Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 13 – Aleid Laureijs Colen

This is the fourteenth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my ninth great-grandfather Laureijs Denis Peters was the son of Denis Peters, also known as Pulskens, and Aleid Laureijs Colen.

Aleid Laureijs Colen, daughter of Laureijs Denijs Colen

The research to prove that Laureijs Denis Peters was the son of Aleid Laureijs Colen already turned up several records that mentioned her, including her marriage record, last will, and estate division. These records and others will be analyzed for evidence about her parents.

Marriage record

According to the Roman Catholic marriage register of Tilburg, Elen Laureijs Denis Colen had banns published to marry Denis Peter Anthenis on 16 December 1627. They were married on 11 January 1628. Witnesses were Jan Willem Mutsaerts and Jan Peter Antonis.¹

Marriage record

Elen and Aleid are variations of the same name. The patronymics and last name of the bride indicate she was the daughter of Laureijs Denis Colen. The patronymics of the second witness match those of the groom, suggesting Jan Peter Antonis was Denis’ brother. Since it was common to have one witness from each side, Jan Willem Mutsaerts was probably related to Elen Laureijs Denis Colen.

Children

Denis Peters and Elen had seven children baptized in Tilburg:

1. Petrus, baptized 13 November 1628. Witnesses: Jan Willems, Maeijken Sijmons.²
2. Laureijs, baptized 10 June 1631. Witnesses: Wouter Dionijs Coolen, Eelen Goijaerts.³
3. Antonius, baptized 8 January 1634. Witnesses: Jan Denijs Coolen, Cathalijn Jans.⁴
4. Maria, baptized 9 November 1635. Witnesses: Jan Janssen, Maijken Thonis Adam.⁵
5. Peerken, baptized 13 February 1638. Witnesses: Adriaen Janssen, Jenneken Cornelis.⁶
6. Adrianus, baptized 17 September 1639. Witnesses: Jan Jacobs Damen, Peerken Peters.⁷
7. Catharina, baptized 22 April 1648. Witnesses: Heijlken Cornelis in the name of Maiken Jan Vreijssen.⁸

Based on their patronymics and surnames, Wouter Dionijs Coolen and Jan Denijs Coolen were probably uncles of Eelen/Aleid.

Baptismal record

Married in 1628 and the mother of children born between 1628 and 1648, Aleida was probably born between 1603 and 1610. No baptism of an Aleida or variations, daughter of Laureijs, was found in the index of Tilburg baptismal records of this period.⁹ Tilburg baptismal records start in 1600, but the earliest records seem to be incomplete. For example, only eight baptisms were recorded for 1605.¹⁰ Since Aleida’s baptism may have been unrecorded, the absence of her baptism in Tilburg records does not imply she was born elsewhere.

Last will

On 24 March 1665, Denijs Peter Anthonis Pulskens and Aleijt Laureijs Colen recorded their last will. The will did not identify any relatives besides daughter Catherina and unnamed unmarried children.¹¹ 

His first name and patronymics and her first name, last name, and first patronymic match the information from the marriage record, proving that this is the will for the couple that married in 1628.

Last will

Denis Peter Anthonis used the last name “Pulskens” in this record. In this period before the introduction of the civil registration in 1811, last names were not required.¹² In the province of Noord-Brabant in the 1600s, hereditary surnames were increasingly adopted. The previous naming pattern of first names and patronymics remained in use, leading to names consisting of three parts: first name, patronymics, surname.¹³ People in the Tilburg area often used multiple patronymics to distinguish same-named men. Denis Peter Anthonis Pulskens’ name implies his father was named Peter and his grandfather was named Anthonis.

Estate division

On 17 August 1684, the heirs of Denis Peter Pulskens and Alida Lauwreijs Colen, also called Aletta Freijs Coolen, divided their estate. The court record of the division named their children and grandchildren:

