Roots

Maarten van der Hoogt and Aaltje de Bruin

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Maarten van der Hoogt and Aaltje de Bruin are my fourth great-grandparents. They lived in quite a few places during their lives: Hazerswoude, Zevenhuizen, Moerkapelle, Leiderdorp, Kouderkerk, probably more - towns and villages in the same region in the province Zuid-Holland. I still miss quite a few vital records for them. But with all the scans available on the FamilySearch website it should not be hard to find those.

I had in my notes that they probably married in Hazerswoude. And sure enough, I found them in the church books there:

Maarten van der Hoogt, from Hazerswoude, and Aaltje de Bruin, from Zevenhuizen. Pro deo. Banns 27 July 1791. Attest for Zevenhuizen given 7 August.

OK, banns in Hazerswoude because Maarten van der Hoogt lived there at the time. But they married in Zevenhuizen. And scans from Zevenhuizen are also on FamilySearch:

This one is harder to read. But I think I transcribed, interpreted and summarized it correctly:

Banns on 27 July 1791, married on 31 August. Maarten van der Hoog [sic], born and currently living in Haserswoude, and Aaltje de Bruin, born in Moercapel [Moerkapelle], currently living in Zevenhuizen.

Great! So I can fire up my genealogy software and add 31 August 1791, Zevenhuizen, as marriage data!

Files: Aaltje de Bruin, Maarten van der Hoogt. Source Information: "Netherlands, Zuid-Holland Province, Church Records, 1367-1911." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : accessed 2013.

More on Naatje Foppen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

I posted about my brick wall ancestor Naatje Foppen (or Johanna Magdalena Foppen) before. A quick summary of what I know:

Naatje and her twin sister were born on 29 July 1792 in Naarden, and she was baptized Johanna Magdalena on 22 August 1792. She was born out of wedlock. Her mother was Magdalena Foppen. Her father's name was listed: Lucas Castisch. But the first name Lucas was striked through, and the last name Castisch cannot be found anywhere.

Naatje never married, but had two sons, Johannes (my ancestor) in 1815 and Jacob (who died in infancy) in 1828. Nothing is known about the father(s) of the boys.

Naatje died in 1864 in Naarden. As far as I know she spent her whole life in Naarden.

I did not find anything else on Naatje's mother or sister.

Recently scans of the church books of Naarden became available online. I had seen it many years ago, but I only made notes of Naatje's baptism. Time for another look. Here is the baptism entry:

Transcription: Maria Rosa & Johanna Magdelena, geboren [=born] 29 Julij, gedoopt [=baptized] 22 Augustus, [father] ~~Lucas~~ Castisch, [mother] Magdelena Foppers, Spurius [=out of wedlock].

I could not find Magdalena's baptism or burial, and I could not find anything else about Maria Rosa.

I did see a few others with the name Foppen in Naarden. The most interesting one is Maria Francisca Foppen, who was married to Hendrik Rijnders. They had a daughter named Maria Rosa, the same name as Naatje's twin sister! The name Maria Rosa is not that common, so chances are that Maria Francisca is related!

Hendrik and Maria Francisca married in Naarden, in 1779:

Summary: Henderik Reijnders, born in Heteren, a soldier stationed in Naarden, and Fransiska Foffer, born in Bergen op den Soom [Bergen op Zoom], now living in Naarden, married in Naarden on 12 September 1779.

Unfortunately I have been unable to find [Maria] Francisca in Bergen op Zoom, or Hendrik in Heteren, so far.

To be continued, I assume.

Files: Magdalena Foppen, Johanna Magdalena (Naatje) Foppen, Maria Francisca Foppen.

Pieter Wieseneker and Lambertje Molenaar

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:00:00 +0000

When I find new ancestors, I also try to find out about their children - at least their BMD. In my early genealogy days, I sometimes skipped this, in my haste to go further back in time. I'm revisiting a few of those families now.

One of those families is the family of Pieter Wiesenek(k)er and Lambertje Molenaar, my 3rd great-grandparents. I tried to find out as much as possible using online resources (mostly Family Search), and created a to do list for the rest. The to do list has mostly missing death dates, because Family Search only has Huizen deaths up to 1912.

The family lived in Huizen, a small fishing village on the coast of the Zuiderzee sea (now the IJsselmeer lake). Pieter was vischventer, an ambulant fish vendor, probably selling his wares in a nearby city (Amsterdam maybe?).

Pieter Wieseneker, son of Peter Wiesenekker and Hendrikje Meintsen, was born on 13 May 1823 in Huizen, and he died on 25 January 1877 in Huizen. Note the spelling of his surname: While his father's name was spelled with double K, the surname on his birth certificate had just a single K. Most of his siblings and children also had a double K.

Pieter married Lambertje Molenaar, daughter of Gijsbert Molenaar and Aaltje Boomgaard, on 11 October 1846 in Huizen. She was born on 9 February 1823 in Huizen, and died on 14 April 1877 in Huizen.

They had twelve children, of which two died in infancy or during childhood. Note that the surname of the first two children is Wieseneker, while the surname of the others is Wiesenekker. Probably caused by carelessness of the registrar.

Aaltje Wieseneker, born on 15 February 1847 in Huizen, died on 22 August 1878 in Huizen. She married Marcus Knop, son of Marcus Knop and Geertrui van Slooten, on 13 August 1876 in Huizen. Marcus was born on 24 November 1846 in Huizen.

Three days before her death, Aaltje gave birth to a baby girl, Lambertje. So presumably she died as a consequence of child birth. The little girl did not survive long: She passed away on 14 September, less than one month old.

Marcus married (at least) twice more after Aaltje's death: The first time to Aaltje Kruining, daughter of Jan Kruining and Nelletje Zwart, on 1 September 1883, and the second time to Aartje Kriek, widow of Gijsbert Baas and daughter of Jan Kriek and Teuntje Kruimer, on 21 October 1899.

I did not find Marcus's death date yet. He was still alive when his daughter Jannetje married, on 19 September 1914 (Marcus signed the marriage certificate).

Hendrikje Wieseneker, born on 19 September 1848 in Huizen, died on 9 March 1912 in Huizen. She married Gijsbert Honing, son of Dirk Honing and Teuntje Lustig, on 2 October 1870 in Huizen. Gijsbert was born on 31 October 1847 in Huizen, and died on 10 February 1911 in Huizen.

