Aleida Selhorst (1776-1864)

Aleida Selhorst (dutch link) was baptized 7 Feb 1776 in Almelo, daughter of Jan Hendrik Selhorst and Frederica Boom. She is my third great-grandaunt, as well as the wife of my 2nd cousin 5x removed. This is Almelo, after all.

Both her grandfathers were named Jan, one grandmother was Jenneke, and all four great-grandfathers were also named Jan; talk about a limited choice of names, if you want to name the kids after relatives. The first four children are named as expected: Jan (1766, for Jan Hendrik’s father), Jenneke (1768, Frederica’s mother), Aleida (1770, Jan Hendrik’s mother), and Johanna (1773, for Frederica’s father). Jan and Aleida died young, so the next two are again Jan (1774, for Jan Hendrik’s father) and Aleida  (1776, Jan Hendrik’s mother). Jan probably died young again, as in 1779 there is another Janna (both Jenneke, 1768, and Johanna, 1773, go on to have children). The next one is named for a sister of Jan Hendrik (Catharina, 1781). Berendina Johanna in 1784 is not named after anyone I can discern.

Frederica Boom died before 1790, and the first child of the second marriage with Maria Hondebrink is named  Frederica, as expected, but she probably died young again, as Jan Frederik (1793) is probably for Maria’s mother and the first wife. Then Barendina (1795, for Maria’s father), Jan Hendrik (1795, for the father), and another Aaltje/Aleida (1801, unclear)

Our Aleida was baptized as Aleida, daughter of Jan Hendrik Selhorst and Frederica Boom. However, when she married in 1800 with Gerrit Mokkelencate, she is Jannetje Zelhorst, daughter of Jan Hendrik Zelhorst. Why the change? We know it is Aleida, she died in 1864 as Aleida Selhorst, widow of Gerrit Mokkelencate.

So why is she Jannetje when she married? It will probably always remain a mystery.