Hendrik Aalders 1689

Henrich Ahlers ,aka Hendrik Aalders born 1689 in Vechta

Henrich at relatively late age decided to emigrate or at least try out what it was like living and working  in the then relatively wealthy  Dutch republic . It is probably around 1733  or 1734 that he started his long walk from Vechta or Lohne  into Emsland through Freren  in Lingen  where he crossed the river Ems ion his way into the eastern parts of the Netherlands .

In the city of  Velsen ,bleacheries had settled along the newly dug Jan Gijzenvaart which brought clean water from the dunes to the city of Haarlem . These bleacheries  were looking for workers . A steady job was an unknown luxury for people like Henrich and the money earned there  went a long way to support their families  back home . The periodic workers flooding in and out of Holland were called “ Hollandgaenger” (Those who go to Holland) .                                                            

Hendrik   arrived in Velsen and likely found work in one of the many bleacheries ,in the “Lek” district located along the Jan Gijzenvaart.    Here he got to know Pieternel Jansz de Bruijn ,whom he married in 1735 aged 46 in Velsen .She hailed from the “Muiderberg” . She was a widow . No sooner had he married her and Hendrik was a widower the following year . In that same year ,now 47 year old, Hendrik  married 20 year old Antje Bijmans from the “Leenderstrijp Meijerij”, (which proves that even an “old buck”  cherishes a young leaf...)   

Leenderstijp is a district south of Eindhoven in the southern province of North Brabant . 

(Bleacheries ....The purpose of “bleaching” of linen and yarns was to change the appearance of woven linen or yarns  from a reddish yellow tint to  sparkling white . Repeated washing ,wringing ,rinsing ,applying sunlight and through application of ground cobalt (cobalt-blue) .and sour milk. 15 phases were involved . The season for this ran from 25 March to September each year ,.  Around A D 1700 the Kennemerland bleacheries employed about 400 foreign workers ,many from Westfalen and Oldenburg . They were reputed to lead rather a merry lifestyle and after   cohabitation in the summer months ,  a good number of cases were brought by women claiming of being “deflowered”  and alimentation payments were demanded ......It was a short term lifestyle  wherein  fights, thefts and poaching were common offences …( author Jan Morren ) 

It is likely that Henrich ,having heard about” Holland giving one a future”  .did not want to leave Vechta to look after his elderly parents .He appears to have arrived  in Velsen  in 1733 at the earliest . The Dutch ,although forming a tiny seafaring and trading nation ,have long been considerably better off than their eastern neighbours . They certainly were not shy in telling their German workers that if they wanted to live in Holland ,it might be a good idea to get a  “proper Dutch name”.  Henrich took the hint and he married  his brides as  Hendrik Aalders(e ) and was he forever thereafter. We do note from the Mayor of Vechta who in 1943 advised that locally in Plattdeutsch the name Alers is often pronounced as Alders , So perhaps there is a touch of exaggeration about this story .

Marijtje Ahlers  born 1689 ,we presume ,came with her brother to the Netherlands and died there .

Hendrik and  Antje Bijmans  produced son Arij Hendriksz in 1742,  daughter Marijtje in 1744 and  son Hendrik Aalders in 1748. All three were born in Velsen. 

Henrich and Antje’s daughter …… Marijtje  ( Maria Elisabeth) Aalders  born in 1744 married Jan van Aken in 1767 and in 1772 she married Cornelis van de Dost.

Arij Hendriksz Aalders(e ) in 1742- 1779 , is a son of Hendrik and Antje Bijmans . Arij Hendriksz was baptised at the R. Catholic  Church in Overveen ,where a number of residents from the “Lek” area went to church . Arij Hendriksz remained in Velsen and married Catharina Jacoba van der Vossen in 1768 . 

Had it not been for a fortunate meeting on the Internet in 2009 between Henry Aalders of Australia descendant of Arij’s brother ,Hendrik Hendriksz Aalders and Gijs van der Poel and Cees Alders ,descendants of Arij Hendriksz Alders , this is all that many of the Aalders family may have known about  their forefather. Their meeting and immediate willingness to work together , merged the family trees of the 2 brothers into the one Dutch branch of the original Ahlers family of Landkreiss Vechta  (Visbek parish ).  Although kinship is in the distant past an immediate friendship developed . It is nice to know that one is part of an enlarged clan and the instant effect this had on our very distant German cousins . They could not have been more hospitable . This website was compiled by descendants of Hendrik Hendriksz Aalders born in 1748 ,brother of Arij Hendriksz Alders a.k.a Aalderse .   

 The emphasis is therefore more on Hendrik's descendants .                                                                                                       Cees Alders and Gijs van der Poel ( married to an Arij Hendrik's descendant )created a website concentrating on and provided photographs of the Alders descendants of Arij Hendrik Alders.                                                                                  To access the  "google" sheet ( like Excell format  )  is attached  to this website setting out Arij Hendrik's descendants, put your curser on  ..............Arij Hendriksz Aalders and descendants 8 January 2023 editon

There is an excellent version of the Alders familie of Velsen website ,which concentrates on the Alders side of the family              ( descendants of Arij Hendriksz Aalders a.k.a Arij Hendrik Alders), prepared by Cees Alders and Gijs van der Poel.               

Put your curser on http://www.stamboomalders.nl. 

Hendrik Hendriksz Aalders born in 1748 is a son of Hendrik and Antje Bijmans. He is a brother of Arij.  

Hendrik married Anna Harmse Niet  in 1773 in Velsen ,who “lived in” with her parents at the Jan Gijsenvaart . Upon the death of Anna’s father ,the property became Anna;s .The house where they lived had in 1728 been purchased by Harmen Niet for 130 guilders from the widow Cobus Nijs .Earlier she had been the widow of Pieter Willemsz van der Linden who had lived with her in Haarlem . The house was described as a half house and was registered under number 52 

At the death of  Harmen Niet , Anna ,his sole heir, inherited.  Anna and Hendrik. moved into this property .Apparently in 1774 ,there was a need for money and they borrowed 200 guilders from  Mr Jan Ruij, surveyor and master carpennter also residing at the Jan Gijsenvaart. As security they offered  their home  recorded as the front half house bordered on the eastern boundary by the other half house owned by Jan Hanenberg .South of the property stood the house for Roman Catholic poor people, and on its northern boundary stood the building known as the “Golden Rooster” known as a drinking establishment and owned by Govert Veldhoven,