizen. He married Agnita Maria Olivier and later Anna Carolina Agatha van Rooyen and from them he fathered six children.^[10]

See also

• Graaff-Reinet: Gerrit Maritz, Great Trek Leader after whom Pietermaritzburg was partly named was a wagon-maker in the town.
• Pietermaritzburg: There exist two interpretations about the origin of the city's name. One is that it was named after Piet Retief and Gerrit Maritz, two famous Voortrekker leaders.

Notes

References

• Bulpin, Thomas Victor; Krüger, Daniel Wilhelmus (1976). The Great Trek. Round the world histories. 33 (2 ed.). Hulton. p. 52. 
• Room, Adrian (2006). Placenames of the world: origins and meanings of the names for 6,600 countries, cities, territories, natural features, and historic sites (2 ed.). McFarland. p. 295. ISBN 0-7864-2248-3. 
• Thom, H.B. (1947). Die Lewe van Gert Maritz. Cape Town: Nasionale Pers, Beperk. p. 284. 

Further reading

• Kuschke, Jazz (2006) The wagon maker with Woema - tracking Gerrit Maritz' life story, Getaway.co.za, 1 September 2006.