bevolkingsregister – A Deck of Ancestors

52W Mark IV – Week 26: Card K13 Elisabeth de Waard

Elisabeth “Lisabeth” de Waard (1824-1887)

Halfway through the 2025 52 Ancestors Challenge brings us to the last card on my paternal line. Last but not least, meet Lisabeth de Waard, my Gx3 grandmother.

Elisabeth de Waard was born on February 18, 1824 in Oudeschild, a village on the island of Texel, the largest of the Wadden Sea Islands off the north shore of the Netherlands. It is the only settlement on the island located on the coast. While there is now a ferry dock on the southernmost point of the island, Oudeschild was the only port on Texel in Elisabeth’s time.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that her paternal grandfather, husband, and at least three of her brothers were sailors. Despite the seafaring lives of many of her relatives, Elisabeth’s father, Jan Teunisz de Waard, was a labourer at the time she was born. Jan became a shopkeeper shortly afterwards and remained in that profession until he died in 1863 at age 76.

Elisabeth’s mother was Cornelia Pieters Kooij. Jan and Cornelia’s marriage intrigues me, because Jan was Protestant and Cornelia was Roman Catholic. Jan was the first direct ancestor I found on my paternal line who was not Catholic. They married at the Catholic church on Texel.

Up until the mid to late 20^th Century, Protestants and Catholics in the Netherlands kept well apart. Each had their own schools, newspapers, sports clubs, political parties, and social organizations. Intermarriage between the two groups was not common or as widely accepted as it is now. The 1830 census shows that their eldest child, Teunis, was a Protestant like his father, but the rest of their eight children, were Catholic like their mother.

One might think that my great grandmother’s name was Elisabeth and Lisabeth was her nickname. However, as can be seen above, her father named her as “Lisabeth” when he registered her birth. The only place I have found her name recorded as Elisabeth was in the Bevolkingsregisters (population registers). Moreover, the 1840 census listed her as Betje, another common Dutch nickname for Elisabeth.

One of the many population registers showing my great grandmother as “Elisabeth”. Cornelis and Elisabeth’s names are crossed out because they moved to a different house. In fact, they moved around Den Helder a lot!

The census records also show that Lisabeth lived in Oudeschild at least into her late teens. In fact, the registration of her marriage to Cornelis Ran shows that she was still resident on Texel when they married on February 6, 1851 in Den Helder, where Cornelis was an apprentice harbour pilot. While it appears that Cornelis had lived on the mainland for many years by the time they married, he had deep roots in Oudeschild. It is likely that Jan and Lisabeth came together through familial connections.

Lisabeth and Cornelis settled into life in Den Helder, where they had seven children – five girls and two boys. The boys, who were the youngest, were also drawn to naval life, although as members of the navy.

The couple spent the rest of their lives in the port city. Lisabeth passed away in Den Helder on July 18, 1887, at the age of 63. She was buried in Huisduinen, a village outside of Den Helder, four days later. Cornelis lived another ten years.

*Weekblad van Den Helder en het Nieuwediep*, 10 February 1851, page 3
Civil Register. Deceased: Lisabeth de Waard, wife of Cornelis Ran, age 63.

Two suits down, two to go!

52W Mark IV – Week 22: Card K9 Neeltje Smit

Neeltje Smit, my Gx3 Grandmother born on June 10, 1816, is one of my longest-lived ancestors. Her life spanned nearly ninety years, from the end of the Napoleonic era into the 20th century. Her life began in Heerhugowaard, Noord Holland, where she was born. She was the third of nine children born to Jan Smit and Leentje van Dam.

Portion of Neeltje’s birth registration.

I have little information about Neeltje’s childhood or early adulthood. She was still living in Heerhugowaard at age 26, when she married her first husband, Cornelis Woltering, on May 8, 1842. Cornelis, born in Akersloot in 1815, was then a carpenter’s apprentice, just starting his trade. After they were married, Neeltje and Cornelis settled in Zuid-Scharwoude, Noord Holland. Neeltje would spend almost the rest of her life living there.

Cornelis and Neeltje’s marriage registration.

The couple had six children. Their first child, Leentje, was born in 1843 and would marry and move to Den Helder, and then later to Nijmegen. Their second child, Jan, born in 1846, died in infancy. Another son, also named Jan, was born in 1848 and lived to age 71, working as a tailor. He never married. Willem (1850–1851) and Teetje (1855–1860) also died young. Their daughter Antje – my Gx2 Grandmother – was born in 1853 and would later marry Nicolaas Komen in 1878.

Cornelis Woltering passed away in Zuid-Scharwoude in December 1862, leaving Neeltje a widow at just 46 years old. Her youngest child, Antje, was only nine years old. In the population register for the year Neeltje was widowed, she was quaintly described as a “landsraamster”; literally, a “country widow”.

