The eventful life of Maaike van der Giessen

This is the story of Maaike van der Giessen. Her first husband, carpenter Arij Schaaij, divorced her when she was just 23 years old. They had two children, but both had died shortly after birth. The divorce was pronounced on 24 May 1872 at the District Court in Brielle, Holland.

Nederlandsche Staatscourant, 19-6-1872

Maaike van der Giessen was born on 29 June 1848 in 's-Gravendeel, Holland. Her parents are Maria Bezemer and Arie van der Giessen (1818-1897). Maaike had a sister Maria who married Jacob van't Hof. Maaike, Maria and their father Arie are most likely male-line descendants of my ancestor Teunis Ariens van der Giessen who lived in the 17th century in Mookhoek, south of 's-Gravendeel. 

On September 12, 1868, in 's-Gravendeel Maaike married carpenter Arij Schaaij, son of Wouter Schaaij and Lena Trees. Arij was born in Brielle on November 4, 1835, around 4:30 PM.

Their two children both died as infants:

1. Wouter Schaaij was born on 21-2-1869 in Piershil, Holland, and died on the 27th, 6 days old.
2. Maria Martha Schaaij was born on 24-1-1870 in Piershil, and died in Dubbeldam, Holland, on 9-8-1870, 6½ months old.

This marriage ended in divorce on May 24, 1872, in Brielle. Arij Schaaij, residing in Brielle, Holland, was the plaintiff. Maaike, who was not present at the hearing, was the defendant. She was living in Rotterdam, Holland.

Arij Schaaij married his second wife on September 18, 1874, in Heenvliet. She was Willemina Fokkeliena Meppelder, 22 years old and born in Dordrecht. From his second marriage Arij had children named Lena Fokkelina and Tallegien Schaaij.

Aanvankelijk woonden Emile Joseph Thomas en Maaike van der Giessen in Rotterdam

Maaike was 25 years old when she remarried on October 1, 1873 in Rotterdam to Emile Joseph Thomas. He was born in Vierset-Barse in the province of Liège in Belgium in 1845*. His parents are Antoine Joseph Thomas and Marie Catherine Joseph Colette.

Maaike and Emile had the following children:

Het Nieuws van den Dag
(Kleine Courant), 18-7-1898

1. Antonius Joseph Thomas was born on 19-10-1873 in Rotterdam**. He worked as a stonemason, and was married in Enschede on 19-5-1921 to Henderika Vink (40), widow of Jan Ties Prins. Antonius Joseph died in Oldenzaal on 17-7-1934.
2. Maria Catharina Thomas was born on 12-3-1876 in Rotterdam. She married Henri Willem Eduard Lijbrink (1875-1956) of Nieuwer-Amstel on 28-7-1898 in Amsterdam. By judgement of the Amsterdam District Court of June 3, 1922, Maria's marriage was dissolved by divorce. Her ex later married Grietje Smit.
3. Catharina Josephina Thomas was born in Nijmegen on 24-1-1878. She was married on on 7-5-1902 in Amsterdam to Jan Broere who originated in Capelle aan de IJssel. They had issue. Catharina Josephina died on 20 October 1925 in Amsterdam, aged 47.
4. Emilia Johanna Thomas was born in Zaandam on 5-11-1879. She was still alive in 1891.
5. Henriëtte Jeanette Thomas was born in Papendrecht on 9-1-1881. She married diamond cutter Johannes Krabbenbosch on 24-5-1905 in Amsterdam.

Emile Joseph Thomas died at the age of 84, and was buried in Amsterdam on 16 May 1929.

Notes:
*  Emile Joseph Thomas was born in Vierset-Barse in 1845, either on 22 February 1845 or 3 May.
** The family cards in Amsterdam show the wrong year of birth. I've checked the birth certificate.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, StadsArchief.Rotterdam.nl, Archief.Amsterdam, AlleFriezen.nl, Wikipedia.org.

Divorce and longevity for Johanna Schenk in Gouda

Gouda

Johanna Schenk was born in Gouda, Holland, on 18 January 1853. Her parents are Dirk Schenk (1822-1872) and his first wife Maria Elselina van Omme (1824-1862) who were living at the Naaijerstraat in Gouda. Johanna had several siblings, but only Jacoba Maria Elselina (1850-1905) and Cornelis seem to have survived infancy. Cornelis, the youngest, was born in Gouda on 14 August 1856. Their mother Maria Elselina died in Gouda on 11 January 1862, just before Johanna's 11th birthday, while Cornelis was 5 years old.
Dirk Schenk married his second wife on 20 May 1863 in Gouda. She was born there on 23 April 1829 as Margaretha Cornelia, daughter of Hendrik Johannes Verblaauw and Lucretia Vermeulen. Dirk and Margaretha Cornelia had some additional children, but they all died young. Dirk Schenk died in Gouda on 3 February 1872, when his Johanna was 19 years old.

