Susanna van Houten (3) succumbed to measles in 1814

Susanna van Houten was born on 3 March 1811 and baptised on 4 April in Rotterdam. Her parents are Willem van Houten Junior and his first wife Johanna Suzanna Rocques. They were both born in Rotterdam, where they married on January 24, 1802.

Willem van Houten married Jeanne Susanne Rocques on 24 January 1802 in Rotterdam

Willem van Houten Junior was baptised on 4 October 1778 in Rotterdam. His parents are Willem van Houten Senior (1744-1820) and his wife Agnita Urvin/Erven.

Willem's first wife, Jeanne Susanne Rocques, died in Rotterdam on 10 July 1813, aged 35. She was born on 8 August 1778, and baptised in the Walloon church in Rotterdam on the 12th. Her parents are Anne Rabié en Jean Pierre Rocques.

Within a year of the death of Jeanne Susanna, their daughter Susanna died of measles on 20 April 1814 in Rotterdam.

Rotterdamsche Courant (newspaper), 21 april 1814

Willem van Houten Junior remarried in Rotterdam on 28 February 1818. His bride was 20-year-old Marie Sophie Billiau, who was born in Embden, Germany. Her parents, Joseph Billiau and Jeanne Catharine de Cuijper, had settled in Amsterdam. Marie Sophie died, at the age of 40, on 16 July 1839 in Rotterdam.

Louise Susanne Nau (1806-1845), Christiaan Godfried (1807-1869), Johannes Nicolaas (1803-1869), Pieter Jacobus (1809-1859) and Angenita Anna (1812-1884) van Houten reached adulthood and married. They were surviving children from Willem's first marriage to Jeanne Susanna Rocques.
Willem Alexander (1818-1872), Christiaan Frederik (1823-1886), Sophie Louise Agathe (1825-1885), Hendrik Cornelis (1830-1885) and Anna Susanna Maria (1834-1868) van Houten were children from Willem's second marriage to Marie Sophie who reached adulthood and married. Their children Catharina Hermina (1821-1894) and Lodewijk Theodoor van Houten (1832-1871) remained unmarried. Herman van Houten (1827-1871) also married, and later emigrated with his family to Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Algemeen Handelsblad (newspaper), 19-10-1871

Sources: Delpher.nl, StadsArchiefRotterdam.nl, WieWasWie.nl.

The baptism of Maria Oldecop in 1782 was witnessed by a Russian Grand Duchess

In Amsterdam on Thursday January 20, 1774, Johan Hendrik Frederik Oldecop, 37 years old and living near the Binnen-Amstel, promised to marry 24-year-old Helena Paauw. Her mother, Susanna Alles, had given permission for the marriage. Both the bride and groom were Lutheran, and lived in Amsterdam.
At some point, Johan Hendrik Frederik van Oldecop was appointed consul of the Russian Emperor in Amsterdam.

The couple had several children with notable witnesses at their baptisms:

Prince Alexander Kurakin
(1752-1818)

1. Jan Hendrik was baptised on 27 March 1769 with witnesses Daniel Butler and Maria Hoogstraten. The child Jan Hendrik, who is listed in the baptismal register as Jan Hendrik Fredriksz, is the son of Jan Hendrik Frederik van Oldecop and Helena Paauw.
2. Helena Adelaide was baptised on 3 September 1773 with witnesses Prince Dmitri Alekseyevich Golitsyn (1728–1803), ambassador to Holland, and his wife Gräfin Adelheid Amelie von Schmettau (1748-1806).
3. Michel Daniel was baptised on 14 March 1775 with witnesses Michel, Prince Volkonsky, and Elisabeth, Princess Volkonsky.
4. Iwan was baptised on 13 April 1776 with witness Iwan Czernichew.
5. Benine Alexandrine was baptised on 3 October 1777 with witness Prince Alexander Kourakin (1752-1818). She married Etienne Carignani on 8 January 1801 in Moscow.
6. Helena Catharina Anna was baptised on 30 April 1779 with witnesses Count Gregory Orlov (1734–83) and his wife Ekaterina Zinnovyeva. In 1800 she married Jacobus Heydanus. In March 1848 items from her inheritance were offered for sale.
7. Maria was baptised on 23 October 1780 with witness Grand Duchess Maria Feodorowna of Russia. Maria died young.
8. Maria was baptised on 5 July 1782 with witness Grand Duchess Maria Fedorowna of Russia. At the age of 21, Maria died from measles in 1803 in St. Petersburg.
9. Helena was baptised on 6 August 1783 with witness Prince "Wiasemskoij" (possibly Vyazemsky) and his wife. In 1810 Helena Oldecop married Samuel Rondeau junior. They had issue. Helena died on 25 January 1859 in Amsterdam, aged 75.
10. Paul is mentioned in May 1791.
11. Etienette was born around 1787 in Haarlem. She married widower Johannes Foon, but she survived both him, and their son Jan Hendrik Frederik Foon. As a widow, Etiennette ran a boarding school for girls in Loenen. Etienette was 49 years old when died on 21 March 1836 in Maarsseveen near Utrecht.

