Longevity ~ Aart van Houwelingen (94) in Pella

Aart van Houwelingen died on 31 December 1893 in Pella, Iowa, USA, at the old age of 94. He was born in Nieuwland, Holland, on 3 October 1799. His parents are Gijsbert van Houwelingen (1768-1849) and Eigje van den Berg (1770-1836).

De Volksvriend, 4-1-1894

At the age of 30, Aart was married on 21 May 1830 in Hoogblokland, Holland, to Dirkje Sterk, aged 20. Dirkje was born on 8 December 1809 and baptized on the 17th in Zijderveld. Her parents are Pel Sterk and his second wife Elisabeth de Raad. Aart and Dirkje had 11 children. Of those 4 children died young: Gijsbert, Jan, Pel Jan and Gijsbertje, who was twin with Elisabeth.

Pella

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.

Rotterdam, 21-11-1651: Boedelinventaris.

Inventaris van toehorende aan Cristina Forbes, aanwezig in haar huis in de Wijnstraat op 8 juni 1646, door haar ter bevestiging getekend op 22 november 1651.

The sad short life of Ludovicus Willemsen (1860-1884)

Ludovicus Willemsen was born on 4 October 1860 in Woensdrecht as son of workman Mathijs Willemsen (27) and his wife Maria Catharina Speek. They both originated in Woensdrecht and were married there on 22 Decermber 1858. Matthijs Willemse died on 24 April 1861 in Woensdrecht, aged just 28.
His mother, Maria Catharina Speek, married secondly in Woensdrecht on 25 November 1863 to another local man, Laurentius de Vreng. After giving birth to a son Petrus de Vreng on 7 September 1864 in Woensdrecht, Maria Catharina died there on the 9th, aged 30. Her baby died on the 19th. On 24 December of the same year her widower was remarried to a Belgian girl.
At the age of 3, Ludovicus Willemsen was an orphan, and the only surviving child of both his parents. 

De Grondwet (newspaper), 8-4-1894

In the summer of 1884 Ludovicus Willemsen and a colleague were working on the railroad from Dordrecht in Holland to Breda in Brabant. On Saturday 5 July 1884 they were bathing just south of Dubbeldam, close to a culvert surrounded by deep water. The other man managed to get out, but Ludovicus (24) drowned.

Sources: Delpher.nl, WieWasWie.nl.

The family of Bastiaan van Drunen with descendants in Illinois

On 26 May 1856 the ship "Epaminodas" departed from Rotterdam, transporting 216 emigrants. They arrived in New York on 9 juni 1856. Many of those immigrants settled in Illinois. 
Among them were several members of the Van Dunen family of Sleeuwijk, Brabant, The Netherlands:

1. Bastiaan van Drunen (1792-1873) and his wife Vijverke Snoek (1795-1877);
2. Their daughter Anneke van Drunen and her husband Dirk Schaap and their 6 children;
3. Their son Johannes van Drunen, his wife Willemke van Krugten and their son Rokus;
4. Their son Pieter van Drunen, his wife Hester van de Graaff and their son Bastiaan;
5. Their daughter Dientje van Drunen and her husband Wouter Swets and their daughter Aartje;
6. Their daughter Adriana van Drunen who later married fellow passenger Wouter de Graaff;
7. Rokus van Drunen and his wife Adriana Snoek, siblings of Bastiaan and Vijverke.

In The Netherlands Bastiaan and Vijverke had left behind several sons, including their eldest son Lucas van Drunen (1813-1895). The Streekgeschiedenis Alblasserwaard Blog describes the family and descendants of Bastiaan's daughter Anna van Drunen and her husband Dirk Schaap, who additionally had a 7th child Adriana (Jane) in Illionois.

Dirk Schaap  and Anneke van Drunen and their children