Maarten Oudshoorn, portrait of a hard life in the 19th century

Maarten, also called Marten, Oudshoorn was born on November 18th 1814 in Wilnis, a small village in the Netherlands. He was the son of Jan Oudshoren (also written as Oussoren) and Annigje, or Annetje, Schipper. His parents married early March, so she was pregnant at her wedding day, although it was probably not known to her at the time. After Maarten two daughters were born and after that a boy and a girl who were twins. The boy died at the age of two years.

Apparently Maarten's father died somewhere between 1826 and 1829, because his mother remarried in March 1829, with Jan de Ruiter. Jan is five years younger than Annigje and didn't marry before. Three months after the wedding a girl is born. Annigje was pregnant again at her wedding day, although this time she must have known! This daughter, Maria, dies three months later. In Juni 1830 son Hendrik is born, he dies two years later in October. In 1831 a son called Willem is born, he dies very young because in 1832 another Willem is born, he dies two weeks later. In 1834 another Hendrik is born, he stays alive, well, he dies at the age of ten years. In 1837 there is another Willem born, who dies at the age of five years. All the children of this second marriage don't reach the grown up age.

This is what Maarten experiences in his youth, all his halfbrothers and -sister die. His mother dies in 1848, she is in her early fifties than.

Maarten himsels marries in 1837, the year in which his youngest halfbrother is born. He marries Margaretha Hoetmer in the village of Nederhorst den Berg. The history of his childhood continues. The oldest daughter of Margaretha and Maarten reaches the age of five. The second child, a son, stays alive. After him they lose a son at the age of eleven months and a daughter at two months. Maarten's wife also dies, shortly after the birth of the daughter, in April 1846. She is only 32 years old. Maarten stays behind with son Jan.

One and a half years later Maarten marries again. His son is six years old at the time. He marries Magteltje Barmentlo. She is 44 years old, eleven years older than Maarten. This probably is a marriage just to safeguard the care for his son. Magteltje wasn't married before. She dies in 1860, Maarten's son is 19 at that time.