Jan was die seun van Hermanus Stephanus Nel en Maria Catharina Potgieter.
Albany baptisms 1831-1857
Ook bekend as "oupa Nel van Montagu Hill" 'n plaas in Clanville.
(https://www.geni.com/people/Hyletje-Magdalena-NEL/6000000021519207466)
Petrus Johannes Jacobus Nel was a farmer and an early settler in Dordrecht .He later farmed sheep at Montagu Hills, Clanville in the same district.. As his nick name was' Dordrecht' , we can conclude he contributed to the development of the town. I wish I knew more about the early settlement of Dordrecht. Perhaps the farm came to him on his marriage to his wife? We know that they sailed overseas, as we have photographs of them both taken by photographers in London, namely A & G Taylor of 153 Regent Street, London, Photographers to the Queen. They were probably prosperous too. There is confusion about his date of death: either March 3rd or September 9th, but 1922 is agreed as the year of his demise. I believe some of his siblings were Dorsland trekkers, leaving the Cape for Angola further north and perishing in dire circumstances of drought & starvation & lack of water. From his photograph and the mild kindliness of his expression I would guess that Jan Nel was a peace-loving man, glad to stay put and not quarrelsome with his neighbours, whether they were of English or Afrikaans origin. I wonder why he died in Aliwal North? Did he go there to enjoy the mineral baths & to ease his arthritis in his old age?(https://www.geni.com/people/Johannes-Petrus-Jacobus-Jan-Nel-b2-f3g2/6000000018814008480)