Maria Oldecop was baptised on 15 July 1782 in Amsterdam.
The witness was Maria Feodorovna, Grand Duchess of Russia.

Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna (1759-1828) was born as Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, but changed her name when she converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, and married Paul of Russia as his second wife. She was Empress Consort during her husband's reign, which lasted from 1796 until his assassination in 1801.

Despite an imperial witness, Maria Oldecop died of measles in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1803 at the age of 21.

Amsterdamse Courant (newspaper), 1 December 1803

German tailor Johann Christian Kühnhold (1813-78) lost his only child

At the age of 33, tailor Johann Christian Kühnhold married 22-year-old Alida Geertruida Goudkade in Amsterdam on August 6, 1846. Alida Geertruida was born on July 1, 1824, in Boskoop in South Holland. Her parents are innkeeper Pieter Goudkade and his wife Alida Degenhart. After a marriage of 3.5 years, Alida Geertruida Goudkade died on March 3, 1850, at the age of 25.

Algemeen Handelsblad (newspaper), 7 March 1850

Johann Christian was born on February 22, 1813 in Germany in either Wolfsberg or Wolfsburg as the son of Gottfried Christian Kühnhold. In Amsterdam Johann Christiaan Kühnhold lived  in houses located at the canals named Herengracht (at nº 176), Singel (at nº 120) and Leliegracht (at nº 2).

With his first wife, Alida Geertruida Goudkade, Johann Christian Kühnhold had a daughter Alida Geertruida Kühnhold who died of measles in March 1851, at the age of 3.

Algemeen Handelsblad (newspaper), 10 March 1851

Johann Christian Kühnhold married his second wife, Anna Catharina Wubbenhorst, on December 25, 1851, in Amsterdam. She was born on May 2, 1813, in Zwolle, the daughter of Anna Bloemendaal and Coert Hendrik Wubbenhorst (also Wibbenhorst). Anna Catharina was therefore already over 38 years old at the time of her marriage. Consequently, no children were born from this marriage.

Algemeen Handelsblad (newspaper) 25 December 1851

Johann Christian Kühnhold died on August 5, 1878, in Amsterdam at the age of 65. His widow, Anna Catharina Wubbenhorst, was 77 when she died on December 23, 1890, in Zwolle.

Algemeen Handelsblad (newspaper) 8 August 1878

Sources: Delpher.nl, WieWasWie.nl, Noord-HollandsArchief.nl, Archief.Amsterdam.

The famous major Herman Kessels (1794-1851): measles, a whale and a revolt

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.

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.

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.

Brigg and Bastin sisters

Two sisters, Olga (15) and Irene (8½) Bastin, died in a war accident on 13 October 1944 in Heerlen, The Netherlands. They were buried on the seventeenth. 

