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24 Mar 2022

A Kootkar Family of Meppen in Germany (1): Elizabeth

Jan van Dam was baptised on 22 May 1757 in Zwijndrecht, Holland, as the eldest son of Melis van Dam and Pieternella de Bondt (±1735-1799). Jan's mother is a descendant of my 17th-century ancestor Arij de Bondt. Jan had 4 younger sisters and 2 younger brothers.
Jan was living in Culemborg in the middle of The Netherlands when he met a Roman Catholic girl, Anna Maria Elizabeth  Francisca Kootkar. She was born in Meppen just across the Dutch border in Germany. Her surname is also written as Kootker, Coutker, Kooter, and even Houtker.
Elizabeth and Jan were married on 28 October 1781 in Culemborg.


Jan and Elizabeth had 2 daughters:
  • Juliana was baptised on 28 July 1782 in Lexmond with witness “Pieternella van Dam” - likely grandmother Pieternella de Bondt, wife of Melis van Dam. Juliana was married on 14 May 1808 in Dordrecht to Johannes Pieter Hill. He was likely born in Enkering in Germany, and died in 1857 in Dordrecht. Juliana died there on 9 August 1876 at the age of 94. They had daughters named Anna Elisabeth, Juliana (1813-1877) and Johanna.
  • Pieternella was baptised on 18 October 1792 in Amersfoort. Pieternella died on 4 April 1874 in Rotterdam. Pieternella was married to
    1. Johannes “Jan” Virulij (also: Verleij) on 26 March 1817 in Rotterdam. He was a widower of Rotterdam, baptised in 1766. He died in 1823. Jan and Pieternella had sons named Johannes, Dirk and Pieter.
    2. Johannes Frederik Schnaar (1797-1824) on 27 December 1826 in Rotterdam. His eyes, hair and eyebrows were brown. They had children named Frederik Jacob, Maria Elizabeth and Cornelis.
Juliana van Dam was married in 1808 in Dordrecht

Jan van Dam died in Dordrecht on 30 July 1833 around 17:00, aged 76. His widow, Anna Maria Elisabeth Francisca Kootkar, died on 9 September 1843 in Dordrecht. Her age was given as 93.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, FamilySearch.org, HetUtrechtsArchief.nl, StadsArchief.Rotterdam.nl, RegionaalArchiefDordrecht.nl, RegionaalArchiefRivierenland.nl, GeldersArchief.nl.

16 Mar 2022

How Anton Philips is related to Karl Marx

When searching Dutch newspapers on the Delper.nl website for "Marx PROX Philips" loads of erroneous descriptions of the relation between those 2 families appear. Therefore, I decided to write a blog post on how Anton Philips is related to Karl Marx.

Anton  Frederik Philips was born in Zaltbommel, The Netherlands, on 14 March 1874, as a younger son of Benjamin Frederik  David Philips (1830–1900) and Maria Heyligers (1836–1921). Anton’s elder brother Gerard (1858-1942) and their father Frederik founded the Philips Company as a family business in 1891. Anton Philips served as CEO of the company in the period 1922-39. Gerard and Anton also supported education in the city of Eindhoven, and social programs and facilities. Philips had started as a light bulbs factury, but nowadays it's a multinational conglomerate corporation.
Anton Philips married Anne HenriĆ«tte Elisabeth Maria de Jongh (1878-1970). They had a son Frederik Jacques (“Frits”) Philips (1905-2005) and 2 daughters. Anton Philips died in Eindhoven on 7 October 1951, aged 77.
Anton’s paternal grandparents are Lion Philips (1794-1866) and Sophie Presburg (1792-1854). Sophie belonged to a prosperous Jewish business family from Nijmegen in The Netherlands. Sophie and Lion and their children were living in Zaltbommel.

Market Square of Zaltbommel around 1850. The 4th home on the right was the home of Lion Philips.

3 Mar 2022

Pieter Joosten Stooker, a quadruple ancestor around 1600

Pieter Joosten [= son of Joost] Stooker may have been born around 1570. He had a brother named Arie who married and had children, too. Pieter married Willemken Bastiaens, a daughter of Bastiaen Joostsz.
In 1597 Pieter Joosten was living in 's-Gravendeel, while he bought some farmland in the Nieuw-Bonaventura polder west of 's-Gravendeel. By July 1617 Pieter was death. His widow died before February 1624.
Pieter and Willemken had 6 known children, 3 of whom are my ancestors:

  1. Pieter may have been born around 1595. He owned a house in 's-Gravendeel. Around 1620 Pieter married Lijsbeth Harmens and they had at least 2 sons: Pieter and Harmen, who is my ancestor.
  2. Joost was still alive in 1623.
  3. Neeltje married Andries Adriaensz Polderdijk in 1629 in nearby Sint-Anthoniepolder. Andries is a son of my sixfold ancestor Adriaen Matthijsz. Andries and Neeltje had at least 6 children, including Adriaen and Maijken who are both ancestors of mine. After Neeltje's death around 1646, Andries married Jannichie Willems Polderdijk and had at least 2 more children.
    1. Adriaen Andriesz Polderdijk was baptised on 18-1-1632 in Sint-Anthoniepolder. He married Joossie Geerits and they had at least 6 children, including a daughter Neeltje, who is my ancestor.
    2. Maijken Andries Polderdijk was born on the 8th and baptised on 11-9-1639 in Sint-Anthoniepolder. She married Jacob Heijndriks Monster who was born on the 24th and baptised on 27-6-1638 in Sint-Anthoniepolder. This couple had at least 4 children, including a son Adriaen, who is my ancestor.
  4. Annetje was born around 1605. She married Isaac Pietersz. (de) Kreeck and had at least 7 children in 's-Gravendeel.
  5. Arien married Dirksie Willems, daughter of Willem Ariensz. Lapper. They had at least 7 children in 's-Gravendeel, including a son Ingen whose death was registered on 10-5-1702 in 's-Gravendeel. Ingen is my ancestor, too.
  6. Maergen was still alive in May 1617, but died before February 1624.

Sources: s-Gravendeel.net, Doopboek Sint Anthonie Polder 1628-1705 en aanvullende artikelen van W.T. Molema-Smitshoek in "Ons Voorgeslacht" in 2020 en 2021, artikelen van K.J. Slijkerman in "Ons Voorgeslacht" 2009 en 2010, Kwartierstaat Valk door Th. Douma in "Prometheus Kwartierstatenboek" III, Kwartierstaat Kwekel – van der Hor door ir. F. Kwekel in "Prometheus Kwartierstatenboek" II en een update daarop bij HoGenDa.nl.