Unlucky in love

Maria, the daughter of Willem's eldest daughter and his surviving grandchild, has had several relationships in her long life. One of them haunts her to this day.

The girl was only 17 years old when she married a thirty-year-old Rotterdammer, Jacobus de Graaff (1), on February 15, 1711. We haven't found anything more about him than this wedding date...

Maria Boef's betrothal to Jacobus de Graaff (the bride signs with "Marja Boef")

This marriage could not have lasted more than a few years, because on February 28, 1716, Maria (or Martje, as she signs the deed herself (2)) solemnly promises before notary Gerard Burghout to remain faithful to a man called Hendrik Schalkenius for five years. This skipper employed by the VOC is about to sail from here to the East Indies (3) with the ship Barneveld. Maria, now called Widow de Graaff, has fallen in love with a sailor.

Signature Martje Claas Boef (Amsterdam City Archives, 5075, inventory number 7844, scan number 119)

Hendrik and Maria declare they have jointly decided to enter into a legal marriage with each other as soon as the bridegroom arrives back home from his upcoming journey. Coincidentally, we know Hendrik Schalkenius previously worked as a helmsman on the ship Berbices in the same periode when Cornelis de Vlamingh was skipper on the ship. Perhaps this is how Maria met her new partner?

There is a gap of almost twenty years between this termination of the engagement to Henrdrik Schalkenius  in 1717 and Maria's next marriage in 1736. Has Evertje's daughter really gone through life alone from the age of 23 to the age of 42? We can hardly imagine this as true, and certainly not in those days. That is why the question arises: could there be any truth to the rumor Maria Boef was dating the shady German Piet Backer (Willem Sautijn's accomplice) whom we already encountered extensively in the chapter about Cornelis?

The Pieter Backer affair

We really want to give some attention to this rumor, because it haunts the entire De Vlamingh family to this day and will ultimately prove to be a completely unjustified stain on their reputation. What happened?

This girl, Aaltje Aalders, stated to the notary she had once been taken to the city inn by a woman called Rigt Douwes and they gave her so much to drink that the poor girl got drunk. She was then offered a lot of money if she would just say that Maria (5) had a child by Pieter Backer. Aaltje replied she did know Maria, but had no knowledge of a child. That didn't matter at all, according to Rigt Douwes, because Rigt herself had breastfed the child in question and she even could tell the boy's name was Phillis de Groot. Moreover: you only have to say you heard it from Commissioner Selkart (6). The drunken girl gave in and immediately a notary with two witnesses entered the room of the city inn to record the false statement.

Rigt said she breastfed a child from the widow de Graaf, or otherwise called Masje de Graaf, and that the child's name was Phillis de Groot and Pieter Backer was the father of it (Amsterdam City Archives)

Because the girl was such an easy victim, other accomplices of Colonel Sautijn tried to have her declare a few months later that Saartje the maid (7) of Evertje Vlaming also had an illegitimate child. When she refused this time, the men asked her if she would look for other witnesses to testify this claim and promised that those who testified would be well paid for it.

They clearly wanted to vilify and slander Evertje. She was an important witness in the case against Colonel Sautijn and people tried to drag her name through the mud. First by turning her daughter into Pieter Backer's sweetheart, even telling to the world she was carrying his child, and also by giving Evertje's maid an illegitimate child that was never born.

A drawing of the City Inn in the Plantage from 1736 (Image bank)

Still, the fact people gave false testimony for money does not necessarily mean all mentioned details were untrue. Rigt Douwes, for example, personally claimed to have breastfes this baby and even mentioned his name. This is very concrete information. Would Willem de Vlamingh really have had a grandson named Phillis de Groot?

After some digging we came across a statement from Rigt's daughter (8). She remembered one of Colonel Sautijn's accomplices had once came to her mother to ask whether she, Rigt Douwes, would not like to make a statement about the fact that Pieter Backer had had a whore child and had asked her to tell everyone she had breastfed the baby. However, her mother had replied: I know nothing about it, I can't do that.

Some time later the accomplice came to her mother again, the daughter said, and this time he brought Colonel Sautijn himself. Her father was also in the room on that occasion. Once again they wanted Rigt to testify before a notary that Pieter Backer had given her his whore child to breastfeed it. They were offered an amount of no less than 2,300 guilders for this. The father then seems to have said: How can I do that, I know nothing about it. But this time the mother intervened with the words: Listen my Lords, don't pay any attention to my husband, he is an old drunken fool, just talk to me. And so the big fat lie and ugly gossip came into the world. There has never been an illegitimate grandson of Willem de Vlamingh!

