Mariner Monday – Arij Jans Verduijn (1694-1728)

Arij Janse Verduijn was a captain of the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) who transported goods from Batavia (nowadays Jakarta in Indonesia) to Holland. His parents were Jan Ariense Verduijn (†1736) and Maertje Pieters van Pavie (1660-1744). They had him baptised in Delfshaven near Rotterdam on September 10, 1694. Sponsors were Jan's brother Egbert Ariense Verduijn and his first wife.

Cape of Good Hope in South Africa

At the age of 17, on May 10, 1712, Arij Verduijn boarded the ship “Wassenaar” as a soldier. The ship departed from the island of Goeree in Holland, containing 138 sailors, 18 soldiers and a stowaway. For young Arij it may have been a reassurance that fellow townsman Jacob Verduijn was the ship’s captain.
A long-distance voyage was hard on the health of a sailing ship’s crew. During the first 2-3 months of the voyage newcomers aboard usually developed scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C. A prolonged calm could occur around the Equator, resulting in a trip of over 30 weeks. The ship “Wassenaar” took over half a year to reach the Cape of Good Hope, a rocky headland in South Africa that had been settled by the Dutch in 1652.

The ship with Arij Verduijn on board stayed for 24 days at the Cape before continuing its voyage to Batavia in Indonesia. Arij’s return voyage was with the ship “Voorburg”, sailing from Ceylon to Texel, where it arrived on September 13, 1714. In December Arij boarded ship again. This time he was third mate of Master Jakob van der Poel at a ship named “Nederhoven” with a tonnage of 600. The ship boarded the Cape in May 1715, and arrived in Batavia on July, 28. Arij returned with the ship “Voorburg”, arriving in Goeree on July 8, 1716. He had designated his parents as the beneficiaries of his salary. 

Voyage	Schip's name	Chamber	Job	Departure	Cape of Good Hope	Arrival
Outbound	Wassenaar	Delft	soldier	10-5-1712	19-11-1712 tot 13-12-1712	18-2-1713
Return	Voorburg	Amsterdam		1-3-1714	13-4-1714 tot 10-6-1714	13-9-1714
Outbound	Nederhoven	Delft	3rd mate	23-12-1714	30-4-1715 tot 24-5-1715	28-7-1715
Return	Voorburg	Delft		30-10-1715	11-1-1716 tot 1-4-1716	8-7-1716
Outbound	Den Dam	Delft	skipper	24-5-1723	7-9-1723 tot 24-9-1723	18-12-1723
Return	Den Dam	Delft	skipper	24-10-1725	22-1-1726 tot 28-2-1726	28-6-1726
Outbound	Alblasserdam	Delft	skipper	4-4-1727	5-8-1727 tot 22-8-1727	25-10-1727

Arij Jans Verduijn was married to Jacoba Borstius on November 5, 1719, in Rotterdam. She was baptised in Rotterdam on June 22, 1698, as posthumous daughter of Jacobus Borstius and Wijna van Riel. Her mother was married a second time in January 1699 to Abraham Hovendaal and had additional children.

The baptism of the eldest child of Arij and Jacoba, Jan, was on August 4, 1720, in Delfshaven. Sponsors were Arij’s sisters Jannetje and Ariaantje Verduijn. When their daughter Wijna was baptised on October 3, 1723, in Delfshaven, Arij Jans Verduijn was at sea.
On May 24, 1723, Arij Jans Verduijn had boarded the ship “Den Dam” as its captain. The ship had been build in 1716 in Delfshaven and had a tonnage of 600. His crew consisted of 104 seafarers and 47 soldiers. They visited the Cape of Good Hoop in September, arriving in Batavia on December 18. Boarding on October 24, 1725, Arij returned with his ship to Goeree in Holland, arriving on June 18, 1726. For this voyage, Arij had designated his wife, Jacoba Borstius, as the beneficiary of his salary.

Batavia

The last voyage of Captain Arij Jans Verduijn started at Goeree on April 4, 1727, on a ship named “Alblasserdam” with a crew of 94 seafarers and 39 soldiers. They stayed at the Cape in August 1727, arriving in Batavia on October 25, 1727. Arij died in Asia on January 8, 1728.

Arij Janse Verduijn's home town was Delfshaven

Arij’s widow, Jacoba Borstius, was remarried on October 5, 1720, in Delfshaven. Her new husband, Willem van Asperen (1700-1769, was a clergyman who originated from Amsterdam.

Sources: VOC opvarenden. VOCsite.nl, rotterdam.digitalestamboom.nl, Huygens.knaw, Wikipedia, A.E. Leuftink: Harde Heelmeesters (Zeelieden en hun dokters in de 18e eeuw).