The accidents of William Witvliet (1870-1936)

William Witvliet was born on 22 September 1870 in Vriesland, Ottawa, Michigan, USA. His parents are Lammigje (“Emmely”) Bartels (1837-1921) and Pieter (“Peter”) Witvliet (1830-1897). William's paternal grandparents were Mattheus Witvliet (1801-1873) and his second wife Elizabeth Sandifort.
Among William's siblings was a brother Mattheus (“Matthew”) Witvliet (1861-1938).

At the age of 30, William married Hendrika Krans on 13 June 1901 in Zeeland, Ottawa, Michigan, USA. She was born in June 1877 as daughter of Henry Krans (1837-1922) and Henrietta Hoving (1846-1925).

William Witvliet was operating a saw in a factory, when his right hand was caught in the machine, and badly damaged. An amputation was necessary, and his arm was amputated above the elbow. William was still a young man, and had only been married for 3 months.
Matheus Witvliet, the ironmonger on 8th Street, is his brother.

De Grondwet (newspaper), 26-4-1904

After the amputation of his right arm, William had hardly any means of subsistence. Once in a while he did some temporary police service, or other temporary work.
In January 1929, William Witvliet had an unfortunate fall on the slippery sidewalk, and broke his other arm.

De Grondwet (newspaper), 29-1-1929

Surname Saturday - Konings - Brick Wall

My ancestors Dirck Smetsing and Sophia Katarina Konings were married on 15 August 1721 in Lobith. Lobith is a village at the border of The Netherlands and Germany. Deck lived there, and had become a member of the church community of Lobith in 1716.
“Düffelwarth” was where the bride, Sophia Katarina, came from. Düffelward is located on the former Roman Road between Xanten and Nijmegen, just across the border near Cleves.

David Smeltsing and Sophia Katarina Konings were married on 15 August 1721 in Lobith

Derk and Sophia Katarina had 6 children baptised in nearby Doesburg:

1. Johanna Smeltzing was baptised on 1-11-1726 in Doesburg. Her burial was registered in Doesburg on 1-3-1784. Johanna married there on 7-5-1754 Isebrandt Heemskerk. They had 10 children.
2. Johannes Sigismond Christoffel Smeltzing was baptised on 21-4-1728 in Doesburg.
3. Louisa Smeltzing was baptised on 3-5-1730 in Doesburg. Her death was registered in Dordrecht on 28-1-1811. Louisa had an extramarital relationship with Johannes van Hessels that resulted in a daughter Johanna Maria Smetzing who lived for only a few months in 1755 in Doesburg. Louisa married in Dordrecht on 18-5-1760 David de Sterke. He was baptised on 6-2-1733 in Dordrecht as son of Pieter de Sterke and Lijsje Kevers. David died from a lung disease, and his burial was registered on 14-12-1797 in Dordrecht. They had 6 children, including my ancestor Pieter de Sterke, the father of Arie de Sterke (1796-1892).
4. Anna Maria Smeltzing was baptised on 13-2-1732 in Doesburg.
5. 
   Sophia Smeltzing was baptised on 11-12-1733 in Doesburg.
6. Henrik Adriaen Smeltzing was baptised on 20-4-1736 in Doesburg.

I haven't been able to find the parents of either Derk Smeltzing or Sophia Katarina Konings.

Sources: RegionaalArchiefDordrecht.nl, nl.Wikiepedia.org.

Alberdiena Rientjes (1830-1902) was locked up in a mental institution

Carpenter Johannes Vredeveld (30) and Alberdiena Rientjes (27) were married on 12 May 1858 in Zwolle, Overijssel, The Netherlands. Johannes had a brother Jochem Vredeveld, born on 18 December 1824 in Zwolle. Their parents are Cornelia Pattel and Johannes Vredeveld sr. Jochem had married Willemina Dispo on 28 August 1845 in Zwolle. Willemina was born on 28-12-1820 in Steenwijk, Overijssel, is a daughter of Lammegien Hovenier and Piet Dispo. This couple had another daughter Anna Dispo, born in Steenwijk op 12 December 1817. Anna married carpenter Johannes Vredeveld as his first wife on 3 May 1849 in Zwolle. Johannes Vredeveld was born there on 16 December 1827, so the bride was the groom's senior by 10 years. At the age of 39 Anna Dispo died on 27 May 1856 in Zwolle. Johannes Vredeveld and his first wife had been married for 7 years.