Unmarried Jacoba Maria Elselina Schenk brought 3 babies to their grave in Gouda the period 1875-1881. Her younger brother Cornelis married Catharina Dingena van Vliet (1860-1931) on 18 August 1880 in Gouda, and fathered children with his wife.
Their younger sister Johanna Schenk moved to Amsterdam where she gave birth to a son Leonardus on 16 October 1876. The baby likely died young. Another son, Jacobus Leonardus, was born in Amsterdam on 2 January 1878 around 13:00. Early 1884, Johanna was nursed for 93 days in the Binnengasthuis hospital in Amsterdam. On 18 June of that year, around 18:00, in Amsterdam Johanna Schenk gave birth to a daughter Johanna Helena.
Johanna Schenk married Leonardus Smal on 4 August 1886 in her hometown Gouda. The couple also acknowledged that Johanna Helena is their daughter. Thus, the girl's surname was changed from Schenk to Smal. Johanna's son Jacobus Leonardus Schenk had moved with her to Rotterdam, too.
Leonardus Smal was born on 10 July 1845. In the 1850s he had lived in an orphanage in Amersfoort. In 1882 in Amsterdam, Leonardus suffered severe burns to his back, arm and head when a kerosene lamp fell over.

Coenraad Rijsdijk (1844-1923) married his niece Pietertje Rijsdijk (1869-1946)

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.

Julius Zevenbergen (1861-1948) in Iowa

Julius Zevenbergen was born on 3 March 1861 in Barendrecht, Holland, as Jillis Koedood, the illegitimate son of 23-year-old Ida Koedood. Ida was born in Rhoon, Holland, on 20 December 1827 as Ida Cornelia, daughter of Jillis Koedood (1804-1850) and his wife Pietertje van 't Hof. Hence, Ida had named her son after her father.

Jillis was born on 3-3-1861 in Barendrecht as illegitimate son of Ida Koedood.

Ida Koedood, aged 25, was married on 28 May 1863 in Barendrecht to Pieter Zevenbergen, aged 26. They claimed Jillis was their son, and thus he acquired the surname Zevenbergen. It is, however, not likely that Ida's spouse was also the natural father of Jillis.
Pieter Zevenbergen was born on 26 January 1837 in Charlois (now part of Rotterdam). His parents are Arij Zevenbergen (1797-1851) and Pleuntje Lems (1799-1874).
Within her marriage Ida Koedood was 9 more times pregnant. In 1877 there was a stillborn son. Two other children died before the age of 2. Arie (1864-1928), Pietertje (1865-1919), Pleun (1867-1943), Lena (1872-1918) and Pieter (1880-1963) all survived, and remained in The Netherlands. Another son, Jan Zevenbergen (1869-1958), was to follow his brother Jilles to the USA.

On 13 May 1886 in Barendrecht, at the age of 25, Jilles Zevenbergen married Adriaantje de Zeeuw. She was born in nearby Heerjansdam on 5 April 1863. Her parents are the late Jan de Zeeuw (1828-1881) and his wife Aagje Hartman.
Jilles’ eldest son, Arie Zevenbergen, was born on 22 November 1892 in Barendrecht.

Jilles traveled to the USA with his wife and son and took the name “Julius”. His son Ike was born on 21 January 1897 in Middelburg, Sioux County, Iowa, USA. His daughter Agnes Edith was born there on 24 February 1899. They had a total of 10 children. In 1914 the family moved to the vicinity of Ocheyedan, Osceola County, Iowa.

On 15 February 1922 Julius’ daughter Agnes Edith married Tunis Bras, born on 25 January 1895 in South Holland, Cook County, Illinois, as son of Arie Bras (1865-1959) who originated in Almkerk, Brabant, The Netherlands. Tunis' mother was Helena (“Helen”) van der Heijden (1868-1944). Mrs. Helen Bras was killed in the afternoon of March 28, 1944, when the car driven by her husband, Arie Bras, was struck by the southbound Dixie Limited on the C&EI crossing one and a half miles south of Kinney's Corner.
Julius’ son Ike married Jannetje Sara (“Jennie”) Monster (1904-2006). She was a daughter of Dina Hendrina (“Dena”) Verhoek (1879-1968) and her husband Arie Monster (1877-1948). Arie is a male-line descendant of an earlier Arie Monster who lived around 1700 in Sint Anthoniepolder, Holland.