Evertje Wiesenekker, born on 8 March 1850 in Huizen. She married Pieter Vlaanderen, son of Jacob Vlaanderen and Geertje Westland, on 24 June 1877. Pieter was born on 3 July 1851 in Huizen.

I found Evertje's death in the daily BMD listing of the local newspaper on 20 September 1919. Evertje must have died a few days before that date. Pieter's death was listed in the paper of 15 May 1937.

Jannetje Wiesenekker, born on 26 January 1852 in Huizen, died on 4 December 1857 in Huizen.

Peter Wiesenekker, born on 8 October 1853 in Huizen, died on 16 June 1891 in Meerenberg in Bloemendaal. Peter never married.

I wrote about Meerenberg in Bloemendaal before. It was a lunatic asylum at the time. Peter is the second member of my family that I found there: Dirk Veerman died in Meerenberg too.

Gijsbert Wiesenekker, my 2nd great-grandfather, was born on 7 August 1855 in Huizen, and died on 11 March 1924 in Bussum. He married Willempje Prins, daughter of Pieter Prins and Geertje Westland, on 4 February 1877 in Huizen. Willempje was born on 26 September 1856 in Huizen, and died 9 December 1942 in Bussum.

Evert Wiesenekker, born on 14 May 1857 in Huizen. He married Hendrikje van 't Maliepad, daughter of Klaas van 't Maliepad and Teuntje Schipper, on 4 May 1879 in Huizen. Hendrikje was born on 12 December 1857 in Huizen.

Evert's death was listed in the local newspaper on 7 April 1934, so he probably died a couple of days before that date. He was a widower, according to the paper listing, so Hendrikje died before him.

Jannetje Wiesenekker, born on 7 March 1859 in Huizen. She married Joost Boor, son of Joost Boor and Gerritje Kerkmeester, on 30 July 1881 in Huizen. Joost was born on 17 January 1859 in Huizen.

Jannetje's death was listed in the local newspaper on 7 March 1931 in Huizen, Joost's death on 25 October 1939 in Bussum, and on 28 October 1939 in Huizen.

Gerritje Wiesenekker, born on 23 September 1860 in Huizen. She married Klaas Schaap, son of Willem Schaap and Willempje van Slooten, on 27 May 1882 in Huizen. Klaas was born on 7 March 1860 in Huizen, and died on 18 February 1897 in Huizen.

Gerritje was still alive, and living in the town Bussum, on 18 May 1921, when she was present at the wedding of her son Harmen Schaap.

Teuntje Wiesenekker, born on 25 December 1861 in Huizen. She married Joost Westland, son of Jacob Westland and Aartje Schaap, on 25 April 1891 in Huizen. Joost is born on 16 December 1862 in Huizen.

Teuntje's father-in-law, Jacob Westland, is a brother of my 3rd great-grandmother Geertje Westland.

Teuntje's death was listed in the local newspaper on 3 June 1922, so she must have died shortly before that. Apparently her husband survived her.

Pieter Wiesenekker, born on 13 February 1863 in Huizen. He married Marretje Bout, daughter of Gijsbert Bout and Tijmetje Honing, on 25 July 1891 in Huizen. Marretje is born on 6 November 1869 in Huizen, and died on 25 October 1918 in Huizen.

Pieter was present at the wedding of his son Jan on 15 July 1922. Among the documents that Jan submitted for his marriage was proof of his mother's death.

Teunis Wiesenekker, born on 19 November 1864 in Huizen, died on 29 May 1865 in Huizen.

When Pieter and Lambertje passed away in 1877, five of their children were underage (i.e. under 23, at the time): Evert, Jannetje, Gerritje, Teuntje and Pieter. Gijsbert, 21, had lost his underage status by marriage. After consulting their brothers Gijsbert and Peter, and their brothers-in-law Marcus Knop and Gijsbert Honing, the county court appointed Marcus Knop and Gijsbert Honing, husband of their eldest siblings Aaltje and Hendrikje, as their guardians.

That leaves two items on my to do list:

Find the missing death dates. I can find those in the provincial or in the regional archive, or I can wait until they become available online.
Find out what Peter was doing in a lunatic asylum.

Images: A fisherman in Huizen (postcard, c. 1910, coll. author); Former asylum Meer en Berg in Bloemendaal (photo by the author). Files: Pieter Wieseneker, Lambertje Molenaar, Aaltje Wieseneker, Hendrikje Wieseneker, Evertje Wiesenekker, Peter Wiesenekker, Gijsbert Wiesenekker, Evert Wiesenekker, Jannetje Wiesenekker, Gerritje Wiesenekker, Teuntje Wiesenekker, Pieter Wiesenekker, Marcus Knop, Gijsbert Honing, Pieter Vlaanderen, Willempje Prins, Hendrikje van 't Maliepad, Joost Boor, Klaas Schaap, Joost Westland, Marretje Bout, Meer en Berg.

The age of my grandparents

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:00:00 +0000

My grandparents were roughly the same age, there was less than five years between the eldest and the youngest. The eldest was my paternal grandfather, Henk (Hendrik, officially) van Kampen. As the eldest son of the eldest son, I was named after him. Opa Henk, as we, the grandchildren, called him, was born on 9 November 1912. One hundred years ago today.

My maternal grandmother outlived my other grandparents. Her name was Maria Theresia Coppens, but the grandchildren knew her as Omoe. She passed away earlier this year, on 13 July, 97 years old. Just over a hundred days ago.

The age of my grandparents lasted a century, from 1912 to 2012. A lot has happened in that time. Two world wars. The rise and fall of empires (like the Soviet Union). The Russian revolution. Universal suffrage (1917 for men, 1919 for women, here in Holland). The fall of the Ottoman empire. The foundation of Israel. Men on the moon. The list goes on and on and on - events that to me are ancient history happened in their lifetime.

A lot happened in their personal lifes too. They grew up, married, had children, grandchildren, lived fulfilling lifes. They played important roles in their churches and in their local communities. They experienced the horrors of the 1944 famine first hand. Opa Theo, my maternal grandfather, lost the battle with a debilitating disease too early, the others lived long lifes and died of old age. They had their ups and downs, good times and bad times.

The age of my grandparents and my age overlapped. They overlapped a lot, thanks to the longevity of my grandmother. But their age is over now. What remains is memories. Lots of memories. Beautiful memories.