Johannes' second wife, Alberdiena Rientjes, is a daughter of Antonie Rientjes and Hermiena van (H)Ulsen. Alberdina was born on 15 August 1830 in Zwolle. Her paternal grandparents are Jan Rientjes and Hermiena Theunissen.

Alberdiena has experienced 7 pregnancies:

1. Cornelia was born on 1-4-1859 in Zwolle. She married Italian Alberto Zoppi in 1881 in Zwolle. Cornelia Vredeveld died in Tilburg on 31-1-1946, aged 86.
2. Antonia Wilhelmina was born on 31-12-1860 in Zwolle, and died there on 22-4-1871, aged 10.
3. A son was stillborn in Zwolle on 15-2-1863.
4. Johanna Maria (I) was born on 7-1-1864 in Zwolle, and died there on 28-12-1864.
5. Albertus Johannes was born on 17-10-1865 in Zwolle. On 1-6-1892 in Leiden, Holland, he married Regina Adriana Maria Casparie (1862-1939) and had several children. At the age of 85, Albertus Johannes died in Utrecht on 5-1-1951.
6. Johanna Maria (II) was born on 15-5-1868 in Zwolle. She married Theodorus Kuijpers in 1898 in Rosmalen, Brabant, The Netherlands. At the age of 73, Johanna Maria died on 4-3-1942 in Vugt, Brabant.
7. Antonius Johannes was born on 24-5-1871 in Zwolle. At the age of 68, he died on 2-1-1940 in Nijmegen, Gelderland, The Netherlands.

In 1881, at the time of her eldest daughter's marriage, Alberdiena Rientjes was being nursed in an asylum for the insane in nearby Deventer.

Alberdiena Rientjes was locked up in a mental institution

At the age of 55, carpenter Johannes Vredeveld died on 5 July 1883 in Zwolle. His widow Alberdiena Rientjes died, aged 71, on 10 April 1902 around 18:00 in Deventer. One of the declarants was the accountant of the insane asylum, so Alberdiena was still locked up when she died.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, CollectieOverijssel.nl, RegionaalArchiefTilburg.nl.

The divorce of Teunis Jabaay and Pauline Spielmann

Businessman Teunis Jabaay was born on 3 May 1891 in Maasdam, Holland. He is a younger son of Maaike Hoogvliet (1851-1937) and Adrianus Jabaaij (1843-1939). Teunis' paternal grandparents were Lijntje Streefkerk (1814-1881) and Leendert Jabaaij (1812-1895). Teunis had an elder brother Willem Jabaaij (1881-1948), who remained single, and some sisters. Teunis seems to have been the only one in the family who wrote his surname as Jabaay.

Haagsche Courant, 22-9-1933

In 1933 Teunis lived in Rijswijk, Holland, located between The Hague and Delft. By then he had met Pauline Spielmann who lived in Essen in Germany at the Gänsemarkt square. They were married in Essen on 17 October 1933. Teunis was 42 years old. Pauline was 4 years his senior.
Pauline was born on 8 February 1887 in “Neu Satum”, which may have been located in the east of Germany in present-day western Poland. Pauline had been married before to someone with the surname Behrens.

Birth and marriage dates of the couple Teunis Jabaaij en Pauline Spielmann

The marriage of Teunis Jabaay and Pauline Spielmann ended in divorce. The district court in Rotterdam granted their divorce on 13 May 1946, a year after the end of World War II. At that time both Teunis and Pauline were living in Rotterdam, Holland.

Nederlandsche Staatscourant, 11-6-1946

Teunis Jabaay died, at the age of 62, on 25 September 1953 in Rotterdam.

Surname Saturday - Muijs

Johann Muijs(en) originated in Duisburg in Germany. In The Netherlands he was known as Johan or Jan. He was living near the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-Kerk, the largest church of Dordrecht in Holland. On May 10, 1637, Johan married Geertruijt Jans van der Gront, a young girl born in Dordrecht.

Jan Muijs and Geertruijt van der Gront were married on 10 May 1737 in Dordrecht.

Dordrecht, den 19 Aprilis 1637: 

- Jan Muijs, j.m. van Duijsburg, w. bij de Groote Kerck; 

- Geertruijt Jans van der Gront, j.d. van Dordregt, w. bij de Vleeshouwers Straet. 

Getrouwt d& 10 maij.