Als ge het doen wilt zult ge er twee of drie en twintig honderd gulden voor hebben 

Translation: If you do it, you will get twenty two or twenty three hundred guilders for it (Amsterdam City Archives)

Tribute to Willem

This is a very special passage. It suggests Maria, Evertje, and perhaps even Willem de Vlamingh owed a lot to these people! What services could she be referring to here??? When looking for Maria Lestevenon's parents, her father turned out to be Jacob Backer Lestevenon, secretary of Amsterdam. Her mother's name was Maria Witsen. At the name Witsen we jumped up from our seats, thinking that this might be the granddaughter of Nicolaas Witsen, the great benefactor of Willem de Vlamingh, though we cheered too early. Mayor Nicolaas Witsen had about six children. Unfortunately, to his great sadness, they all died young. Maria Witsen was the daughter of his brother Lambert.

Yet we think this connection still provides the answer we are looking for. For Mayor Nicolaas Witsen, the man who had given Maria's grandfather Willem and her uncle Cornelis the opportunity to go on a voyage of discovery to the unknown Southland, could no longer be thanked through his direct descendants. However, Maria and her mother owed the fortune that they had inherited from Cornelis totally to him. That is why mother and daughter now thanked other relatives of benefactor Witsen by including them in their will and letting them share in their wealth. This gesture also feels like an indirect tribute to the actions of Willem de Vlamingh himself.

Johannes Salomon Rosthuijser

More than ten years after the damaging rumors about an illegitimate child, Maria is dating again. She is already 42 years old.

Two weeks later, Maria did get married to Johannes Salomon Rosthuijser from Batavia, aged 36. This time her husband is a number of years younger than her. He was born in Batavia and lived on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. His parents were deceased at the time of their marrige (10).

Maria is described as Maria Boeff, from Oostflieland, currently living on the Singel. The bride-to-be still had the status as widow of Jacob de Graaff. Although her mother Evertje was still alive, it is not stated who is assisting Maria (or Marja - as her signature says). This is because there did not have to appear a witness in case of the marriage of a widow.

The couple married on November 16, 1736 in Abcoude, because this was more exclusive. In Amsterdam you had to join the back of the queue of the many couples who got married in one day. 

They paid two guilders ten in fine for a bridal sleigh. (Fines for getting married)

And Maria and Johannes payed 6 guilders extra to get married in Abcoude (Fines for getting married)

Fortunately, we know a little more about this groom, because Johannes Rosthuijser borrowed a large sum of money a few years before his marriage to Maria. A part of this large sum he lent from Cornelis Vlaming! This was in November 1732 when Johannes was about to sail to China as an accountant on the ship Leijduijn for the East India Company (11). That same day he also borrowed large amounts from others, together almost seven thousand guilders! Even when he only earned 508 guilders in wages on that voyage... As a member of the VOC ships, you could do good business by purchasing things in the far east and then reselling them in the Netherlands for a lot of money.

Ship and crew returned in August 1734 (12). Perhaps Maria met her husband when he came to repay his debt to her uncle Cornelis. This is the second partner with whom she may have come into contact through her uncle. In any case, it is clear Maria liked tough sailors.

Unfortunately, their marital happiness was short-lived, because sailor Johannes Salomon Rosthuijser died on March 8, 1738 (13). Not on a trip, but at home on the Singel where they lived (in the house Maria had inherited from her uncle Cornelis). They were only married for a year and a half.

March 8, 1738: Jan Salomon Rosthuijzer, on the Cingel, at evening (Amsterdam City Archives)

The couple had no children and Maria was now about 44 years old. Her chance for offspring seemed gone forever. However, as we will see, a miracle happened and everything turned out fine.

Wybrand van Itsma

Based in Leeuwarden

1739-1746: member of the town council of Dokkum

1739-1746: member of the States of Friesland for Dokkum

1739- 1740: member of the Mindergetal (a committee with fewer plenipotentiaries than the States themselves, hence the name)

1741-1759: Ordinary member of the States General of the Netherlands for Friesland

Based in Harlingen

1746-1759: member of the council of Harlingen

1747-1753: member of the States of Friesland

1747-1753, 1755-1759: mayor of Harlingen

1752-1754, 1757-1759: member of the Mindergetal

1758: appointed historian of Friesland.

Wybrand van Itsma has several books to his name, such as a few so-called Yacht talks (16) in which he proves himself to be a fervent advocate of the House of Orange Nassau. He was a well-read man and part of his book collection was transferred to the stadtholder's library in The Hague almost immediately after his death in 1765 (and currently belongs to the collection of the Royal Library in The Hague)

Finally, a special fact. As a member of the States General of the Netherlands, Wybrand was involved in the signing of a trade treaty with the Kingdom of Naples on August 8, 1753. A painting was made at the time to commemorate this treaty. So we have a (painted) face of him! How nice to know we now have some idea of ​​what this new man of Willem de Vlamingh's granddaughter looked like.

