Some interesting Pitout Family History

I recieved this info from  friend called Mr. Gordon Bold, whom has provided me with allot of information on our family history. Mr. Bold is President/Chairman of the Abbey Museum Of Art And Archeology Board, a world renowned museum, associated with institutions such as Oxford University etc, it holds the largest Medieval Festival in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world. He is also the chairman of the Museum Association and on the Board of the St. Michael's College Association. He has over 30 years of research on the Bold and Pitout family, and has contributed and amazing amount of information that would help me on my quest to make a proper Family Tree, and learn more about our history.

Now regarding the Pitout family, much of what I know has been passed on to me by the likes of aunts, uncles, my mother, my father, my grandfather Benjamin Henry Pitout (son of Cornelius Ignatius Pitout) specifically and other family members (e.g. Bertha Pitout, a lecturer at the Durban University of Technology, who has also done a tremendous amount of research). I have also been lucky enough to have met one of my Pitout great uncles (my grandfather's younger brother Daniel Joseph Pitout). My Bold family in fact had a very strong association with the Pitout family, as a Bold brother and sister married a Pitout sister and brother. I am probably also one of the very few family members privy to the Pitout story, regarding the little boy that smiled at his assassin and the associated adoption story. I am also privy to many other issues and facts associated with my grandfather and other family members. It is fair to say what was told was just enough information to protect those that require protecting and just enough to keep one guessing.

There is a lot of intrigue surrounding the Pitout family and there are many versions of the same story with a twist. Unfortunately, they do not always stand up to historic fact and were probably fabricated to protect the real truth. One also needs to consider the fact that Pitout as such is generally only really associated with South Africa.

I have also researched and analysed the Pitout family in quite some detail too, especially in consideration of the information I have been privy to, stopping short of going past my great-grandfather Cornelius Ignatius Pitout. I have even covered the Pitout family in some detail in one of my books stopping short at Cornelius Ignatius Pitout, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusion. One needs to understand the Pitout family were relatively new to South Africa and that there were two opposing factions, so much so that at one time one actually thought there were two completely separate families.

As for the tree it is built up with information I previously had plus some of the hand written and printed information passed on to me as a means of reconciling to ensure accuracy as far as possible, as well as a means to filling some of the gaps. I have also extensively updated the web-page, as information has been provided by researchers and family members over time. The tree is pretty comprehensive from Cornelius Ignatius Pitout down, including many living family members.

Now to answer your question regarding the heraldry, stuff coats of arms and crests on the Bold web-site. The coats of arms and associated crests displays are those of the Bold family and associated families of importance. too. On the Pitout page one can see the de Potion coat of arms the Compte de Poitou and the Comte de Artois coat of arms. The only coat of arms with a crest is the Bold Coat of arms (note - my Bold Crest above as the letterhead). The background on the Pitout web-page are two coats of arms displayed one being that of the Comte de Poitou and the other de Poitou. One needs to remeber, not all families have an associated coat of arms and even less have an associated crest. Generally speaking a coat of arms and/or crest is normally granted to a particular person, based on pedigree, by the likes of the Royal College of Arms, etc. I have included the Poitou and Compte de Poitou arms for a reason, there is method in my madness.

So the answer to your question is basically yes and no. All depends on which family we are talking about. You see the Pitout arms were once described to me as - blazon gules, five roses or, barbed proper seeded argent. Which basically means a red shield with five yellow roses, with white/silver centres. This is similar to the Compte de Poitou which is - blazon gules five castles or, gated and windowed argent, which basically means a red shield with five yellow castles with white/silver windows and gates). This basically supports Pitout intrigue.

Heraldry in itself is a very interesting subject and can be very complex. Very often coats of arms are generally the same within a family with slight variations between incumbents.

Now regarding what you referred to as a 'Proper Family Tree' and your wish to find as many Pitouts as possible, the web-page I have, covers those after Cornelius Ignatius Pitout comprehensively - the 'Pit-Too' family so to speak. The other Pitouts generally known as 'Pee-Toe' are not covered at all. Just to confuse the issue, over time some of the Cornelius Ignatius Pitout branch have also been known to be referred to as 'Pee-Toe'. If I am not mistaken there should be about another two branches something like the Cornelius Ignatius Pitout branch. One side was very English and the other became very Afrikaans...

