Hi everyone,

I've been piecing together the Spaarnwoude tuinder families and have an interesting theory I'd like to run by the group. This is purely speculative—no smoking-gun baptism or marriage record yet—but the patronymics, ages, and shared location make it worth considering. Happy to be corrected or pointed to better evidence!

Theory: Balichgen Siericxdochter (married Engel Coenen on 11 January 1639 in Spaarndam; scan 28 - left side: https://hdl.handle.net/21.12102/4F8134F3086147B9959F79F249F49D16) could be the daughter of Sierick Wollebrantsz (born ca. 1568) and thus granddaughter of Wollebrant Ziericxs (born ca. 1532).

Supporting clues from the records:

Balichgen's patronymic is Siericxdochter = "daughter of Sierick."  

Sierick Wollebrantsz is a buurman in Spaarnwoude in 1625, age ~57 (Noord-Hollands Archief, toegang 1617, inv.nr. 125, scan 171, fol. 180v, akte 16 april 1625 – testifies on Velserdijk flooding damage).  

Wollebrant Ziericxs (likely father of Sierick) appears in 1601 as brother-in-law of Coen Claesz (married Imme Coenen), possessing goods and satisfying heirs (inv.nr. 71, scan 6, fol. 2v, 23 januari 1601). In 1612 he's ~80, testifying on Spaarnwoude church bells (inv.nr. 83, scan 116, 23 juli 1612).

Estimated birth dates:  

Wollebrant Ziericxs: ca. 1532 (1612 – 80).  
Sierick Wollebrantsz: ca. 1568 (1625 – 57).  
Balichgen Siericxdochter: ca. 1615–1620 (married ca. 1639 at ~19–24; Sierick would be ~47–52 at Balichgen's birth—late but possible in tuinder families - large brood?).

Bonus question:

Could Engel Coenen and Balichgen be cousins?  Engel (born ca. 1610) is grandson of Coen Claesz (via Coen Engelsz and Trijn Cornelisdr Schoon).
 
If Balichgen is granddaughter of Wollebrant Ziericxs (married Imme Coenen, daughter of Coen Claesz), she would be great-granddaughter of Coen Claesz. 

That makes them second cousins once removed—distant enough that cousin marriage was legally and socially acceptable in 17th-century Reformed Noord-Holland (first cousins forbidden, but second cousins and beyond were common for land/property ties in small polder communities).

Relevant records for reference (all from Noord-Hollands Archief, toegang 1617 unless noted):

Mutual testament of Engel Coenen and Balichgen Siericxdochter (original): inv.nr. 120, scan 690, fol. 629r, d.d. 14 August 1640.  

Duplicate copy of the same testament: inv.nr. 136, scans 119–120, fol. 113r–113v, d.d. 14 August 1640.
 
Sierick Wollebrantsz age ~57 in 1625: inv.nr. 125, scan 171, fol. 180v, akte 16 April 1625.
 
Wollebrant Ziericxs age ~80 in 1612: inv.nr. 83, scan 116, akte 23 July 1612.

Has anyone come across a baptism for Balichgen ca. 1615–1620 in Spaarnwoude or Haarlem DTB, or a marriage for Sierick Wollebrantsz? Or any other Ziericxs/Coenen overlap that might confirm or refute this?

Just floating a theory—very interested to hear what you all think!

Regards,

Steve
 

Hello Steve,

No new information for you here, but you assume an age of 19-24 years for Balichgen in the year of here first marriage.
It was legal for women to marry as of the age of 16 and it was quite common for men and women in the Netherlands to have a first marriage at the age of 27. As young couples often started their own household directly and did not stay in the house with either of their parents, they had to be financially independent. This explains the relatively late marriage ages in the Netherlands compared to other European countries. They first had to save up before they could get married.
In other words you should cast your net a little wider with an age range of 16-27 for Balichgen. Is she were to marry at the age of 27 in ±1639, she would be born ±1612. Here father would then have an age of about 44 years, which is more likely than 47-52 years.
If Balichgen married at the age of 16 her father would have been ±55 years old, which is even more unlikely.

Michaël

Hello Michaël,

Thanks for your reply – you're right, I had kept the age range for Balichgen's marriage too narrow (19–24). The average age of first marriage for women in 17th-century Holland was indeed around 24–28, and 16 was legal but rare without financial independence. I'm adjusting my estimate to ca. 1612–1623 (marriage 1639 at 16–27), which makes Sierick Wollebrantsz (ca. 1568) father at 44–51 – much more plausible than my earlier 47–52. Good tip!

While I was searching, I came across another possible "Sierick" in Spaarnwoude: Sierck Maertsz , who appears as alderman in 1602 (scan 5, link: https://hdl.handle.net/21.12102/D286B85A58D04376AB256355E9C712D4 ). No age found for him (unlike Sierick Wollebrantsz), but he could be an alternative for Balichgen's father, or perhaps related. Just a consideration – still purely theoretical.

I've also followed your suggestion about Transkribus—it's been a game-changer for piecing together families from those old handschriften. Thank you again for pointing me there; it's saving me a ton of time!

Always open to pointers.

Regards,

Steve