Veritas, 17-1-1944

The father of Olga and Irene is Johannes Franciscus Hubertus (“Jean”) Bastin. He was born on 9 September 1896 in Mheer, Limburg, The Netherlands, as illegitimate son of Gertrudis Bastin (1871-1943). His birth was registered by Elisabeth Schreurs (1849-1925), Gertrudis' mother.
Olga and Irene's mothers are Jean's subsequent wives, the sisters Hubertine Elise Marianne Brigg (1893-1930) and Elise Hubertina Joanna Brigg (1901-1949). They are the two surviving daughters of Bernardus Brigg (1862-1922) and his wife Maria Joanna Hubertina (“Marie”) Duchateau (1865-1965). Marie and Bernardus and married on 26 January 1893 in Amsterdam. Although Marie Duchateau died at the age of 100, her daughter Hubertina died at the early age of 36, while the other, Elise, died at the age of 48.

Limburger Koerier, 20-5-1930

After the deaths of his daughters Olga Jeanne Augusta Gertrude and Irene Maria Elise Ernestine in 1944, Jean had 4 remaining children: Yvon (by his first wife), Roger, Cyrille and Gaston.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, AlleLimburgers.nl, Rijckheyt.nl, Archieven.nl, Archief.Amsterdam.

Explorer Daniёl David Vett (1850-1885) died in Africa

Daniёl David Vett was born on 17 February 1850 at the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. Daniёl’s father is dr. Pieter Johannes Veth (1814-1895), a professor at Leyden University, and the first Chairman of the Royal Netherlands Geographical Society (KNAG).
Daniёl’s mother is Anna Clara Elisabeth Büchler (1822-1865). Daniёl had an elder brother Huibert Johannes. Another brother, 14-year-old Cornelis Johannes Veth, died in 1870. In 1870 Daniёl was exempted from military service due to his poor eyesight. His elder brother Huibert had earlier been exmpted due to myopia.
Pieter Johannes Veth married his second wife, Henriette Gertruijda van der Koogh (1827-1898) on 27 December 1872 in Dordrecht. Her parents are the cousins Adrianus van der Koogh (±1796-1831) and Maria van der Koogh (1800-1875). Another son of his first marriage, Johannes Gerardus Vett, died in 1876 at the age of 18.

Daniёl David Vett
the explorer

Pieter Johannes Vett
the professor

Daniёl Vett studied engineering in Germany at the technical colleges in Hanover and Stuttgart. In 1877, Daniёl joined an expedition to Central Sumatra. He was responsible for photographs and mapping. In 1882 he visited Indonesia to take pictures for an exhibition.
In the fall of 1884, Daniёl led a Dutch expedition in the Portuguese colonies of southwest Africa. He succumbed to dysentery and “swamp fever” on 19 May 1885 on the shores of the Coporolo River, south of Benguela in Angola. Later Daniёl's body was recovered, and he was reburied in Dordrecht. In 1895 his father Pieter Johannes Vett was buried at the same cemetery.

Java-bode, 26-9-1885

In collaboration with a member of his son's expedition, Pieter Johannes Vett wrote a book about his son Daniёl’s travels in Angola.

Landbouw-courant, 9-10-1887

Daniёl's stepmother Henriette Gertruijda van der Koogh survived her husband by 3 years, and died in 1898.
Daniёl's elder brother Huibert Johannes Veth died on 10 August 1917 in The Hague, at the age of 71. In 1891 he had married J(oh)anna Petronella van Vlaanderen.

Algemeen Handelsblad, 23-8-1885

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, en.Wikipedia.org, Archief.Amsterdam.

Maria Naaktgeboren (1833-93) married 2 brothers in 's-Gravendeel

Maria Naaktgeboren is the eldest daughter of Jacob Naaktgeboren (1806-1878) and Lena Mol (1808-1890). She was born on 27 October 1833 in 's-Gravendeel, Holland. She had 10 younger siblings, but 2 of them died at the age of 1.

At the age of 24 - when her youngest sibling was just 4 years old - Maria Naaktgeboren was married on 29 April 1858 in 's-Gravendeel. The groom was 28-year-old flax farmer Simon Naaktgeboren. He was born on 21 May 1829 in Sandelingen-Ambacht, Holland. His parents are Jan van der Giessen (1801-1859) and Willempje van der Poel (1804-1873).
Exactly 9 months later, Maria gave birth to a son Jan on 29 January 1859 around 14:00 in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Holland. That same year, on 7 October Simon van der Giessen died, aged 30. His son Jan died at the age of 5 on 14 June 1864.