A little trivia for you that will provide a liittle more perspective:-

Charles Joseph Pitout was the first Pitout in the Cape, apparently a book written by Ben Cilliers mentiones Charles Joseph Pitout. Pama (C. Pama, considred South Africa's foremost genealogical authority) records that the first Pitout arrived in 1819, married in George and had 10 children.

Up until very recently, Cornelius Ignatius Pitout was considered, by most, a totally separate Pitout entity. However, in September 2006 Bertha Pitout visited Grahamstown and went to the Albany museum where she met the museum genealogist (William Jervis). He showed her the recently updated version of 'Afrikaans familienames' by Heese. There were now 12 children and Cornelius Ignatius is the 11th child! As far as the Genealogists and all were concerned they had found the missing and that all Pitouts in South Africa can link to the same ancestor. Whilst this may all be true to a point and considering all, there is still a tremendous amount of intrigue that still surrounds the Pitout family. Prior to Charles Joseph Pitout is what is really intriguing, as the Pitout family are very much associated with the Twyford family...

One needs to remember the Twyford family were not one of the families that came out with the 1820 Settlers, but the name Twyford is often mentioned in the family with some affection and great respect. So much so there are a few Pitouts running around with the name Twyford, for example:
• Cornelius Twyford Pitout (1912)
• Jeffrey Twyford Pitout (1941)
• Daniel Twyford Pitout (1984)
Part of the Pitout story is the name change from Twyford and the adoption of a girl and boy by their uncle a count of France. The big question - is Pitout the anglicised version of Poitou? One needs to recognise the French way of pronouncing Poitou 'Pwa-Too' and the English way of pronouncing Pitout 'Pit-Too', in fact very little difference other than phonetic subtle idiosyncrasies associated with language. Whereas 'Pee-Toe' is very different and very Afrikaans.

Another big question - who was the little boy that smiled at his assassin and where was he taken (exiled) because the dreaded deed could not be carried out? England with the Twyfords? This begs the question who were his parents? What a strange name Charles Joseph Pitout.

Unfortunately, these are question that may conjure up all sorts of answers but the real truth will most likely never be known and if it is will most likely never be accepted or even proved.

I have considered writing a book regarding the Pitout family prior to Cornelius Ignatius Pitout. If I ever get down and actually put pen to paper, It will not be written as a history book, but rather a novel with names and places changed for obvious reasons. However, I am still in two minds about authoring it.

I trust this all helps, in trying to come to grips with what is what. The whole Pitout story is a very complex one, hence the reason I only went as far back as my great-grandfather Cornelius Ignatius Pitout in print. That is as far back as I was prepared to reveal and make available. That is why I asked you the following questions:
• What do you know and where do you fit into the scheme of things?
• Are you a 'Pit-Too' or a 'Pee-Toe'?
• What do you know about the Pitout story?
As mentioned above some genealogists have put a few more pieces together regarding the family in South Africa, but what they don't know and probably will never know is the associated history. To conclude, even Pitout family members know very little about their Pitout family and the associated history and stories associated with the family. This by the way is no accident, I am of the firm belief it was carefully planned as such, by those in the know.

This letter was written by S.J.A. Pitout in 18-05-1906 the farm Vlaklaagte Lombaardsdrift. Translated 6-01-2003 

Vlaklaagte 18-5-1906
Lambaardsdrift via Brandfort.

Lieve Charles!

Ik ib uwe brief eergister ontvangen, maar zy heb in een fout via Boshof
geschreven, daardoor is het zoo lang op weg geweest, hartlyk dank vaar die
nieuws, van al de kinderen, Ik kryg zelden een brief van Johanna,
Willie schryf my hy heeft C. Ooshuizen kennes gegeven dat hy den 4 Juni
weg gaat, domme Jangen, om ₤200 pound per jaar zo op te geven, Hy zeg hy
is moedeloos: omdat zyne familie niet aan hem schryven,
Charlie schryf my dat Mr T Burger die bezigheid verkocht heb, en dat hy nou een
ander verdienste moet zoek, om zyn brood te verdien,
Met Lodewyk en familie gaat het goed, zyn veld is op gevreet daarde sprinkanen
zoo dat hy zyn vee heef laten trekken, hier is nog maar water vaar 15 dagen,
Zy vraag my naar myn Vader Hy heete Charles Jozefus Twyford,
zyn Moeder van was Pitout, hy was te Brussel gebaren, maar in Parys opgevoed
by zyn tante Miss Pitout, en zy heeft hem hare erfgenaam gemaakt maar dan
moet hy haar naam aan neem, Pitout en niet Twyford zoo is het dat wy die
naam draag, Ik dink haar naam was Jeanet, en myn Vader is van haar
weggeloop toen hy omtrent 18 jaren oud was, en heeft in Engeland diernst genamen
in den 62 ste Regement, en die Regement is later Condend omdat er te veel vreemde
bloed in was, en is als Immegranten uitgezonder naar de Kaap waar myn Vader
myne Moeder Aletta Elizabeth Leroux heeft ontmoed en daar zyn zy getrouend,
Myn Vaders erfportie moet nog in Parys in die weeskamer of ergens wees, Als zy nog
iets Verder wel weet dan kunt zy my in uwe volgende brief vragen,
Ik ben daar Gods goedheid nog geheel wel, gelyk ik bly ben te hooren dat zy ook ben,
allet heil en zegen wens vaar uwe welfaart blyf ik na minzame groete
Uwe lief hebbende Vader
S J A Pitout

