Henriette (Jet pronounced Yet) Louise Jansz
(van der Veer)

Story from Marriette van dr Veer
Derk Anton Laurens was the brother of my grandmother Henriette Louise Jansz. I have here that Derk, who apparently was called Dirk by his siblings, and his wife Geritje had 5 children: Martha, Willem Pieter (Bill), Bert, Cora and Marie. My father was Heleendert Berend van der Veer ( Bert). So our parents were cousins.

My grandmother Henriette Louise Jansz married Willem Marius van der Veer and they moved to Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) around 1900. They had 6 children who were all born there.

My mother's parents also moved to Indonesia around 1900 and my mother and her siblings were also born there. All our family were either POW or civilian prisoners of the Japanese during WW2. Quite a few were killed. My sister and I were also born in Indonesia. Later on we lived in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi). My sister and I studied in the Netherlands and lived there after we finished university.

I have found Hendrik Jan Jansz, the brother of Dirk and Henriette. My grandmother told me about him. He was married to somebody who wasn't pure Dutch (she probably was of mixed Indonesian heritage) and in those days you were socially ostracised in those classes. My grandfather had a high position and refused to meet Hendrik, his brother in law. So my grandmother met him now and then secretly, meeting in him in her carriage or car.

In 1982 I visited Indonesia after I attended the World Congress of Anesthesiology in Manila. I started on Sumatra (where our family was born and raised) and then on to Java (where Henriette Jansz lived for some years because her husband was stationed there for some years) and then on to Bali.

Now on Java Henriette Jansz and her husband lived in BUITENZORG, which is now called Bogor. Many place names have been changed after independence in 1949. That is where she met Hendrik because he lived there. In 1982 when I was planning my trip I wrote to some B&B's as I needed cheap accommodation during my 6 week trip. One B&B was run by somebody called... Jansz. So I contacted them asking if they were (grand)children of Hendrik. I got their reply only after I came back from my travels. Very unfortunate as they were his grandchildren so we were related. So in the end I never met them and I lost their details.

I should write a story of what I know of my grandparents as it's interesting I think. My grandmother Henriette was the first white woman to live in Atjeh.

Hendrik died as a prisoner of war and is buried in Semarang. It's a Dutch War Cemetery.