In loving memory:


Hendrik van Kampen (1912-1997)	Alida Melessen (1917-2007)	Theodorus Joannes Gerardus Adrianus Pardoen (1914-1977)	Maria Theresia Coppens (1915-2012)

Files: Hendrik van Kampen, Alida Melessen, Theodorus Joannes Gerardus Adrianus Pardoen, Maria Theresia Coppens.

Dirk Veerman in Bloemendaal

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Dirk Veerman is a son of my 3rd ggrandparents Gijsbert Veerman and Jannetje Bronkhorst, numbers 34 and 35 in my ahnentafel. Earlier this summer I wrote about him:

Dirk Veerman, born on 10 September 1839 in Huizen, died on 11 May 1870 in Bloemendaal. Dirk never married. Dirk died in Bloemendaal, far from his home in Huizen - I'll get back to that in a future post.

According to his death certificate, Dirk died on 11 May 1870 in Bloemendaal, in a house called Meerenberg. Dirk was only 30 when he died, still single, and, strangely, jobless.

So, why did he die so far from home?

I had no trouble finding the house called Meerenberg in Bloemendaal. It's actually called Meer en Berg (which means Lake and Mountain), and was a lunatic asylum at the time! Now, I should not jump to conclusions - the fact that Dirk died at an asylum does not prove that he was an inmate, but I strongly suspects he was. I still need to check the archives of Meer en Berg to prove it, though.

The main building of Meer en Berg asylum still exists. It was a lunatic asylum in the 19th century, and became a psychiatric hospital in the 20th century. It closed its doors only a few years ago. I tried to visit but was a bit surprised (shocked even) by what I found. The monumental building seems to be in bad shape. It badly needs maintenance and repairs. The building is surrounded by fences and barbed wire, with warning signs for asbestos. I did not try to enter, of course, but I took a couple of photos from the other side of the fence. A few of them I share here.

Photos by the author. Files: Dirk Veerman, Meer en Berg.

Notes on Naatje Foppen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Naatje Foppen (1792-1864) was my 4th great-grandmother, number 108 in my ahnentafel. She was the child of a single mother, and became a single mother herself. I know very little about her, and even less about her parents. She is the first brick wall in my ahnentafel ("first" meaning the least number of generations away from me). I re-evaluated the facts, and did some online research.

What I know now is:

1792	Naatje was born on 29 July 1792, and baptized on 22 August 1792, together with her twin sister. She was baptized as Johanna Magdalena. According to the book of baptisms, she was born out of wedlock. Her parents are listed: Lucas Castisch and Magdalena Foppen. Lucas is striked through. Note: This is based on notes I made when I saw the baptism book, many years ago. I do not have a copy.
1815	A son Johannes was born on 19 January 1815. Naatje signed the birth certificate herself, on the day her son was born, as Johanna Foppen. The registrar wrote Naatje Foppen.
1828	A son Jacob was born on 1 April 1828, and died on 14 July of the same year. Naatje signed the birth certificate as Johanna Magdalena Foppen (the registrar wrote Johanna Foppen). Both birth and death certificate of Jacob state her occupation as maidservant and her marital status as unmarried.
1844-1848	The first three children of her son Johannes were born out of wedlock, in Vlissingen and Maastricht, between 1844 and 1848.
1849	Johannes married on 11 October 1849, to Johanna Jansen, and legitimated the three children born in the previous years.
1850	A granddaughter Johanna Magdalena Foppen was born in 1850, presumably named after Naatje.
1858	Johannes died on 20 July 1858, in Maastricht. His death certificate states he is a son of Naatje Foppen, who is without occupation and a resident of Naarden.
1864	Naatje died on 5 March 1864, at the address Turfpoortstraat 270, aged 71. The name on the death certificate is Johanna Foppen.

What to do next:

First of all, Naatje's real name was Johanna Magdalena, and Naatje was only a nickname (it is a short version of Johanna), so I have to update my database, her online file, and the charts. (Should be done by the time you read this.)
Check the population register of Naarden from the introduction (probably around 1850) until 1864. What does it have on Naatje? I need to visit the regional archive in Naarden for this one.
Check the church books of Naarden, available in the provincial archive in Haarlem. Make a copy of Naatje's baptism, and find the baptism of her mother and the burials of her mother and of her twin sister. I already checked the BMD records of the civil register (introduced in 1811).
I do have a hint on Naatje's father: The name (partly striked through) in the baptism book. I did some initial online research, but did not find the name Castisch anywhere. Naarden was a fortified town, with barracks and many soldiers who came from the whole country. Maybe there are military records that can help me. Church registers (other than the church books) may also be helpful.
There is no hint (yet) on who could be the father(s) of Naatjes children. I have to check which archives are available (military or related to Naarden) and study them for clues.

Documents, from left to right: Birth certificate of Johannes Foppen, birth and death certificates of Jacob Foppen, front and back of the marriage certificate of Johannes Foppen and Johanna Jansen, death certificate of Johannes Foppen, death certificate of Johanna (Magdalena) Foppen. Click to enlarge.

Files: Magdalena Foppen, Johanna Magdalena (Naatje) Foppen, Johannes Foppen.

Gijsbert Veerman and Jannetje Bronkhorst

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:00:00 +0000

When I search for ancestors, I usually reconstruct their families, i.e. I find information on all their children (and other spouses, if they married more than once). There are a few families I skipped in the past, though, probably because I wanted to go back in time as far as possible, and as quickly as possible. Time now to revisit a few of those families.

Today I present the family reconstruction of my 3rd ggrandparents Gijsbert Veerman and Jannetje Bronkhorst, numbers 34 and 35 in my ahnentafel. A relatively easy one, as all the information I need but don't have yet is available online.

Gijsbert Veerman, also known as Gijsbert Eppen Veerman, son of Willem Eppen Veerman and Lambertje Mol, was born on 13 April 1799 in Huizen, and died on 23 March 1872 in Hilversum. Gijsbert was labourer until around 1830, and ambulant fish vendor since then.

On 13 December 1828, in Hilversum, Gijsbert married Jannetje Bronkhorst, daughter of Dirk Bronkhorst and Aaltje van Zomeren. She was born on 20 February 1805 in Hilversum, and died on 12 July 1875 in Hilversum.

