Ancestory

Since 2005 or so, I've been compiling my ancestory using Aldfaer, which is one of the many genealogical database applications currently available. Aldfaer, however, is entirely free and has a quality that is uncommon both for noncommercial and commercial software.

The genealogical data largely originates from online sources, such as genealogical databases and historical archives.

Both the De Bruijn as well as the Vitalis families are intricately linked with the former Dutch East Indies. Initially starting with the paper records that I had available within the family, and currently using the Internet, I've found more than 1700 individuals, tracing back to the year 495. Based on the database, I generated a cross-linked name list and a few graphical family trees showing the parenteel (pedigree) of some major ancestors in addition to my own kwartierstaat (ancestory).

Note that for privacy reasons, virtually all still-living individuals have been omitted in the online data. (Use [Crtl]+[–] or [Crtl]+[=] to change the magnification; use [Crtl]+[0] to restore the default magnification).

• • Ancestory of Frederik Jan (Frits) de Bruijn (1966), currently spanning 48 generations.

  • Browse the cross-linked name list, which currently holds about 1700 entries.

  • Pedigree of Hermanus de Bruijn (1744-1798), ancestor of my father's father Boy de Bruijn.

  • Pedigree of Louis Vitalis (1790-1874), ancestor of my mother's father François Vitalis.

  • Pedigree of Johann Martijn Schäffer (1744-1787), ancestor of my father's mother Anna Katharina Scheffer.

  • Pedigree of Roloff Lambertsz. Eeckholt (±1550-1611), ancestor of my mother's mother Marie Eekhout.

  • Pedigree of Pierre Hamar de la Brethonière (1752-1821), ancestor of my grandfathers (François Vitalis) mother Maria Christine Hamar de la Brethonière.

My family-name giver Hermanus de Bruijn (1744-1798) probably heads the "most Dutch" branch in my family, with the roots primarily located in the center of the country (Tiel, Vreeswijk, Utrecht).

Louis Vitalis (1790-1874) was the first ever Inspecteur der Cultures (Agricultural Inspector) for the Dutch East Indies, appointed by the Dutch Government. Born a Frenchman, he served in the French army until Napoleon's defeat in 1815. He moved to the island of Java and eventually became a Dutch citizen in 1850. His critical attitude towards the abuse of the local people and towards the corruption was not received well by the Dutch government at the time. He openly shared his criticism in a number publications that were issued between 1850 and 1862.

The family name of German born Johann Martijn Schäffer (1744-1787), literally meaning shepherd or herdsman, changed to Scheffer within a generation. Martijn Schäffer worked for the Dutch East-Indian armyat the west coast of Sumatra. Although starting in the Dutch East Indies, the Scheffer family subsequently settled in and around Amsterdam for a while, before returning to The East.

Roloff Lambertz. Eeckholt (±1550-1611) originates from the area of Kampen. The name Eeckholt over time changed into Eeckhout and Eekhout, literally meaning oakwood or oak forest. His offspring has lived and worked in Kampen for at least six generations. Going back to generation XV, the occurence of the name Horen van Montmorency (#29067) means a certain link to Charles the Great (Charlemagne) (742-814) and to early medieval European royalty; the reported connection seems to make most sense given the sparse information I've been able to collect. My great-grandmother Perkis (1860-1921) was known to be of the Kraton (royal court) of Surakarta; a link to Susuhunan (King) Pakubuwono IX (1830-1893) is the most likely but needs verification.

Pierre Hamar de la Brethonière (1752-1821), again born a Frenchman, was the father of at least six children, of which Carolus and Pierre Jr. became two well known founders of a highly successful coffee empire in Assinan, now Salatiga, on the island of Java. In addition to producing coffee, the Koffiekoningen van Salatiga (Coffee Kings of Salatiga) also were responsible for an enormous human offspring, which I tried to render on the basis of the fragmented and often contradictory information I was able to collect so far.

Johannes Diederik van Leeuwen (1737-1817) was the son and grandson of a mayor of the town Tiel. He was a unitarian politician when Republic of the Netherlands was under French control, prior to becoming the current monarchy, the so-called Batavian Republic.