From left to right in the painting: Giuseppe Finocchiatti di Faulon, Walraven Robbert van Heeckeren, Willem Bentinck, Grand Pensionary Pieter Steyn, Pieter Mogge, Mr. Jan Daniel d' Ablaing, Wybrand van Itsma, August Leopold van Pallandt, Joost de Valcke. On the back the clerk of the States General Hendrik Fagel.

Marriage ceremony

How did Maria come across this Frisian politician? We find some clues in a hymn written especially for their wedding day (17). At the end of the poem it seems to be hinted Wybrand was a friend of Maria's previous husband, the recently deceased Johannes Salomon Rosthuijser:

He [the current groom] is going

to perform a certain duty of Friendship,

at the house of an old woman,

A Daughter and Widow,

who is still mourning about a Man

whose friend he was.

However, the hymn mentioned earlier does not only praise them on their wedding day. There also seem to be some critical words about Wybrand. According to the anonymous poet, he would never have deserved anyone's hatred, although the internal anger felt by many people gave you a bitter displeasure. A lot of people apparently disagreed with the groom's political actions and choices.

The poet also devoted many lines to Mary. For example, he says her name is famous everywhere. Perhaps because of the heroic deeds of her grandfather Willem de Vlamingh? (21)

A miracle

Do not believe all these statements… They did have a child together! A real great-grandson of Willem de Vlamingh!!!

On December 20, 1739, Wybrand and Maria baptized their living son in the Walloon church in Leeuwarden (26), so in the city where they lived at that time. The quick calculator sees that this date is almost eight months after their wedding ceremony. Was the baby born prematurely? Or was their union a shotgun wedding? Maria was probably already pregnant on their wedding day, because exactly 5 weeks after their marriage, Maria already knew she was pregnant when she was at the notary on June 20. Oh well, who cares? We glow with pride and hope. Willem de Vlamingh's family tree will be continued after all!

Baptism book Walloon municipality of Leeuwarden, archive number 28, Collection DTLB - Tresoar, inventory number 1010, deed number 553)

They call the boy Willem Cornelis Vlaming van Itsma. Pay particular attention to those sounding first names: Willem AND Cornelis AND Vlaming. Yes, “Vlaming” as a first name!

Something very extraordinary is happening here. We can safely assume Wybrand came from a well-to-do family, otherwise his parents would never have been able to send him to study law. Yet his first son is not - as usual - named after Wybrand's father, Feyo. Not even as a second or third name. This is all the more remarkable because everyone could well have guessed that this child would probably remain the only son of this new couple, given Mary's old age. Still the proud parents choose to name their child after Maria's grandfather and uncle. And not only with their first names Willem and Cornelis, but also with the surname Vlaming.

We would have preferred to end our book here. The circle is round. Willem de Vlamingh has a great-grandson who bears his name. It couldn't be more beautiful. But life is not always beautiful. It goes its own whimsical course. So unfortunately this is not the end of our story…

We have no idea when the boy who was supposed to continue the family tree died. Everything shows he certainly did not grow old. What a sadness. Not only for the young family, but for the whole family and for us. So now no descendants of Willem de Vlamingh can walk on this earth anymore. All branches of Willem and Willempje's original family reach a dead end here.

Most of Willem's children did not even reach adulthood, except for three. Their youngest daughter Aefje had two sons who died childless. Willem's only surviving son Cornelis had many children who all died young. Only one child of Willem's eldest daughter Evertje ultimately survived, her daughter Maria. For years things did not work out with her marriages. Then, four partners later, at a time when everyone had already given up hope of offspring, Willem Cornelis was born. With his death, the possibility of direct descendants of Willem de Vlamingh unfortunately dies out. Although his parents and grandmother Evertje still have to continue living and breathing. And we also continue with the last part of this family history.

Evertje dies

Farewell to Vlieland?

After Evertje's death, Maria inherited all the houses on Vlieland that were owned by her mother. Which were now all promptly sold. This concerned quite a few buildings. Evertje once bought some of them herself, such as the house at Groote Straat number 188 next to her parental home at 186, which was also in her possession through inheritance. Furthermore Evertje inherited the admiralty mansion that Hendrick Selkart once bought as commissioner through Arend. Plus the adjacent house at number 57 which Arend once bought.

Finally

Maria and Wybrand lived in different places during their marriage. They owned houses in Amsterdam, although they usually stayed in other cities for work. For example, he was mayor of Harlingen for a period  of time and at the end of his career they settled in The Hague when he was given a position in the States General. The 65-year-old Wybrand died on June 10, 1759 in Harlingen. All in all, Maria and Wybrand had enjoyed each others company for twenty years.

It seems as if Maria spent the last part of her life in The Hague. There in that big city, she managed her own affairs, just as strong and independent as her single mother always did in the capital (29). There, at the age of about seventy, she wrote her last will (30), in which she named a (to us unknown) Hermanus de Groot as her sole heir.