1. Cornelis Jan Coijen, married to Maria Denis Peter Pulskens.
2. Jan Laureijs Denis Peters for himself and as guardian and Hugo Dirck Huijgen as supervising guardian over the three minor children of the late Laureijs Denis Peter Pulskens of whom the mother is Anneken Cornelis Coijen.
3. Peter Anthon Denis Peters Pulskens for himself and as guardian and Laureijs Joost Moonen as supervising guardian over the four minor children of the late Anthonis Denis Peters, of whom the mother was Maria Jan Koijen.
4. Jan Goijaert Adriaens as guardian and Goijaert Daniel Goijaerts as supervising guardian over the four minor children of the late Daniel Goijaert Mutsaerts, of whom the mother is Pieternella Denis Peeter Pulskens.
5. Anthonij Jan Peter Pulskens as guardian and Adriaen Adriaen Gerits de Roij as supervising guardian over the four minor children of Adriaen Denis Peter Pulskens, of whom the mother is Maria Adriaen Gerits de Roij.
6. Jan Cornelis Pessers as guardian and Michiel Jan Peter Pulskens as supervising guardian over the three minor children of the late Peter Cornelis Pessers, of whom the mother is Marij Denis Peter Pulskens.
7. Adriaen Niclaes Peter Goijaerts as married to Catelijn Denis Peter Pulskens.¹⁴

These seven entries correspond to the seven children found in the baptismal records. The children used “Denis Peter” as their patronymics and Pulskens as their last name, which matches the name used by Denis Peter in his last will. Their first names were identical or variations of the names in the baptismal register: Anthonius is a variation of Anthonis, Pieternella is a variation of Peerken, Adriaen is a variation of Adrianus, and Catelijn is a variation of Catharina.

Colen inheritance

On 27 February 1630, Jan de Jonge [junior], son of the late Laureijs Denijs Colen, of whom the mother is Catarina daughter of the late Jan Adriaen Smolders, and Denijs son of the late Peeter Antonis Goijaert Pulskens as husband and guardian of Aleijdt his wife, daughter of the late Laureijs and Catarina as mentioned above, sold their share of the inheritance from their father and the future inheritance from their mother to Jan d’oude [senior], son of the late Lareuijs and Catarina as mentioned above, their brother and brother-in-law, with the agreement of their mother, now the wife of Jan Willem Mutsaerts.¹⁵

27 February 1630 court record

This court record mentions several family relationships. Their first names, patronymics, and surnames, identify Denijs son of the late Peeter Antonis Goijaert Pulskens and his wife Aleijdt daughter of Laureijs Denijs Colen as the persons of interest. This record names her parents: Laureijs Denijs Colen and Catharina daughter of Jan Adriaen Smolders. It indicates her father was deceased and that her mother was now married to Jan Willem Mutsaerts.

The records gives the names of two of Aleijd’s brothers, both named Jan. It is unusual in this time and place to have two surviving siblings have the same first name. This can occur if the children are named after two different family members who happened to share a name. In that case, one sibling was typically referred to as the “oude” [senior] and the other as the “jonge” [junior], like in this record.

Guardianship accounts of Laureijs Denijs Colen’s children

The 1630 court record indicated that Aleid’s mother had married again after the death of Laureijs Denijs Colen, to Jan Willem Mutsaerts. When we find evidence of a second marriage where there were children of the first marriage, we can check guardianship or estate records to see if an agreement was made with the guardians of the minor children.

The court records of Tilburg include a bundle of guardianship accounts of the income and expenses for the minor children of the late Laureijs Denijs Colen and Catharina, daughter of Jan Adriaen Smolders.¹⁶ Their names match the information about Aleijd’s parents from the 1630 court record. The guardianship accounts show that this couple indeed had a daughter Aleida.

The earliest account dates from 20 February 1620, when Wouter Denijs Colen appeared as guardian and Peter Jan Adriaen Smolders as supervising guardian during an estate sale. The accounts span 32 pages and cover the years 1620-1628. They include several payments made on behalf of the children, of which some examples are given here.

1620-1621:

• To Aleijdt the daughter for money that she consumed in the new year 4 stuivers [5 cent coin]
• To the teacher in Hasselt for the school money for the three small children 2 guilders, 5 stuivers, 1 oirt [penny coin]
• To the wife of Wouter Denijs for consumption and for the children during the year, 4 guilders 5 stuivers.
• For white bread when the daughter was ill, 1 stuiver.¹⁷

Besides Aleijdt, the record also mentioned Jan the older, Jan the younger, and Adriaen as children for whom payments were made. It also mentions that Jan Willems, having married the minor children’s mother, should pay them some remaining sum.