The couple had at least 7 children baptised in Dordrecht in the period 1638-1653: Johannes (2x), Anna, Pieter, Levina, Geertruid and Jacobus.
The burial of Johan Muijs was registered in Dordrecht on 18 December 1684. On 9-5-1685 in Dordrecht, a house and yard in the Vleeshouwersstraat, formerly owned by Johan Muijs, were sold to Lijsbeth Dominicus for ƒ670. Johan's heirs were mentioned: notary Pieter Muijs, Catharina Bongaert, widow Anna Muijs (1642-1689), Jacobus Hopman and Levina Muijs. Geertruijt Muijs and Anna's husband Hendrick van der Snouck were no longer alive. Jan's son Johannes Muijs boarded a ship in 1688 and travelled to Indonesia, where he died in 1693.

Jacobus Muijs, Johan's youngest son, was baptised in Dordrecht on 17 January 1653. He was married on 29 January 1679 in Rijswijk, Holland. His bride was Clara Buijster (±1655-1738). They had 11 children, but some of them died young. On March 27, 1697, Jacobus Muijs took out a mortgage of ƒ700 on a house and yard in the Wijnstraat in Dordrecht. Pieter Muijs provided the money. The burial of Jacobus Muijs was registered on 10 April 1703 in Dordrecht.

View of Dordrecht

Sources: FamilySearch.org, RegionaalArchiefDordrecht.nl, StadsArchiefDelft.nl.

Longevity ~ Leendert Monster (1827-1918) in Pella

Leendert Monster was born on 24 June 1827 in Strijen, Holland, as a younger son of Jacob Monster (1785-1873) and his second wife Neeltje Noorlander (1789-1859). She is a daughter of Eldert Noorlander (1753-1794) and his wife Leentje Jabaaij (1761-1822). Leendert's paternal grandfather, Pieter Monster, originated in Sint-Anthoniepolder, Holland, and moved to Strijen, where he died on 29 December 1819, aged 77½.

At the age of 22, Leendert Monster married 26-year-old Lena Kamp on 27 March 1850 in Westmaas. Lena was born on 7 February 1824 in Westmaas. Her parents are Willem Willems Kampen and Grietje Brusse. Lena had first married Cornelis van der Hoek on 26 April 1847 in Westmaas. They had a daughter Grietje and a postumous son Cornelis jr. who both died at the age of 1. Cornelis sr. was born on 15 November 1824 and died on 18 May 1849, both in Westmaas. Ten months after his death, Lena had a new husband.
On 11 August 1850, 4½ months after her second marriage, Lena Kamp gave birth to another daughter named Grietje. A son Jacob died after 6 months in 1852. A second son named Jacob, born on 24 February 1853 in Westmaas, survived infancy.
Shortly after the birth of their son Willem on 14 May 1854 in Westmaas, the family left for the USA where they arrived later that year. The next year Leendert's elder brother Eldert Monster, a widower, arrived in the USA with his sons Jacob (10) and Anthonie (7).

Pella, Iowa

In Pella, Iowa, Leendert and Lena had additional children: Abraham Monster (1859-1839), Maggie Akkerman-Monster (1860-1946) and Mary Duinink-Monster (1869-1951). Abraham married Allie van den Baart in 1883 and had a son William Monster (1889-1970). Leendert's elder son Jacob Monster (1853-1899) married Adriana Klijn in 1876, and had several children, including a son Arie Monster (1890-1982).

Lena Kamp died at the age of 76 on 8 March 1900 in Pella, Iowa. Her husband, Leendert Monster, survived her for nearly 18 years. At the end of his live, Leendert lived with his daughter Maggie Monster and her husband John Akkerman (1856-1927). Leendert Monster died in Pella on 2 March 1918, aged 90 years and 8 months.

Het Oosten (Hollandsch Nieuwsblad voor algemeen belang), 22-3-1918

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, FindAGrave.com, Delpher.nl, FamilySearch.org. See also: Terlouw.voorouders.net, ErfskipTerpdoarpen.nl.

Vroegindeweij Vicars

Wouter Vroegindeweij was vicar in Reeuwijk, Holland. He was engaged to be married to Adriana Vis on 14 June 1935 in Middelharnis. Their son Jan was born in Reeuwijk on 27 January 1937.

Nieuwe Utrechtsche Courant, 14-6-1935

Wouter Vroegindeweij was vicar in Bleiswijk, Holland, when he had his son Jan confirmed as a vicar in Goudswaard, Holland, on 17 February 1963. Jan was appointed as vicar in Harskamp on 15 October 1967, and in Katwijk aan Zee, Holland, on 16 April 1672. Jan married Alida C. Voskuil.

