The eventful life of Maaike van der Giessen

This is the story of Maaike van der Giessen. Her first husband, carpenter Arij Schaaij, divorced her when she was just 23 years old. They had two children, but both had died shortly after birth. The divorce was pronounced on 24 May 1872 at the District Court in Brielle, Holland.

Nederlandsche Staatscourant, 19-6-1872

Maaike van der Giessen was born on 29 June 1848 in 's-Gravendeel, Holland. Her parents are Maria Bezemer and Arie van der Giessen (1818-1897). Maaike had a sister Maria who married Jacob van't Hof. Maaike, Maria and their father Arie are most likely male-line descendants of my ancestor Teunis Ariens van der Giessen who lived in the 17th century in Mookhoek, south of 's-Gravendeel. 

On September 12, 1868, in 's-Gravendeel Maaike married carpenter Arij Schaaij, son of Wouter Schaaij and Lena Trees. Arij was born in Brielle on November 4, 1835, around 4:30 PM.

Their two children both died as infants:

1. Wouter Schaaij was born on 21-2-1869 in Piershil, Holland, and died on the 27th, 6 days old.
2. Maria Martha Schaaij was born on 24-1-1870 in Piershil, and died in Dubbeldam, Holland, on 9-8-1870, 6½ months old.

This marriage ended in divorce on May 24, 1872, in Brielle. Arij Schaaij, residing in Brielle, Holland, was the plaintiff. Maaike, who was not present at the hearing, was the defendant. She was living in Rotterdam, Holland.

Arij Schaaij married his second wife on September 18, 1874, in Heenvliet. She was Willemina Fokkeliena Meppelder, 22 years old and born in Dordrecht. From his second marriage Arij had children named Lena Fokkelina and Tallegien Schaaij.

Aanvankelijk woonden Emile Joseph Thomas en Maaike van der Giessen in Rotterdam

Maaike was 25 years old when she remarried on October 1, 1873 in Rotterdam to Emile Joseph Thomas. He was born in Vierset-Barse in the province of Liège in Belgium in 1845*. His parents are Antoine Joseph Thomas and Marie Catherine Joseph Colette.

Maaike and Emile had the following children:

Het Nieuws van den Dag
(Kleine Courant), 18-7-1898

1. Antonius Joseph Thomas was born on 19-10-1873 in Rotterdam**. He worked as a stonemason, and was married in Enschede on 19-5-1921 to Henderika Vink (40), widow of Jan Ties Prins. Antonius Joseph died in Oldenzaal on 17-7-1934.
2. Maria Catharina Thomas was born on 12-3-1876 in Rotterdam. She married Henri Willem Eduard Lijbrink (1875-1956) of Nieuwer-Amstel on 28-7-1898 in Amsterdam. By judgement of the Amsterdam District Court of June 3, 1922, Maria's marriage was dissolved by divorce. Her ex later married Grietje Smit.
3. Catharina Josephina Thomas was born in Nijmegen on 24-1-1878. She was married on on 7-5-1902 in Amsterdam to Jan Broere who originated in Capelle aan de IJssel. They had issue. Catharina Josephina died on 20 October 1925 in Amsterdam, aged 47.
4. Emilia Johanna Thomas was born in Zaandam on 5-11-1879. She was still alive in 1891.
5. Henriëtte Jeanette Thomas was born in Papendrecht on 9-1-1881. She married diamond cutter Johannes Krabbenbosch on 24-5-1905 in Amsterdam.

Emile Joseph Thomas died at the age of 84, and was buried in Amsterdam on 16 May 1929.

Notes:
*  Emile Joseph Thomas was born in Vierset-Barse in 1845, either on 22 February 1845 or 3 May.
** The family cards in Amsterdam show the wrong year of birth. I've checked the birth certificate.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, StadsArchief.Rotterdam.nl, Archief.Amsterdam, AlleFriezen.nl, Wikipedia.org.

Using AI to make photos of villages look like old sketches

When doing genealogy, I occasionally use ChatGPT to create images to beautify my family tree. This blog post is about how ChatGPT can convert modern images into drawings that show what it used to be like.

Strijen

In the first example, I used a photograph I had taken of the old Saint Lambertus church in Strijen. The building to the left was build in the 20th century, so it had to be removed.

Thus, I asked Chat GPT: 

"Can you transform the photo into a drawing with pastel colours? Can you remove all the poles, lampposts, and posts? Also remove the leaning building on the left. Can you focus on the church complex of buildings, and blur the background? Thanks!"

