27 Facts About Sammy Marks

Samuel Marks was a Russian-born South African industrialist and financier.

Sammy Marks accompanied some horses to Sheffield in England while still a youth and, not wanting to return to the Jewish persecution in the Russian Empire, decided to stay on.

Sammy Marks started his career as a peddler in the rural districts of the Cape, but soon headed for Kimberley where his rise to prosperity began.

Sammy Marks advised that Kruger build a railway line from Pretoria to Lourenco Marques.

Sammy Marks pioneered the use of steam tractors and progressive farming implements.

Sammy Marks sponsored the establishing of flour-mills and brick and tile works at Vereeniging.

In 1910 Sammy Marks was nominated as senator in the first Union Parliament, an office he held until his death.

Sammy Marks contributed generously to Jewish communities all over South Africa.

In 1898 Sammy Marks was allowed the extraordinary privilege of using the state mint for a day.

The gold would certainly have come from the Sheba mine near Barberton, the only gold mine in which Sammy Marks had a substantial stake.

Besides President Kruger, Sammy Marks enjoyed the trust of the Boer Generals Botha, De Wet, and de la Rey, and the respect of Earl Roberts, Lord Kitchener, and Lord Milner, and he played a not inconsiderable part in the negotiations for the cessation of Anglo-Boer hostilities at Vereeniging on 31 May 1902.

For many years, Sammy Marks had planned an iron and steel works in the Transvaal, and had visited Britain to inspect the installations there at first hand.

At forty years of age and a very wealthy man, Sammy Marks started thinking about marriage.

Sammy Marks returned to Sheffield in England and married Bertha Guttmann, eighteen years his junior.

Bertha was only 5 years old when Sammy Marks set foot on the Cape's soil.

Sammy Marks could speak 5 different languages and had a great mind for business.

Sammy Marks had bought the farm Zwartkoppies to the east of Pretoria and there he began the construction of his home.

Sammy Marks drew the initial plans for the house on a piece of wood and got a local builder to construct the house according to his rough sketch plan.

Sammy Marks built a grand 40 odd room Victorian mansion, Zwartkoppies Hall, on the farm near Pretoria, which became well known to celebrities and dignitaries visiting South Africa.

Sammy Marks had an Italian painter paint the walls on silk material so that the walls would look like they were made of silk.

Sammy Marks lived a full life and died aged 96 years.

Sammy Marks once entered a party where the coat boy took his hat and jacket and tipped the young man a generous 1 pound.

Sammy Marks was very talented and went to England for her studies, where she met a young Christian boy.

Sammy Marks immediately sent for her to be fetched and brought back to South Africa where Gertrude, heartbroken, refused to marry in her life.

Sammy Marks kept herself busy by attending charities and helping the less fortunate, but she never courted a man.

Sammy Marks demanded his curtains, bedding, carpet, everything in his room be the colour of green.

In 1986, the Sammy Marks Museum opened its doors to the public.