Bevolkingsregister (Population Register) for Zuid-Scharwoude 1860-1870 showing Neeltje as a “landsraamster”

Two years after Cornelis died, on January 29, 1865, Neeltje remarried. Her second husband was Cornelis Oudhuis, a labourer born around 1817 in Zuid-Scharwoude. He himself was a widower. Cornelis had lived in Warmenhuizen prior to his marriage to Neeltje. The two spent over three decades together before Cornelis died in 1897 at age 80.

Neeltje and Cornelis Oudhuis’s marriage registration.

After her second husband’s death, Neeltje continued to live in Zuid-Scharwoude for several more years, remaining in the village where she had spent much of her life. In April 1903, in her late 80s, Neeltje moved a short distance to Noord-Scharwoude, another of the component parts of Langedijk. There she lived with her daughter Antje and son-in-law Klaas Komen.

Neeltje Smit died in Noord-Scharwoude on January 22, 1906, at the age of 89. She had outlived two husbands and several of her children, living the entirety of her long life within a few kilometers of where she had been born.

*Schager Courant*, February 15, 1906, page 3
“Neeltje Smit, widow of Cornelis Oudhuis, previously widow of Cornelis Woltering, age 89.”

52W Mark IV – Week 14: Card K1 Adrianus Komen and Elizabeth Bakker

Adrianus Komen (1888 – 1948)
Elizabeth Bakker (1888 – 1976)

It’s the second fiscal quarter of 2025 and time to start the second suit of my Deck of Ancestors. This suit involves my father’s maternal line, starting with his grandparents, Adrianus (“Arie”) Komen (1888 – 1948) and Elizabeth Bakker (1888 – 1976). They were born only a few months apart; Arie was born on May 11 and Elizabeth was born on September 12. They were both 32 when they married and spent 27 wedded years together, but Elizabeth spent more years than that as a widow.

Arie was born in Zuid-Scharwoude, Noord Holland, while Elizabeth was born in Den Helder. I have no idea how they met, as their home towns are 30 kilometers apart – a significant distance at the time. (Heck, it still is for a lot of my Dutch relatives!) Arie spent almost his entire life in Zuid- and Noord-Scharwoude (both part of what was then gemeente Langedijk). In her 20s, Elizabeth worked as a domestic servant. She spent some time in that job in Amsterdam, but from 1918 to when she married in 1921, Elizabeth worked in Den Helder.

First part of the registration of Arie and Elizabeth’s marriage.

It might be that they met during Arie’s military service. The Netherlands used to have mandatory military service. In practice, most conscripts never really served in active duty; rather, it was more like a reserve militia or national guard. In fact, Arie spent his whole life as an agricultural worker.

Arie initially sought an exemption from service due to poor eyesight. On December 24, 1907, the military deemed him fit for service. Arie was assigned to the 4e Regiment Vesting-Artillerie (4th Regiment Fortress Artillery) based out of Den Helder. Like many conscripts, Arie was never in active service, but likely had to report in or attend training from time to time. Perhaps he met Elizabeth during one of those times.

Arie and Elizabeth married on April 7, 1921 in Noord-Scharwoude. (This coming Monday will be their 104th wedding anniversary!) They had seven children together, with my grandmother being the eldest – or so I thought. I was surprised to discover through WieWasWie that Arie and Elizabeth had a daughter one year after they were married, who did not live the day. I doubt my grandmother even knew.

For the first seven years of their marriage, Arie and Elizabeth lived on Dorpstraat in Zuid-Scharwoude. The history of their house is documented in a October 2004 article in Van Otterplaat tot Groenveldsweid (now Otterplaat) magazine:

…the newly married couple Adrianus (Arie) Komen and Elisabeth Bakker moved there, on June 10, 1921 to be precise. Three of their children were born here. The house passed into the hands of Maarten Verweel Voorn in 1928, who lived in the neighboring house (now number 451).

The house on Dorpstraat where Arie and Elizabeth lived, and where my paternal grandmother Christina Komen was born. I saw this house during my first visit to the Netherlands.

They then moved to Pikstraat (now Werfstraat), where they lived together for the next 20 years. Arie died on January 14, 1948. Arie was only 59 years old when he passed away. My father was only a few months old at the time, so he has no recollection of his grandfather. I don’t recall my grandmother ever speaking about her father, but she rarely spoke about the past. To be fair, I never asked her about him, either.

Arie was buried in the parish churchyard of St. Jan de Doper Katholieke Kerk (St. John the Baptist Catholic Church) in Noord-Scharwoude. I’ve been to that cemetery, but his grave is no longer there. Graves in the Netherlands are usually leased, not purchased, and are routinely cleared after a few decades.

Elizabeth remained at the house on Pikstraat and she lived there the rest of her life. She died exactly 28 years after Arie, on January 14, 1976. Her remains were cremated. I don’t know if they were ever interred.

Unlike his grandfather, my father knew his grandmother well. In August 2017, my father and I walked to where his grandmother lived on Werfstraat. My dad told me that when he was a child, the street was a path alongside a canal. It is now a fully-paved street, which might be the reason for the name change from Pikstraat to Werfstraat.

