Klaas IJsbrandsz Vermeulen Lived Long

The 52 Ancestors Week 16 Theme being “Live Long” I was curious what the age of my eldest ancestor would be. Thus, I had Aldfaer (my genealogy program) generate a list with old ancestors and looked for the eldest ancestor with dates that I'm sure are right. For several ancestor's the birth data was a proximity, so I couldn't use them. By elimination I did find an ancestor who really did reach the age of 90!

Klaas IJsbrandsz Vermeulen is the ancestor who reached the age of 90. He was baptized on May 11, 1741, in Lexmond, The Netherlands, so he must have been born at most a couple of weeks before that date. His parents were IJsbrant Janse Vermeulen and Cornelia van den Bergh, who were married in 1730 in Lexmond.

Klaas was married on January 6, 1765, in Lexmond to Maria de Bruijn. She was baptized on May 24, 1744, in Ameide. Her parents were Lambert de Bruijn and Johanna (de) Vos (who is another (de) Vos brick wall). Klaas and Maria had 7 children baptized in Lexmond in the period 1765-1777: IJsbrand, Johanna, Willemijntje (twice), Lambert, Lamberta and Huibertje. Their daughter Lamberta is my ancestor through her marriage to Willem Houweling (1773-1858). 

Klaas IJsbrandz Vermeulen died on December 17, 1831, in Lexmond, at the age of 90.

Jacobus Vos and Johanna de Roy, a double brick wall

One of my ancestors, Pieternella Vos, was baptized on December 20, 1778, in Capelle, Brabant, The Netherlands. She was the only known daughter of Jacobus Vos and Johanna de Roy. This couple had married earlier that year on May 17, 1778, in Capelle. Jacobus Vos was a young man, born in Capelle. Johanna de Roy was a young girl, born in Loon op Zand, Brabant, The Netherlands.

Pieternella Vos was married on February 9, 1800, in Capelle to Pieter Branderhorst (1777-1852). They paid ƒ12,- for their marriage, so they certainly weren’t poor folks. The marriage produced 9 children: Cornelis, Johanna (2x), Maria, Jacoba (2x), Willem, Jacobus and Pieternella. Three of these nine children were married and had children of their own.

Pieternella Vos died on March 18, 1847, in Capelle. Again, her parents are mentioned as being Jacobus Vos and Johanna de Rooij.

These are all references to my ancestors Jacobus Vos and Johanna de Roy/Rooij. Together they are a double brick wall.

Dorothea Wilhelmina Stuart (†1741)

Before 1747, the St. Gertudis Church in Bergen op Zoom, Brabant, The Netherlands, contained a grave stone of Jacob Stuart, born in St. Andrew, Scotland, stating he was the youngest son of Archibald Stuart, who lived at the court of Mary Queen of Scots. It also stated that Jacob had Stuart died on ascension day "anno XVI c XXII", 68 years old. The church was destroyed in a war with the French. 

One of Jacob Stuart's Dutch descendants was Alexander Stuart, a colonel in the Scottish Brigade. He married Gertruijt van Herwaarden on July 19, 1681, in Driel, Gelre, The Netherlands. The couple lived near Rhenen. In 1689 Alexander was captain in the Regiment Balfour. He died, wounded, near Kaiserwerth, Germany, in April 1702. 

After Gertruijt's death her daughter, Dorothea Wilhelmina Stuart, took over the whole inheritance and paid off her brother, Alexander, a captain, on March 27, 1719, in Utrecht. 
On August 18, 1711, in Utrecht Dorothea Wilhelmina Stuart married Philips van Halmael, who then lived in Utrecht. At that time Dorothea Wilhelmine lived in De Grebbe near Rhenen. Philips was a canon in the St. Peter's church in Utrecht. 

Philips and Dorothea Wilhelmina had a son baptized in Utrecht on June 27, 1717, with the names Joan Alexander. The baby must have died soon after birth, because they had a 2nd son baptized in Utrecht on June 5, 1718, with the names Joan Alexander Philip. Witnesses were Joan van Halmael and Alexander Stuart. Philips van Halmael died on January 16, 1719, in Utrecht. 

As a widow, on September 1, 1727, Dorothea Wilhelmina borrowed ƒ2500,- from Johan van Halmael (1644-1725) to buy a house. She remarried on January 4, 1729, in Utrecht. Her 2nd husband's name was Wijnand Blenk. In the past Wijnand had done business with Johan van Halmael. Early 1725 Wijnand was described as a cousin of Johan van Halmael, because he was a son of Jan Blenk and Catharina van Hamael. Wijnand's first wife was Cornelia Borstius.

Notice of Marrriage for Dorothea Wilhelmina Stuart and Wijnand Blenk.

Wijnand and Dorothea Wilhelmina lived at De Kijsersgraft (Emperor's Canal) in Amsterdam, Wijnand's place of origin. Wijnand was buried in Amsterdam on December 10, 1736. Dorothea Wilhelmina Stuart was buried there on January 13, 1741.

Sources: Archieven.nl & dr. J. Mac Lean, "Het geslacht Stewart (Stuart)", De Nederlandsche Leeuw, 91ste jaargang, 1974, & Nederland's Patriciaat, 26e Jaargang, 1940.