Julius' wife, Adriaantje de Zeeuw, died in Ocheyedan on 28 March 1925, aged 62.
Julius Zevenbergen died at the Hull Hospital, Saturday evening, 24 April 1948, at the age of 87 years. He had been in good health - until a few weeks ago when he was taken to the hospital for an emergency operation, from which he never recovered.

Julius had a son of the same name, born on 25 September 1903 in Middleburg, Sioux County, Iowa. With his wife Ethel Runia (1910-2005), Julius jr. had 2 children. He died on 2 December 2002 in Harris, Osceola County, Iowa, aged 99.

De Volksvriend, 30-10-1947

Julius' younger brother John Zevenbergen had followed him to the USA in 1920.

Sources: FindAGrave.com (Julius Zevenbergen), FindAGrave.com (Tunis Bras), WieWasWie.nl, StadsArchief.Rotterdam.nl, Delpher.nl.

Marinus, a Murderous Madman in the Kootkar family

This blog post is about a 14-month-old baby that was murdered by her mad uncle. The grandparents of the baby are workman Jan Kootkar (26) and Hendrika Maria van Gasteren (25) who were married on 4 March 1859 in Culemborg in The Netherlands.

Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant, 23-3-1899

Jan Kootkar was born on 14 December 1832 in Culemborg as son of Hermanus Kootkar (1809-1890) en first wife Jannigje Bron. Jan's great-grandfather is Hermanus Kootkar of Meppen in Germany.
Jan's bride, Hendrika Maria, was born on 12 January 1834 in Culemborg as daughter of Johannes van Gasteren and Helena Ladrak. On 25 March 1851 in Culemborg, at the age of just 17, Hendrika Maria had given birth to an illegitimate son named Willem Johannes. Upon his mother's marriage, Willem Johannes was officially acknowledged by Jan Kootkar as his lawful son, although it is unlikely that he actually was his biological son.
Jan Kootkar and his wife had several children born in Culemborg, including sons Hermanus, born on 19 March 1861, Johannes, born on 16 February 1868, and Marinus, born on 20 January 1673. Jan Kootkar died on 12 January 1875 in Beusichem near Culemborg, when Marinus was 1 year old.
Jan's widow, Hendrika Maria van Gasteren, married 62-year-old agrarian Dirk van Heevelingen on 15 December 1876 in Culemborg. He was a childless widower. At the age of 3, Marinus had acquired a stepfather., and, at the age of 7, Marinus acquired a stepsister Willemina van Heevelingen (1880-1917).
Dirk van Heevelingen died on 11 March 1889 in Culemborg, aged 74. At that time, Marinus was 16 year old. Early 1897, 24-year-old Marinus Kootkar moved to Rotterdam.

For a while businessman Marinus Kootkar was living in Rotterdam

In Culemborg on 12 March 1897 Johannes Kootkar married Johanna Catharina Gudde. She was born on 12 February 1876 in Loosdrecht, Holland, as daughter of Willem Gudde (1823-1884) and Elizabeth Zevenboom (1835-1900). On 16 January 1898 in 's-Hertogenbosch their eldest child, Elisabeth, was born.

Revisited - Barend Verkerk (1823-1905) and family

Recently I wrote about the marriage of Barend Verkerk (1823-1905) and his first cousin Aartje Verkerk who were both illegitimate children. Barend was a little man with a height of around 121 cm. His face and chin were rounded, and his mouth was small. His eyes were blue, his eyebrows were blond, and his head was bald. Because Barend was so small, he did not have to do military service.
His height was not the only striking thing about Barend. Before Barend’s birth, the name Barend was not in use in the Verkerk family of Ammerstol and Bergambacht. Thus, it’s likely Barend was named after his unknown father.

What we do know is that Barend Verkerk was born on 28 June 1823 in Ammerstol as an illegitimate son of Geertje Verkerk (1793-1842) who had been widowed since 31 July 1818. You can find a small family tree of Geertje’s parents and grandparents in my previous blog post about Barend’s marriage.
We don’t know what Barend’s mother Geertje looked like, but she had 3 brothers who were described when they were conscripted for military service, and they all had brown eyes with black eyebrows and black hair:

• Pieter Verkerk (1781-1855) had a height of around 150 cm. He was round-faced with a broad forehead, a small nose and a rounded chin. His eyes were brown and his hair and eyebrows were black. 
• Arij Verkerk (1784-1834) had a height of around 136 cm. He was narrow-faced with a flat forehead, a small nose and a rounded chin. His eyes were brown and his hair and eyebrows were black. He had rings in his ears.
• Jan Verkerk (1799-1849) had a height of around 141 cm. His face was oval-shaped with a high forehead, big nose, and rounded chin. His eyes were brown and his hair and eyebrows were black. His skin was pockmarked.

