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All are descendants of Jan Jansz Gestman and Anna Aarts van den Berg, who married in Purmerend (The Netherlands), the 9th of april 1724. The name Gesman is used by the descendants who settled in the region of Aarlanderveen. The rest stuck to the name Gestman. There have been other Gesman-families (one around Rotterdam in the early 19th century), which is not related to this family and seems to have disappeared. In 1724 and 1726 there are two Gesmans-marriages in Amsterdam by two sisters, coming from Vorden at the other side of the Netherlands, not far from the German border. The name Gastman exists, as well as Geestman, Geisman, Gasman and Gosman.
Jan Jansz Gestman's most likely parents are Jan Jansz Wagemaker and Trijn Pieters, married in Purmerend the 8th of april 1691. He came from Beemster, after having lost a wife. She had not been married before and she came from Neck. In case this assumption is true, then Jan Jansz Gestman was born 13th-dec-1696, the second known child, after another Jan was born 4th-august-1695 and died presumably at a very young age. A third child would follow, Geertje, who married 23th-april-1724 in Purmerend Andries Klaasz, who came from Schagen. In feb. 1727 Andries Klaasz and Jan Gestman are confirmed (Belijdenis) in the Church of Purmerend, both living on the Neckerdijk. Geertje follows a few years later (27-nov-1729), also living on the Nekkerdijk, where she was born. The number of years corresponds to the difference in age between Jan Jans Gestman and Geertje. Another link between Jan Jansz Gestman, Geertje, their father and Andries Klaasz can be found in the Orphanagebook of Purmerend: 2 july 1735, a child Claas, 5 1/2 years old, the parents: Andries Claasz Wagemaker and Grietje Jans. One can expect Andries Claasz to have continued his father-in-law's work: cart-making = wagemaker and to have taken his name, which expresses a vocation. This is not unusual at that place and at a time when family-names were flexible and very often related to the work one did. Jan Jansz Gestman may have found another occupation, maybe one in which yeast is involved, since Gest = yeast.
But for the name Gestman exist more possible explanations:
- A family Cheesman lived in Beemster about half a century after Jan Jansz Gestman is mentioned first in 1724.
- There is a very small chance that Reyer van Gesten is Jan Jansz Gestman's stephfather should Jan Jansz. Gestman be Jan Busius' son instead of Jan Jansz Wagemakers'. After Jan Busius died, his wife remarried Reyer van Gesten. So Jan Jansz Gestman could have received his patronyme Jansz from his natural father and the name Gestman, by modifying his stephfathers name.
I don't believe in it, since the relation between Jan Jansz Wagemaker, Jan Jansz Gestman, his sister Geertje and Andries Klaasz (Wagemaker) is very strong. There is yet another point which emphasizes the link beetween Jan Jansz. Gestman and the assumed parents Jan Jansz Wagemaker/ Trijn Pieters. If we look at Jan Jansz. Gestman's children, we see:
- 1724 Trijntje, named after the father's mother, Trijn Pieters.
- 1726 Jan, named after the father's father.
- 1728 A twin, Celijtje and Marijtje, named after two nieces of Trijn Pieters, who differed just two months in age, of whom no marriage is known, and perhaps lived like a twin.
- 1732 Aart, named after the mother's father.
It may be a coincidence that Jan Jansz Wagemaker married on the 8th of april and his presumed son Jan Jansz Gestman married on the 9th of april. Since everyone married on a sunday, one could say that father and son married on the same day. Two weeks later than the only son he has, on 23th-april-1724 his only daughter, Grietje Jans, marries Andries Klaasz.
Trijn Pieters' parents were presumably Pieter Mensz and Neeltje Ruts, who got the following children:
- 1658 Maritjen
- 1659 Leentje
- 1661 Trijn
- 1662 Ruth
- 1663 Aeltje
- 1665 A child to whom no name is given
Maritjen will mary Jan Jansz Dobber and give birth to at least four children, of which three were born in Neck. Little or nothing is known of Leentje. Trijn will marry Jan Jansz Wagemaker. Little is known of Ruth, except for the assumption that he will be named after his mother's father. Aeltje will marry Maarten Claasz Vink. They get a daughter Sytje, born in Neck, who will give her name to one of her twin nieces. One has to be careful as another Aeltje Pieters married Willem Heyndriksz Brouwer. But although they came from Purmerend, they didn't come from Neck or the nearby Wijde Wormer as Aeltje Pieters and Maarten Claasz Vink did. The unknown child may have been Rein Pieters, who married Trijn Jacobs. They got four children, three of them born in Neck, of which Maritje probably gave her name to one of her twin nieces.
At her wedding, Anna Aarts van den Berg was mentioned to stem from Haarlem. Her parents are even harder to retrace since she seems to have lost her parents being a very young child. The intake-book of the Haarlem Civil Orphanage (Innameboek van het Burgerweeshuis) inv. 151.2 folio 146:
Op 24-12-1703 ingenomen: ANNETIE ARENTZ ALEWIJN, 8 1/2 jaar oud, nagelaten kind van Arent Alewijn en Jannetje Sijmons. Zij is in het huis gekomen op ordonnatie van de heren burgemeesteren. Van vaderszijde zijn geen familie of vrienden bekend, van moederszijde evenmin. Transl: Taken in, the 24-12-1703: ANNETIE ARENTZ ALEWIJN, 8 1/2 years old, orphanchild of Arent Alewijn and Jannetje Sijmons. She entered the house on the lord mayors' ordonnation. No family or friends of the father are known, nor from her mother's side.
On may 5th 1721 Antie Alewijn leaves the Orphanage with her trousseau (uitzet). A few weeks earlier, April 11th 1721 she had been confirmed. Belijdenis op de Eentjespoort of Leydse Waterpoort, getuige Aaltje Simons. She thus didn't have the same religion as her presumed parents. This is possible since she enterred the orphanage at the age of 8 1/2 years. Note the witness at her confirmation, Aaltje Simons. Her presumed mother's name was Jannigje Symons, so Anna may have had an aunt after all. It is not known why Anna Aarts van den Berg used the familyname van den Berg, since her presumed father didn't. Nor did any other person related to her, who used patronymes instead.
The 18th-aug-1685 Arie Alewijns, young man from Haarlem, marries Jannigje Symons, young daughter from Amsterdam. Two children are known, baptized in the Roman Catholic St-Bavo:
Unfortunately no Annetie who should have been born in 1695.