Typed as per original letter on 6-01-2003 by Carl Johannes Pitout (31-03-1946)



TRANSLATION

Vlaklaagte 18-5-1906
Lombaardsdrift via Brandfort.

Dear Charles,

I received your letter the day before yesterday; As you made the mistake by sending
it via Boshof instead of Brandfort, it's been on it's way a long time. Thanks for all the news
of the children. I very seldom get a letter from Johanna.
Willie wrote to tell me that he's given notice to Oosthuizen.
He's leaving the 4th June. Silly guy to give up ₤200 per year just like that. He says he's very depressed
because his family never write to him.
Charlie wrote to tell me that Mr T Burger has sold his business
and that he's looking for a job. All is well with Lodewyk and family. His veld has been stripped
by the locusts he had to relocate his cattle and here we only have water for the next 15 days.
You wanted information about my Father. His name is Charles Josefus Twyford.
His Mother's name was Pitout. He was born in Brussels but grew up in Paris where he lived
with his Aunt a Miss Pitout. She made him Heir on condition he adopted the name Pitout
instead of Twyford. That's why we are now called Pitout I think her name was Jeanet.
My Father left her when he was approximately 18 years old. He went into the army in England;
The 62nd Regiment. That Regiment was later dismantled because there was too much foreign
blood in it and they were all sent to the Cape as Immigrants. That's where my Father met
my Mother Aletta Elizabeth Le Roux and they married. My Father's inheritance must still be
in Paris somewhere. If you want to know anything else please ask away in your next letter.
I am still alive and well thanks to the Lord and I'm glad to hear that you're also well.
I wish you all the best and with greetings.
Your loving Father
S.J.A. Pitout.




Translated and typed 6-01-2003 by C.J.P

PITOUT FAMILY EMBLIM

~*~

 The de Potion coat of arms the Compte de Poitou and the Comte de Artois coat of arms.

 ~*~

Honour Medal to Hendrik Louis Pitout  

~*~ 

Newspaper Article in 1920 

The Best Day of My Life!

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized
that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would
make it to today; but I did!
And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an
unbelievable life I have had so far:
the accomplishments, the many blessings,
and, yes, even the hardships
because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day
with my head held high, and a happy heart.
I will marvel at God's seemingly
simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun,
the clouds, the trees, the flowers,
the birds. Today, none of these miraculous
creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life
with other people. I'll make
someone smile. I'll go out of my way to
perform an unexpected act of
kindness for someone I don't even know.

Today, I'll give a sincere
compliment to someone who seems down.
I'll tell a child how special he is,
and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply
I care for them and how much
they means to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about
what I don't have and start being
grateful for all the wonderful things
God has already given me. I'll
remember that to worry is just a
waste of time because my faith in God and
his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I
go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my
eyes to the heavens. I will stand
in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon,
and I will praise God for
these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down
on my pillow, I will thank the
Almighty for the best day of my life.
And I will sleep the sleep of a
contented child, excited with expectation
because I know tomorrow is going
to be the best day of my life, ever!

Celebrating Mandela Day!

First of a pre congratulations to Madiba!!! WOW an amazing 93 years this year!!! I can remember how everyone, including himself, thought that he would not see the 2007 Rugby world cup, and how he said that he does not think that he would be with us with the opening ceremony for the Soccer world cup hosted by South-Africa (and what an amazing experience and privilege it was to be part of that history) in 2010! And here once again, 2011 Celebrating 97 years, 20 years of freedom from his 27 years imprisonment. That is what we all should be celebrating on Mandela day ~ FREEDOM ~ .