On 8 March 1861 in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht Maria Naaktgeboren, aged 27, married her brother-in-law Mattheus van der Giessen, aged 29. Mattheus was born on 29 September 1831 in Sandelingen-Ambacht as Simon's full brother. With Mattheus Maria Naaktgeboren had 9 more children named Jacob, Pieter, Willemina, Jan, Lena, Grietje Ida, Arie, Pietertje Johanna and Maria.

Nieuwe Vlaardingsche Courant, 16-11-1887

After a long illness, Mattheus van der Giessen died in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht on 11 November 1887, aged 56. His widow Maria Naaktgeboren survived him for 6 years, and died there on 19 December 1893, aged 60.
Their younger daughter Pietertje Johanna van der Giessen, born on 10 February 1874 in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, married Job Laaij, and died, aged 91, on 7 August 1965 in Brielle, Holland.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, FamilySearch.org.

Longevity ~ Willem Molendijk (91) in Mijnsheerenland

Willem Molendijk was 91 years old when he died on 25-5-1885 in Mijnsheerenland in Holland. He had been a widower for just 2 years for he had lost his wife on 25-1-1883.

Nieuwsblad, gewijd aan de belangen van de Hoeksche Waard,  IJselmonde, Kralingen & Vlaardingen, 7-5-1885

Willem Molenldijk was born on 10-5-1794 in ‘s-Gravendeel in Holland as the eldest son of Cornelis Molendijk (1772-1854) and his wife Trijntje Niemandsverdriet (1772-1853). Willem's paternal grandparents are Willem Molendijk (1736-1800) and his wife Lijsbeth (“Leijsje”) Molendijk (1743-1802). Willem's paternal great-grandparents are Adriaan Molendijk (1703-1773) and his wife Luijcksje Molendijk (±1711-1793). This Molendijk family had many branches, all descending from a Goossen Ariensz. who was married in 1689 in Ridderkerk in Holland.

Signatures of Willem Molendijk and Jannigje
van Prooijen and both their fathers.

At the age of 34, Willem Molendijk married Jannigje van Prooijen on 14-5-1828 in ‘s-Gravendeel. Jannigje was born there on 17-12-1805 as a younger daughter of Leendert van Prooijen (±1766-1843) and his first wife Aagje den Boer (1770-1809). This couple had 8 children who reached adulthood, but only 3 of them – Lijntje, Maria and Jannigje - were married. As a widower, Jannigje’s father Leendert was to remarry in 1812 in ‘s-Gravendeel. Leendert’s second wife was Lijntje Molendijk (1764-1842), widow of Jan van der Linden (†1810) and daughter of Cornelis Molendijk (±1735-1784).

Jannigje van Prooijen and Willem Molendijk had a stillborn son in May 1829. Soon, however, they had two daughters: Aagje, born on 18-4-1830, and Trijntje, born on 29-5-1831 in Mijnsheerenland. Nearly eight years later, a son Cornelis was born on 24-1-1839. Their youngest daughter Lijntje died on 3-2-1850, aged seven.

Jan Bras of IJsselmonde was shipwrecked in 1727 ~ Mariner Monday

“Zeewijk” was one of 4 ships of the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) to have been wrecked close to Australia. This particular ship was built by the Chamber of Zeeland in 1725, and had a length of 145 feet (44 m) and a width of 36 feet (11 m). It left Flushing a year later - on its maiden voyage - to the V.O.C.’s Indies headquarters in Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia), but it wouldn't reach its destination.

One of the 341 people on board the “Zeewijk” was Johannes “Jan” Bras. Jan was baptized on 17 February 1704 in IJsselmonde. His parents, Claes Bras and Marijtjen van Mullem, were married on 17 May 17 1699 in Charlois (now part of Rotterdam). Jan had an elder brother Pieter Bras who had joined the Dutch East India Company as a sailor in 1720.

