John Adams

1.The Potger, de Bruin and Oorloff families are intertwined over 4 generations in Ceylon, starting with James William Potger (a Planter) who married Maria Catherine Oorloff in 1857.

2. Stanley Potger’s sister Irene (Martha’s great aunt) married James Stanley de Bruin (Arthur’s uncle) in 1914. He was the son of Florence Grace Rosalind Oorloff. Stanley’s other sister Dorothy (also Martha’s great aunt) married James Lancelot Denzil Oorloff in 1925.

3. Cora Potger married Arthur de Bruin in 1947, so there is a history of Oorloffs and Potgers becoming de Bruins with Potgers becoming Oorloffs and Oorloffs becoming Potgers!

4. We can trace the Oorloffs back to the town of Ribe, Denmark, to the 1500’s. Ribe is the oldest town in Denmark and was originally a Viking market place dating to the year 700. So Vilma is of Viking stock (maybe)!

5. The first Oorloff to come to Ceylon was Andreas Oorloff, who went from Denmark to Rotterdam in 1759 and caught a ship to Batavia and arrived in Colombo in August 1763. He married Anna Fernando (probably of Portuguese or mixed stock).

6. The Portuguese (1505-1656), followed by the Dutch (1656-1796) and then the British (1796-1948) were the major European powers involved with Ceylon over a period of some 400 years. The Portuguese didn’t take over the whole island until 1591 with the surrender of Jaffna.

7. The Potgers in Ceylon originated with Everhard (or Everard) Lodewyk Potger who was born in Minden in present-day Germany. It was then in the Brandenburg-Prussian Empire. He arrived in Ceylon in 1747 and married Elizabeth de Kretser in 1751. The de Kretser’s have strong lines in the Dutch East Indies Company. Lieutenant Louise de Kretser arrived in Ceylon from Holland in 1684. Christoffel Cornelis Luyck, who was married in Jaffna in 1696, is another ancestor with a strong lineage with the Dutch East Indies Co.

8. Johannes Conderlag, who was born in Germany and married in Colombo in 1782, was a corporal in the DEI Co (VOC in Dutch). He was involved as a signatory of an 1816 document sent to the Prince of Wales regarding the abolition of slavery in Ceylon.

9. So Vilma’s ancestors have strong German (Potger; Conderlag; Vogelaar), Dutch (de Kretser; probably Luyck), Danish (Oorloff) and Portuguese (de Lemos; de Oliveira; Perera; Fernando) with some French ancestry (Renaux), remembering these borders have changed over time. The Portuguese married into Singhalese families, and many Singhalese converted to Christianity (Catholic) and took on the names of their masters to make it easier to get work. So I don’t know if the names above are Portuguese, Singhalese or mixed.

10. The “epicentre” of activity in Colombo centred on the Dutch Reformed Church in Wolvendaal, which is near the port area. Look at the number of weddings there!  

11. Hector Vernon Potger arrived in Melbourne from Colombo aboard the ship Asturias on 06/03/1947. He was followed by Dickie and Kath Potger aboard the ship Pinjarra on 02/10/1947.

12. Stanley Dickens, Louise Beatrice & Pauline Potger arrived in Fremantle aboard the ship Stratheden on 20/12/1949, en route to Sydney with a destination address in Brisbane.

13. Some sites of interest:

• Home of Stanley and Louise Potger in 1943 was: 20 Lewalla Rd, Kandy.

• Isla Beatrice Potger was buried in 1943 at Plot No. 57915, Mahaiyawa Cemetery, Kandy.

• William de Lemos (Louise’s father) was the manager of 5 tea estates near Kandy-Ramboda: Pallagolla; Bluefield’s (still a thriving location today); Rangbodde (for 22 years); Dundonell and Rushbrook. •

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcDNT60KHyw

• Bevill St Elmo de Bruin (Arthur’s brother) was a Master at Royal College, Rajakeeya Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka from 1942-1960.

• Many generations of Potger’s (and relatives, going back to 1751) were married in the Dutch (now called Christian) Reformed Church in Wolvendaal, Colombo. • Stanley and Louise Potger were married in St Paul’s Church, Kandy.

• James Emmanuel Potger (Stanley’s father) was buried in 1943 in Grave No. 3CE13 (Anglican Register) at Colombo General Cemetary.

• James Emmanuel Potger was married to Agnes Sebastian de Oliveira at St Phillip’s Catholic Church, Pettah, Colombo on 28/07/1886.

• St Paul's Church, Pettah, Colombo; Holy Trinity Church, Colombo; St. Michael's and All Angel's Church, Colombo are places where de Bruin’s were married.

• The Dutch Burgher Union building is located at 114 Reid Ave, Colombo.