Antoine

Antoine Faure, 1685–1736

Antoine Faure’s story began with flight.

Born in Orange, France, he was still an infant when his parents fled religious persecution and sought refuge in the Netherlands. His early life took him across Europe, and as a young man he worked as an army surgeon’s assistant before sailing for the Cape in 1714.

There, Antoine began building a very different life. He worked in the Orphan Chamber, helping administer estates and protect the property of orphaned children. In 1716, he married Rachel de Villiers, the daughter of another Huguenot family who had found a new home at the Cape.

Three years later they settled in Stellenbosch, where Antoine became part of the small community — teaching children, reading during church services and leading the singing.

Inside his French Bible, he carefully recorded the births of their first three children. They are small, personal entries, but they mark the beginning of a family story that would continue at the Cape for more than three centuries.

Antoine had been born into displacement. In South Africa, he found belonging — a home, a family and a community. Together, he and Rachel began the South African story of the Faure family.