At the WieWasWie.nl website I found one man with the Christian name Barend who was living in Ammerstol at the time of Barent's birth: Barend Zaanen. Barend Zaanen was born on 27 November and baptized on 3 December 1797 in Ammerstol. His parents are Anna Verschoor (1778-1809) and Willem Saanen (1772-1811). Barend’s great-grandfather is my ancestor Willem Saan.
At the age of 25, Barend Zaanen was married on 26 July 1823 in Ammerstol to 22-year-old Maria Verkerk who was heavily pregnant at the time. On 11 August 1823 in Ammerstol, Maria gave birth to a daughter named Aartje. Aartje may have been named after Maria’s father Arij Verkerk who had died in 1812.
Maybe Barend Zaanen got 2 women pregnant in the winter of 1822-23: Geertje Verkerk (aged 30, who named her illegitimate son Barend) and Maria Verkerk (22) whom he married.

  Description of Barend Zaanen in 1823  

  Description of Barend Verkerk in 1850  

Barend Zaanen had a height of around 170 cm. His nose was small, he had a rounded chin, his eyes were brown and his eyebrows and hair were dark brown. He had rings in his ears. People with brown eyes and a dark hair color can get a blond and blue-eyed child if both parents have some - more or less distant - ancestors with blond hair and blue eye. So, the difference in eye and hair coloring between Barend Zaanen and Barend Verkerk does not exclude a familial relation. What both men did have in common is a rounded face and a small nose. Barend Verkerk was around 18 cm smaller than Barend Zaanen, whose height was equal to that of Barend's shortest uncle, Arij Verkerk.

Bigamist Theodoor Theeuwissen in Brussels

Theodorus (“Theodoor”) Theeuwissen was born in Breda, The Netherlands, on July 10, 1821, around 23:00. His parents were Johannes Frederik Theeuwissen (1797-1857), shopkeeper in Breda, and his wife Adriana Joanna de Vet (1799-1854). Other siblings were Hendrika, Johanna, Johannes, Wilhelmina and Cornelis Goverdinus Teeuwissen.

In 1846 in Brussels in Belgium Theodoor Theeuwissen married a woman named Delphine Haijims. He fathered 4 children with her before he left.

In Marseille in France in 1864 Theodoor married Victorine Discours. Victorine was already pregnant, when she found out that her new husband was still married to another woman. She was the one who filed a complaint against her husband. As a result of that Theodoor Theeuwissen was convicted to a five-year prison sentence.

Algemeen Handelsblad (newspaper), 28-9-1865

The newspaper clipping above also mentions that Theodoor Theeuwissen was working as a printer and typesetter.

Sources: Delpher.nl, StadsArchief.Breda.nl, BHIC.nl, WieWasWie.nl.

Surname Saturday - Hoppel

“Ons Voorgeslacht” is a magazine for genealogy in Holland. In 1957 it featured an article by J. MacLean describing the Hoppel family in Heerjansdam. Since then K.J. Slijkerman has found some addition information about this family.

Mathias Hoppel was a pastor in Heerjansdam in the period 1583-1616. He had moved there from the area around Aachen in Germany. His wife’s given name was Maeijke. Their known children are Aert, Sara, Abraham and Hendrik. Weakened due to old age, Mathias retired in 1616. 

Mathias' son Abraham was discredited in the summer of 1614 when Vranck Corneliss van Esch made a declaration that one evening, when he was working on his land, Vranck had seen Abraham Hoppel, completely naked and smelly, and carrying a knife. It was just moments after Abraham had tried to rape two young women, Aeltgen and Meijnsken, daughters of Aert and Lijsbet Pieters. Abraham Hoppel was ordered to pay their mother 12 pounds.
Despite this gross misbehavior, Abraham was a member of the local water authority in 1619, 1624 and 1625.

Hendrik Hoppel, another son of Matthias, was married to Ingetje, daughter of Bastiaan, who had brothers Leonardt and Pleun. Hendrik had surviving children named Bastiaen, Hendrik, Marija, Arien, Hendricxie and Maeijken. In 1619 Hendrik is mentioned as being 40 years old, so he was born around 1579.
I descend from Hendrik’s son of the same name whose daughter Maeijke married Cornelis Leenheer (±1638-1709) on 10 April 1662 in Heerjansdam.

