Before my 3x great-grandparents Boudewijn and Johanna Remynse DeKorn immigrated to the United States, they had three children, Geertruit (1848), Dirk or Richard (1851), and Maria or Mary (1855). Then a fourth child, Adriana (Jennie), was born in 1859 in the United States (Ottawa, Michigan).
Sadly, little Geertruit passed away before she was nine months old–and before the other children were born.
Artist: Hendrik Valkenburg 1826-1896
This is the record of her death–second entry on the left side.
TRANSCRIPTION, thanks to a kind Facebook group member
Soort akte: Overlijdensakte Death Record
Aktenummer: 15 record number
Aktedatum:1849 year
Gemeente: Kapelle city
Overlijdensdatum: 6-5-1849 death date May 6 1849
Overlijdensplaats: Kapelle death place
Overledene: Geertruit de Korne person who died
Geboorteplaats: Kapelle birth place
Geslacht: Vrouwelijk gender female
Leeftijd: 8 maanden age 8 month
Vader: Boudewijn de Korne father
Leeftijd: 32 age
Beroep: Arbeider Job
Moeder: Janna Remijnsen mother
Toegangsnummer: 25 Burgerlijke Stand Zeeland (1796) 1811-1980, (1796) 1811-1980
Inventarisnummer: KAP-O-1849
TRANSLATION, thanks to Google:
Type of certificate: death certificate Death Record
Act number: 15 record number
Action date: 1849 year
Municipality: Kapelle city
Date of death: 6-5-1849 death date May 6 1849
Death place: Kapelle death place
The deceased: Geertruit de Korne person who died
Place of birth: Kapelle birth place
Gender: Female gender female
Age: 8 months age 8 month
Father: Boudewijn de Korne father
Age: 32 age
Occupation: Worker Job
Mother: Janna Remijnsen mother
Access number: 25 Civil Registry Zeeland (1796) 1811-1980, (1796) 1811-1980
Inventory number: KAP-O-1849
As with most of the European records of this time period, there is no mention of the cause of death. It’s perhaps particularly sad that the first child that my great-great-great grandparents had passed away. They wouldn’t have known that they would have three healthy children who would live long lives and have their own children.
RIP, little Geertruit
Geertruit’s family (missing her photo and that of her mother)
This will be my last post until September. I am taking off the month of August. I hope to catch up a little on my research (and my sleep). See you in a month!
It is always heartbreaking to lose a child, but I think you are right; to lose the first-born before other children come along must feel devastating. Enjoy your break 😀
It seems as if it would always be a sadness when their other children were born, but at the time of the child’s death when there were no other children, yes, devastation. Thanks, Su!
Poor baby. 😦
Have a great month! I will be starting up again in August, so I guess I will see you in September!
I plan to still read blogs occasionally (yours is one of the ones I will watch for particularly), but just don’t plan to post anything until September.
I am doing the same these two weeks. Not writing, but reading the blogs I most care about (including yours, of course).
That’s our “vacation” haha!
A poignant post. Enjoy your break, Luanne
Thanks, Derrick. I’ll still be around, but just not posting any genealogy posts.
Yes, it would be heartbreaking to lose a child.Also, the Hendrik Valkenburg’s painting was a lovely addition to your post. Best wishes for lots of rest and lots of successful research. (Wait! Isn’t that an oxymoron?!?) :o)
I found that painting online and thought how perfect it was to show the mother and child before the child’s illness.
Haha, yes, that is definitely an impossibility–rest AND research. Thanks for catching that!
Losing a child is so devastating whether in the 1800’s or now. Wonderful post despite the content. Beautiful picture by Valkenburg. Love the added slide show, that was a treat. Isn’t google translate great? Enjoy your respite. I’ll be anxiously awaiting your posts in Sept.
I was thinking how easy it is to not stop and imagine how they must have felt since it seems so long ago (almost 170 years ago). But I think it’s important to give them that respect and adds so much insight into thinking what they went through.
Google translate is the best! And I love that painting, too.
I’ll be watching for your posts in the meantime, Sharon.
💜 all life is precious, nice meet ‘lil Geertruit.
Enjoy your pause!
It sure is! Thanks so much, Valarie!
It is so VERY difficult to lose a child. My heart aches for them, even across so many years and so many miles.
I’m not denigrating their grief in any way, but when you consider about a third of the children at that time would have died before their first birthday, and half never made it to five, they would have been heartbroken, but not exactly surprised. Nobody really expected to raise all of their children to adulthood. When my grandparents got married in 1916, their first purchase – before they bought a house! – was a cemetery plot. My mum was born in 1921 and managed to survive whooping cough, diphtheria, and scarlet fever – all before antibiotics.
Yes, I understand. It was such a big part of life before antibiotics. We are so blessed to live in this era! One of the biggest surprises for me early on in doing genealogical research was finding all those “hidden” babies–the ones that died by age five. Some families had so many that died. And they used the same names over and over again.
One of my ancestors used the same name THREE times – Karoline, Carolina, and Caroline – before the last daughter managed to survive. The idea that you never name a child after a living person was that when the Angel of Death came, they might take the wrong person.
What I have seen with the Dutch is that they tend to name after grandparents, living or not. Catholic Germans use the same names for siblings but put the three or four names in a different order. Jews usually name after a deceased relative, probably for the reason you mention. That’s unusual, I think, to keep changing the spelling!
Have a wonderful blogcation! I’ll be looking forward to your return in September.
Thank you, Sheryl!