The name of Jannetje's mother is a bit unclear, different documents have different names - I have seen Aaltje van Zomeren, Aaltje van Wolmeren, and Aaltje van Wolmezen. Very likely also Aaltje Peelen, but I have yet to prove that is the same person. I'll probably get back to her in a future post.

I will not bore you with all the documents that I have seen, I'll just present the main ones. Left to right: Extracts from the baptism books with the baptisms of Gijsbert and Jannetje (they had to present those documents at the time of their wedding), their marriage certificate, and their death certificates. They are all in Dutch, of course.

Gijsbert and Jannetje had ten children. I have documentary evidence of all ten, of course, but I'll just present the main BMD documents of the six children that survived infancy.

1.	Lammertje Veerman, born on 6 April 1829 in Huizen, died on 26 March 1833 in Huizen.
2.	Aaltje Veerman, born on 28 July 1831 in Huizen, died on 6 December 1851 in Huizen. Aaltje never married. Left to right: birth and death certificate.

3.	Lammertje Veerman, born on 8 November 1833 in Huizen, died on 19 November 1833 in Huizen.
4.	Willem Veerman, born on 4 May 1835 in Huizen, died on 1 January 1886 in Hilversum. He married Wilhelmina Susanna Geis, daughter of Anthonie Geis and Elisabeth Morison, on 11 November 1868 in Utrecht. She was born on 12 April 1833 in Utrecht, and died on 12 February 1876 in Hilversum.
	Left to right: Birth, marriage and death certificate.

5.	A stillborn son, on 7 February 1838 in Huizen.
6.	Dirk Veerman, born on 10 September 1839 in Huizen, died on 11 May 1870 in Bloemendaal. Dirk never married.
	Dirk died in Bloemendaal, far from his home in Huizen - I'll get back to that in a future post.
	Left to right: birth and death certificate.

7.	Hendrik Veerman, born on 27 October 1841 in Huizen, died on 14 January 1894 in Hilversum. He married Aafje Vlaanderen, daughter of Cornelis Vlaanderen and Willempje Heek, on 8 September 1866 in Hilversum. Aafje was born on 28 September 1842 in Hilversum, and died on 1 July 1932 in Hilversum.
	Left to right: Birth, marriage and death certificate.

8.	Lammert Veerman, born on 27 May 1844 in Huizen, died on 4 June 1911 in Hilversum. He married Geesje Beekhuis, daughter of Johannes Beekhuis and Zibrigjen Heijdenrijke, on 3 April 1869 in Hilversum. Geesje was born on 30 June 1841 in Groningen and died on 29 November 1905 in Hilversum.
	Left to right: Birth, marriage and death certificate.

9.	Lammertje Veerman, born on 5 November 1846 in Huizen, died on 13 July 1883 in Hilversum. She married Barend van Kampen, son of Volkert van Kampen and Maria Hogenbirk, on 6 February 1869 in Hilversum. Barend was born on 13 December 1840 in Hilversum, and died on 22 March 1918 in Hilversum.
	Lammertje and Barend are my 2nd great-grandparents, numbers 16 and 17 in my Ahnentafel.
	Left to right: Birth, marriage and death certificate.

10.	A stillborn son, in April 1849 in Huizen.

Most of the documents came from FamilySearch, where you can find more documents about this family.

Files: Gijsbert Veerman, Jannetje Bronkhorst, Aaltje Veerman, Willem Veerman, Dirk Veerman, Hendrik Veerman, Lammert Veerman, Lammertje Veerman, Wilhelmina Susanna Geis, Aafje Vlaanderen, Geesje Beekhuis, Barend van Kampen.

Tombstone Tuesday: Henk

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Last week we visited my grandfather's grave, on the cemetery of Witteveen. I was a bit taken aback when I saw this gravestone on the same cemetery: With only the first name Henk on it, it seemed like a grave for me.

On closer inspection the stone also had the dates of birth and death inscribed, but no surname.

Tombstone Tuesday: Pardoen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Tue, 29 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The grave of my grandfather, Theodorus Joannes Gerardus Adrianus Pardoen (1914-1978), in the cemetery of the village Witteveen, province Drenthe. The epitaph Zie, ik maak alle dingen nieuw (Behold, I make all things new) is from the book of Revelations:

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Photos by the author, May 2012. File: Theodorus Joannes Gerardus Adrianus Pardoen

Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut, part III

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The third post in search of Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut. So far I looked at records in Zeeuwen Gezocht (Zeelanders Wanted). Today I move to the scans of the Dutch civil registration on FamilySearch.

Daughter Barbera Theresia van Cauwenberge married on 26 April 1820 in Aardenburg, to Henricus Coppens. She needed parental permission, or proof of the death of her parents. If I check the marriage supplements of this marriage I should find the supplied proof. And indeed, it has extracts of the death records of both Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut! Levinus died 3 December 1815 in Sint Margriete. Barbera Theresia's death extract is harder to read, but I think she died 3 Prairial VII (a date in the French Republican Calendar), i.e. 22 May 1799. She was 27 years old, and died at her home in St Margriete. Unfortunately it does not list her parents.

So Levinus was a lot older than his wife, and quick to remarry after her death (probably because of his young children). Chances are that Barbera Theresia was not his first wife, either.

As I mentioned last week, there seem to be two marriage records for Levinus van Cauwenberge and Johanna Cornelia d'Haanens, one in Sluis and one in Eede. I could not find the one from Eede (it seems the years VII and VIII (French Republican Calendar) are missing), but I did download a scan of the marriage certificate from Sluis. That did not provide anything new, though (except maybe that Pieter Johannes Rombaut, age 57, was one of the witnesses - is he related to Barbera Theresia?).

From the death certificate of Joannes Francies I learned that the boy was born in St Margriete and died in the house of a certain Cornelis Hendrijcks in Eede. The death certificate was signed by father Levinus van Cauwenberge and by Cornelis Hendrijcks.

The last records I downloaded were the marriage certificate and supplements of the marriage of Anthonius Bernardus van Couwenberge, son of Livinus van Couwenberge and Maria Kornelia de Vos, and Colleta Francisca van Bestbrugge. One of the marriage supplements is an extract of the death record of my ancestor Levinus van Cauwenberge, so it seems he has been married to Maria Kornelia de Vos too!