Sources: J. MacLean: Ons Voorgeslacht 1957; K.J. Slijkerman: Ons Voorgeslacht 1999, Kronieken 2000.

4 children born before their parents' marriage

Hermanus Blekton (also Blackstone, Blikton, Blextoon, Blaxstone) is a son of Jan Blekton (†1802) and Willemijna van der Weijden (1754-1800). This family name has an English ring to it. Additionally, its many variations are an indication of a foreign origin. The family can be traced back to one Isack Blekston whose burial in Dordrecht was registered on 8-1-1704.

Hermanus was married on 18-1-1832 in Dordrecht to Neeltje Meijer. Neeltje was baptized in Dordrecht on 5-8-1796. Her parents are Abraham Meijer (†1812) and Adriana Romijn (†1808). Remarkably, upon their marriage Hermanus and Neeltje acknowledged to be the parents of 4 (!) children: Jan, registered in 1823, Abraham in 1825, Willem in 1828 and Adrianus in 1830. Willem died in December 1832. Adrianus died aged 4. Within their marriage 3 additional children were born: Jannetje, another Willem and Maria Adriana.

Dordrechtsche Courant (newspaper), 15-8-1850

Neeltje Meijer died on 21-7-1850 in Dordrecht. Hermanus Blekton died there on 18-5-1864.

Longevity ~ Daatje de Sterke (94) in Dordrecht

Daatje de Sterke was born on Sunday December 14, 1834, around 1 o'clock in the afternoon in Werkendam in The Netherlands. Her parents are Pieter de Sterke (1794-1888) and his 29-year-old second wife Adriana de Vries (1806-1881). Adriana had been an illegitimate daughter of Jannigje de Vries, abandoned wife of Cornelis van Aalst. Daatje's paternal grandparents are my ancestors Pieter de Sterke (1765-1842) and Adriana Knikman (1766-1804).

Jacob Vrolijk was a blacksmith

Daatje de Sterke was first married on 16 May 1855 in Dordrecht to blacksmith Jacob Vrolijk. Jacob was born on 27 August 1834 in Dordrecht. His parents are blacksmith Jacobus Vrolijk and his wife Sija van der Koog. This Sija is named after her grandmother Sija Brand (±1758-1803) who married Willem van der Koog (1734-1809). As a result, Sija van der Koog is a descendant of both my ancestors Jacobus van der Koogh (1710-1793) and Jillis Jacobsen Brand.
Upon their marriage Daatje de Sterke and Jacob Vrolijk acknowledged to be the parents of a daughter named Hendrika, born in 1854 in Dordrecht, although it's unlikely that Jacob really was the girl's father, because little Hendrika was not named after any of her official grandparents.
In 1857-58 Daatje gave birth to a daughter Sija and a son Pieter Jacobus, who both died young. Her husband, Jacob Vrolijk, died in Dordrecht on 19 October 1859,  aged 25, while Daatje was pregnant again. When the boy was born on 13 May 1860, he was named after his father.

Signatures of Jacob Vrolijk
and Daatje de Sterke

As a widow Daatje de Sterke gave birth to a daughter named Catharina on 11 April 1863 around 8:30 in Dordrecht. This girl died on 18 June. On 5 December 1864 around 22:00 in Dordrecht Daatje gave birth to a son named Andries Anthonie. In both cases these births were reported at the civil registry office by the midwife.

Nearly two years later, on 19 September 1866, Daatje de Sterke (31) was married to Anthoon van Leeuwen (28). They acknowledged to be the parents of Andries Anthonie. Antoon was born on 21 December 1837 in Dordrecht. His parents are Adrianus van Leeuwen and Johanna Margrita Keldermans.
During her second marriage, Daatje de Sterke had 4 children who died young, but a son named Pieter and the youngest, Hendrika, survived infancy. Daatje's eldest daughter, Hendrika Vrolijk, died at the age of 18 on 4 March 1873 in Dordrecht. In the summer of 1883 Daatje de Sterke moved to Rotterdam with her children Andries Anthonie, Pieter and Hendrika.
Of Daatje's 4 surviving children Pieter van Leeuwen (1866-1959) was the first to marry in 1887. Andries Anthonie van Leeuwen married in 1888. Jacob Vrolijk, a supervisor in the navy, was married in 1891. The last to marry was Daatje's youngest daughter Hendrika van Leeuwen who was married on 26-10-1898 in Rotterdam to Johannes George Vrolijk. The groom and the bride's half-siblings all descend from the couple Johannes George Vrolijk (±1782-1833) and Maaike Kraan (±1782-1857).

