Peter Limperts Derck Jansen van Galen (1746 – 1818)

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   1. His childhood

Peter Limperts Derck Jansen/Janszen/Janssen was christened on 28 August 1746 at Velp, Gelderland, Dutch Republic (now Netherlands). Peter was the fourth child of Derck Jansen (1716 – 1796) and Heiltjen Limper(t)s (1706 – 1797). He had two brothers and three sisters.1-3

In 1813, at the age of 67 years, Peter changed his surname from Jans(s)en to Jans(s)en van Galen.3

   2. His wife

2.1 Hendrica Kranenburg

Peter’s first marriage was on 13 June 1773 at Rozendaal (previously Rosendaal), Gelderland with Hendrica Kranenburg (≈25 April 1745, Rheden – 8 October 1788, Rozendaal). Together they had seven children. When Hendrica died, her youngest child was barely 18 months old.1

2.2 Gerritje Peters

Two years after his first wife’s death, Peter, then 44 years old, married a second time in ca 1790 at Rozendaal to the 37 year-old widow Gerritje Peters (née Gerritsen), the daughter of Peter Gerritsen and Megteld Jans(s)en.1 Peter and Gerritje (ca 1753, Rozendaal – 23 March 1820, Rozendaal) had two daughters and a son.1,4

   3. His career

Peter lived his whole life at Rozendaal where he also died. He was from the burgerlijke stand (working class) and like his father, was a carpenter. He later held the position of master carpenter.3

How his own life and that of his family, as well as his career was affected by the tumultuous political occurrences in his country is not known. By the 1780s the decline of the Dutch Republic as a world power was evident when the Dutch were forced to cede colonial territories to Britain after the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War of 1780 – 1784. Internal political tension between the revolutionaries called the Patriots (pro-French) and the royalists/Orangists (pro-British) also escalated into open and public, sometimes violent conflicts, so much so that Stadtholder William IV, Prince of Orange, sought the aid of Prussia in order to suppress the unrest. By 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte of France invaded and conquered the 200 year-old Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (or Dutch Republic) to establish the new Batavian Republic.5-7  Although it had a new revolutionary Dutch ministerial government, it was still controlled by the French. From 1799, Napoleon introduced greater elements of democracy and administrative reforms. The Napoleonic Kingdom of Holland (1806 – 1810) under direct leadership of the 28 year-old Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, followed. Fortunately Louis sought to serve the interests of the Dutch people, much to the dismay of Napoleon that he felt compelled to nullify the new Dutch Kingdom in 1810. The result? National Dutch identity disappeared when France annexed the Northern Netherlands and incorporated it directly into the French Empire until 1815. Again the Dutch were re-organised into new administrative departments, this time with French names such as Bouches-de-I’Yssel, Bouches-du-Rhin and Zury dezée. French-speaking Belgian Catholics were appointed in many high administrative posts in the northern Protestant Dutch-speaking regions. The successful Napoleonic Wars (1803 – 1815), however, eventually also led to Napoleon’s defeat by Britain and his abdication in 1815, as well as his second and final exile to the British island of St Helena until his death in 1821. Napoleon’s defeat resulted in the restoration of Dutch autonomous rule and the establishment of the independent United Kingdom of the Netherlands.6-13

   4. His death

The last 20 years of Peter’s life must have been unsettled and stressful to some extent, with little security regarding their future and the ongoing changes in administration of the Dutch people by France. Peter Jansen van Galen died at age 71 on 12 April 1818 at Rozendaal in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.1

Five years before his death, while the Netherlands where still annexed by the French Empire, Peter accepted a name-change (Dutch: naamsaanneming) from from JANS(S)EN to JANS(S)EN VAN GALEN. This occurred on 8 March 1813 at the Gemeente Velp and was done in the presence of all his living children namely Barend (38 yrs, residing at Velp), Derk Jan (37 yrs, residing at Hall), Hendrik Arens (32 yrs, residing at Rozendaal), Anneke (28 yrs, residing at Arnhem), Gerritje (26 yrs, residing at Arnhem), Johanna (21 yrs, residing at Den Haag), Henderica Hermina (17 yrs, residing at Arnhem) and Jan Willem (15 yrs, residing at Velp).3,4 

One wonders what Peter’s motivation was for pursuing the name-change. This act, however, ensured the hereditary preservation of the original Van Galen surname for generations to come.

   5. His children

In total, Peter had ten children who were all born at Rozendaal. Spelling variations of the children’s surname such as Jansen van Galen, Jansen van Gaalen or Janssen van Gaalen, have been noticed in archived records.

