Godparent-child ties

One thing that annoys me in genealogy research is the focus on parent-child relationships to build a family tree. There are many more types of ties: neighbors or coworkers, for instance, or friends (and foes!). As these things go, curiosity got the better of me: what if I were to create a “family tree” using godparent-child relationships instead of parent-child relationships?

In this blog post I will explore the godparent-ancestors of my Roman Catholic great-great-grandmother Sophia Catharina Snoek, who was born in the municipality of Weesperkarspel, but baptised in Weesp (the Netherlands).

Generation 1

1. Sophia Catharina Snoek is my greatgreatgrandmother, she was born on 19 November 1861 and baptised on 20 November 1862 in Weesp [1]. She was the daughter of Johannes Snoek and Geertruida Pronk. Her godparents were Gerardus Pronk and Maria Catharina Snoek from Weesperkarspel.

Generation 2 “Godparents”

1.1. Gerardus Pronk is probably a brother of Geertruida Pronk, the mother of Sophia Catharina Snoek. From her marriage record, we know that the parents of Gerardus Pronk are probably Jan Pronk and Feytje Wouters [2]. Searching with this information, we find that he was baptised on 26 September 1811 in Weesp. His godparent was Jacoba van Nes [3].

1.2. Maria Catharina Snoek is probably a sister of Johanna Snoek, the father of Sophia Catharina Snoek. From his marriage record, we know that the parents of Maria Catharina Snoek are probably Jacob Snoek and Catrina van Nes [2]. Searching with this information, we find that she was baptised on 5 August 1811 in Weesp. Her godparents were Willem Snoek en Gijsbertje Wouters [4].

Generation 3 “Grandgodparents”

1.1.1. Jacoba van Nes is the mother of Feytje Wouters. Following her death record in 1833 [5], we know that her parents were Gerrit Wouters and Jacoba van Nes. From the death record of Jacoba, we know that her parents names were Hannes van Nes and Sophia Hoveling [6]. Searching this information, we find that she was baptised on 27 January 1759 in Ankeveen. Her godparent was Altje van Nes [7].

1.2.1. Willem Snoek is probably a family member of Jacob Snoek. From his death record we know he was born in Eemnes [8], and from his marriage record from his first marriage we know that his father was Willem Snoek [9]. However, his father Willem has not fathered any children with the name name Willem [10]. As such, it is likely that this Willem Snoek is the father of Jacob Snoek, and grandfather of Maria Catharina Snoek. Following information from his death record listing his parents as Marten Snoek and Grietje Evertsen [11], we find that he was baptised on 9 November 1736 in Eemnes [12]. His godparent was Cornelia Willem Evers.

1.2.2. Gijsbertje Wouters. Gijsbertje Wouters was a complicated person to find: searching Open Archives didn’t really yield any results, nor were there any clear family ties. Searching on Google, however, did yield a result: a transcription of marriage costs in Blaricum on 24 January 1798, between a Jacob J. de Jong from Blaricum and a Gijsbertje Wouters from Eemnes, the town where the father of Maria Catharina Snoek was born. This information checks out [13], but I have so far not been able to progress further on this line.

Generation 4 “Greatgrandgodparents”

1.1.1.1 Altje van Nes sister of Hannes van Nes. Hannes van Nes’ father is Gerrit [14]. Based on baptism witnesses the only baptisms that fits is Joannes, baptised 27 March 1718 in Utrecht to Gerardus van Es (a variant used interchangeably) [15]. She was baptised as Aletta on 15 March 1716 in Utrecht [16]. Her parents were Gerardus van Es en Jacomina van der Wel. Her godparent was Joannes van Es.

1.2.1.1. Cornelia Willem Evers was the sister of Grietje Willem Evertsen. As there was only one Grietje born to a Willem Evertse [17], Cornelia was baptised on 20 July 1708 in Baarn [18]. Her parents were Willem Evertse and Gijsbertje Jacobs. Her godparent was Jaepje Theunis (just like she was the godparent of Grietje!).

Generation 5 “Greatgreatgrandgodparents”

1.1.1.1.1. Joannes van Es is likely to be the father of Gerrit van Es, who is mentioned as Gerrit Jansz van Es in his prenuptial agreement, which states that his father Jan Corneliss van Nes is still alive [19]. He was married to Aeltie Cornelis Lammen [20]. While his marriage record states that he was born in IJsselstein [21], I have not been able to trace his godparents there.

1.2.1.1.1. Jaepje Theunis was the stepmother of Cornelia Willem Evers’ mother [22]. Prior to this marriage with Jacob Cornelis Wiltvank, Jaepje was married with Rutger Pouwels [23]. However, I have not been able to trace her godparents due to lack of records.