There are many resources from the province Zeeland, on Zeeuwen Gezocht and on FamilySearch, but very few from across the border, from the province Oost-Vlaanderen in Belgium. What I did find was an index to church records from Sint Laureins, a village in the region where my ancestors lived. And look what I found in this index:

16 August 1780: Livien van Cauwenberge, born in St Jan in Eremo, married Anna Maria Jacobs, widow of Frans Martens.
6 May 1782: Livien van Cauwenberge, born in St Jan in Eremo, widower of Anna Maria Jacobs, married Joanna Maria van Hijfte, widow of Peter de Vulder.
21 April 1789: Livien van Cauwenberge, born in St Jan in Eremo, widower of Anna Maria Jacobs and of Joanna Maria van Hijfte, married Maria Cornelia de Vos.
22 October 1781: Death of Anna Maria Jacobs, widow of Frans Martens and spouse of Livien van Cauwenberghe, age 43.

I can update the entries for Levinus and Barbera Theresia again. Most data are from secondary sources and have to be verified!

114

Levinus van Cauwenberge. Born 15 February 1749 in Sint Johannes in Eremo, Belgium. Died 3 December 1815 in Sint Margriete, Belgium. Parents Johannes Baptiste van Cauwenberge and Maria de Poortere. He married 1. Anna Maria Jacobs, on 16 August 1780 in St Laureins; 2. Joanna Maria van Hijfte, on 6 May 1782 in St Laureins; 3. Maria Cornelia de Vos, on 21 April 1789 in St Laureins; 4. Barbera Theresia Rombaut, date and place unknown; 5. Johanna Cornelia d' Haanens, on 29 May 1799 in Eede and/or 18 June 1799 in Sluis.

115

Barbera Theresia Rombaut. Born around 1772. Died 22 May 1799 in St Margriete, Belgium.

I also created a timeline of the events we looked at in the last three weeks (again, most of these still need to be confirmed). Look at the chain of events in May/June 1799: I wonder how Levinus felt, and what he thought, at the time.

date	event	location
15 Feb 1749	Birth of Levinus van Cauwenberge	St Jan in Eremo, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
ABT 1772	Birth of Barbera Theresia Rombaut
16 August 1780	Marriage of Levinus van Cauwenberge and Anna Maria Jacobs	St Laureins, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
22 October 1781	Death of Anna Maria Jacobs	St Laureins, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
6 May 1782	Marriage of Levinus van Cauwenberge and Joanna Maria van Hijfte	St Laureins, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
21 April 1789	Marriage of Levinus van Cauwenberge and Maria Kornelia de Vos	St Laureins, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
13 March 1790	Birth of Anthonius Bernardus van Couwenberge	St Margriete, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
BEF 1797	Marriage of Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut
12 Oct 1797	Birth of Barbera Theresia Cauwenberge	St Margriete, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
late Apr / early May 1799	Birth of Joannes Francies van Cauwenberge	St Margriete, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
22 May 1799	Death of Barbera Theresia Rombaut	St Margriete, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
16 Jun 1799	Death of Joannes Francies van Cauwenberge	Eede, prov. Zeeland, The Netherlands
18 Jun 1799	Marriage of Levinus van Cauwenberge and Johanna Cornelia d'Haanens	Sluis, prov. Zeeland, The Netherlands
3 Dec 1815	Death of Levinus van Cauwenberge	Sint Margriete, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
16 Apr 1820	Marriage of Henricua Coppens and Barbera Theresia van Cauwenberge	Aardenburg, prov. Zeeland, The Netherlands

The villages where all these events took place are now in two different countries: Belgium and The Netherlands. That was not the case at the time most of these events happened: The whole region was part of the French empire from 1795 until 1813, and of The Netherlands from 1813 until 1830.

This is, for now, the end of my research on this family. To continue, I need to visit the state archive in Beveren, in the province Oost-Vlaanderen (East-Flanders), or wait for resources from this province to come online. No real breakthrough, unfortunately, but I did find a a lot of new (and interesting) facts about this family - and I have quite a few new questions.

Files: Levinus van Cauwenberge, Barbera Theresia Rombaut, Barbera Theresia van Cauwenberge, Henricus Coppens, Johanna Cornelia d'Haanens, Joannes Francies van Cauwenberge, Anthonius Bernardus van Couwenberge, Anna Maria Jacobs, Joanna Maria van Hijfte, Maria Cornelia de Vos.

Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut, part II

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I will continue my search for Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut. Last week I searched for Levinus van Cauwenberge in Zeeuwen Gezocht (Zeelanders Wanted). I continued searching this database, and expanded my search by trying a few spelling variants (obvious ones like Levinus/Livinus, Rombaut/Rombout, Barbera/Barbara, Cauwenberge/Cauwenberg). I quickly found this death record:

Joannes Francies van Cauwenberge, son of Livinus van Cauwenberge and Barbara Theresia Rombout, died 16 June 1799 in Eede at the age of six weeks.

So Barbera Theresia Rombaut gave birth early May 1799, but passed away before 18 June 1799. Maybe she died during child birth? Levinus was certainly quick to remarry after her death.

Interestingly, I found another marriage record for Livinus van Cauwenberge en Johanna Cornelia Dhaenens, on 29 May 1799 (10 Prairial VII, in the French Republican calendar) in Eede. Strange.

Another interesting record: Anthonius Bernardus van Couwenberge, son of Livinus and of Maria Cornelia de Vos, married in 1817 in Eede. Is this a son of my ancestor Levinus or of a namesake?

I did not find any other relevant records on Zeeuwen Gezocht, so I end this post with the updated entries for Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut (some of it from secondary sources, so to be confirmed):

114	Levinus van Cauwenberge. Born 15 February 1749 in Sint Johannes in Eremo, Belgium. Date of death unknown. Parents Johannes Baptiste van Cauwenberge and Maria de Poortere. He married 1. Barbera Theresia Rombaut, date and place unknown; 2. Johanna Cornelia d' Haanens, on 29 May 1799 in Eede and/or 18 June 1799 in Sluis, now province Zeeland.
115	Barbera Theresia Rombaut. Died between early May 1799 and 18 June 1799.

Next week I'll check if there are scans of records in FamilySearch. Stay tuned!

Files: Levinus van Cauwenberge, Barbera Theresia Rombaut, Joannes Francies van Cauwenberge.

Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Numbers 114 and 115 in my ahnentafel are Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut. They are a dead end for now: I know the names of Levinus' parents, but nothing more, and I know nothing about Barbera Theresia's parents. And I know hardly anything about this couple themselves. They are not a brick wall, as there are still several research possibilities, but they are certainly a hard case. At least, they used to be, and I will investigate if they still are.

Levinus van Cauwenberge and Barbera Theresia Rombaut lived on the current border of Belgium and The Netherlands, though that border did not exist during the last part of their lifes. Their records are probably scattered over the archive of the province Zeeland in The Netherlands, and the state archives of the provinces West-Vlaanderen and Oost-Vlaanderen in Belgium. I can visit (and have visited) the Zeeland archive on a day trip, but for the Belgian archives that is difficult. When I visited the West-Vlaanderen archive (in Brugge / Bruges) in the past I booked a hotel for a couple of days (I did not yet visit the Oost-Vlaanderen archive in Beveren, but I'd also need a hotel).

Fortunately, I can do part of our research online nowadays. I will start with Zeeuwen Gezocht (Zeelanders Wanted), the database of the Zeeland archive. I searched for Levinus van Cauwenberge, and found the marriage of Levinus van Cauwenberge, widower of Barbera Theresia Rombaut, son of Johannes Baptiste van Cauwenberge and Maria de Poortere, born 15 February 1749 in Sint Johannes in Eremo, with Johanna Cornelia d'Haanens, on 18 June 1799 in Sluis.

Great! I now have the parents of Levinus and his date and place of birth. I also know Levinus was still alive on 18 June 1799, but Barbera Theresia passed away before that time. Levinus was born in Sint Johannes in Eremo (a.k.a. Sint Jan in Eremo), nowadays in Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium, so to continue on his line I have to cross the border, unless I find other online resources.

So I have now:

114	Levinus van Cauwenberge. Born 15 February 1749 in Sint Johannes in Eremo, Belgium [from secondary source, so to be confirmed]. Date of death unknown. Parents Johannes Baptiste van Cauwenberge and Maria de Poortere [to be confirmed]. He married 1. Barbera Theresia Rombaut, date and place unknown; 2. Johanna Cornelia d' Haanens, on 18 June 1799 in Sluis, now province Zeeland.
115	Barbera Theresia Rombaut. Died before 18 June 1799.

There is only one other record in the search result for Levinus van Cauwenberge: The marriage of his daughter (and my ancestor) Barbera Theresia van Cauwenberge, to Henricus Coppens (57 and 56 in my ahnentafel). But there are more searches we can do, so: To be continued!

Files: Levinus van Cauwenberge, Barbera Theresia Rombaut, Johannes Baptiste van Cauwenberge, Maria de Poortere, Johanna Cornelia d'Haanens, Barbera Theresia van Cauwenberge, Henricus Coppens.

Antonius Paulus Vittali and Gerarda Johanna Bakker

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Cousin Charlie from Australia sent me this photo of his ancestors, Antonius Paulus Vittali and Gerarda Johanna Bakker. Interestingly, both of them are related to me, in different ways! Gerarda Johanna Bakker was a granddaughter of my 3rd great-grandparents Johannes Foppen and Johanna Jansen. Antonius Paulus Vittali descended from Paulus Pardoen and Johanna Pietersen, my 5th great-grandparents.

My lines to Paulus Pardoen and to Johannes Foppen are documented on the Pardoen ascendancy chart. Charlie documented the ancestry of Gerarda Johanna Bakker and Antonius Paulus Vittali on FamilyPedia.

Photo provided by Charlie. Used with permission. Files: Antonius Paulus Vittali, Gerarda Johanna Bakker.

Johann Peter Wiesenecker

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Last week I wrote about my ancestor Pieter Wiesenekker, a German who settled in Holland. I hypothesized that his parents could be Johann Peter Wiesenecker and Anna Christina Laun. According to Dutch records, the names of both this ancestor and his father are Pieter (or Peter). In the German records I looked at last week I found Johann Peter Wiesenecker, who baptized a son Johann Peter. Why would Johann Peter be known as Peter in Holland, and not as Johann (or his full name, Johann Peter)? Am I on the wrong track?

I went back to the indexes of German marriages and German baptisms to reconstruct Johann Peter's family.

Johann Peter Wiesenecker, son of Nicolas Wiesenecker, and Anna Christina Laun, daughter of Balthasar Laun, married on 17 January 1743 in Bauschheim, Hessen, Germany. They had at least four children: Johann Balthasar (1744), Johann Philipp (1747), Anna Barbara (1751), Johann Peter (1755).

Three sons, all three called Johann! I expect that at least two of them used their second given name. So Johann Peter probably used the name Peter, and it's quite possible that he ended up under the name Peter in Dutch records. So my first attempt to disprove my hypothesis failed.

Of course, I also checked if Johann Peter married in Germany, but I could not find his marriage record.

Files: Pieter Wiesenekker, Johann Peter Wiesenecker, Anna Christina Laun.

Peter Wiesenekker

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

My great-grandmother's maiden name is Wiesenekker. An uncommon name, and more likely a German name than a Dutch name. And indeed, I traced the Wiesenekker line back to 1791, when Pieter (or Peter) Wiesenekker, from Saxony in Germany, married Gerretje Ravenswaij in Huizen, province Noord-Holland.

I don't know much about P(i)eter and Gerretje. I know the names of their children - Marretje (born shortly before their wedding), Peter, Hendrik, Anna Christina, Klaas, another Klaas, and Jan. According to Pieter's death certificate, his parents were Pieter Wiesenekker and Anna, surname unknown. Looking at the names of the children, and keeping the Dutch naming patterns in mind, I would expect the names of Pieter's parents were Peter and Anna Christina, while Gerretje's parents were likely Hendrik and Marretje.

Pieter died on 20 December 1816, at the age of 61, according to his death certificate. If that is correct, Pieter was born in 1755 (or in the last ten days of 1754).

For years, this was all I knew, and Pieter was the end of the line (a brick wall, if you want), until maybe someday I would go to Germany for research.