In this case I manually fixed the dark little door in the middle, because ChatGPT had messed it up.

 

My photograph of the church in Strijen

 

The church of Strijen with AI

Barendrecht

In the second example, I used an old photograph of the village of Barendrecht. The lamppost was way too modern, and had to be removed.

Thus, I asked Chat GPT:

"Hi, can you turn this photograph into a nice drawing? Can you remove the lamppost? Give it a bit of pastel colour? Thank you."

In this case I did a follow up with

"Can you remove the boy in the middle of the picture?"

Dutch ancestors of author Pearl S. Buck (2): a Van der Linden family in Amersfoort

Pearl S. Buck was a writer and novelist. I read her fictionalised biography of Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi. The famous author was born as Pearl Sydenstricker on 26 June 1892 in Hillsboro, West Virginia, to Caroline Maude Stulting and Absalom Sydenstricker, of Dutch and German descent respectively. In October 1892, her parents took their 4-month-old baby to China. The surname Buck derives from Pearl's first husband John Lossing Buck (1890–1975). On the same day in 1935 that Pearl divorced him, she married her publisher Richard J. Walsh. Pearl died on 6 March 1973, aged 83.

Pearl's mother, Caroline Maude - “Carie” - Stulting (1857-1921), is a daughter of Hanna Sonnius (1816-1876) and silversmith Hermanus Stulting. They were married on 18 March 1840 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Hermanus Stulting died on 30 September 1905 in Hillsboro, Pocahontas County, West Verginia. He was born in Utrecht on 5 October 1816 as son of Cornelis Johannes Stulting (1790-1861) and Arnolda Broekman. Hermanus' grandparents were Hermanus Stulting sr., Hendrica Lebben, Nicolaas Broekman and Gerritje van der Linden.

Gerritje van der Linden and Nicolaas Broekman were married in Amersfoort, east of Utrecht, on 2 December 1768. The groom had been living in Leeuwarden in the north of The Netherlands, while Gerritje originated in Amersfoort. Gerritje and Nicolaas had several children, including Helena, Antonia, Sophia, Hendrika, Arnoldus and Arnolda. Arnolda was her mother's youngest, and was baptised on 28 december 1784 in Amersfoort. On 11 March 1790 in Amersfoort Nicolaas married his second wife Maria van den Brink, widow of Peter Boshuizen.

Gerritje van der Linden was baptised on 26 March 1743 in Amersfoort as youngest daughter of Arnoldus van der Linden and his wife Sophia - “Sijtje” - Gerrits. The couple was married in Amersfoort on 26 September 1723. They had children named Lambert, Aaltje, Jannitje, Maria, Gerrit, Dirkje and Gerritje. Gerritje was likely named after her mother's father.

Arnoldis van der Linden married Sijtjen Gerritsen
on 25 September 1723 in Amersfoort

At the baptism of his eldest child Lambert, on 8 January 1724 in Amersfoort, Arnoldus is mentioned with the patronymic Lammert. Arnoldus may have been baptised in Amersfoort on 27 May 1690 as son of Lambertus Jansz.

Sources: HetUtrechtsArchief.nl, WieWasWie.nl, en.wikipedia.org, Delpher.nl, FindAGrave.com, ancestors.familysearch.org (census form), Geni.com.

The 1-month marriage of Herman Heinrich Vogelsang (1787-1821)

Herman Heinrich Vogelsang was born on 21 January 1787 in Lengerich, a place in Germany, located just south of Tecklenburg. His parents are tailor Johann Wilhelm Vogelsang and his wife Cathrine Elisabeth Schräer/Schröer. Johan Wilhelm Vogelsang had died on 5 August 1808 in Lengerich. At the eind of 1814, Herman Heinrich moved to the Netherlands.

Herman Heinrich Vogelsang was born in Lengerich on 21 January 1787

On 16 February 1820 in the Almelo district, 33-year-old Herman Heinrich Vogelsang married Berentdina Berentzen, aged 26. The groom was in such dire financial straits that he could not afford the wedding fees.

Herman Heinrich Vogelsang married Berentdina Berentzen on 16 February 1820 in Ambt Almelo

Berentdina Berentzen was born on 10 March 1793 and baptised on the 17th in Holten near Almelo as daughter of Jan Berenzen Groote-boer and Willemina Janzen. This couple was married in Holten on 16 May 1784, and had several children.
Berentdina, a farm girl living in the Almelo district, stated that her father, farmer Jan Berentzen, had lived in Holten, and died there on 28 December 1805.

Berentdina Berentzen was born on 10 March 1793 in Holten