De Maasbode (newspaper), 13-3-1929

In Dordrecht on 6 June 1894 Anthoon van Leeuwen died, aged 56. This time Daatje de Sterke was a widow for nearly 35 years. Daatje died on 10 March 1929 in Rotterdam, 94 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days old. Her son Pieter van Leeuwen would reach the age of 92 years. Another son, Andries Anthonie van Leeuwen, died on 29 January 1959 in Rotterdam, 94 years, 1 month and 25 days old.

Peter Gerrit Vos & Anneke Nederveen in Colorado, USA

On 12 November, 1892, a total of 28 families with their 116 children and another 31 single persons boarded the steamship "Dubbeldam" in Amsterdam, Holland. Among them were Peter Gerrit Vos and Anneke Nederveen and their 2 children. The couple had been married on 18 December, 1875, in Almkerk, Brabant, The Netherlands.
Anneke Nederveen was born on 11 March, 1838, in Oudenbosch, Brabant. Her parents are Wouter Nederveen (1803-1867) and Maria Hagens. Peter Gerrit Vos was born in Almkerk on 7 April, 1839, as a younger son of Krijn Vos (1799-1866) and Adriaantje Confurius (1797-1875). His paternal grandparents are Bastiaan Vos and Jacoba Nieuwenhuizen. 
In Almkerk Peter Gerrit and Anneke had become the parents of 2 children: Maria Wouterina, born on 13 October, 1876, and Adriaan, born on 22 November, 1878.

The immigrants on board steamship "Dubbeldam" arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, where they were met by Albertus Zoutman and Cornelis W. Van der Hoogt. They accompanied the newcomers to the San Luis Valley north of Alamosa where they arrived on November 30, 1892. Soon the immigrants discovered that the dazzling prospects described in the brochure were diametrically opposed to the facts.

Middelburgsche Courant, 21-2-1893

On January 31, 1893, 14 families and 6 single men left for Crook with a special train - the fare paid by the Immigration Company. About 10 days later Arnaud J. Van Lummel and Andries Bruintjes, immigrants from the "Empire Farm" near Alamosa, visited their fellow Dutchmen in northeastern Colorado. They found the colonists there in a wretched condition, some of them still living in railroad cars of the Union Pacific, parked on a side track. Several weeks later, the immigrants were "huddled together in two barn-like structures." Soon some of the Dutch children were stricken with diphtheria and scarlet fever.

Longevity ~ Kniertje Verschoor (90) in Heinenoord, Holland

Kniertje Verschoor was 90 years and 5 months old, when she died on 22 August 1893 in Heinenoord, South-Holland, The Netherlands. Kniertje was born there on 20 March 1803 as a younger daughter of Gerrit Verschoor, whose ancestors originated in Charlois (now part of the city of Rotterdam), and Lijntje Weda, who originated in nearby West-IJsselmonde. 

Heinenoord

On 23 December 1824 around 13:00 in Heinenoord Kniertje Verschoor gave birth to an illegitimate son she named Leendert. The baby may have been named after its unknown father. The next day the midwife, 64-year-old Ida Bouwens, reported the birth to the authorities. At the age of 1, the baby died in Heinenoord on 23 April 1826. 

At the age of 26, Kniertje Verschoor was married on 23 September 1829 in Heinenoord. Her groom was Arij Dekker (1801-1882), son of another Arij Dekker (1765-1812) and his wife Jannigje, a daughter of Mozes Vollaart. As a married woman Kniertje had 10 additional children: Lijntje, Jannigje (1833-71), Gerritje (1835-59), 2 sons named Arij, Gerrit (1838-39), Geertrui, and 2 daughters named Magdalena. Their younger son Arij Verschoor (1839-1921) married and had issue, too. 

Sources: Index to the Families of South Holland, WieWasWie.nl.

Jacob and Pieter van Ham both married a single mom with a toddler

On October 14, 1861, in Dubbeldam, Holland, Grietje van Ham (1841-1913) gave birth to a daughter and named her Barbara. Grietje was a daughter of Arie van Ham (1804-1877) and Maaike Bakker (1805-1880). She was born on June 25, 1841, in Wieldrecht, Holland. Clearly, Barbara wasn't named after her grandmother, but she may have been named after her great-aunt Barbara Bakker (±1810-1874). She may also have been named after a family member of her unknown father. 

Single mom Grietje van Ham married Jacob van Ham (1840-1912) on May 2, 1867, in Dubbeldam. The bride and groom are both great-grandchildren of my ancestor Harmen Jansz van Ham (±1745-1804). When they married, they claimed 5-year-old Barbara van Ham as their common child, although it's unlikely that Jacob had fathered Barbera. Jacob's parents were Pieter van Ham (1799-1878) and Neeltje de Vos (1812-1879).

