Albertje Hendriks Veldkamp (1776-1861)

Albertje (dutch link) was baptized (as Albertje Hendriks) on 28 Jan 1776 in Veendam, The Netherlands, third child of Hindrik Jacobs and Annigjen Roelfs. She was named after her paternal grandmother (as expected for Dutch naming rules), and she is my 4th great-grandmother.

Her father took at some point the name Veldkamp; all children are baptized as children of Hendrik Jacobs, but the daughters have the surname Veldkamp when they marry. Interesting enough, son Jan married as Jan Hendriks de Boer. And when Albertje died she is listed as Albertje Hendriks de Boer. Surnames were far from settled in those days. Luckily the death certificate lists her husband as well as her parents, but her father is listed as Hendrik Veldkamp. Go figure!

Albertje married Jacob Borgerts, who later takes the name Rave. He may actually always have been Rave, just not used it; I just found a website with the Rave name going back a long time, to c. 1600. But I will have to look at it carefully, the website lists no sources.

Albertje and Jacob had nine children, three of whom died young. Of the remaining six, four married and had numerous offspring. Albertje survived her husband (who died in 1853), and all but two of her children. Her death, at age 84, is registered by two neighbors.

Albertje’s story is again a story of much loss, but I hope she also experienced much happiness in her life.