Coenraad Rijsdijk was born on 20 June 1844 in IJsselmonde, Holland. His parents are Arij Rijsdijk (1815-1883) “the elder” and his first wife Pietertje Mens (1820-1847). Coenraad had an elder brother Arie Rijsdijk “the younger”, born on 29 October 1841 in IJsselmonde.
After their mother’s death on 20 November 1847 in nearby Ridderkerk, their father married Lena de Ruiter on 14-3-1840 in nearby Barendrecht. By the time Arij “the elder” married his third wife, Maria Monfrooij (1826-1892), on 10 September 1880 in IJsselmonde, Coenraad was already a married man.
Coenraad’s elder brother Arij “the younger” was the first to marry on 27 June 1863 in IJsselmonde. His bride was Maria Wuister (1840-1880). Maria and Arij had several children, including a daughter Pietertje Rijsdijk, born on 30 January 1869 in IJsselmonde. Arie Rijsdijk “the younger”, aged 29, died on 30 April 1871 in Charlois, now part of Rotterdam. His widow Marie Wuister died at the age of 39 on 4 March 1880 in Barendrecht, leaving her daughter Pietertje an orphan at the age of 11. Thus, Pietertje's uncle Coenraad Rijsdijk became her guardian.
At the age of 23, on 24 April 1868 in IJsselmonde, Coenraad Rijsdijk had married 20-year-old Trijntje de Ruiter. She was born on 12 August 1847 in IJsselmonde, and her parents were Arie de Ruiter (1796-1863) and Pieterje van der Velde (1809-1890). Coenraad and Trijntje had 10 children, but most of them died young, including twin daughters. Trijntje died on 26 March 1886 in Spaarndam, Holland, 2 weeks after giving birth to her youngest daughter, who died young, too.
The next year, on 24 March 1887 in Barendrecht, 42-year-old Coenraad Rijsdijk married his 18-year-old niece Pietertje Rijsdijk whose guardian he was. On 29 November 1886 the couple had obtained a special permission to marry, because an uncle-niece marriage is usually not allowed. The couple also got permission to marry without fees, because they were poor, so Coenraad’s job as “merchant” was likely more like a humble door-to-door salesman.
Dutch King Willem III gave permission for this uncle-niece marriage |
Pietertje Rijswijk gave birth to a death baby in IJsselmonde on 22 July 1887 around 4 o’clock. It’s unknown if the baby was either a miscarriage, or full-term - and then conceived before the wedding ceremony. Three more pregnancies resulted in lifeless children. Twelve other pregnancies were successful, but half of those children died young anyway.