Searching for soldiers fighting for the Dutch Republic 1595-1795

An index to the "Staat van Oorlog" (States of War) has recently been added to the website of the Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (BHIC). It’s a Who-Was-Who in the Dutch army of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The index can help genealogists who are looking for information about military ancestors, because the States of War zooms in to the level of the individual companies. This resource can thus greatly simplify your search for military ancestors in The Netherlands.

Marriage registrations of soldiers, may mention the name of the captain under whom the soldier in question served, but it is often quite a search to find out to which regiment that captain and his company belonged. With the data from the "Staat van Oorlog" that search becomes a lot easier.

Because the manpower potential of the small Republic's territory was so limited, the States-General had to look beyond Dutch borders for a large part of their recruits. Fortunately, in those days foreign authorities did often not object to recruitment efforts within their territories. The Republic therefore was able to obtain large numbers of recruits from Scotland, England, the Holy Roman Empire, France, and later also the Protestant Swiss Cantons.

soldier

The entire content of the "Staat van Oorlog" material was copied - as much as possible - and incorporated into the database. It contains around 400,000 registrations over the period 1595-1795, but the data for the first 50 years is incomplete.

Each entry contains a meticulous and detailed summary of the ranks of the Dutch State Army down to the level of individual companies: who was in charge, how many men did he have under him, and what were the costs? In addition, the average summary-list contains additional data, such as salaries for officers, commissioners who arranged the signing-on, guardsmen, ammunition masters, public prosecutors, teachers, preachers and gunners. A further distinction is also made between cavalry and foot soldiers. Included are military personnel stationed in multiple areas of The Netherlands, for example in Utrecht, Ommerschans, or Delfzijl.
Because these summaries were created annually, and always according to the same fixed schedule, this source is also ideally suited to follow the careers of officers in the State Army.

Link to the Database of soldiers fighting for the Dutch Republic:

https://www.bhic.nl/onderzoeken/staten-van-oorlog

This is an example with Scottish soldiers:

Sources: Uitleg over zoeken naar Staatse militairen, Hulp bij zoeken naar Staatse militairen, Informatie over staatse militairen online toegankelijk gemaakt, Dutch States Army.

Johanna Esther de Rocher de la Rouviere (1740-1816)

Johanna Esther de Rocher de la Rouvière died, at the age of 75, on 14 September 1816 in the manor “Kraaijveld”, located near Aalburg in Brabant, The Netherlands. It was a square building, accessible by a wooden bridge over a moat that surrounded the house.
Her testamentary executors were the brothers Gerrit Dirkse Branderhorst (1755-1844) and Bastian Dirkse Branderhorst (1765-1831), sons of Dirk Gerritse Branderhorst (1731-1816) and Johanna Bastiaans Vos.

Dagblad der provincie Noord-Braband, 17-9-1816

Johanna Esther was baptised in Breda on 28 November 1740. Her father is Jean de Rocher de la Rouvière who originated in Valon in the Languedoc region of France. He was a captain in Aylva's regiment, and living in Breda, when he married Marthe Marie de Lange de Beauveser in 1739 in Breda. She was baptised on 5 April 1713 in Breda as Martha Maria Agnes, daughter of Antoine de Langes de Beauveser (†1739) and Hester Kip (†1748). Martha's godparents were Maria Agnes Expolude (Expalidé) and colonel Marten Kip. Martha had 13 siblings, and they were all baptised in Breda.

Martha Maria Agnes was baptised on 5 April 1713 in Breda

At the age of 13, on 17 July 1754, Johanna Esther de Rocher de la Rouvière was enfeoffed with some land near Aalburg. She inherited the land form her aunt or great aunt Catharina Rocher de Paris, who had inherited it in 1747 from her brother Louis Rocher de Paris (†1746). Louis had acquired the land through his marriage to Anna Willemina van Heert.

Johanna Ester died without having a will made. She seems to have been an only child, but her mother had siblings. However, it was unknown if she had additional heirs on her father's side. Possible heirs were required to show proof of their relationship to the deceased, within 6 weeks after publication of the notice below.

