Notes on Naatje Foppen

Naatje Foppen (1792-1864) was my 4th great-grandmother, number 108 in my ahnentafel. She was the child of a single mother, and became a single mother herself. I know very little about her, and even less about her parents. She is the first brick wall in my ahnentafel ("first" meaning the least number of generations away from me). I re-evaluated the facts, and did some online research.

What I know now is:

1792	Naatje was born on 29 July 1792, and baptized on 22 August 1792, together with her twin sister. She was baptized as Johanna Magdalena. According to the book of baptisms, she was born out of wedlock. Her parents are listed: Lucas Castisch and Magdalena Foppen. Lucas is striked through. Note: This is based on notes I made when I saw the baptism book, many years ago. I do not have a copy.
1815	A son Johannes was born on 19 January 1815. Naatje signed the birth certificate herself, on the day her son was born, as Johanna Foppen. The registrar wrote Naatje Foppen.
1828	A son Jacob was born on 1 April 1828, and died on 14 July of the same year. Naatje signed the birth certificate as Johanna Magdalena Foppen (the registrar wrote Johanna Foppen). Both birth and death certificate of Jacob state her occupation as maidservant and her marital status as unmarried.
1844-1848	The first three children of her son Johannes were born out of wedlock, in Vlissingen and Maastricht, between 1844 and 1848.
1849	Johannes married on 11 October 1849, to Johanna Jansen, and legitimated the three children born in the previous years.
1850	A granddaughter Johanna Magdalena Foppen was born in 1850, presumably named after Naatje.
1858	Johannes died on 20 July 1858, in Maastricht. His death certificate states he is a son of Naatje Foppen, who is without occupation and a resident of Naarden.
1864	Naatje died on 5 March 1864, at the address Turfpoortstraat 270, aged 71. The name on the death certificate is Johanna Foppen.

What to do next:

• First of all, Naatje's real name was Johanna Magdalena, and Naatje was only a nickname (it is a short version of Johanna), so I have to update my database, her online file, and the charts. (Should be done by the time you read this.)
• Check the population register of Naarden from the introduction (probably around 1850) until 1864. What does it have on Naatje? I need to visit the regional archive in Naarden for this one.
• Check the church books of Naarden, available in the provincial archive in Haarlem. Make a copy of Naatje's baptism, and find the baptism of her mother and the burials of her mother and of her twin sister. I already checked the BMD records of the civil register (introduced in 1811).
• I do have a hint on Naatje's father: The name (partly striked through) in the baptism book. I did some initial online research, but did not find the name Castisch anywhere. Naarden was a fortified town, with barracks and many soldiers who came from the whole country. Maybe there are military records that can help me. Church registers (other than the church books) may also be helpful.
• There is no hint (yet) on who could be the father(s) of Naatjes children. I have to check which archives are available (military or related to Naarden) and study them for clues.

Documents, from left to right: Birth certificate of Johannes Foppen, birth and death certificates of Jacob Foppen, front and back of the marriage certificate of Johannes Foppen and Johanna Jansen, death certificate of Johannes Foppen, death certificate of Johanna (Magdalena) Foppen. Click to enlarge.

Files: Magdalena Foppen, Johanna Magdalena (Naatje) Foppen, Johannes Foppen.