Douwe Steyn

Douwe Gerbrand Steyn (bef. 10 July 1631, Leeuwarden– April 1700) was overseer of the Moederkerk, Stellenbosch in 1686 and City Engineer of Cape Town from 1697. He came to the Dutch Cape Colony in 1672 as a stonemason while working for the Dutch East India Company. He is also the progenitor of the Steyn family of South Africa. The book "Die Groot Afrikaanse Familie Naamboek" states that his predecessor as City Engineer of Cape Town was Oldenland when the only Oldenland at the Cape at that time was Henrik Bernard Oldenland, a botanist.

Douwe Gerbrand Steyn
Steyn Family Crest
City Engineer of Cape Town
In office 1697 – April 1700
Governor	Simon van der Stel
Personal details
Born	10 July 1631 (Baptism) Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Died	April 1700 Stellenbosch, Dutch Cape Colony
Spouse(s)	Rikste Egberts (m. 1657-d. 1669) Maria Lozee (m. 1685-1700)
Relations	Hermanus Steyn Marthinus Theunis Steyn
Children	6 (1 adopted)
Parent(s)	Gerbrand (Gerben) Jacobs Antje Huigis

Progenitor

Steyn is widely seen as the progenitor of most of the Steyns of South Africa, although his son, Jacobus, is actually the progenitor. When Steyn came to the Dutch Cape Colony in 1672 as a widower he already had 2 sons, Age (1661-1727) and Gerben (1663-1672), who never came to South Africa. He married Maria Lozee in 1685 when she already had a son named Jacobus, who later took the surname Steyn. Furthermore, Steyn had no more surviving sons. So Jacobus had to have been the progenitor of the Steyn family of South Africa, even though his real father is unknown.