Wouter Vroegindeweij was born in Middelharnis, Holland, on 3 May 1904. His parents are Jan Vroegindeweij and Jannetje Verhagen. Wouter died on 6 July 1980 at the age 76. He was buried on the 11th in Bilthoven, Utrecht. His widow Adriana Vis, aged 89, died on 30 June 1992 in Moerkapelle, Holland, and was buried on the 6th in Bilthoven.

Jan Vroegindeweij was born in Middelharnis on 22 December 1873 as son of Leendert Vroegindeweij and Adriaantje Pas. Jan married Jannetje Verhage on 24 August 1900 in Middelharnis. Their eldest son, Leendert, was born on 10 January 1901 in Middelharnis. Like his brother Jan, Leendert also became a    vicar. Leendert studied in Utrecht before he was successively vicar in Wilnis, Waddinxveen, Papendrecht and Gameren. Leendert married Maria Jannetje Gerritje Voskamp on 10 April 1940 in Rijswijk. He died in August 1969 in Delft, aged 68.

Trouw (newspaper), 4-10-1955

Leendert Vroegindeweij married Adriaantje Pas on 8 April 1864 in Middelharnis. Leendert was born in Middelharnis on 15 October 1836. His parents are Arend Vroegindeweij (1804-1855) and Geertje Soldaat (1805-1869). Leendert died in Middelharnis on 21 April 1900, aged 63.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, P.J. Bos, DIENAREN VAN DE VROEGERE ZUIDHOLLANDSE PAROCHIE KORENDIJK, ALIAS GOUDSWAARD EN VAN DE DAARUIT VOORTGEKOMEN NEDERLANDSE HERVORMDE GEMEENTE, ca 1442 tot heden, Mensen van Vroeger, 1974.

Nollius Hajonides van der Meulen (1862-1907) drowned

The “SS Berlin” was a steel ship of 1775 tons, build for use on the ferry service from Harwich to Hook of Holland. On Thursday 21 February 1907, around 5 o’clock, a huge wave struck the ship, causing her to become impaled on the tip of the granite breakwater at the entrance to the New Waterway, west of Rotterdam. A Dutch lifeboat attempted to offer aid, but the rough seas rendered it impossible to approach the stricken vessel. Around 6 o’clock the ship broke in two, drowning the majority of the passengers. Later, 16 survivors were rescued, while 128 people had drowned.

Nederlandsche Staatscourant, 5-3-1907

One notable passenger who drowned was a King’s messenger, Mr. Herbert, travelling with diplomatic bags. Another victim was Hendrik Spijker of the Spyker car company. The main subject of this blog post, Nollius Hajonides van der Meulen, was also killed in this disaster.

Leeuwarder Courant, 25-2-1907

Nollius Hajonides van der Meulen was born on 7 July 1862 in Leeuwarden as eldest son of Pieter Hajonides van der Meulen (1835-1875) and Anna Gorter (1838-1918).
As an Adult, Nollius Hajonides traded in flax. At the age of 32, on 27 June 1895 in Menaldumadeel, Nollius Hajonides van der Meulen married 25-year-old Clasiena Cornelia Alma. She was born on 11 April 1871 as daughter of Margrieta Maas (1842-1916) and Hermanus Alma (1839-1915).

Christina Kotting married her first cousin Adrianus Nieuwenkamp

Adriana Kits

In a previous blog post, I wrote about Jan Kits Nieuwenkamp (1811-1870) after I stumbled upon a newspaper article. He had been travelling with a steamship when it hit a rock, and he drowned. Recently, I came across a picture of his sister Christina Nieuwenkamp (1809-1887, below right). Christina married Jan Ludolph Kotting (1809-1844) who was clergyman, successively in Kwadijk and Alkmaar in Holland. Jan and Christina are both children of Jan Mattheus Nieuwenkamp (1764-1824) and his third wife Adriana Kits (1774-1881, to the right).

Jan Mattheus Nieuwenkamp and his wife Adriana also had a son Abraham, who was baptised on 4 March 1800 in Amsterdam. Abraham Nieuwenkamp (23) was a bookseller when he married Petronella Kotting (31) in Amsterdam on 23 May 1823. Petronella is a daughter of shopkeeper Jan Ludolph Kotting (†1830) sr. and his wife Jannetje Brinkel (†1797). Within a year after her wedding, Petronella died on 18 May 1824, 8 days after giving birth to a dead daughter.
Her widower, Abraham Nieuwenkamp, married his first wife’s younger sister Geertruid Kotting (28) on 24 February 1826 in Amsterdam. Geertruid was baptised on 21 June 1797 in the Zuiderkerk, another church in Amsterdam. They had issue, including a son Adrianus Nieuwenkamp, born on 30 November 1835 in Amsterdam. Geertruid Kotting, aged 50, died in Amsterdam on 15 August 1847. Her widower Abraham Nieuwenkamp died in Amsterdam on 1 January 1866.

