Gazette 1 Jan 1912 probate

Last Chance - (1948) - words of W.A.C. Bouwer, Boer settler - "One of the first settlers we had here - man named Van Bredal - he was murdered by the Nandis. Why?" He chuckled. "Cherchez la Femme!" "How could you?" said his wife. "Well, it's a fact. That's why they killed him. Everybody knew that."  

Midday Sun - 'An Afrikaner who had preceded them [the 1908 trek], one of three brothers called Van Breda, had roughly surveyed it into blocks, and each man took up a leasehold of between 800 and 5000 acres.'   

KFA - The first European to take up land on the Plateau was Bon van Breda. Escaping over the Portuguese border during the later stages of the Boer war, he reached Laurenco Marques, made his way to Mombasa and found work on contract for the railway at Nakuru. From there he went off on a shooting trip to the unknown country to the north and east; liking what he saw, he went back to fetch his two brothers, Dirk and Piet, and the three van Bredas secured a grant of 10000 acres each near the present borders of the Elgeyo reserve. None of this land had been surveyed and they were left to pick out their own; one of the brothers, Piet, was a surveyor who in later years proved invaluable to the Government in demarcating many of the Uasin Gishu farms, until he was speared to death by the Elgeyo [it was Bon Van Breda who was murdered]. The van Breda brothers built the first house on the Plateau - a grass hut in -  1903. There they achieved the dream of every Afrikaner: to be a hundred miles away from his nearest neighbour, with a rifle, a dog and a pony, and all the game in the world at his elbow, alone with the veld and the open sky. All the van Breda brothers died unmarried.

Eldoret - letter from C.V. Cloete - "Bon v Breda was pushed over the Portuguese boundary by the English Forces in 1900 with 1 or 800 other Burgers, as also John de Waal, but Bon managed to get away from the army and by slow stages arrived in Lorenço Marques. From there in early 1901 he took ship to Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. He worked sub-contracting somewhere near Nakuru. From there he joined a small party on a shooting expedition. They passed Eldama Ravine and on to the Plateau by native footpaths in 1901. In 1902 at the termination of the SA War, he went back and brought his two brothers with him in the middle of 1903. They applied and each received 10,000 acres."
Nandi - 1905 A Dutch settler named Van Breda and a missionary named Wendt at Kaimosi were murdered by the Nandi, the latter because some guards employed by the Mission had raided Nandi cattle.

North - Land Grant application 12/11/1903, Gwas Ingirsha Plateau

Curtis - p. 96 - Uasin Gishu - '..... A few adventurous white settlers - three Van Breda brothers from South Africa, F.A. Arnoldi, Cecil Hoey and Paul Chapman were among them - began simple farming operations, far from markets or permanent settlements, in the first years of the century

North - Land Grant application, Gwas Ingirsha Plateau 12-11-1903

Land - W.F. Van Breda leased 9000 acres and purchased freehold 1000 acres at Uasin Gishu, later sub-divided

Land - 1906 - W.F. van Breda - Grazing, 1000 acres and 9,000 acres - G. N'Gishu, Sirgoi District - Freehold & 99 years lease from 1/4/1904 - Registered 27/4/1906

Pioneers - Eldoret - Letter to Mr A. Cloete - Dear Anaak,  Yes, this long ago history you will have to show John de Waal, as he knows a lot about the things that happened then. Bon van Breda was pushed over the Portuguese Boundary by the English Forces in 1900 with other Burghers, as also John de Waal, but Bon managed to get away from the army and by slow stages arrived in Lourenço Marques. From there in early 1901 he took ship to Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. He worked sub-contracting somewhere near Nakuru. From there he joined a small party on a shooting expedition. They passed Eldama Ravine and on to the Plateau by native footpaths in 1901. In 1902, at the termination of the S.A. War, he went back and brought his two brothers, Dirk and Piet, with him in the middle of 1903. They applied and each received 10,000 acres. At the end of 1903 Dirk met Dad in Jo'burg and told him about the country. At the end of 1904 Dad and I came up, but the war with the Nandi was on. I stayed in Naivasha. ………… …

In October 1905 my father and family arrived, also John de Waal in 1906 approx. One month after, Janie and Jan Viljoen came with their families. Together we trekked up to Nakuru with our stock, with untrained oxen. …… ……At the beginning of 1907 Dad and John de Waal and D and B van Breda took a trolley on the Sclater's Road, and that was the first wagon ever to be on the Plateau. Shortly after that I took our big wagon with Mother, Madge and Jos through. This was a very hard journey.

So our family was the first to be on the Plateau as a family. ….. …..At the end of 1908 van Rensburg's trek came in. They all landed at Nakuru. After an expedition to the Plateau, they left early in 1909 (March approx.) I went with them, taking a load for us. From 1907, the first time we went up with the family, there was always one or other of us on the Plateau with the sheep and cattle ……. Ever Yours C.V. Cloete (C. Valerius 'Sonnie' Cloete)

Nicholls - Tragedy struck the Van Breda family when W.J. [sic] ('Bon') Van Breda was murdered by two Elgeyo tribesmen on his farm in 1907. After no notice was taken of this crime by the authorities, 6 months later 10 of the neighbouring farmers got together, met at Arnoldi's drift with arms and ponies, and staged an expedition to intimidate the DC. The Governor hurriedly sent KAR reinforcements up from Nairobi, the murderers were dealt with and the incipient rebellion fizzled out.

North - Arr. Mombasa from SA Oct 1903; Licensed to practise as Surveyor, 'Nandi Boma via Kibigori' (OG) 28-3-1904; travelled to Transvaal & returned to EA with his brothers Dirk & Piet Aug 1905; Sportsman's Game Licence, Ravine 28-12-1905; died 24-2-1911, Kenya, murdered aged 47.

Gazette 1/1/1912 - Probate and Administration in estate of William Frederick Van Breda who died at Uasin Gishu 24/2/1911 - Letters of Administration granted to D. Van Breda.

Sorrenson - The 3 Van Breda brothers who had occupied land on the Plateau after 1905 were allowed 5,000 acres each.