During the period 1868-1875 Jacob and Grietje van Ham had 5 children, Pieter, Arij, Neeltje, Maaike (all named after their grandparents) and Jakob jr., who died young:

• Barbara van Ham (1861-1915) married Jacob van Balderen and gave birth to a living daughter Cornelia and a death boy. 
• Arij van Ham (1869-1936) was married on July 29, 1897, in Dubbeldam to Elizabeth Kooiman, when he claimed to be the father of her 3-year-old illegitimate son Pieter.
• Pieter van Ham (1868-1932) married Lijntje Bothof (1871-1941) and worked in a factory in Apeldoorn, Gelre, The Netherlands. 
• Neeltje van Ham (1870-1954) married Jacob Timmers and had several children of whom Hendrik and Cornelis Timmers are known to have reached the age of consent. Their youngest surviving child, Maaike van Ham, was married to Gerrit Lugthart and gave birth in Dubbeldam to several children of whom Jannigje, Jakob and Sophia are known to have reached the age of consent.

The church of Dubbeldam, Holland

Kundertje Dijksman: teenage pregnancy & divorce in Delft, Holland

Friedrich Wilhelm Austmann was born in Soest in Germany. In The Netherlands he met Dirkje van Meel (1791-1873) and they were married in Zegwaard, Holland, on August 30, 1822. One of their children was Wilhelmina Frederika Austmann (1826-1908). On March 30, 1853, in Delft, Holland, she was married to Arij Dijksman (1829-1870) who belongs to a Dijksman family that originates in Hillegersberg, now part of Rotterdam, Holland.
Arij Dijksman and his wife had several sons who died in infancy, but their 3 daughters did survive. This post is about their third daughter, Kundertje Dijksman, who was born in Delft on March 8, 1866, around 23:00. Kundertje was aged 4 when her father died.

Delftsche Courant, March 18, 1883

One week after her 17th birthday Kundertje Dijksman - likely visibly pregnant - was engaged to be married to 19-year-old bargeman's mate Hendrik Martinus Cornelis de Raad. He was born in Delft on February 2, 1864, as the eldest son of Adriana Johanna Muller and her husband Evert de Raad (1834-1877). He had lost his father at the age of 13.

Kundertje's marriage took place on March 28, 1883, in Delft. Within two months her eldest daughter, Hendrica Martina Cornelia de Raad, was born on May 17 in Delft. Another daughter, Wilhelmina Frederika, was born there on January 21, 1885. By then Kundertje's marriage was probably already failing, for no more children were born. The marriage was dissolved by a court in The Hague on June 30, 1891. Kundertje was 25 years old and already divorced.

Delftsche Courant, October 16, 1891

Hendrik Martinus Cornelis de Raad was subsequently married to and divorced from Alberdina Akkerman, born in Groningen. In 1899 in The Hague he married his third and final wife, Pieternella de Winden. With her he had at least 7 more children. 

Bigamist Franz W.J.H.P. Sturm got caught in 1924

Franz Wilhelm Joseph Heinrich Paul Sturm, a 34-year-old engineer of German ancestry, was in 1924 convicted of bigamy by the court in The Hague in The Netherlands.

De Tribune, 19-4-1914

Franz Sturm had first been married, at the age of 22, in 1912 in Germany. With his first wife he fathered 3 children. In World War I, Franz fought in the German army. During the crisis after the war, Franz could not find work, and returned to the Netherlands.
In Dordrecht, he found a job at the office of a shipyard. There Franz met a 22-year-old Dutch girl, whom he married in 1922 in The Hague. With his bigamous wife, Franz had an additional child.
Franz’ Dutch wife was Adriane Johanne Georgine Muller who was born on 12 January 1901 in Rotterdam as daughter of Leendert Muller and Neeltje Maartje van Stigt who both originated in Puttershoek. They were married on 1 March 1922 in The Hague. Their only child was Heinrich Paul Sturm, born on 14 June 1922 in Tiengen.

Franz's first wife, however, couldn’t forget Franz, and tried to find him. The family of his second wife tried to find out more about Franz, too. Both requests for information ended up with the same official who thus noticed the bigamy. That's why Franz was arrested.
Franz confessed to having committed bigamy, and was locked up in a house of detention. At the court a witness testified that Franz' first marriage had been unhappy. His first wife was 10 years his senior, and the spouses had different religions and different social positions. Despite those differencea, his first wife refused a divorce.
On 8 July 1924, Franz Sturm was sentenced to 1 year in prison with deduction of pre-trial detention. His second wife returned to her parents, and her marriage was dissolved.