Account of 27 June 1621:

• For Aleijdt the daughter linnen sheets, 13 stuivers 3 oirt
• For Aleijdt the daughter a black apron, 29 stuivers 3 oirt
• For Aleijdt the daughter a pair of shoes, 22 stuivers
• For the same Aleijdt black wollen cloth for a bodice, 3 guilders 10 stuiver
• For Aleijdt the daughter to buy a hat and have her shoes repaired, 11 stuivers
• To the teacher at the Hasselt 30 stuiver¹⁸

Account since 12 January 1625 to 1628:

• For Aleijdt the daughter a pair of shoes 24 stuivers
• For Aleijdt the daughter when she was ill sent to Rotterdam, 8 guilders
• And for the second trip of the same because of her illness travelled to Rotterdam 4 guilders 5 stuivers
• For Aleijdtken the daughter a pair of shoes 29 stuivers 2 oirt
• For the cloth for a frock for Aleijtken when she was the bride, 14 guilders 8 stuivers, 3 oirt
• Given to Aleijdt the daughter in money 15 guilders.¹⁹

Entry for a frock for when Aleijdtken was the bride

The accounts only mention the sale of moveable goods; no real estate was sold. The accounts include income from rents, and the expense accounts include some payments for repairs of a house, which shows that they did own property. This suggests the real estate remained undivided in the joint possession of the children and their mother.

The accounts identified four apparent brothers of Aleijdt: Jan the older, Jan the younger, Peter, and Adriaen. The two brothers named Jan match the names of Aleijdt’s brothers in the 1630 court record whereby she and the younger Jan sold their shares in their parents’ estate to the older Jan.

The expenses provide insights into the youth of Aleida. She was apparently raised for a time in the household of Wouter Denijs Coolen and his wife. His patronymic and last name imply he was Aleida’s uncle. She probably went to school in the hamlet of Hasselt, if she was one of the three younger children for whom money was paid to the local teacher. She was ill around 1620, when white bread was bought for her, and again between 1625 and 1628, when she required two visits to Rotterdam to get cured; a distance of about 75 km/45 miles. She married between 1625 and 1628, since the account includes an expense for a frock for her wedding.

With the accounts is a stack of receipts, mostly paid for paid for by Wouter Denis Coolen or Jan Willem Mutsaerts. This includes a receipt dated 27 March 1628, paid for by Wouter Denis Coolen, for several purchases of cloth, including one item that translates to: “for Eelen the sister cloth for one frock for the sum of 14 guilders 8 stuivers 3 oirt.”²⁰

Receipt for Elen’s frock

Elen is another form of Aleida/Aleijdtken. The sum of 14 guilders, 8 stuivers, and 3 oirt matches the entry in the account for Aleijdtken’s bridal frock. The receipt was from 27 March 1628. People often had a running tab with merchants that they settled periodically, which explains why there were several purchases on the same receipt.

The bundle has seven receipts for that same merchant for the period 1623 to 1628.²¹ The last receipt prior to the 27 March 1628 receipt for the frock dates to 27 July 1627.²² That implies that Elen/Aleijdtken, the daughter of Laureijs Denijs Colen and Catharina, daughter of Jan Adriaen Smolders had a bridal gown made between 27 July 1627 and 27 March 1628. That is consistent with Aleida Laureijs Denis Colen, who married Denis Peter Antonis on 11 January 1628. No other brides named Aleida Colen or variations were found in the index in 1625-1628.²³

The presence of the receipt for the bridal gown of Aleida in the guardianship accounts of the children of Laureijs Denijs Colen and Catharina Smolders implies it was their daughter who married Denis Peter Antonis.

Marriage record of the parents

On 14 July 1602, Laureijs Denijs Colen had banns published to marry Lijnken Jan Adriaens daughter. They were married on the 28th of the same month.²⁴

The name of the groom fits the father in the guardianship account. Lijnken is a diminitive of Catharina, so the bride’s name matches that of the mother in the guardianship accounts too. Their 1602 marriage is before the 1603-1610 estimated birth date of Aleida Laureijs Colen, consistent with them being her parents.

Marriage record

Stepfather Jan Willem Mutsaerts

Jan Willem Mutsaerts witnessed the publication of the banns of Aleida to Denis in 1627, appeared on several receipts showing that he made purchases on her behalf, and was mentioned as her mother’s second husband in the 1630 court record whereby Aleijd sold her share in her inheritance from her parents.

The Tilburg marriage register confirms he was her stepfather. On 26 January 1620, Jan Willem Mutsaerts had banns published to marry Lijntken Jan Adriaens. Witnesses were Lauwreijs Adriaens and Corst Lauwereijs Denis. The marriage was solemnized 13 February 1620.²⁵

Marriage record

His bride must have been Catharina/Lijnken Jan Adriaens, the widow of Laureijs Denijs Colen. Cathalijn Jans and Jan Willems both witnessed the baptism of one of Aleida’s children.