After months of preparation, on 7 November 1726 “Zeewijk” - and the rest of her fleet - left Rammekens near Flushing for the long voyage to Batavia. It was carrying a crew of 208 men, 315834 guilders in silver and some cargo. Its skipper was Jan Steijns in his first command. Jan Bras was recruited as sailor and gunner. 
On 13 November 1726 they were forced to interrupt their journey at the Roads of Downs in Great Britain to wait for fair winds. Finally, 10 days later they were able to sail off again. During this part of the voyage, accidents and illness occurred, resulting in 28 deaths. It was common on V.O.C. ships at the time to lose so many people during the first part of the voyage.
The remainder of the crew, 180 people, most of whom were in (relatively) good health, reached the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa on 26 March 1727. At the Cape 38 sick men were taken ashore and hospitalized, and 7 soldiers were deployed. The crew, diminished further by 3 deaths, was enlarged with the recruitment of 22 men, most of whom had likely recovered from a previous voyage. Fresh water was collected, too. On 21 April 1727 the “Zeewijk” once again set out to sea. Their journey progressed swiftly due to favorable winds. Meanwhile, illness resulted in another 16 deaths.
The V.O.C. required ships to utilize the "Brouwer Route" to cross from the Cape to Batavia, enjoying the prevailing westerly winds by travelling eastwards before finally turning north. Turning north too late - due to a miscalculation in the longitude - was risking being wrecked on the reefs of Western Australia.

In darkness on 9 June 1727 the “Zeewijk” was wrecked on Half-Moon Reef, just off the coast of Western Australia. In the aftermath of the wrecking, the ship lost its masts and flooded a little, but remained largely intact. When the morning dawned, the survivors saw a number of islands in the distance, and realized they might be saved. Most of the men wanted to leave the vessel, but with the hard surf around them, they found no possibility to do so during the first few days. When they made attempts, these often resulted in men drowning - or nearly drowning - and jolly-boats capsizing. It was not until 14 June that the first attempt to reach an island succeeded. Two days later the longboat was launched successfully and more crew members were ferried to an island with fresh water. It is now known as Gun Island.

Anna Maris (1839-1900) moved to the USA

Anna Maris was born on May 6, 1839, in the township of Fijnaart en Heijningen in Brabant, The Netherlands. Her parents were Arie Maris (1801-1865) and Cornelia Maris (1805-1863) who were both great-grandchildren of Jan Jans Maris and Francijna Bom as the diagram below shows.

Jan Jans Maris   (1697-?) | -----------------------
| Jacobus Maris (±1728-1789)		| Arij Maris (1739-)
| Pieter Maris (1771-1834) |		| Cornelis Maris (1771-1832) |
Arie Maris (1801-1865)	×	Cornelia Maris (1805-1863)
| Anna Maris (1839-1900)

Anna Maris was married on October 23, 1862, in Fijnaart en Heijningen to Leendert van Dis. He was born on December 12, 1827, in Willemstad, Brabant, The Netherlands, as son of Cornelis Johannes van Dis and Ariena Heijltje Sonneveld. The couple had 4 daughters. One of these, Adriana Tanneke van Dis (1867-1882), died at the age of 14. The names of their other daughters were Arina Heijltje, Cornelia and Machteltje Maria van Dis.

De Volksvriend, 3-3-1887

Spring 1887 the couple and their 3 remaining daughters traveled to the United States. They settled in Orange County, Iowa. The P. Maris mentioned in the article above can't be Anna's brother; although he did have 3 children, he had been widowed in 1881, and died in 1888 Fijnaart en Heijningen.

Judocus van Immerseel travelled to Brazil

Migrants boarding a ship

Labourer Josephus van Immerseel (34), his wife and their 3 children had been living in Kruiningen, Zealand, The Netherlands, before they boarded the ss Marquês de Caxias. Hundreds of migrants were closely packed together in the steerage. Soon the heat in the ship was almost unbearable. Drinking water was provided, but the family was supposed to have brought their own food with them.

The family arrived in Rio Grande Harbour in Brazil on August 15, 1858. Travelling further with the ss Rio Pardense, they arrived on August 26 in the Colônia Santo Angelo. 
They had been hoping for an "amelioration of existence". Alas, during their early years in Brazil most migrant families lived in squalor and were nearly starving. The people were exploited and their children had to work in the jungle. 

