Stamvader Cornelis

The progenitor of the de Leeuw's in South Africa, Cornelis (a1), was born about 1715, presumably in Amsterdam. His life’s story straddles two continents, a diaspora that led him from Amsterdam to the Cape of Good Hope at the foot of Table Mountain.

On 9 August 1739, Cornelis was married to Rijnsje Vink in the Noorderkerk Amsterdam. On the marriage register, he is recorded as 24 and calculating back, it is determined that he was born in 1715. Equally Rijnsje is recorded as 19, making her date of birth 1720. Cornelis’ mother was Maria Jacoba Rammaker. No father is recorded. 

Rijnsje was the daughter of Cornelis Jansz Vink and Baafje Pieters. When Rijnsje was three, a sister called Christina was born and baptised on 9 April 1723. It appears that Cornelis had some education and could sign his name, but Rijnsje could only manage an ‘X’ as signature. 

As with their earlier lives, from their marriage in 1739 until the baptism of their first child almost three years later in 1742, almost nothing is known of the couple. Around 1739 Cornelis lived in Vinkenstraat (Haarlemmerbuurt) Amsterdam and Rijnsje lived in de Single, Amsterdam. After getting married, the couple presumably moved into Cornelis’ residence at Vinkenstraat and lived there until they left for the Cape.

Cornelis and Rijnsje had three children: b1 Cornelis (1742), b2 Jan (1746) and b3 Maria (1752).

On 15 May 1752 when Cornelis was 35, he and the family departed on a hoeker, the Hector for Cape Town, and arrived on 11 October 1752, some five months later. Cornelis captained the Hector. 

According to the ship’s payroll ledger (betaalsrollen), Cornelis was accompanied by Rijnsje Vink (huysvrouw) and his two children b2 Jan de Leeuw and b3 Maria de Leeuw. This is quite significant, because at the time of the voyage, Maria was only 59 days old. A voyage such as this during the mid 1800th century was under best of circumstances a terrible ordeal, not to mention for a 59-day old baby. Which begs the question, why undergo such an ordeal with such a huge risk with a baby? 

A separate record shows his eldest son, b1 Cornelis. By this time, Cornelis was about 10 years old and it appears he was earning a living working on the ship.

In the four years between arriving at Cape Town in 1752 and 1756, Rijnsje must have passed away, because on 21 March 1756 Cornelis married Jacoba de Waal. It would be a good guess that both Rijnsje and their small child Maria passed away from the smallpox epidemics that ravaged the Cape during 1755. 

At the time Cornelis was 43 and Jacoba was 38. This was the second marriage for both Cornelis and Jacoba. Jacoba was first married to Johannes Albertus Munnik on 30 June 1737. Out of this marriage was born six children. 

The marriage to Jacoba extended the de Leeuw family ties to include the de Waal and Munnik families. The connection between the de Leeuw and Munnik families is important as close family relationships existed between b4 Hendrik de Leeuw and Jan Hendrik Munnik during the late 1700s. Cornelis’ father-in-law, Jan de Waal, also played a huge role in the family fortunes.

Cornelis and Jacoba had three children: b4 Hendrik (1757), b5 Maria (1759) and b6 Jacob (1762).

After his marriage to Jacoba, Cornelis became somewhat of an entrepreneur with many business interests. In 1760 Cornelis purchased the farm Uijtwijk from Jan de Waal and in 1769 he sold the farm to Jan Hendrik Munnik. On 22 June 1768 Cornelis purchased 67 Wale Street and 69 Wale Street from the estate of the late Jan de Waal for a price of 1100 Cape guilders. 

On 24 March 1768 at the age of 50, Jacoba died, the same year as her farther. On 14 July 1774 , at the age of 61 years, a1 Cornelis died.

From Cornelis’ Will, attested to on 2 October 1762, it appears that Cornelis and his first wife Rijnsje Vink had a Will made on 23 April 1742 in Amsterdam. This would require further research and may shed more light on their lives in Amsterdam.