Despite her surname, the background of my Great x4 Grandmother, Grietje Cornelis Poland, has nothing to do with the eastern European country on the other side of Germany. The surname began as “Poolland” and is a toponymic, having its origins in the description of marshy land. Grietje’s paternal grandfather’s surname was recorded as “Poolland” in the registration of his marriage to Grietje’s grandmother.
Grietje was born in Heerhugowaard, Noord Holland around April 1785, having been baptized on April 17, 1785 in Obdam, Noord Holland, just outside of Heerhugowaard. She was the second of nine children born to Cornelis Claas Poland and Bregje Janze Geldebos. Many of Grietje’s siblings – perhaps more than half – did not survive past early childhood.
After her birth, I know nothing about Grietje until she was 25, when she married Pieter Ariensz Mettes in Heerhugowaard on May 6, 1810. Together they had seven children, all born in either Hensbroek or Obdam, which are both less than two kilometers apart. All seven children survived to adulthood except the youngest, Cornelis, born in May 1823, who only lived 13 months.
Grietje passed away on August 20, 1823, at age 38, three months after giving birth to Cornelis. What seems, to me, to be unusual at the time for a married woman with children was that the registration of Grietje’s death included an occupation, “boerenbedrijf.” It seems an odd term to me, because it seems to describe the enterprise rather than the occupation, as it translates as “farming business,” rather than something like “farmer.” The death registration also seemed odd in that it never mentioned her spouse. Both of the declarants named in the registration were neighbours, not Grietje’s husband.
Interesting! So you know she was married but her husband wasn’t the notifier of her death. Also interesting is the “farming business” vs. “farmer”. Will researching the husband give you some clues?