In February 1828 two brothers died of measles: 6-year-old Cornelis Augustinus and 2-year-old Arnoldus Lodewijk Kessels. Cornelis Augustinus Kessels was born in Baarle-Nassau on 28 February 1822 around noon. Arnoldus Lodewijk was born on 17 November 1825 in Oostend in Belgium. Both died in Oostend on 10 February 1828.
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| Opregte Haarlemsche Courant (newspaper), 16 February 1828 |
Harmanus Kessels and Alida Cornelia Snethlage were married on 15 June 1815 in Amsterdam. Herman Kessels was born on 2 May 1794 in Brussels. Alida Cornelia Snethlage was born on 13 January 1793 in Amsterdam as daughter of Casparus Gerardus Snethlage (1762-1840) and Theresia Elisabeth van Laar (1766-1823).
Alida Cornelia Snethlage gave birth to a son, Henry-Francois, on April 25, 1829, in Paris in France. She gave birth to a daughter, Josephine Desiree, on July 28, 1830, in Antwerp in Belgium. During her marriage, Alida Cornelia endured 12 pregnancies.
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| Middelburgsche Courtant (newspaper), 16 May 1829 |
Herman Kessels would become famous for an obscurity unrelated to his military activities. In 1827, fishermen brought a dead whale to the beach in Ostend. Kessels bought the carcass. Carrying the skeleton, containing a 24-person orchestra, Kessels toured Europe and the Royal Courts.
Herman also invented a device that could be used to rescue people from windows on upper floors in the event of fire.




