Benno-David (Baruch Dovid ben Noah) and Ida Kaerstadt spent about a decade in Vryburg. Benny was a pharmacist, and they had two children, Marilyn and Nolan. Nolan was born in Springs in 1948. Many members of the Kaerstadt family migrated from Courland to South Africa. The family lived in Talsen, Tukums, and Kandava. When they arrived in South Africa, they initially settled in the Eastern Cape. Many family members registered as living in Aberdeen—a common stop for Courland families heading to Vryburg. Others were living in Tarkastad and Port Elizabeth.

 

Benno-David, known as Benny, was the child of Noah Kaerstadt, who married Annie Berghaus in Somerset East in 1912. At their wedding, Noah is listed as born in 1884 on his marriage certificate and was living in Adelaide. It seems that Noah was born in Candau or Kandava. Annie was born in 1888 and was from Lithuania. She was living in Somerset East at the time of their marriage. Her father was Pinhas, also living in Somerset East. Noah and Annie had four children – Abraham Lemel (named after his grandfather), Shani (Stern), Rachael, and Benno-David.

 

Noah died in Port Elizabeth on April 3, 1946, at the age of 62. His father, Abraham Kaerstadt, died in 1905 at 61. He was the son of David Kaerstadt and was a shopkeeper. Noah was the second youngest of six children born to Abraham Osher (also known as Avraham Asher Lemel) and his wife Hannah, who was a Hummel from Talsen. The Hummel family moved to Upington, and Jack Hummel is buried in Vryburg. Hannah and Abraham’s children were Louis, Herman, Tony (Tomar), Elizabeth, Noah, and Doris. Louis and Herman were born in Talsen.