Teacher Leendert Bras (1828-69) in Haarlemmermeer

Leendert Bras was born on 22 March 22 1828 in De Werken in Brabant, southeast of Gorinchem in Holland. His parents are Leendert Bras (1793-1862) and Sijke van Drunen (1797-1874). Among Leendert's siblings were Bastiaan Bras (1819-1898) and Adriaan Bras (1830-1881). Their father worked as a workman, miller and innkeeper.

In Utrecht on 17 July 1850, at the age of 22, Leendert Bras did exams to become a teacher. He acquired a 4th rank as teacher on 29 April 1851. He was working as an assistant teacher in Utrecht, when he acquired his 2nd rank as teacher on 6 April 1853 at the age of 25. In the autumn of 1854 Leendert Bras was appointed as a teacher in a specialized Day and Boarding School for boys in Zuilen, west of Utrecht.

On July 17, 1850, Leendert Bras did his exam to become a teacher

Leendert Bras had been married on17 May 1852 in De Werken to Jannigje Pruissen. Jannigje was born on 28 December 1828 in De Werken. Her parents are Jan Pruissen and Hasia van Dijk. Leendert Bras and his wife were to have 11 children but 3 of them died young.
At first they lived in De Werken, but around 1860 they moved to Haarlemmermeer, a polder, consisting of land reclaimed from water. First, a 61 kilometres long canal had been dug around the lake to carry the water drainage and traffic. All of the pumping was done by steam mills, an innovation contrasting with the historic Dutch practice of draining polders using windmills. The first church was built in 1855. By 1860 Haarlemmermeer's population was 7237 people.
Leendert's father had died on 5 Janaury 1862 in Almkerk in Brabant. His mother remained in Almkerk until her death on 16 January 1874. Leendert died at the early age of 40 on February 14, 1869, in Haarlemmermeer. Six months later his widow, Jannigje Pruissen, gave birth to her last child, a daughter named Govertje after her brother Govert who had died the year before. Jannigje survived her husband for 26 years and died in Haarlemmermeer on 12 December 1895, aged 66.
Their daughter Anna was married in 1880, and had a son in 1881. On 9 May 1902 Anna and her husband and son left the Haarlemmermeer for the USA.

These are the children of Leendert bras and Jannigje Pruissen:

1. Jan was born on 22-8-1852 in De Werken. Jan died on 15-9-1929 in Haarlemmermeer, aged 77. Jan was married on 16-9-1875 in Beverwijk to Hendrika Cornelia van Krimpen (24) who was born in Woudrichem as daughter of Hendrik van Krimpen and Willemke Vink.
2.  Leendert was born on 2-2-1854 in De Werken. He died on 29-12-1928 in Boskoop, aged 74. Leendert was married on 21-9-1876 in Haarlemmermeer to Lena Molenaar (24). She was born in Dirksland as a daughter of Corstiaan Molenaar and Neeltje Robijn.
3. Anna was born on 14-2-1857 in De Werken. Anna was married in Haarlemmermeer on 3-12-1880 to Hendrik Zevenhuizen. He was born in Zegwaart on 27-3-1854 as a son of Hendrik sr. and Clasina Verhoef. In Haarlemmermeer on 2-10-1881 in Haarlemmermeer they had a son Hendrik Leendert Zevenhuizen. On 8 May 1902 they left the Haarlemmermeer and travelled to the USA.
4.  Marcus Bastiaan was born on 11-10-1858 in De Werken and died there on 25-11-1858.
5.  Bastiaan was born on 2-9-1859 in De Werken. He died on 2-4-1947 in Aalsmeer, aged 87 jaar. Bastiaan was married on 26-3-1884 in Haarlemmermeer to Antje van Gennip (25), and acknowledged her daughter Johanna Cornelia as his.
6. Govert was born on 2-8-1862 in Haarlemmermeer, and died there on 5-7-1868, aged 5.
7. Gerrit was born on 30-9-1864 in Haarlemmermeer and died there on 2-11-1945, aged 81. Gerrit was married there on 19-6-1889 in Haarlemmermeer to Sara Jansen.
8.  Maria was born on 18-1-1866 in Haarlemmermeer. Maria died on 13-8-1949 in nearby Aalsmeer, aged 83 jaar oud. She never married.
9. Arie was born on 20-3-1867 in Haarlemmermeer. Arie died on 3-2-1931 in nearby Haarlem, aged 63. Arie was married in Haarlemmermeer on 27-11-1889 to Dirkje van Maarsbergen (21).
10. Haasje was born on 27-4-1868 in Haarlemmermeer. She died on 20-2-1909 in Bennebroek, aged 40. Haasje was married in Haarlemmermeer on 31-5-1893 to Arie Klomp (28), son of Arie sr. and Anna de Groot. They had one daughter and two sons. Haasje died in 1909, aged 40. In 1910 Arie Klomp was remarried to Geritje van Andel (29), daughter of Johannes van Andel and Geertruij Visser. With her Arie had an additional daugher and son.
11. Govertje was born posthumously on 7-8-1869 in Haarlemmermeer. She died there on 3-9-1870 in Haarlemmermeer at the age of 1.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Noord-HollandsArchief.nl, Delpher.nl.