I have so much respect for Madiba, what he has done for this country, what he has achieved and the message that he portrays to the world, there is so much good that has come from when he became our president in 1994, yet most of us only always see the bad, it’s been 17 years already since apartheid fell down the drain, still racism is a major part of our daily lives. It is so annoying, i wish and pray that someday this whole racial 'war' would be blown away like the Cape Town air pollution when the Cape Doctor blows, and hopefully before Madiba rest his head for the last time.

Everywhere you always only read about the BAD ..... I HATE IT!!!!! I have made peace with the world and the different races, according to me there is only one race and that’s "Human Kind" i don’t care about skin colour, to me, if you can breathe, talk, walk, sit, smile, cry then you are my brother or sister. I feel the same kind of interest and love towards humanity regardless if it is the man begging next to the ATM stand or the man I just signed the deal of a lifetime with.

People often forget the good that came from black, white and ‘coloured’.

I read an article of Jonathan Jansen called My South-Africa, this is the article and i find it so amazing and truly inspiring:

My South Africa is the working-class man who called from the airport to return my wallet without a cent missing. It is the white woman who put all three of her domestic worker’s children through the same school that her own child attended. It is the politician in one of our rural provinces, Mpumalanga, who returned his salary to the government as a statement that standing with the poor had to be more than just a few words. It is the teacher who worked after school hours every day during the public sector strike to ensure her children did not miss out on learning.

My South Africa is the first-year university student in Bloemfontein who took all the gifts she received for her birthday and donated them – with the permission of the givers – to a home for children in an Aids village. It is the people hurt by racist acts who find it in their hearts to publicly forgive the perpetrators. It is the group of farmers in Paarl who started a top school for the children of farm workers to ensure they got the best education possible while their parents toiled in the vineyards. It is the farmer’s wife in Viljoenskroon who created an education and training centre for the wives of farm labourers so that they could gain the advanced skills required to operate accredited early-learning centres for their own and other children.

My South Africa is that little white boy at a decent school in the Eastern Cape who decided to teach the black boys in the community to play cricket, and to fit them all out with the togs required to play the gentleman’s game. It is the two black street children in Durban, caught on camera, who put their spare change in the condensed milk tin of a white beggar. It is the Johannesburg pastor who opened up his church as a place of shelter for illegal immigrants. It is the Afrikaner woman from Boksburg who nailed the white guy who shot and killed one of South Africa’s greatest freedom fighters outside his home.

My South Africa is the man who went to prison for 27 years and came out embracing his captors, thereby releasing them from their impending misery. It is the activist priest who dived into a crowd of angry people to rescue a woman from a sure necklacing. It is the former police chief who fell to his knees to wash the feet of Mamelodi women whose sons disappeared on his watch; it is the women who forgave him in his act of contrition. It is the Cape Town university psychologist who interviewed the ‘Prime Evil’ in Pretoria Centre and came away with emotional attachment, even empathy, for the human being who did such terrible things under apartheid.

My South Africa is the quiet, dignified, determined township mother from Langa who straightened her back during the years of oppression and decided that her struggle was to raise decent children, insist that they learn, and ensure that they not succumb to bitterness or defeat in the face of overwhelming odds. It is the two young girls who walked 20kms to school every day, even though their Matric years, and passed well enough to be accepted into university studies. It is the student who takes on three jobs, during the evenings and on weekends, to find ways of paying for his university studies.

My South Africa is the teenager in a wheelchair who works in townships serving the poor. It is the pastor of a Kenilworth church whose parishioners were slaughtered, who visits the killers and asks them for forgiveness because he was a beneficiary of apartheid. It is the politician who resigns on conscientious grounds, giving up status and salary because of an objection in principle to a social policy of her political party. It is the young lawman who decides to dedicate his life to representing those who cannot afford to pay for legal services.
My South Africa is not the angry, corrupt, violent country whose deeds fill the front pages of newspapers and the lead-in items on the seven-o’-clock news. It is the South Africa often unseen, yet powered by the remarkable lives of ordinary people. It is the citizens who keep the country together through millions of acts of daily kindness.
                                                                           ~8~

I don’t care whether my 'white' friends see me with 'black' or ' coloured ' friends, i don’t even care if i fall in love with a other race person what my 'white' friends would think of it. No person can argue with me that when you fall in love, you fall in love, no one can change it and no one will tell you it’s wrong or disgusting or not ethical. I have allot of friends from a variety of cultures, colour and race, i care for each and every one of them as i care for my own family. We are all human, we all can think for ourselves and we all have the right to live equally in freedom, after all, we all breath the same air, we all share the same sun and moon, and come on, everyone has to take a shit sometime or another and don’t tell me that one person’s shit smells better than the other...