*My father walking in front of his grandparent’s house on Werfstraat in Noord-Scharwoude.*

Elizabeth died when I was in elementary school. While I never met her, Oma Komen was well known to me. She regularly sent us letters, postcards, and – most significantly to us as children – boxes of goodies in time for Sinterklaas. However, at the time, I really didn’t know anything about Sinterklaas. I just thought they were really early Christmas treats.

^{Speculaas, stroopwafels, and chocoladeletters – just some of the treats that Oma Komen would send to us for Sinterklaas!}

Supplemental (April 6, 2025): Isn’t this always the case – within a day of hitting publish (late, as usual!), I found interesting new information.

I discovered that Arie spent some or most of 1918 in Heerlen, Limburg. It is almost as far as you can get from Langedijk (Noordscharwoude and Zuidscharwoude) and still remain in the Netherlands. They are pretty much opposite corners of the country.

The dates during which Arie was in Heerlen are unclear from the Bevolkingsregister (population register). It has has him returning from Heerlen (May 10, 1918) before he departs for Heerlen (August 29, 1918). The record of his return was entered on the register on December 10, 1918. It would make more sense that this was also the date he returned from Heerlen.

It is not clear why Arie went to Heelen. His younger brother, Jacob, spent his later years in Limburg and died in Heerlen in 1938. However, it appears that during the time Arie was in Heerlen, Jacob was in Wijchen, Gelderland, which is significantly further north than Heerlen. However, it may be that by 1918 Jacob was in Limburg. Unfortunately, the relevant population registers aren’t available online. As much as I’d love a trip to the Netherlands, that is not happening anytime soon!

52W Mark IV – Week 13: Card V13 Trijntje Jans(en)

With Week 13, we have reached the last card of the first suit of this year’s deck of ancestors! I am really enjoying the different approach I have taken with the 52 Ancestors Challenge this year. I thought it might be less work, but as I worked through each card, I realized that my research hadn’t been as thorough or complete as I thought it had been. So I’ve spent much more time researching than writing as part of this year’s challenge. In essence, it has turned into Yvette Hoitink‘s Level-Up Challenge!

My Gx3 Grandmother, Trijntje Jans, is featured in this final card. For decades, I’ve had her entered in my database as “Trijntje Jansen”, with “Jans” as an alternate surname. However, quite recently, I’ve reversed things, and now have “Jans” as Trijntje’s surname with “Jansen” as an alternative.

As anyone who has done genealogy for enough time knows, a fixed consistent spelling of names is a relatively recent thing, so the fluidity of Trijntje’s surname is not surprising.

I first used “Jansen” because it was how I first encountered Trijntje. In the marriage registration for Ariaantje Bleeker, my Gx2 Grandmother and Trijntje’s daughter, Trijntje’s surname was recorded as “Jansen”. It was also entered as “Jansen” in the marriage registration of Ariaantje’s younger sister, Aagje Bleeker.

However, in records specifically about Trijntje herself, her surname was recorded as “Jans”. Most significantly, the name entered in the registration of her birth was “Jans”. Trijntje’s marriage and death registrations also named her as “Jans”. To me, that’s a compelling reason to use “Jans” as her “actual” surname and “Jansen” as the alternate.

So what do all these records tell us?

Trijntje was born on January 4, 1830 in Oude Niedorp, Noord Holland. She was the first of 13 children born to Cornelis Janz Jans(en) and Ariaantje Noordstrand. Fewer than half the children survived infancy or childhood.

Oddly enough, the youngest of the 13 children was also named Trijntje. The elder Trijntje was 19 years old when her younger namesake was born and was likely still living at home. There are many reasons why parents would give two or more of their children the same name, but I cannot think of any that would have applied in this case.

Trijntje married Jacob Bleeker on May 12, 1855 in Oude Niedorp. Together they had four children. Sometime between the birth of their second and third children (1859 to 1865), Trijntje and Jacob moved to Harenkarspel, Noord Holland. Harenkarspel is about 10 kilometers west of Oude Niedorp. That strikes me as a huge move, given that even today that seems to be a long distance for some of my relatives who live in Noord Holland. I don’t know why they moved. It’s possible there was significant event in their lives, which might go to the five and a half year age gap between their second child, Cornelis, and third child, Adriana (my Gx2 Grandmother).

Jacob died in 1890, when Trijntje was 60 years old. However, she did not remain in Harenkarspel after he died. According to her death registration, Trijntje died in Medemblik, Noord Holland, on November 8, 1915. I do not know when or why she moved to Medemblik, which is on the coast of the Zuiderzee (“South Sea”), a saltwater bay. With the completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, the Zuiderzee became a freshwater lake, the IJsselmeer.

This was also a significant move, because Medemblik is almost 30 kilometers east of Harenkarspel and 10 kilometers east of Oude Niedorp. I don’t know of any contemporaneous family who lived in Medemblik at the time that might explain why Trijntje moved there. I will have to check the bevolkingsregisters (population registers) and Trijntje’s FAN club (“Friends, Associates, and Neighbours”) to see if I can solve this mystery.

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