Host Andrew Martin meets John Boeren for this fourth episode of Series Nine. Andrew finds out how John got interested in researching his family history, how he decided to turn professional, and how his years of work in local history and genealogy resulted in him being made a Knight!

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The Life Story – Maarten van Leeuwen

John has chosen to tell the Life Story of his 4x Great Grandfather, Maarten van Leeuwen, born in 1795 in a small village near Gouda, Netherlands.

When John finds references of a silver shield containing a medal that was awarded to Maarten in 1825, it sets him on a trail to discover why he was being called a ‘hero’ and of the Order of the Dutch Lion.

John soon finds Maarten as a gunner in the army, and sees him involved in the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo in 1815… but this was not what earned him his medal.

Continuing his research, John finds Maarten heading to Ath (in modern-day Belgium), and it’s here that John finds him in 1817. During a storm the church is struck by lightning and catches fire. It is here that Maarten climbs on top of the church roof to throw burning timbers off to help extinguish the fire. In the process, he falls, and whilst initially thought dead, he in fact survives and writes to the King asking for a pension. It’s at this point that he receives his medal.

That’s not it though.. and in 1819, in a new village he works as a shoemaker but in 1858 his house burns down, but in 1859 his village’s church is struck by lightning and catches fire…. and Maarten climbs back up again to help extinguish it!

Thankfully, he didn’t fall this time, but receives another medal for his heroism.

The Brick Wall – Jacobus Hendrickx and Jenneken Heijliger Janssen

It’s a puzzle in the 17th Century that’s causing John a headache!

John is looking for Jacobus Hendrickx and Jenneken Heijliger Janssen (or ‘Jacob’ and ‘Joan’ as John estimates through translation). Their names follow patronymic naming patterns, meaning Jacobus was the son of Hendrickx, and Jenneken was the daughter of Heijliger.

John is challenged by the fact that the names are common, the couple are in a border area between modern-day Netherlands and Belgium, and parish registers in the area do exist for the estimated period that they married – but their names were not amongst them.

Can you help John find;

• Where were Jacobus Hendrickx and Jenneken Heijliger Janssen married?
• Where were Jacobus and Jenneken baptised?
• What were their fathers’ patronymic surnames?

If you think that you can help John with a clue or a research idea, then you can contact him at the email address he gives in the episode, or via his website. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we’ll pass it along to him.

In the meantime, John isn’t quite sure what to make of Andrew’s offer of help… will it work?

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Episode Credits

• Andrew Martin – Host and Producer
• John Boeren – Guest