Josephus van Immerseel, also known as "Judocus Francies", was born on January 10, 1824, in Graauw, Zealand, The Netherlands. He was a son of Judoca Neve and her husband, labourer Francies van Immerseel, son of an earlier Judocus van Immerseel who had originated in Doel, East-Flanders, Belgium. Francis van Immerseel was locked up in jail in 1843 in Middelburg, and in 1849 in Goes. 
At the age of 27, while working as a bargeman's mate, Josephus was married on January 18, 1851, in Hontenisse to Maria Kriekaart, aged 20. Maria was born on April 4, 1830, in Hontenisse, Zealand, The Netherlands, as daughter of Jacobus Kriekaart and Anna Maria Lauwers/Lauwaert, who weren't married until 23 days after the birth of their daughter.
Josephus and Maria had the following children:

1. Petrus, born on April 18, 1851, in Hontenisse.
2. Jacobus, born on May 13, 1852, in Hontenisse.
3. Francies, born on April 15, 1853, died on June 27, 1853, both in Hontenisse.
4. Anna Maria, born on February 26, 1857, in Graauw

Sources: Roos, T. en Eshuis, M.: “Op een dag zullen ze ons vinden” (Een Zeeuwse geschiedenis in Brazili, WieWasWie.nl, Archieven.nl, ZeeuwenGezocht.nl.

Leendert Arend Jan Bos (1918-43) and the Burma Railway

Leendert Arend Jan Bos was born on October 21, 1918, in Klaaswaal in Holland. Klaaswaal is located in the area where my Bos ancestors have lived through the ages, but Bos is a common name in The Netherlands, and I have no clue who his parents were. Leendert could be either a distant relative, or no relation at all. His mother's surname was Dirkje and she lived at the Oud Kromstrijensedijk in Klaaswaal.

Japanese internment card 

During the war, when he was in his 20s, Leendert was an airplane mechanic in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL). On March 9, 1942, Leendert was captured by the Japanese. He was interned in a Java Pow Camp on August 15, 1942. In 1943 Leendert was forced to work on the Burma Railway. Begun in October 1942 and completed on 16 October 1943, the Burma Railway stretched 415 kilometres between Nong Pladuk in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma (now Myanmar). It was built by order of Japan during World War II to support its forces in the Burma campaign. 
  

The terrain the railway crossed made its construction very difficult. Hellfire Pass in the Tenasserim Hills was a particularly difficult section of the line to build due to it being the largest rock cutting on the railway, coupled with its general remoteness and the lack of proper construction tools during building. The most famous portion of the railway is Bridge 277, 'the bridge over the River Kwai', which was built over a stretch of river.

About 180,000 Asian labourers and 60,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) worked on the Burma Railway. Of these, around 90,000 Asian labourers and 16,000 Allied POWs died as a direct result of the project. The dead POWs included 6,318 British personnel, 2,815 Australians, 2,490 Dutch, about 356 Americans and a smaller number of Canadians and New Zealanders.

One of them was Leendert Arend Jan Bos. He fell ill on March 21, 1943, and died on June 19, 1943, around 15:00 in a hospital in the Thai POW Camp at Tha Makham Village in Kanchanaburi County in Thailand. He had suffered from beri-beri due to a vitamin B1 shortage. Leendert Bos is buried on the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. 

Nieuwsblad voor de Hoeksche Waard en IJselmonde, 9-10-1945

See also: GaHetNa.nl, The Building of Hellfire Pass, erelijst.nl, 4en5mei.nl, Delpher.nl, NationaalArchief.nl.

Simon Naaktgeboren was lost at see in 1719

Simon Naaktgeboren was baptized on February 4, 1691, in Dubbeldam, The Netherlands. His parents, Bastiaan Cornelisz Naecktgeboren and Pieternelletje Cornelisse, were married in Dubbeldam on December 2, 1674. Simon was the youngest child of a family of 9.

a flute ship

Simon Naaktgeboren boarded the flute ship “Strijkebolle” on May 3, 1718, in Rammekens, Zeeland, The Netherlands. Simon’s task was to help with the food supplies and rationing. A journey could be prolonged by storm – or an absence of wind, so the food on board had to be insensitive to decay, like hardtack (hard dry biscuits), beer, bacon, beef in brine and grains. Scurvy (due to a lack of vitamin C), tuberculosis and rheumatism were the usual illnesses among sailors.