I have not been to Germany for research yet, but nowadays we have the internet, and FamilySearch kindly put indexes to German baptisms online, last month. I searched the index for WIESENEKKER, and lo and behold! Several hits for this and similar names! No Peter and Anna, but this record looks promising:

Name: Johann Peter Wiesenecker
Gender: Male
Baptism/Christening Date: 13 Jul 1755
Baptism/Christening Place: Bauschheim, Hessen, Germany
Birth Date: 10 Jul 1755
Father's Name: Johann Peter Wiesenecker
Mother's Name: Anna Christina Laun
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C99692-1
System Origin: Germany-EASy
Source Film Number: 1346377
Reference Number: P.48b
Collection: Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898

Not Peter, but Johann Peter. Not Anna, but Anna Christina (as I expected).

Are these my ancestors? To be honest, I don't know. But at least I have a working hypothesis now to prove or disprove. Now I have to go back to Huizen, to look for clues. A record containing his birth or baptism date, for example.

Files: Pieter Wiesenekker, Gerritje Ravenswaij, Johann Peter Wiesenecker, Anna Christina Laun.

Birth certificate of Johanna Petronella Moerman

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

The tour of BMD records of my great-grandparents ends with the birth certificate of Johanna Petronella Moerman, number 15 in my ahnentafel:

On 12 May 1875 appeared for the registrar: Cornelia Visser, 43, midwife. She declared that on the 11th of same month, at 6 am, in a house on the Zonneblomsteeg street, a female child was born from Johanna Petronella Brandenburg, to whom she gave the names Johanna Petronella.

A note in the margin, added on 26 August 1876, states that the child was acknowledged and legitimated by Cornelis Jacobus Moerman and the mother at their wedding on 23 August 1876.

So my great-grandmother was born illegitimate, as Johanna Petronella Brandenburg. Over a year later her mother married and she was legitimated, and her name changed to Johanna Petronella Moerman. Was she really a daughter of C.J. Moerman? Legally, yes, but biologically? I don't know, and probably never will.

Files: Johanna Petronella Moerman, Johanna Petronella Brandenburg, Cornelis Jacobus Moerman.

Marriage certificate of Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens and Johanna Petronella Moerman

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Last week we looked at the birth certificate of Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens. Today we look at the marriage certificate of him and Johanna Petronella Moerman. Like the birth certificate, I found it on FamilySearch.org. Click to enlarge.

A summary:

On 28 October 1896 appeared for the registrar of Rotterdam: Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens, 24, warehouse assistant, born and living in Rotterdam, son of Petrus Johannes Coppens, petrol vendor, and Johanna Catharina de Bresser, both living in Rotterdam, and Johanna Petronella Moerman, 21, no occupation, born and living in Rotterdam, daughter of Cornelis Jacobus Moerman, dock labourer, living in Rotterdam, and Johanna Petronella Brandenburg, deceased. They presented copies of their birth certificates, a document from the county court concerning the father of the groom, and a copy of the death certificate of the mother of the groom. The father of the bride was present and consented in the marriage. The marriage took place in the presence of four witnesses.

Spouses under thirty need permission of their parents for their marriage. The bride's father was present and gave permission, and she presented proof her mother passed away. The parents of the groom, however, did not consent to this marriage. If a parent refused to consent, the spouse could ask a county court to intervene, and that is exactly what happened here.

My great-great-grandfather did not like the marriage of his son, probably for religious reasons. The Coppens family was catholic, and the Moerman family protestant. The couple decided to go ahead without consent, and went to court. This did, of course, put a strain on the relationship between Hendrikus Franciscus and his parents - a strain that remained to the end of their lives.

Files: Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens, Johanna Petronella Moerman, Petrus Johannes Coppens, Johanna Catharina de Bresser, Cornelis Jacobus Moerman, Johanna Petronella Brandenburg.

Birth certificate of Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

On 20 June 1872 appeared for the registrar of Rotterdam: Petrus Johannes Coppens, postman, 31, who lived at the address Zijl 14. He declared that on the 19th, 6 pm, in his house, from his wife Johanna Catharina de Bresser a baby boy was born that he gave the names Hendrikus Franciscus. Witnesses were Ludovicus Schikhof, postman, and Johannes Petrus de Bresser, 58, carpenter.

The birth certificate of my great-grandfather Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens, number 14 in my ahnentafel. The birth was registered by my great-great-grandfather, who brought a colleague and his father-in-law to witness the registration.

Files: Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens, Petrus Johannes Coppens, Johanna Catharina de Bresser, Johannes Petrus de Bresser.

Birth certificate of Catharina Johanna Maria Koopman

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

The birth certificate of my great-grandmother Catharina Johanna Maria Koopman, number 13 in my ahnentafel.

On 14 September 1886 appeared for the registrar of Utrecht: Pieter Johannes Koopman, sergeant-major, 42, who lives at Annastraat 33^a in Utrecht. He declared that on the 14th of this month, at 9 am, his spouse Catharina Johanna Maria Foppen gave birth, in his house, to a baby girl that would have the names Catharina Johanna Maria.

Witnesses were Egbertus Koerssen, sergeant major, 40, and Maarten Bijdevier, quartermaster-sergeant, 34.

My great-great-grandfather, a military man, brought two colleagues as witnesses. Witnesses in a birth certificate were witnesses of the registration, by the way, not of the birth.

This certificate gives the address my great-grandmother was born. I know where it is, but I have not been there yet. Soon, I promise!

Files: Catharina Johanna Maria Koopman, Pieter Johannes Koopman, Catharina Johanna Maria Foppen.

Death certificate of Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Last week we looked at the birth certificate of Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen, and today we continue with his death certificate.

On 22 July 1930 appeared for the registrar of Groesbeek: Dirk Marinus van Oort, sexton, 63, and Joost Roza, no occupation, 67, both from Groesbeek. They declared that on 21 July at 10:30 pm, in Groesbeek section A number 145, passed away Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen, 49, no occupation, born in Soest, spouse of Catharina Johanna Maria Koopman, son of Theodorus Johannes Gerardus Pardoen and Aaltje Sophia van der Hoogt.

Dutch death acts do not specify the cause of death, but my great-grandfather suffered from tuberculosis.

The certificate states he did not have an occupation. He was a soldier, but resigned for health reasons, not long before his death. So at the time of his death he was indeed without occupation.

I don't know the two gentlemen who came to the registrar to declare this death, or how they were related to the Pardoen family.

Files: Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen, Catharina Johanna Maria Koopman, Theodorus Johannes Gerardus Pardoen, Aaltje Sophia van der Hoogt.