The children from his first marriage were:

5.1 Barend

Barend was christened on 11 December 1774. He married Fenneken Nijmans (ca 1783, Hummelo – 28 October 1858, Velp) at Velp on 8 May 1810 and together they had eight children who were all born at Velp. There were the twins Gerrit (28 July 1811 – ?) and Johanna (28 July 1811 – 28 May 1883), Petronella (14 June 1813 – 8 August 1841), Gerritje (*15 June 1815, who died five months later on 6 December 1815), Gerritje (1 December 1816 –  17 January 1887), Berend (7 December 1818 – 20 March 1892), Fenneke (7 August 1820 – 2 September 1893) and Gerrit (26 October 1823 – 23 April 1877). Barend Jansen van Galen died at the age of about 66 years on 9 April 1840 at Velp.1,3

5.2 Derk Jan

Derk was christened on 20 March 1775. He married Johanna van Wijk (5 September 1781 – 30 November 1857) on 8 June 1810 at Hall near Brummen, Gelderland, where Derk also died on 28 August 1831 at the age of 56 years. Derk and Johanna had six children: Hendrika (1811 – 12 March 1814), Peter Gerrit (ca 1813 – 23 February 1891), Hendrika (6 December 1815 – 12 April 1901), Gerritjen (1 February 1819 – 2 August 1902), Hendrik (26 September 1823 – 25 October 1826) and Bart (2 November 1827 – 11 May 1897).1,3

5.3 Hendrik

He was christened on 17 May 1778, but died before the age of two years.1

5.4 Hendrik Arends

Hendrik Arends Jansen van Galen (15 August 1780 – 9 April 1862, Rozendaal) married twice. His wed his first wife on 4 February 1813 at Arnhem. She was Gerritje Gerretsen Jeronimus (≈20 August 1783, Doetinchem – 19 March 1830, Rozendaal). He married again at Rheden on 29 October 1831 to Petronella Jansen (21 July 1803, Velp – 28 October 1844, Rozendaal). From the two marriages, Hendrik had ten children. They were Hendrika (1811 – 17 March 1812), Jan (1811 – 12 March 1812) – where these two twins? – Peter, (9 November 1813 – 15 April 1878), Jan (7 December 1815 – 4 February 1892), Hendrik(us) (14 June 1821 – 14 April 1863), Beerend (ca 1833 – 23 April 1901), Gerrit (13 November 1834 – ?), Everdina (23 April 1838 – 6 December 1838), Evert (9 December 1839 – 12 June 1840)  and a stillborn daughter on 19 February 1842.1,3

5.5 Gerrit

Their fifth child was christened on 13 July 1783 at Rozendaal. He presumably died young.1,3

5.6 Anneke

She was christened on 14 November 1784 and died after 1813. Nothing more is known about her life.1,3

5.7 Gerritje

Their daughter, Gerritje, was christened on 11 February 1787 and died after 1813.1,3

The children from his second marriage were:

5.8 Johanna

Johanna was born on 18 November 1791. She married Hendrik Sjamaar (≈22 October 1786 – 1 January 1861) on 22 March 1816 at ‘s-Gravenhage. The couple had seven children. Johanna died at the age of 70 years on 26 October 1861 at ‘s-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland.1,3

5.9 Hermina Hendrika

She was born on 18 December 1794 and christened on 4 January 1795. She married Johan Hermann Henrich Sandbrink (25 May 1778 – 20 October 1850). Two children have been recorded. The 73 year-old Hermina died at Rheden on 5 January 1867.1,3

5.10 Jan Willem

The youngest child of the family, Jan Willem (1797 – 1867)1,3 became my husband’s great-great-great-great-grandfather. READ MORE on Jan Jansen van Galen.

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  1. Parenteel van Derck Jansen (van Galen?). http://members.upc.nl/y.galen2/vgs/Ede/index.html#p23951
  2. Bessie-Liet, E.S. 2007 Kwartierstaat Derk Liet. https://www.genealogieonline.nl/kwartierstaat-derk-liet/I117.php
  3. Hendriks, G. Stambomen Kleinstarink, Hendriks, Hageman, Kant, Walraven, Van Hengel & Huijs. https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stambomen-kleinstarink-hendriks/I5302.php
  4. Marriage record of Jan Willem Jansen van Galen. Netherlands, Archival Indexes, Vital Records,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL55-X734 : 6 October 2017), Jan Willem Janssen van Gaalen and Maria Theodora van Zadelhoff, Marriage 10 Aug 1820, Rozendaal, Gelderland, Nederland; from database, openarchives (https://www.openarch.nl : 2016); citing Rozendaal, archive 0207, inventory number 3147, record number 5; Gelders Archief.
  5. William V, Prince of Orange. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_V,_Prince_of_Orange
  6. History of the Netherlands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Netherlands
  7. Dutch Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic
  8. Napoleon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon
  9. Napoleon Bonaparte. http://www.history.com/topics/napoleon
  10. Napoleon Bonaparte biography. http://www.biographyonline.net/military/napoleon.html
  11. Batavian Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavian_Republic
  12. Kingdom of Holland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Holland
  13. Kingdom of Holland and its departments. https://nintenpug.deviantart.com/art/Kingdom-of-Holland-503376516

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