Algemeen Handelsblad voor Nederlandsch-Indië, 9 July 1924

Franz Sturm was born on April 3, 1890, around 2:00 a.m. at the Voorstraat 543 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. His parents were Franz Wilhelm Joseph Heinrich Sturm (35) and his wife Johanna Maria Amalia Louise Kunde. They also had a daughter Amalia Maria Johanna Louisa Victoria who was born in The Netherlands.

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, HaagsGemeenteArchief.nl, Het Utrechts Archief.

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.

Arie de Sterke (1796-1892), my hero ancestor

I've found a real hero amongst my ancestors! His name is Arie de Sterke (1796-1892). On 24-7-1865 Arie received a decoration for his efforts in the 1813-1815 wars against Napoleon Bonaparte. He fought for the Prince of Orange, later King Willem II, in the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo.

The Prince of Orange, later King Willem II, with Durch soldiers in Belgium.

At the age of 15 Arie de Sterke had joined Napoleon's army to fight in Russia. He went as far as Smolensk on the Dnieper River. As the Russian army retreated, they burned the remaining stores of food, depriving the French of provisions and, finally, in October, forced its retreat. A lack of grass weakened the army's remaining horses, almost all of which died or were killed for food by starving soldiers. Napoleon abandoned his army on 5 December, returning home on a sleigh. The surviving soldiers of his army had to walk back to Western Europe. One of them was Arie de Sterke.

The army's retreat from Russia was full of hardships.

Arie's surname means "The Strong One" and he certainly seems to have been a strong man, both physically and mentally. Back in The Netherlands he fought for the Prince of Orange, later Dutch King William II, at the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo against Napoleon.

Arie was baptized on November 16, 1796, in Dordrecht as a younger son of Pieter de Sterke (1765-1842) and his first wife, Adriana Knikman (1766-1804). Arie was married, on April 6, 1825, in Dordrecht, to Hendrika Pieters Faassen, and acknowledged to be the father of Hendrika's 10-month-old son Pieter. Within their marriage Hendrika gave birth to 8 additional children. Five sons and a daughter survived infancy and married. Hendrika died in 1871.



Dordrechtsche Courant, 15-6-1890: Arie de Sterke is mentioned with his son-in-law.

In 1890, at the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, 93-year-old Arie de Sterke was still alive, living with his daughter Adriana and her husband, Frans Langeweg (1836-1915), in Hof Toulonschelaan in Dordrecht. The street was decorated, he received some money, and a lot of people came to visit. Although elderly, Arie was still in good health, able to walk around and sound of mind. He died on August 8, 1892, aged 95.

De Nederlandstalige versie van dit verhaal kun je hier lezen:            

Voorouder Arie de Sterke (1796-1892) vocht bij Waterloo

Black Sheep Cornelis Teunise Bos was accused of slander

Cornelis Teunisse Bos, it was said, came to Beverwyck*, USA, in 1631 as hind to Cornelis Maase Van Buren. His wife was Maritie Thomase Mingael who, after his death in 1666, married Jurriaen Janse Groenwout. Around that time they had one daughter, Wyntie, living.

Cornelis Teunisse Bos, also known as Bosch and Van Westbroeck, was accused frequently before the court, of slander and backbiting; for example in 1658 for having defamed the honorable court, and again in 1659 for which he was fined 1200 guilders and banished for 12 year. The next year he was again arriagned for a similar offence against William Teller.

The Old Albany City Hall

Source: OpenLibrary.org.

* Beverwyck, was a fur-trading community north of Fort Orange on the Hudson River in New Netherland that was to become Albany, New York, when the English took control of the colony in 1664.

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. 

John Klootwijk (1833-1914) of Grand Rapids

John Klootwijk of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, was born as Johannes on 16-3-1833 in Numansdorp, The Netherlands. His parents are Jacob Klootwijk (1807-1884) and Pleuntje Huijzers (±1808-1856).

Johannes married (1) on 29-2-1856 in Numansdorp a local girl, Johanna Laurina Liefting (1820-1858). She was 12½ years his senior. Johanna Laurina already had an 8-year-old daughter Johanna Cornelia and - upon marrying her - Johannes claimed to be the child's father, although he had been a teenager at the time of her birth. In 3 years time Johanna Laurina gave birth to 3 more children, but they all died young. Johanna Laurina died 17 days after the birth of her youngest child on 29-10-1858.