Zwartbooi (Swartbooi), Petrus * ?, ? † . Son of the Zwartbooi chief Willem Zwartbooi and his wife Anatje Zwartbooi who settled in Rehoboth in 1845 and called RMS missionary Kleinschmidt to be his local preacher. Amongst the people who settled in Rehoboth there were 11 baptized Christians women, amongst them deaconess Anatje. They came in contact with Christianity under Schmelen and Knudsen and were baptized by them. By October 1847 the Rehoboth congregation was very active, had donated a cattle herd for the mission and Petrus Zwartbooi travelled amongst the neighbouring Namaqua families with the aim of Christianizing them.1 In September 1850, four young men - who were able to read Nama - left Rehoboth to preach in the vicinity of Rehoboth [" auf den Vorwerken"]. Petrus Zwartbooi was one of them."[...] er ist schon von früher her dafür bekannt und es haben ihm etliche Freunde einmal einen schönen bunten Rock geschenkt; das weiß er immer noch zu rühmen und hatte sich bis dahin wacker gehalten. Die anderen der waren Lot, Moses und Isaak. Ehe sie das Werk begannen, stärkten sie sich durch des Herrn Nachtmahl. Sie hatten außer dem Namaqua-ABCbuch [sic] nur noch das Evangelium Luca in Namaqua."2 Petrus Zwartbooi, together with Lot, is mentioned by Kleinschmidt as the initiators of the Rehoboth revival of the 1860`tees. Petrus Zwartbooi had been one of the opponents of Kleinschmidt ["... der in bösen Jahren ein Führer der Bösen war ...] had now changed into one of the strongest converters. He started again with his preaching tours in the vicinity of Rehoboth.3 Mentioned by Riechmann as elder who also preached during the time of the Swartboois in Rehoboth later he dissociated himself from the mission. When chief Kornelius Swartbooi died in Fransfontein in the 1890´tees, Petrus Swartbooi came to Fransfontein and claimed the chieftainship for him or his son David.4 A letter is printed in BRMG 1889 of a Timotheus [sic] Zwartbooi [sic] from Otjitambi in which he responded on a questionnaire which was posted to him by Böhm. Timotheus is introduced in this article as the former teacher in the congregation of Kleinschmidt who was by then "scattered" in the western part of Damraland". The letter gives the number of his students in the school, the number of students that can read, the number of people who attend his church service. It seems that no contact existed over a longer period between the RMS missionaries and this Evangelist. Other hints: By 1852, Kolbe had a "Wagentreiber", Petrus, who came to Otjimbingwe with Kolbe. Kolbe was stationed at Schmelens Erwartung (east of Otjikango).5 However, no hint is found, that the two persons were the same. Married: Children: Education: Other family members connected to RMS: In dem Brief Vielhauers aus Duala, geschrieben am 27.04.1911 nennt Vielhauer die Personen, die er in dem Oster-Gottesdienst getauft und konfirmiert hat: Taufe: 1.) aus Gibeon: 2.) aus Keetmanshoop: [...] Sana Swartbooi, Sara Swartbooi.6 An dem Abendmahl im Gottesdienst von Vielhauer in Kamerun 1911 nehmen aus Keetmanshoop: Hendrik -, Moses- und Sophia Swartbooi teil.7. Während des Ostergottesdienstes am 16.04.1911in Dschang taufte der Basler Missionar Vielhauer folgende Kinder: [...] 2.) aus Keetmannshoop [sic] [...] Jakobus Swartbooi, Sohn des Jakobus S., Wilhelm Swartbooi, Sohn des Wilhelm S., [...] Leis Swartbooi, Tochter des Abraham S.8 Mission Stations: History with the RMS: 1 Rohden 1871:239. 2 BRMG 1852:325. 3 BRMG 1863:79. 4 Riechmann 1899:32. 5 BRMG 1852:28. 6 RMG 2.597:14. 7 RMG 2.597:14r. 8 RMG 2.597:14r. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------