Christina Nieuwenkamp
in widow's clothing

Christina Nieuwenkamp (to the right) was born on 5 May 1809 in Hasselt.  Her husband, clergyman Jan Ludolph Kotting, was baptised in Amsterdam on 12 February 1809 with witnesses Anna Maria Kotting and his grandfather Jan Ludolph Kotting sr. The parents are pharmacist Gerardus Kotting (1785-1852) and his wife Maria Elisabeth Gude (†1849). 
Jan Ludolph died of scarlet fever at the age of 35 on 29 May 1844 in his parent’s home in Alkmaar. After a widowhood of 43 years, Christina Nieuwenkamp died on 23 July 1887 at the age of 78. They had 7 children, including a son Gerardus Kotting, who was working as a pharmacist, and a daughter Christina Kotting.

Christina Kotting was born on 17 December 1841 in Alkmaar. She married her first cousin Adrianus Nieuwenkamp in Amsterdam on 7 May 1868. Adrianus is the son of Abraham Nieuwenkamp and his second wife Geertruid Kotting (as described above). At the age of 82, Adrianus Nieuwenkamp died on 20 July 1918 in Haarlem, Holland, and was buried there on the 23th. His widow, Christina Kotting, died in Haarlem on 10 February 1921.

Common Latin Terms for Family Members

When doing genealogical research, you may stumble upon some words of Latin. For centuries, the church provided for marriages, baptisms and burials, and Latin has been the standard for the Roman Catholic liturgy since the 6th century.

If a Latin term ends in “us”, then it refers to a male; if it ends in an “a”, it generally refers to a female. For example, “avus” refers to grandfather, “avia” to grandmother, and “avi” is used to indicate plural grandparents. “Proavus” means great grandfather and “proava” means great grandmother. So, “meus avus est pater mātris meae” can be translated as “my grandfather is my mother's father”.
The Latin language has different words for aunts, uncles and cousins, depending on whether they are on the father’s side or the mother’s side. An aunt, father’s sister, is “amita”, while an aunt on mother's side is “mātertera”. A cousin - a mother's sister's child - is “cōnsōbrīna” when female, and “cōnsōbrīnus” when male. The word for a cousin on father's side - when he's a child of father's brother - is “patruēlis”. Thus, in the table below I have focussed on general words for family members.

English	Latin
birth	nati, natus, genitus, natales, ortus, oriundus
christening	baptismi, baptizatus, renatus, plutus, lautus, purgatus, ablutus, lustratio
given name	nomen
surname	cognomen
pasgeboren	neonatus
child	infans, filius/filia, puer, proles
parents	parentes, genitores
mother	mater
father	pater
godparent	patrini, levantes, susceptores, compater, commater, matrina
husband	maritus, sponsus, conjux, vir
marriage	matrimonium, copulatio, copulati, conjuncti, intronizati, nupti, sponsati, ligati, mariti
marriage banns	banni, proclamationes, denuntiationes
jongegehuwden	neosponsi
wife	uxor, marita, conjux, sponsa, mulier, femina, consors
son	filius
(father) of the son	(pater) filii
(baptizavi) filium	(I baptized the) son
death	mortuus, defunctus, obitus, denatus, decessus, peritus, mors, mortis, obiit, decessit
burial	sepulti, sepultus, humatus, humatio
(I buried the) father	(sepelivi) patrem
widow	vidua
(son) of the widow	(filius) viduae
father	pater
(son) of the father	(filius) patris
he was baptized, has been baptized	baptizatus est, baptizata est
great-great-grandmother	abavia
great-great-grandfather, ancestor	abavus
relationship by marriage	affinitas

Sources: FamilySearch.org/wiki, BHIC.nl, BSKempen.be, NazatenDeVries.nl, en.wikiversity.org, Willebroek.info.