Birth certificate of Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I found the birth certificate of my great-grandfather Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen (ahnentafel number 12) on FamilySearch.org. A summary:

On 22 January 1881, Theodorus Joannes Gerardus Pardoen, constable, from Soest, appeared for the registrar of Soest and declared that his wife Aaltje Sophia van der Hoogt gave birth to a baby boy, on 22 January at 4 am, to whom he gave the names Theodorus Johannes Adrianus.

The witnesses were officials who worked at the town hall, and (probably) not related. Constable Pardoen lived in Soest for only a short time. As far as I know he did not have any relatives in this town, and he probably did not stay long enough to make many friends.

Files: Theodorus Johannes Adrianus Pardoen, Theodorus Joannes Gerardus Pardoen, Aaltje Sophia van der Hoogt.

Birth certificate of Mietje Houthuijzen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Mietje Houthuijzen is my father's maternal grandmother - number 11 in my ahnentafel. Her birth certificate states that:

On 6 December 1888 appeared for the registrar of Hilversum: Rijk Houthuijzen, merchant, 57, from Hilversum. He declared that on 5 December, 7pm, in the house on the Eerste Oosterstraat street number 40, a female child was born from his spouse Aaltje Bollebakker, whose name was to be Mietje.

Witnesses: Maarten Grootveld, labourer, 35, and Ruth van Wulfen, farmer, 44. Signed by the registrar, my great-great-grandfather, and one of the witnesses. The other witness could not write.

Looking at the signatures, I have the impression that my great-great-grandfather Rijk Houthuijzen was not used to writing. Maybe he could not write anything except his name, maybe he could write a little, but no more.

Interestingly, Rijk wrote his name as r hout huis, rather than R. Houthuijzen. In 18th century records I often found the name Houthuis for this family, but the name was fixed at Houthuijzen since the introduction of the civil registry in 1811. But apparently the family still used the name Houthuis 77 years later.

Files: Mietje Houthuijzen, Rijk Houthuijzen, Aaltje Bollebakker.

Marriage certificate of Albert Melessen and Mietje Houthuijzen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Last week we looked at the birth certificate of Albert Melessen. Today I show you his marriage certificate. Like the birth certificate, I found it on the website Alle Groningers, the BMD database of the province Groningen.

A summary of the certificate:

Today, 25 September 1913, came to the registrar of Groningen to be united in matrimony: Albert Melessen, born in Lutjegast (municipality Grootegast), 27, furniture maker, now living in Amsterdam but recently in Hilversum, son of Jakob Melessen, 65, and of Attje Bansema, 61, living in Groningen, and Mietje Houthuijzen, born in Hilversum, 24, now living in Groningen but recently in Hilversum, daughter of Rijk Houthuijzen and Aaltje Bollebakker, both deceased. Parents of the groom are present and give their permission for this marriage.

Witnesses are Jan Lammert Melessen, 34, brother of the groom, and Jacob de Vries, 29, brother-in-law of the groom.

The certificate was signed by my great-grandparents Albert Melessen and Mietje Houthuijzen, my great-great-grandparents Jakob Melessen and Attje Bansema, and the witnesses. Note that the women sign with their maiden names, as was customary at the time.

Spouses under 30 needed parental permission for a marriage at the time. The groom's parents were present at the wedding, and gave their permission. The bride's parents passed away long before (when Mietje was only two years old), so obviously could not give their permission.

Files: Albert Melessen, Mietje Houthuijzen, Jakob Melessen, Attje Bansema, Rijk Houthuijzen, Aaltje Bollebakker.

Birth certificate of Albert Melessen

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

The BMD database of the province Groningen on the website Alle Groningers has the birth certificate of my great-grandfather, Albert Melessen.

According to this certificate, Albert was born on den vierentwintigsten der maand Januari dezes jaars, des avonds te acht uur (the 24th of the month January of this year [1886], in the evening at eight hours), in Lutjegast, municipality Grootegast, province Groningen. The parents were Jakob Melessen, farmer, and Attje Bansema, who live in Midwolde. The father was absent, and the registration was done by Jan Lammerts Bansema, 63, farmer. Jan declared that the birth took place in his house.

Jan Lammerts Bansema was Albert's maternal grandfather. Apparently Albert's mother, Attje Bansema, was staying with her parents when she gave birth to Albert. Albert's father was unable to do the registration because of he was absent - presumably home at his farm.

According to family lore, Albert was born in Lutjegast while his mother visited relatives (confirmed by this certificate), while his parents lived in Grootegast (not correct, they lived in the municipality Midwolde). Apparently, it always bothered Albert that he was born in Lutjegast as the people from the region looked down on Lutjegast. I don't know if there was any truth in that. Besides, he lived most of his adult life in Amsterdam, the capital, where most people had never heard of villages like Lutjegast, Grootegast or Midwolde (and probably looked down on all people from Groningen anyway).

Files: Albert Melessen, Jakob Melessen, Attje Bansema, Jan Lammerts Bansema.

Birth certificate of Geertje Wiesenekker

noreply@blogger.com (Henk van Kampen) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Geertje Wiesenekker is my great-grandmother, number 9 in my ahnentafel. Today we look at her birth certificate. A quick summary:

On 18 September 1879, the midwife Alida Jacoba van Dijk, age 25, from Huizen, appeared for the registrar of Huizen, to register the birth of a baby girl, who was born in her presence on the 17th at 6.30pm, in house number 135, at the Koedijk street. The mother was Willempje Prins, no occupation, from Huizen, spouse of Gijsbert Wiesenekker, ambulant fish vendor, also from Huizen, who could not do the registration in person due to absence. The child received the name Geertje.

Witnesses were Pieter Spilt, 27, carpenter, and Jan van der Hulst, butcher, 27, both from Huizen. The certificate was signed by the registrar, the midwife, and the witnesses.

Births had to be registered by the father. If he was unable to do so (as was the case here), then either the person in whose house the child was born, or someone present at birth could do the registration. When Geertje was born, her father was apparently absent. I don't know why, but, as he was an ambulant fish vendor, he probably sold his wares away from home (in Amsterdam, maybe). The birth was registered by the midwife, who stated she was present at the birth and thus qualified to handle the registration.

The two witnesses were probably asked by the midwife, and not related to the Wiesenekker family.

Files: Geertje Wiesenekker, Gijsbert Wiesenekker, Willempje Prins.