As Aleida’s stepfather, Jan Willems Mutsaerts would have been a logical choice to witness her marriage and sign receipts for purchases on her behalf. The guardianship accounts included an estate sale on 20 February 1620, a week after her second marriage, also fits.²⁶ The guardians of the children would have insisted she first came to an agreement with them before starting her new life with a second husband.

Uncles Jan and Wouter Denis Coolen

On 18 February 1618, Jan and Wouter, sons of the late Denijs Laureijs Coolen and Barbara Peeter Goijaert Pulskens appeared in an estate settlement. They were heirs themselves, and acted on behalf of the [unnamed] children of the late Laureijs Denijs Colen and his wife Catarina.²⁷ Their matching patronymics and last names and joint appearance as heirs identify Jan and Wouter as Laureijs Denijs Colen’s brothers.

Coolen heirs in estate settlement, 12 February 1618

The guardians accounts showed that Wouter Denis Coolen was the guardian over the minor children of Laureijs Denis Coolen and Catharina Jan Adriaens Smolders, including a daughter Aleijd/Elen.²⁸ He paid the bill for Elen’s bridal gown.²⁹ Jan Denis Coolen and Wouter Denis Colen acted as baptismal witnesses for Laureijs and Antonius, the sons of Denis Peters and Aleijd.³⁰ Their appearances as guardians and baptismal witnesses are consistent with Jan and Wouter being Aleijd’s paternal uncles.

Peter Laureijs Colen’s will

On 18 August 1664, Peter Laureijs Colen, lying ill in his bed, made up his last will. He left 1/3 of his estate to his brother Jan Laureijs Colen or his heirs, 1/3 to his sister Alijd or her heirs, and 1/3 to the children of the late Jan Laureijs Colen the younger of whom the mother is Cornelia Adriaen Anthonis Gerits de Beir.³¹

Last will

Apart from minor spelling variations, the four siblings Peter, Jan the older, Jan the younger, and Alijd match four of the five minor children of Laureijs Denijs Colen and Catharina Jan Adriaens Smolders mentioned in the guardianship accounts. This shows that their daughter Aleijdtken was still living in 18 August 1664, consistent with her being the wife of Denis Peter Antonis Pulskens, who was still alive on 24 March 1665 when they created their last will.³²

Naming patterns

Denis Peter Antonis Pulskens and Aleida Laureijs Colen named their second son Laurentius, apparently after her deceased father.³³ In 1648, they named their youngest daughter Catharina, apparently after her mother.³⁴ Since in this time and place, only deceased family members were usually named after, this indicates that Catharina probably died before 1648. A gap in the surviving burial registers of Tilburg from 1633 to 1654 prevents us from finding the exact burial date of Catharina Jan Adriaens Smolders.³⁵

Conclusion

All the evidence leads to the same conclusion: Aleida Laureijs Colen was the daughter of Laureijs Denis Colen and Catharina Jan Adriaens Smolders.

Overview of Aleid Colen’s family. Possibly line to Eleanor of Aquitaine in bold.

Aleid’s patronymics in her marriage record identified her as the daughter of Laureijs Denis Colen. In 1630, she appeared with her husband Denijs Peter Anthonis Pulskens in a court record to sell her share of her parents’ inheritance. The record identified her as the daughter of Laureijs Denis Colen and Catharina Jan Adriaens. The guardianship accounts show that Laureijs Denis Colen and Catharina Jan Adriaen Smolders had a daughter Aleijdtken/Elen. The receipt of the bridal frock showed that their daughter Aleid married around the time that Aleida Laureijs Colen married Denis Peter Anthonis. The witness to that marriage, Jan Willem Mutsaerts, was her stepfather: the second husband of her mother Catharina Jan Adriaen Smolders. Joint appearances with siblings confirm the relationship. No evidence was found to contradict this conclusion.

The receipt for the wedding dress has to be one of the best pieces of evidence I’ve ever found during my research. This find shows that it pays off to expand your search beyond the church records and what’s online, and to take the time to do on-site research in less commonly used sources. The guardianship account provided key evidence to link Aleida to her parental family.

That’s thirteen generations down, fifteen to go!

Next up: Generation 14: Laureijs Denijs Kolen