Inbreeding among the ancestors of Gerrit van Zee (1842-1934)

Gerrit van Zee was born on 3 April 1842 in Herwijnen, Gelderland, The Netherlands. His parents are Stephanus (“Steven”) van Zee (1817-1905) and Judik (“Judith”) van Zee (1820-1909), daughter of Engel van Zee (1777-1827). In 1847 Gerrit arrived with his parents in Pella, Ohio, travelling with a ship named "Pieter Florisz".
On 1 March 1865 Gerrit married Dirkje van Zante. She was born on 5 January 1843 in Herwijnen. Her parents are Aart Benthem van Zante (1815-1894) and Maria van Zee (1819-1879), daughter of Anthonie van Zee (1787-1870), an uncle of Gerrit's father Steven.
Gerrit and Dirkje had 7 children. Dirkje died on 4 April 1904. Gerrit died on 19 March 1934 at the age of 91.

Gerrit van Zee was born on 3-4-1842 in Herwijnen s son of Stephanus van Zee and Judik van Zee.

Gerrit's ancestors

Van Zee Family Coat of Arms

2. Stephanus (“Steven”) van Zee, was born on 12-2-1817 in Herwijnen. He died on 21-1-1905 in Pella, Iowa, USA, aged 87. He married, aged 24, on 30-9-1841 in Herwijnen
3. Judik (“Judith”) van Zee was born on 30-11-1820 in Herwijnen.  Judith died on 23-6-1909 in Pella, aged 88.
4. Gerrit Aries van Zee was born on the 12th and baptised on 16-6-1793 in Herwijnen. Gerrit died there on 24-1-1877, aged 83. Gerrit married on 15-4-1815 in Herwijnen 18-year-old
5. Cornelia Maria de Kock was born on the 9th and baptised on 16-10-1796 in Herwijnen. Cornelia  died there on 24-2-1848.
6. Engel van Zee was born on the 17th and baptised on 18-6-1775 in Herwijnen. Engel died there on 9-6-1868, aged 92. Engel married there on 17-2-1799
7. Engeltje (“Engelke”) Bijl was born on the 17th and baptised on 20-7-1777 in Herwijnen. Engeltje is overleden op 15-07-1827 in Herwijnen, 49 jaar oud.
8. Arie van Zee was baptised on 4-10-1761 in Herwijnen with witness Ariaantje de Fockert. Arie died in Herwijnen on 10-12-1845. He married there on 31-3-1787
9. Anna (“Anneke”) de Fockert was baptised on 27-9-1767 in Herwijnen. Anneke died there on op 24-4-1836.
10. Stephanus de Kock was baptised on 1-7-1759 in Herwijnen. He died there on 26-7-1835. He married there on 10-7-1791
11. Pietertje Ariens van Balgoijen was baptised on 21-5-1769 in Oud-Alblas, Holland. Pietertje  died in Herwijnen on 21-8-1847.
12. Gerrit (“Geurt”) van Zee was born on Monay 1 March 1728. He is baptised on the 7th in Herwijnen with witness Neeltje Rosa. Geurt died on 19-4-1789. Geurt married in Herwijnen on 8-5-1763
13. Jenneke Leenderts de Fockert was born 15-10-1740 and baptised the next day in Herwijnen. Jenneke died after September 1810.
14. Coenraad Bijl was baptised on 29-2-1756 in Herwijnen with witness Maria Bijl. Coenraad  died on 11-9-1830 in Herwijnen, aged 74. He married
15. Judith de Bruijn was baptised on 15-9-1748 in Herwijnen with witness Anneke de Jongh.  Judith died on 27-2-1820 in Herwijnen, aged 71.

It's my 12th Blogiversary!

On  17 January 2013   I published my 1st post for this blog,  so  today is my  12th   blogiversary !

My genealogy research file contains ancestors from January 2003 onwards. Those are ancestors of my father's mother, so I must have started my research even earlier. My paternal ancestors, the Bos family in Cillaarshoek were the ancestors I started with.
My ancestors with the most children are Otto van Driel (1756-1832) and my male-line ancestor Cornelis Bos (1813-1888): both had 17 children with 2 wives. In the 17th century Arij Peijnsz. Hogerwaert and his wife Trijntje Willems had 16 children together.
The couple Gerrit Korver and Neeltje Bloet (±1640-1727) were married for over 66 years. When my ancestor Jan Pieterse Vasen died on 11-8-1702 in Ottoland, Holland, he was "around 100 years old and had been blind for 3 or 4 years".

My favourite blog posts of my own ancestors are:

1. Arie de Sterke (1796-1892) fought in Russia and at Waterloo
2. Thomas Brullee's Whaling Expeditions of 1687 and 1712
3. Bos is a common name in The Netherlands

Tips & Tricks

These are some tips and tricks for researching ancestors.