The ship "Strijkebolle" arrived at Cape Hope on August 24, leaving again on September 19. The ship, commanded by captain Jacob Blauw, reached its destination, Batavia (nowadays Jakarta in Indonesia), on November 26, 1718.

The flute schip “Slot van Kapelle” was build in 1717 in Rotterdam. It departed from Batavia on July 7, 1719. On August 14, 1719, the ship on voyage to Deshima, capsised in a storm and was lost, north of the Taiwan Strait. Only 17 survived. She was in company of the ships Catharina and Meeroog; those were lost, too.

Madness Monday - Joannes Abeel, "an alleged lunatic", was baptized on April 8, 1722 in Albany

Joannes (John), eldest son of Christoffel Abeel and Margarita Bries, was baptised in Albany on April 8, 1722, and was described in 1872 by J. Munsell in his "Contributions for the genealogies of the first settlers of the ancient county of Albany from 1630 to 1800" as "an alleged lunatic": 

In 1899 H. Whittmore gave additional detail about Joannes' life in his book "The Abeel and allied families": 

Joannes wasn't mad at all. In 1748 John settled in Minden, a short distance from Fort Plain. He erected a stone dwelling upon a knoll directly above the flats. He first married the daughter of a Seneca chief in an Indian ceremony and had a son, later chief Corn Plant (Ki On-Twog-Ky). On September 22, 1759, Joannes married Mary Knouts and had additional issue.  
Joannes was taken prisoner by Indians in October 1780 and expected immediate death, but when chief Corn Plant addressed him as father, his safety was secured. Soon Joannes was able to return to his white family. 

Maria Vogelpols would never marry Willem Vermeulen

The first banns of marriage for Willem Janse Vermeulen and Maria Vogelpols ware proclaimed on September 9, 1719, in Moerkapelle in Holland: 

"Willem Janse Vermeulen, j.m. van Linden uit graafschap Tekkelenburg

met Maria Vogelpols, j.d. van Tekkelenburg, won. alhier".

Willem was a young man from the county of Tecklenburg in Germany and Maria was a young woman from the city of Tecklenburg in Germany. Alas, they were never married, because Maria fell ill and died:   

"Dewijl de bruid onder de voorstellingen gestorven is,

heeft de voltrekking van 't huwelijck geen voortgang gehad".

Habsburg Inbreeding: Charles II of Spain (1661-1700)

The Habsburg Kings of Spain descended from Queen Joanna "The Mad" of Castile (1479-1555), who was mentally unstable and prone to fly into rages. Her descendants increased her inheritance by inbreeding: they preferred to marry either their cousin or their niece. These incestuous marriages resulted in the mentally and physically handicapped King Charles II (1661-1700), who possessed the physical peculiarities of the Habsburgs to an extent that made him little short of a monstrosity. 

The Habsburg King Charles II of Spain (to the right) was sadly degenerated with an enormous misshapen head. His Habsburg jaw stood so much out that his two rows of teeth could not meet; he was unable to chew. His tongue was so large that he was barely able to speak. His intellect was similarly disabled. His brief life consisted chiefly of a passage from prolonged infancy to premature senility. Charles was unable to walk properly, because his legs would not support him and he fell often. His body remained that of an invalid child. He was a mentally retarded and hypersensitive monarch, who grew steadily worse over the years. By the age of 35 his hair had fallen out, his teeth were nearly gone and his eyesight was failing. "Many people tell me," Charles II once said, "I am bewitched and I well believe it; such are the things I experience and suffer." 

Charles II of Spain was the result of generations of inbreeding within the Habsburg family. His mother was a daughter of his father's sister who had married her cousin the Emperor Ferdinand II. His great-grandfather, Philip II of Spain, too, had married a daughter of his sister who had married her cousin the Emperor Maximilian II. As a result, Charles II of Spain descended multiple times from Joanna "The Mad" as shown below.