Check in again for more thoughts on Mandela day... ;)

What is success REALLY!!

So many times in life you find yourself thinking..... 'How can i become successful, what is the secret!?’
It's such a depressing, hard and unbelievably difficult question to answer.

In life there is so many ways that you can define and express success, be it power, love, religion, career, age est..
I myself cannot answer that question, but i can share my thoughts and ideas of what i think the answer to success is.

I believe that you should always create that WOW experience, no matter what you do.
Always strive for the highest pinnacle, believe in a performance driven culture that recognises achievement and expects accountability and responsibility in a supportive environment. Always follow true north, demand absolute integrity in all your interactions, and always do what’s best for you, your client, your lover, your religion or your company, it is after all what is expected of you. Never ever plateau, take responsibility to develop yourself to your fullest potential in an environment that promotes performance, development and growth, accent and summit together, commit yourself to sharing and being team players in pursuit to company performance, relationships, religion, life est. Create a peak experience, always delight your internal and external relationships, whether it be professional, private or general and always, ALWAYS, exceed in all expectations.

In my opinion, if someone should ask me what is the secret to success, I would say there is none, i believe that each and every person creates his own secret to success, it is all based on how committed and determent you are to strive for what you believe you can do, never ever to give up, no matter how hard life throws his punches at you. Always stand up and try again. Sometimes people give up to easy, or they base their life on other people’s success. You cannot do that, sometimes someone created his success over night, other maybe a few years, 2 or 5 or even 30 years. All depends on how they hungered for that success. When you see someone making a success fast and maintaining that success you immediately feel you can do the same, you then try it and maybe it doesn’t work, now at this point 90% of people would just give up, they think they tried and failed, in a case like this i would call that person a coward and hypocrite for giving up that easy. Success is hard work, some have it easier than other, some have inheritance and support from investors est and others start from scratch. I classify myself as successful, maybe not in richness yet, but rather in life. I overcame difficult obstacles in my personal life when i was very young, I managed to get myself on the right tracks and committed myself in becoming the best person that I can allow myself to be, i worked my way up in my personal and professional life, working with great people, successful people, learning from them, observing and portraying what I learned, in my opinion I learned from the best. Soon i found myself at a path where I had the option of creating my own empire, which I then did, not knowing that it would turn out to be the hardest thing I have ever done, but it worked, I had an successful company for little more than two years, had excellent staff and my companies profit margin grew every month, then I made one simple mistake, I thought i could play with the big dogs while in actual fact I was still a puppy. This in return cost me to lose everything. Now at this point most people would give up, I won’t lie and say that i didn’t also have that thought, I was at a crossroad, give up or stand up... So I stood up, I retained my contacts, I slowly but surely took the time to observe and calculate the mistakes I have made and I corrected them. Soon I found myself at a new beginning with endless opportunities, I was confronted by a very wealthy and successful business man who, i guess, saw the drive i have inside me and he offered me a partnership i could not resist. So far.. So good!!!!!

In these changes I believe that i can without a doubt classify myself as a success and give myself a well-deserved pat on the shoulder as i know that my future will be bright and cheerful, as long as i stay on the narrow path and always believe and know that at any time everything can be taken away from me, so in actual fact this means that i should not think that I’m better or smarter than someone else, i should never ever look down to someone unless it is to help that person, that i should always keep both feet firm on the ground, and never forget that i am here solely because of one person, my creator, if I don’t go down on my knees every night thanking the Lord for what He has done for me and always believe that as long as I take Him everywhere with me i would be okay then i would never be able to be who I dream to be.

With that said,  want to come to the conclusion that each and every on of us has the potential to be successful, it's just how you do it, what your decisions are and what your moral standards bring out. Always believe, always keep dreaming and never ever give up, and remember that you will only create your success if you take the Lord with you each and every step of the way.

To those that read this, thanx for being part of my very first blog post, and keep checking for updates as i think I’m going to be addicted to this. ;)

Thank you and God bless..