Aaltje Brand was born in Enkhuizen, Holland, on 8 March 1832. Her parents are fisherman Bote Brand (1800-1888) and his first wife Geesje Fasol. Bote and his wife married on 1 April 1824 in Enkhuizen. They had more children, including Jan Brand (1830-1923) and Klaas Brand (1839-1933) who both reached the age of 93.
When Aaltje Brand was 15 years old, her mother Geesje Fasol died at the age of 50 on January 21, 1848, in Brielle, Holland. Her father, Bote Brand, remarried on July 31, 1852, in Brielle to Maritje Kramer (1813-1891) who originated from Enkhuizen, too. Bote Brand died in Brielle on April 30, 1888, at the respectable age of 87.
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| Enkhuizen as painted by C. Springer |
At the age of just 20, on 25 March 1852, Aaltje Brand married 20-year-old sailor Jacob van der Schilt. Jacob was born on 9 September 1831 in Brielle as son of Jan van der Schild and his wife Amarensje van der Kraan.
The marriage of Aaltje and Jacob van der Schilt remained childless. For some years a niece lived with Aaltje and her husband. Her name is Aaltje Jacoba van Noord. She was born in Brielle on 22 May 1863 as daughter of steersman Pieter van Noord (1830-1907) and his wife Fijtje Brand (1827-1899), Aaltje's sister. In 1884 Aaltje Jacoba married Johannes Arnoldus Pols, and had issue. Aaltje Jacoba van Noord died in Dordrecht on 28 January 1946, aged 82.
At the age of 77, Jacob van der Schilt died on New Years Day 1909 in Brielle. His widow Aaltje Brand lived for another 18 years. She died in Dordrecht on 20 January 1927 around 11 AM. Aaltje Brand was 94 years and 10 months old.
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| Aaltje Brand died at the age of 94 on 30 January 1927 in Dordrecht |
Sources: WieWasWie.nl, StreekarchiefVP.nl, WestFriesArchief.nl.
