Hi Ettienne
Wow, that sounds very interesting, I know there used to be a museum called the "Africana Museum", as a kid my gran used to take us there to see a clock that her ancestors the de Smidt's had donated to the museum in times gone by, which is now Museum Africa
situated in Newtown, and if you are seriously not sure what to do with this book, possibly consider donating it to the museum?? I'm sure that they'd be interested to have it.
I'm not sure if there's a way to digitise it first though, so you have your own digital copy that you can have into perpetuity?? Maybe contact the museum and ask them for some guidance??
Not that I'm a duPlessis of am aware of any links to that line, I'm pretty sure once you go back as far as 80 BC there'd be some interesting things to out, and access to a digital copy would be interesting to have access to.....
From the little I do know about duPlessis is that it is French in origin, more than likely French Huguenots, Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who followed the teachings of theologian John Calvin. Persecuted by the French Catholic government during
a violent period, Huguenots fled the country in the 17th century, creating Huguenot settlements all over Europe, in the United States and Africa, who specifically came to SA in but that's where my knowledge ends.....I'm sure your genealogy book covers some
of this info in detail, especially if it goes back to 80 BC!!!!!
You might find this interesting??