• Genealogy in The Netherlands
• Dutch Sources for Genealogy
• The Netherlands Links at Cindi's List
• Dutch Naming Traditions by Yvette
• How to Find Your Dutch Ancestor’s Occupation by Yvette
• Genealogy in Europe
• Passenger lists of the Holland-America Line
• Extracts of emigration cards of Dutch people in Australia 1946-1991
  
• Checklist for starting Research in the Country of Origin by Yvette
• Find East European Ancestors Online by Geoff
• Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives feature immigration records and maritime history
• Scottish BMD Exchange for researching Scottish ancestry
  
• Search for Napoleon's Soldiers
  
• Illustrations for Genealogy
• Add an image to your blog post
• The location of Blogger's Photo Albums
  
• Sources for images to illustrate your family tree by Yvette
• Improve your research
• Check for improbable dates
• Was your ancestor married more than once?
• Don't be afraid to question 3rd-party publications
  
• Tips for finding Brick-Wall Ancestors
• Additional Tips
• DNA and Inheritance explained by Marc 
• Find relevant genealogy results in Google by using key search commands by Marian 
• Mind the Chronology of a Population Register
• Searching for soldiers fighting for the Dutch Republic 1595-1795
  
• Marriage Impediments for Catholics
• Latin Abbreviations when doing Genealogy

Ancestors of Willem van der Linden (1843-1903) of Pella

As a young child Willem van der Linden arrived with his parents in the USA in 1847. He was born on 14 June 1843 in 's-Gravendeel, Holland, as a younger son of Jan van der Linden and Lijpje Moret. In Lake Prairie his youngest sister Maria Aaltje (1851-1918) was born.

De volksvriend, 12-11-1903

On 9 June 1867 Willem - also known as William - married Jenneke Kolenbrander (1848-1928). They spent their early married life on a farm to the south of Amsterdam. In 1877 Willem moved his family to Pella.
Jenneke gave birth to 9 children, but 3 sons died young. Their surviving children were named Johan, Marinus, Herman, Lizzie, Jennie and Minnie.

Willem van der Linden was Secretary of the Board of Education for a number of years. In later years he engaged in the banking business, and became President of the Security Bank of Pella. He still held that position at the time of his death on 9 November 1903, at about 11:50 a.m. Willem had been in poor health for several months. The funeral services were held on the 11th at 2 o'clock in the Second Reformed Church. His widow Jenneke was severely prostrated by his death.

These are his ancestors:

2. Jan van der Linden was born on 26 April, and baptised on 12-5-1811 in Dubbeldam, Holland.  Jan died on 11-10-1895 in Pella, Iowa, USA, aged 84. Jan married in 's-Gravendeel, Holland, on 5-2-1834
3. Lijpje Moret was born on 30-5-1813 in ’s-Gravendeel. Lijpje died on 10-01-1895 in Pella, Iowa, USA, aged 81 jaar.
4. Willem van der Linden was born on the 5th, and baptised on 15-8-1773 in Dubbeldam. Willem  died, only 48 years old, in Dordrecht on 20-5-1822. Willem married in 's-Gravendeel on 27-8-1797
5. Maaike Kleinjan was born around 1775 in ’s-Gravendeel. Maaike died in Dordrecht op 24-12-1822 in Dordrecht.
6. Leendert Moret was born around 1784 in ’s-Gravendeel. Leendert died on 20-3-1865 in ’s-Gravendeel. Leendert married his second wife Aaltje Franse van der Giessen (±1788-1864) n 2-5-1825 in ’s-Gravendeel. Leendert married his first wife in 's-Gravendeel on 20-7-1810
7. Maria Snijders was born around 1787 in ’s-Gravendeel. Maria died there on 6-12-1823, aged 36.
8. Willem Hendriksz van der Linden was baptised on 14-4-1745 in Dubbeldam. Willem died in his 20s around 1773. Willem married on 30-4-1769 in Dubbeldam 
9. Sijtje (“Sijgie”) Adriaanzen Molendijk was baptised on 30-1-1746 in Dubbeldam. Sijgie married secondly on 6-8-1775 in Dubbeldam  Anthonie Bastiaansz in ’t Veld (1754-1811). Her death, at the young age of 33, was registered on 31-12-1779 in Dubbeldam.
10. Aart Kleinjan married  

    

    Willem van der Linden
    (1847-1903)