Reflection

All in all, this “exercise” has been quite interesting to me: names of witnesses are something I have definitely noticed before, but have not always actively traced. As often noted before, family ties seem to be quite important in witnessing baptisms. I think it would be interesting to see trees like this more often in other settings as well: less rural communities, or communities with lots of recent migrants.

Moreover, I think it would be interesting to see what a tree or network like this would like if we focused on witnesses at marriage instead: aside from family networks, these records may give some more insight in networks of acquaintances within the area in which people lived.

Sources

1. Roman-Catholic St. Laurentiuskerk (Weesp), baptisms 1859-1888, folio 14v-15r, Sophia Catharina Snoek (20 November 1861); call no. 65, record group GAW044, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Vecht en Venen (http://www.rhcvechtenvenen.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
2. Civil Registration (Weesperkarspel), marriages 1848, record 4, Jan Snoek and Geertje Pronk (20 May 1848); digital film #000332105, browsable images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 June 2022).
3. Roman-Catholic St. Laurentiuskerk (Weesp), baptisms 1674-1817, Gerrit Pronk (26 September 1811); digital film #000116159, browsable images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 June 2022).
4. Roman-Catholic St. Laurentiuskerk (Weesp), baptisms 1674-1817, Maria Catharina Snoek (5 August 1811); digital film #000116159, browsable images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 June 2022).
5. Civil Registration (Weesperkarspel), deaths 1827, record 24, Jacob Snoek (17 August 1827); digital film #000116190, browsable images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 June 2022).
6. Civil Registration (Weesperkarspel), deaths 1833, record 26, Jacoba van Nes (8 March 1838); index and images, Noord-Hollands Archief (https://noord-hollandsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
7. Civil Registration (Nigtevecht), deaths 1838, record 4, Jacoba van Nes (8 March 1838); call no. 1139-17, record group 481, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
8. Roman-Catholic Church (Ankeveen), baptisms 1718-1812, Jacoba van Nes (27 January 1759); digital film #000116159, browsable images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 June 2022).
9. Court (Weesp), marriages 1765-1792, page 471, Jacob Snoek and Neeltje Willemse Koopmanschap (3 September 1786); call no. 66, record group GAW135, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Vecht en Venen (http://www.rhcvechtenvenen.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
10. Going through the baptism books of Eemnes by hand, following two separate marriages.
11. Civil Registration (Eemnes), deaths 1826, record 24, Willem Snoek (2 August 1826); call no. 371-04, record group 481, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
12. Roman-Catholic Church (Eemnes), baptisms 1692-1782, page 73, Willem Snoek (9 November 1736); call no. 545, record group DTB_Archief_Eemland_1010 -, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
13. Tax Records (Blaricum), marriages 1776-1805, Jacob J: de Jong and Gijsbertje Wouters (24 January 1798); digital film #000116159, browsable images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 June 2022).
14. Court (Vleuten), marriages 1704-1811, page 70, Johannes van Nes and Sophia Hoveling (25 November 1749); call no. 2084, record group 49, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
15. Roman-Catholic Church 1e Augstijnerstatie (Utrecht), baptisms 1663-1671 and 1689-1721, page 151, Joannes van Es (27 March 1718); call no. 63, record group 711, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
16. Roman-Catholic Church 1e Augstijnerstatie (Utrecht), baptisms 1663-1671 and 1689-1721, page 135, Aletta van Es (15 March 1716); call no. 63, record group 711, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
17. Roman-Catholic Church (Baarn), baptisms 1692-1782, page 6, Margarita Evertze (9 November 1736); call no. 530, record group DTB_Archief_Eemland_444 -, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
18. Roman-Catholic Church (Baarn), baptisms 1692-1782, page 7, Cornelia Evertses (20 July 1708); call no. 530, record group DTB_Archief_Eemland_444 -, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
19. Herman van Woudenbergh, public notary (Utrecht), minutes 1674-1712, record 43, prenuptial agreement of Gerrit Jansz van Es and Jacomina van der Wel (13 May 1712); “Personen,” index and images, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
20. Herman van Woudenbergh, public notary (Utrecht), minutes 1674-1712, record 8 (22 July 1709); “Personen,” index and images, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
21. Court (Vleuten), marriages 1610-1611 and 1639-1683 and 1704-1811, page 43, Jan van Nes and Aeltgen Lammen (1 May 1671); call no. 2084, record group 49, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
22. Willem Verweij, public notary (Utrecht), minutes 1701-1733, record 20-1, Will of Jacob Cornelis Wiltvank and Jaapje Theunis (19 December 1703); “Personen,” index and images, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).
23. Roman-Catholic Church (Eemnes), marriages 1671-1698 1692-1782, page 76, Jacob Wildvang and Jacobie Teunis (11 OCtober 1696); call no. 2, record group DTB_Archief_Eemland_1013 -, Het Utrechts Archief (https://hetutrechtsarchief.nl/ : accessed 15 June 2022).