Dagblad der provincie Noord-Braband, 1-11-1816

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, StadsArchief.Breda.nl, OpenArchieven.nl, BHIC.nl, Altena-historie.nl, De Lange de Beauveser, Algemeen Nederlandsch Familieblad, 1988.

Lieutenant colonel Johann Wilhelm Schaffner (1766-1847) of Dietz

Johann Wilhelm Schaffner was baptised on 28 January 1766 in Dietz, Nassau, Germany. His parents are Anna Jacobina Bufgen, and her husband August Hieronimus Schaffner who - in 1774 - was a major in the Dutch army.

On 10 August 1825 in Cuijck, Brabant, The Netherlands, Johan Wilhelm Schaffner was married to Anna Catharina Bruns. She was born on 17 April 1805, and baptised in Cuijk on the 21th with witness Anna Catharina Ohl.
The parents of Anna Catharina Bruns are Eva Maria Ohl of Umstadt, Germany, and Johan Friederick Bruns of Lüneburg, Germany. As a widow Eva Maria Ohl was remarried on 24 January 1808 in Cuijck to Dutchman Johannes Jongedijk. Witnesses at the marriage ceremony were Peter Ohl and Georg August Ohl. George August Ohl died on 31 August 1817 in Cuijck. His parents were Georg Hendrik Ohl and Anna Maria Mitgher/Mitcher. This couple also had a son Peter Ohl who was born on 20 August 1749 in Umstadt in Germany.
Eva Maria Ohl, widow of Johannes Jongedijk, died on 22 April 1862 in Cuijck, aged 86.

The only child of Johann Wilhelm Schaffner was Maria Frederika Wilhelmina Schaffner, born on 22 June 1826 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Brabant, The Netherlands.

Anna Catharina Bruns, aged just 27, died on 8 June 1832 in Arnheim in The Netherlands. Her widower, lieutenant colonel Johan Wilhelm Schaffner, died on 3 May 1847 in Nijmegen at the age of 81. Their only daughter died in 's-Hertogenbosch on 11 May 1866, aged 39.

Provinciale Geldersche En Nijmeegsche Courant, 5-5-1847

Sources: GeldersArchief.nl, WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, NationaalArchief.nl, en.wikipedia.org .

Burgardus van Duijn (1780-1829)

Burgardus van Duijn was born on 25 June 1780, and baptised on 9 July in Strijen, Holland, with witness Maria van Millegen, his maternal grandmother. Burgardus is the eldest son of Hubertus van Duijn (±1750-1820) who originated in Vlaardingen, Holland. Hubertus' first wife, Margaretha Oskamp, was the mother of his 6 children. On 31 October 1798 in Leiden, Hubertus married his second wife Anthonetta van Elder.

Burgardus van Duijn was married in Willemstad on 24 october 1801 to Elisabeth Geertruij Ophorst. She was baptised in the village Fijnaart and Heijningen on 25 April 1779. Her parents are Adrianus Ophorst and Lucia Botbijl (1747-1790). Adrianus and I have common ancestors in Arnoldus Janssen Ophorst (±1661-1737) and Peeter Aerts Oerlemans (±1579-1660).
The first child of Burgardus van Duijn and Elisabeth Geertruij Ophorst was buried on 15 February 1803 in Willemstad. Their daughters Margreetje and Lucia were born in Willemstad, too. A son Adrianus van Duijn (1811-1867) was born in Hoogeveen. Catharina Maria Gerarda (1815-1817), Gerharda Catharina Cornelia and Pieter Benjamin were born in Utrecht.
Burgardus van Duijn died suddenly, aged 48, on 3 March 1829 in Dendermonde, Belgium. At the time Belgium and The Netherlands were still one country. His widwo Elisabeth Geertruij Ophorst died at the age of 63 on 3 January 1843 in 's-Hertogenbosch in Brabant.

Opregte Haarlemsche Courant, 10-3-1829

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, WestBrabantsArchief.nl, Solgen.Keevel.eu.

