Vrouwtje (or Vrougje) Hilbert Hilberts – that’s quite the name my Great x4 Grandmother had!
“Vrouwtje” and “Vrougje” are diminuitives of “vrouw”, the Dutch word for “woman” or “wife”. Literally, it means “little woman” or “little wife”.
What appears to be a middle name, Hilbert, is a patronymic. In this case, Vrouwtje’s father was Hilbert Hilberts. It’s as if they could only afford one name. It’s also a little bit close to Humbert Humbert for my liking. Hilbert was an illegitimate child, born to Jannigje Jans, on a farm in Nieuwleusen, Overijssel. Sometime later in life Hilbert adopted a surname, Kuiper, which was recorded in the registration of his death.
(“Hilbert, illegitimate son of Jannigje Jans, born on the farm.”)
Vrouwtje was either born or baptized, or both, on May 18, 1788, in Zwartsluis, Overijssel. Vrouwtje was the youngest of four children born to Hilbert and Annegje Eilders Bosch (also recorded as Bos). The first born, Vrouwtje’s eldest brother, was also named Hilbert Hilberts. There was a whole lot of Hilbert going on.
I always take particular interest when one of my Dutch ancestors was not originally from Noord Holland. In many cases, I have no idea as to why my ancestor moved from one part of the Netherlands to Noord Holland, particularly when the distances involved seem significant from a Dutch point of view.
However, in this case, the reason for Vrouwtje’s move from Overijssel to Noord Holland seems to be more apparent. It was common for young Dutch women to work as domestic servants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and they often moved far afield to perform that work. At the time Vrouwtje married, she was working as a domestic servant in Heerhugowaard. It appears that she moved to Noord Holland on her own. Records show that Vrouwtje’s parents were living in Zwartsluis when they died. I note that one of Vrouwtje’s brothers was in Drenthe when he died, while her sister was in Amsterdam at the time of her death.
Vrouwtje married Nicolaas Cornelisz “Klaas” Komen in Heerhugowaard on December 15, 1811. Together Vrouwtje and Klaas had six children. Their eldest, my Great x3 Grandfather Cornelis, was born in nearby Zuid-Scharwoude. The rest of their children were born in Heerhugowaard. I haven’t yet learned why Cornelis was born in Zuid-Scharwoude and not Heerhugowaard.
Vrouwtje lived to be 64. She passed away on April 3, 1853. She was survived by Klaas and all of her children.
