Incredibly, Petrus Johannes' second wife bears the identical triple first names and surname to those of his first wife. This is a result of the Afrikaans naming convention, which is studiously followed by these families. This second "Bettie" is a first cousin of Petrus' first wife, sharing their mutual maternal grandmother's first name. That grandmother was Elizabeth Petronella Wilhelmina Destro, daughter of Andreo Matteo Destro. Matteo had been a forcibly conscripted Italian soldier in Napleon's Army, and defected along with hundreds of his countrymen to the British around the time of the Siege of Cadiz in 1810. He formally joined the 60th (Foreign) Regiment of the British Army in 1910 at Lymington and was shipped to the Cape of Good Hope soon after. In 1817 he was given permission to settle at the Cape after leaving the army.

The first Bettie having died in childbirth, the oldest of the seven children is Maria at age 11. They are raised by Petrus and this second Bettie. Bettie never has children of her own.