Sniper Lubbert Bos

The muster books of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) mention Lubbert Bos in 1916. I found Lubbert Bos employed in Indonesia as fusilier and sniper in 1919. His height was 175 cm, and he had tattoos on both arms. On December 8, 1921, he was reported as “missing”, but by January 5, 1922, he was back. In August he was again “missing”, and by September 10 he was back.
Lubbert Bos returned from Indonesia with the SS Rembrandt, arriving in Amsterdam on April 19, 1923.

Parents' names, date of birth, and description.

Career notes

Cristina, widow of Johan Forbus, and their children

Johan Forbes, clergyman of the English Church in Rotterdam, and his wife Christina [Barclay] are the parents of

1. Elisabeth, living in Scotland with issue.
2. Patrick, clergyman in England; married a daughter of colonel James Erskijme [Erskine], and had a daughter named Christina Forbes. He held the office of Bishop of Caithness between 1662 and 1680.
3. Arthur, colonel in Scotland.
4. James, clergyman in Scotland, died before July 1604, and had a child.
5. Margriet (Margaret) married widower Jan Lachlijn [Lachlan] on 4 July 1604 in Rotterdam.

The burial of Christijna, widow of Johannes Forbes, was registered on 19 November 1651 in Rotterdam.

Sources: StadsArchief.rotterdam.nl, ThePeerage.com.

Barend Booi (21) died in 1947 in Indonesia

Following World War II, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) launched a military campaign in 1947 to try to re-establish Dutch control of Indonesia. The infantry regiment 4-11 departed on 5 February 1947 on the "Johan van Oldebarneveldt" for Indonesia, where it arrived on 5 March 1947. The regiment consisted of young boys recruited for obligatory military service, among them was Barend Booi. 
While fighting 4 kilometers west of Mangoenreja, Indonesia, Barend Booi died on 22 November 1947, aged 21. The death of Barent Booi was registered on 12 April 1948 in Dubbeldam, Holland. The Dutch military efforts to re-establish their colony failed, and The Netherlands recognized Indonesian independence on 27 December 1949. 

Source: oorlogsgravenstichting.nl

In Dubbeldam Barend Booi was born on 25 February 1926. His parents are Abraham Booi and Wilhelmina Maria van der Burg. They had been married on 28 November 1918 in Dordrecht, Holland. Wilhelmina Maria van der Burg had been 23 years old, and was born in The Hague. Her parents are Johannes Franciscus van der Burg en Maria Adriana Philip.
Barent's paternal grandmother, Barendina Boertje, was born on 15-7-1858 in Wieldrecht, Holland, and was buried in Dubbeldam on 5 September 1942, 84 years old. She had been married on 9 May 1877 in Dubbeldam to Abraham Booij sr. He was born on 17 September 1854 in Dubbeldam and died there on 16 November 1934.
Barent's paternal great-grandparents were Joris Booi (1827-1906) and his first wife Marigje Naaktgeboren (1831-1864). Joris is a son of Nicolaas “Claas” Booij (1787-1847) and Johanna Piere (1796-1854). Claas is a son of my ancestors Joris Booij (1753-1813) of Dubbeldam and his wife Hendrina Sprong (1759-1832).

Signatures of Barent's parents

Sources: wiewaswie.nl, regionaalarchiefdordrecht.nl, oorlogsgravenstichting.nl, www.indie-1945-1950.nl, 4en5mei.nl, vomi-nederland.nl/monumenten, lijstvangevallenen.nl.

Soldier Arie Koomans (1789-1812)

Pieter Koomans (1750-1802) of Strijen, Holland, had eight children with his first wive, Jannigje Bezemer (±1760-1798), but just two them - Arie and Jannigje - seem to have survived to adulthood. 

Strijen

Pieter's eldest surviving son, Arie Koomans, was born on April 2, 1789, and baptised in Strijen on the 5th. His next children, daughters Jannigje and Maria, were born subsequently in 1790 and 1792. Three little sons named Andreas all died young. Pieter's first wife, Jannigje Bezemer, died in May 1798. With his second wife, Adriana Moerkerken (1773-1850), Pieter had had one son named Andreas. After just 2 years of marriage with his second wife, Pieter Koomans died in May 1802, leaving his son Arie an orphan at age 13. Arie's stepmother was remarried in 1803 to Bernardus Bremken (1762-1808) and next in 1810 to Pieter Berrevoets (1775-1861).