11. Adriaantje van Ham.
12. Cornelis Leenderts Moret was either born or baptised on 12-8-1754 in ’s-Gravendeel. Cornelis died there on 24-6-1820 around 20:00 at the age of 65. He married around 1780 
13. Elisabeth (“Lijpje”) van Rossum died on 25-11-1809 in ’s-Gravendeel. 
14. Teunis Snijders, was born around 1754. He died on 12-3-1825 in ’s-Gravendeel. He married
15. Geertruij Noteboom died on 19-12-1823 in ’s-Gravendeel.
16. Hendrik Jansz van der Linden was baptised on 13-11-1709 in Numansdorp with his twinbrother Jan who died the next month. Hendrik's death was registered on 4-10-1793 in Dubbeldam. Hendrik married there on 16-3-1743
17. Marijke (“Marijtje”) Willemsen Molendijk was baptised on 8-12-1709 in Dubbeldam.  Marijtje's death was registered on 12-12-1750 in Dubbeldam. 
18. Adriaan Cornelisz Molendijk was baptised on 8-4-1703 in Dubbeldam. Adriaan's death, at the age of 70, was registered on 15-11-1773 in Dubbeldam. Adriaan married there on 10-10-1734 
19. Luijcksje Willemsen Molendijk was born on 24-1-1712 in Dubbeldam. Luijcksje died there on 16-9-1793, and was buried on the 20th. 
20. Floris Dirksen Kleinjan was born around 1715 in ’s-Gravendeel. Floris's burial was registered on 16-9-1783 in ’s-Gravendeel. Floris married around 1775 his second wife Arjaantje Willems Molendijk (1714-1794). She was widow of Pieter de Zeeuw (±1715-1770) and sister of Luijcksje (nr. 19). Floris married his first wife around 1740 
21. Maaike Aarts van der Wulp was baptised on 25-4-1717 in Puttershoek. Maaike died around 1775.

Ancestor Score Completeness Statistics - 2025

Geneanet defines the Ancestor Score as 

“comparing the number of possible ancestors with 

the number of identified ancestors on a 10-generation report”. 

Inspired by the Ancestor Score - or “Completeness Statistics” - of other blogs, and GeneaNet's definition above, I generated my first one in February 2016. Since then I haven't just been able to linearly increase my known ancestors. Instead, I had to remove a whole line of wrong ancestors in 2018. Since then I've managed to add new ancestors - mostly thanks to publications by others about people who were living before 1700. Published transcriptions also helped to find additional ancestors.

Currently, I have identified 5700 different ancestors.

Composition and Bandwidth of various Generations
Gen	Composition												Bandwidth **
	Men	Wom.	Total	% 2025	% 2024	% 2023	% 2022	% 2021	% 2020	% 2019	% 2018*	% 2016	From	Until
G 3	2	2	4	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1892	1906
G 4	4	4	8	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1850	1880
G 5	8	8	16	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1804	1857
G 6	16	16	32	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1756	1832
G 7	30	30	60	93,8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	1724	1802
G 8	59	59	118	92.2	92.2	92.2	92.2	92.2	92.2	92.2	92.2	90.6	1680	1777
G 9	114	113	227	88.7	88.7	88.7	88.7	88.7	88.7	88.7	88.3	86.7	1645	1749
G 10	208	202	410	80.1	79.9	79.9	79.9	79.7	79.7	79.5	78.7	76.4	1600	1722
G 11	344	318	662	64.7	64.5	64.5	64.4	62.4	61.8	61.2	60.8	57.0	1560	1695
G 12	454	394	848	41.4	41.4	41.0	41.0	39.0	38.4	37.6	37.3	33.8	1510	1666
G 13	491	373	864	21.1	21.0	20.8	20.6	19.0	18.7	18.1	17.9	15.7	1505	1645
G 14	451	313	764	9.3	9.3	9.2	9.0	7.6	7.3	7.0	7.1	6.1	1440	1625
G 15	346	225	571	3.5	3.4	3.3	3.2	2.5	2.3	2.0	2.0	1.6	1440	1580
G 16	216	128	344	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	1395	1540
G 17	120	64	184	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	1365	1510
G 18	77	41	118	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	1335	1470

     *) The years 2016, 2019 and 2020 feature an ancestor score of February, 2018 has an August score, 2021 and 2022 have a January score.

   **) The Bandwidth of a generation is determined by the earliest and latest known birth or baptism date within that generation.

   ***) I have many ancestors in places like Sint Anthoniepolder, 's-Gravendeel, Wieldrecht and Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, where pre-1800 baptism records are (mostly) missing.

Further Reading: Geneanet's Ancestor Score Definition, Equivalent Complete Generations, Identical Ancestors Point, Coefficient Of Relationship, Gender Ration, Completeness Index.