In early 1795, intervention by French revolutionary forces had led to the downfall of the old Dutch Republic. The Dutch departments were incorporated in the French Empire by decree on 9 July, 1810. In the summer of 1812, before the invasion of Russia, Napoleon assembled new troops from all over Western Europe for his Grande Armée.
Arie Koomans was send to France, and incorporated into the 9th artillery regiment¹. The artillery was the part of Napoleon's army that fired its cannons. Arie was taken to a hospital on October 12, 1812. He died on October 28 in Douai, France, aged 23. His death was registered in Strijen on April 9, 1813.

Arie's surviving sister Jannigje was married, had several children, and died in 1831 in Hardinxveld. Their half-brother Andreas (1800-1842) married, moved to Delft, Holland, and had descendants, too. Step-brother Hendrik Bremken (1803-1865) and step-sister Cornelia Bervoets (1818-1906) were both married, too.

Note 1: Arie's army number was 2728.

Sources: Archieven.nl, WieWasWie.nl.

Henri Gerrit Booij (1907-1944) from Rotterdam was buried in Changkai

Henri Gerrit Booij was born on 2 July 1907 in Rotterdam. His parents are Hendrik Booij and Jannetje de Wilde. His paternal grandparents are Gerrit Booij (1837-1882) and Bregtje de Waal. His paternal great-grandparents are Jacob Booij (1785-1866) and his third wife Niesje Beets (1810-1882) who were living in Ilpendam, Holland. The paternal great-great-grandparents of Henri Gerrit are Gerrit Jacobsz. Booij (1757-1828), Eegje Jans Dekker (1763-1820), Sijmon Jansz. Beets (±1767-1817) and Krelisje Bos (1776-1848).

When Henri Gerrit Booij was 21 years old, his father Henri Booij died on 1 June 1929, aged 52, in Hillegersberg (now part of Rotterdam). He had been born on 30 May 1877 in Buiksloot, Holland, and had been working as a waiter. Henri's widow, Jannetje de Wilde, was born on 19 March 1873 in Amsterfoort, Utrecht area, The Netherlands. They had been married on 7 March 1901 in Amsterdam. An overview of their younger children and birth dates is shown in the image below. 

Henri Gerrits Booij with his parents and younger siblings

At the age of 31, Henri Gerrit Booij was married on 23 November 1938 in Rotterdam to Helena Johanna Maria Verbakel, aged 29, born in Rotterdam. She was born on 7 March 1909 in Rotterdam as the eldest daughter of Wilhelmus Jacobus Verbakel (1879-1964) and Johanna Gerarda Visser. At some point the couple traveled to Indonesia.

POW Camp Card for Henri Gerrit Booij

In Indonesia Henri Gerrit Booij was working as a hotel clerk, probably in Nongkodjadjar on Java. He was described an infantry sergeant for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) when he was captured by the Japanese on Java on 10 March 1942. He was transferred to the main Java Prisoner Of War (POW) Camp on 1 November 1942, and interned. He was transferred to the Thai No. 4 Branch Camp 7855 on 29 January 1943. Often, prisoners in the Thai POW Camps were forced by the Japanese to work on the Burma Railway between Nong Pladuk in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma (now Myanmar). Henri Gerrit Booij died in the No. 4 Branch Camp on 11 February 1944. He was buried in Chungkai.

Where in the World is Theunis Ariens van der Giesen?

Arie Jansz. van der Giessen and Ariaantje Ariens Buijtendijk were married on 30 May 1717 in Westmaas, Holland. They became the parents of a large family of 11, including a son Theunis, baptized on 24 September 1719 in Numansdorp, Holland.

Theunis Ariensz. van der Giessen, originating in Numansdorp, joined the Dutch East Inda Company (V.O.C.) as a soldier, protecting ships. On 29 March 1741 Theunis sailed from Goeree, an island in the southwestern part of Holland, on a flute ship named “Delfland”. Its skipper was named Egbert Verduin. Its crew consisted of 119 sailors and 60 soldiers, including Theunis. 
A long-distance voyage was hard on the health of a sailing ship’s crew. During the first 2-3 months of the voyage newcomers aboard usually developed scurvy due to a vitamin C deficiency. The “Delfland” arrived at Cape of Good Hope in South-Africa on 24 June, departing at 18 July. Ship and crew arrived on 11 September 1741 in Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies, corresponding to the present-day city of Jakarta.
After staying in Indonesia for over year, Theunis Ariensz van der Giessen was supposed to board ship for the homeward voyage on 20 November 1742, but he never turned up. He has been missing ever since.

Salary and expenses of Theunis Ariensz. van der Giessen

Sources: V.O.C. opvarenden bij het nationaal archief, huygens.knaw, VOCsite.nl. 

You can read about Theunis van der Giessen in the Dutch language, too:

Theunis Ariensz. van der Giessen uit Numansdorp bleef in Azië

3 Otterspoor brothers in Australia

The Australian Anzacs website shows the records for Dutch immigrants in Australia who enlisted as soldiers in World War I. Among them are 3 brothers of the Otterspoor family: Servaas (“John”), Arnoldus (“Harry”) and Franciscus Jacobus (“Frank”). John Otterspoor is listed in 1917 as being an engineer, born in Utrecht, The Netherlands, aged 24 years and 2 months, and married to "Trintje". In fact, John and Arnold were born as twins in Utrecht on 19-11-1892. Their mother was 19-year-old and single Hendrika Johanna van Kesteren. She was born on 7-10-1873 in Amersfoort. Her parents are Arnoldus van Kesteren and Engelina Welling.

Servaas ("John")

Arnoldus ("Harry")

Franciscus Jacobus ("Frank")

Mariner Monday – Arij Jans Verduijn (1694-1728)

Arij Janse Verduijn was a captain of the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) who transported goods from Batavia (nowadays Jakarta in Indonesia) to Holland. His parents were Jan Ariense Verduijn (†1736) and Maertje Pieters van Pavie (1660-1744). They had him baptised in Delfshaven near Rotterdam on September 10, 1694. Sponsors were Jan's brother Egbert Ariense Verduijn and his first wife.

Cape of Good Hope in South Africa

At the age of 17, on May 10, 1712, Arij Verduijn boarded the ship “Wassenaar” as a soldier. The ship departed from the island of Goeree in Holland, containing 138 sailors, 18 soldiers and a stowaway. For young Arij it may have been a reassurance that fellow townsman Jacob Verduijn was the ship’s captain.
A long-distance voyage was hard on the health of a sailing ship’s crew. During the first 2-3 months of the voyage newcomers aboard usually developed scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C. A prolonged calm could occur around the Equator, resulting in a trip of over 30 weeks. The ship “Wassenaar” took over half a year to reach the Cape of Good Hope, a rocky headland in South Africa that had been settled by the Dutch in 1652.

The ship with Arij Verduijn on board stayed for 24 days at the Cape before continuing its voyage to Batavia in Indonesia. Arij’s return voyage was with the ship “Voorburg”, sailing from Ceylon to Texel, where it arrived on September 13, 1714. In December Arij boarded ship again. This time he was third mate of Master Jakob van der Poel at a ship named “Nederhoven” with a tonnage of 600. The ship boarded the Cape in May 1715, and arrived in Batavia on July, 28. Arij returned with the ship “Voorburg”, arriving in Goeree on July 8, 1716. He had designated his parents as the beneficiaries of his salary. 

Voyage	Schip's name	Chamber	Job	Departure	Cape of Good Hope	Arrival
Outbound	Wassenaar	Delft	soldier	10-5-1712	19-11-1712 tot 13-12-1712	18-2-1713
Return	Voorburg	Amsterdam		1-3-1714	13-4-1714 tot 10-6-1714	13-9-1714
Outbound	Nederhoven	Delft	3rd mate	23-12-1714	30-4-1715 tot 24-5-1715	28-7-1715
Return	Voorburg	Delft		30-10-1715	11-1-1716 tot 1-4-1716	8-7-1716
Outbound	Den Dam	Delft	skipper	24-5-1723	7-9-1723 tot 24-9-1723	18-12-1723
Return	Den Dam	Delft	skipper	24-10-1725	22-1-1726 tot 28-2-1726	28-6-1726
Outbound	Alblasserdam	Delft	skipper	4-4-1727	5-8-1727 tot 22-8-1727	25-10-1727

Arij Jans Verduijn was married to Jacoba Borstius on November 5, 1719, in Rotterdam. She was baptised in Rotterdam on June 22, 1698, as posthumous daughter of Jacobus Borstius and Wijna van Riel. Her mother was married a second time in January 1699 to Abraham Hovendaal and had additional children.

The baptism of the eldest child of Arij and Jacoba, Jan, was on August 4, 1720, in Delfshaven. Sponsors were Arij’s sisters Jannetje and Ariaantje Verduijn. When their daughter Wijna was baptised on October 3, 1723, in Delfshaven, Arij Jans Verduijn was at sea.
On May 24, 1723, Arij Jans Verduijn had boarded the ship “Den Dam” as its captain. The ship had been build in 1716 in Delfshaven and had a tonnage of 600. His crew consisted of 104 seafarers and 47 soldiers. They visited the Cape of Good Hoop in September, arriving in Batavia on December 18. Boarding on October 24, 1725, Arij returned with his ship to Goeree in Holland, arriving on June 18, 1726. For this voyage, Arij had designated his wife, Jacoba Borstius, as the beneficiary of his salary.

Soldier Jacob Kleinjan (†1788)

A pink type ship

Jacob Kleinjan started working for the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) as a soldier in 1786. He departed on October 24, 1786, from Rammekens in Zeeland, The Netherlands. The ship, named “Juffrouw Johanna” (which can be translated as “Miss Joan”), was a pink type sailing ship with a flat bottom, a narrow stern at the back and a large cargo capacity. The ship's captain was Simon Koter and its crew consisted of over 170 men.

Since 1652 a Cape Colony had been established by the Dutch on the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. The “Juffrouw Johanna” arrived at its Cape Hope on February 22, 1787, staying there until March 19. On June 9, 1787, t he ship and its crew arrived at its destination, Batavia (nowadays known as Jakarta) on the island of Java in Indonesia.
Within a year of his arrival Jacob Kleinjan died in Asia on May 7, 1788.

Batavia in Indonesia

According to the V.O.C. database Jacob Kleinjan originated from “Oostmont”, possibly Est Mont, Éperlecques, France.


For more information about the Kleinjan Family take a look at my blogpost about The Kleinjan family and their American branch.

Sources: VOC Opvarenden bij het Nationaal Archief, vocsite.nl, huygens.knaw.nl and Wikipedia.

Born at the Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, June 18, 1815, near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands. June 18, 1815, is also the birthdayof  Frederika Louisa Wilhelmina van Beusekom, daughter of Gijsbertus van Beusekom and Anna Verkerk, who gave birth "on the battlefield between Quatre-Bras and Waterloo". The Battle of Quatre-Bras had been fought on the 16th.
Gijsbertus van Beusekom was a soldier in the 7th battalion of the ground forces. Obviously, the baby girl was patrioticly given the same name as the Queen Consort of Dutch King William I, Frederica Louisa Wilhelmina of Prussia (1774-1837).

Rotterdamsche Courant, 5-6-1865

Saleswoman Frederika Louisa Wilhelmina van Beusekom (48) married Jean Paradies (51) on May 18, 1864, in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Jean was born on July 30, 1812, in Vlissingen, The Netherlands. He was a son of a bricklayer Johannes Paradies and his wife Cornelia Pietersen. Jean died on December 14, 1884, in Utrecht. Frederika Louisa Wilhelmina died in Utrecht, too, on November 1, 1886.

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