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On this page we make room for a special story of a special Van Hunnik. It's the period where postcoaches were driving along the country in a poor period in Holland under a plague of beggars and vagabonds. There was even a bounty on their head. It was a period that poor families voluntary moved to State workfarms, their only wage was food and a small amount of money, just enough to keep alive. To give you an impression of the 'spirit of
time' in this period a few facts first: Gerrit van Hunnik 1828 - 1870 Gerrit Johannes Adrianus van Hunnik 1834 - 1890 These brothers are related to the forefathers of the Van Hunnik familys in the U.S.A., Germany and The Netherlands. Both were born in the period that The Netherlands were split up in two countries, Holland and Belgium (1830). A lot of soldiers returned home after the war with Belgium and became unemployed. In the year 1839 the first steamtrain drove between the cities Amsterdam and Haarlem. Under influence of king William I a lot of channals and railroads were built te develop country economic. Veenendaal was disclosed by a railwaytrack between Amsterdam and Arnhem in the year 1855. There were a lot of epidemics in Holland in this period. The averaged lifetime for men was 42 years. 25 % of the newborn died within a year. A sober life with only a few contacts and a lot of fresh air seemed to be the best to survive. In 1854 the first waterworks were installed in the city of Amsterdam, sewer systems followed and without knowing why the 'rich' citizens discovered one of the main couses for epidemics. In the same period mildwives decreased the number of childs dying within the first year of their lives by washing their hands with chlorined water mix. In the area around Veenendaal the fen-lands became exhausted. Alot of fen-workers started a small homecompany making wool. Behind these houses there was often a laundry. Because of the colour of the blue whool they made the people of Veenendaal are still called 'bluesocks' (blauwkousen). In this period there were about 60 of the home-industries with 150 persons employed. Hundreds of woman were working as a spinner. Childlabour was regular This was the reason of the foundation of several whoolfactories at the end of the century. This industry was florishing until the 70-ties. Isaäc, Gerrit's father was whoolcomber and a small farmer in one of the 60 homecompanies of that period. Working from 6 a.m. till 6.30 p.m. and on Saturday till 2 p.m.. An adult man earned six guilders in a week. Childresn of eight years and older worked in the companies too. I this period Veenendaal was a small village with about 500 houses. Only one sealed road between Elst en Renswoude. |
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Gerrit van Hunnik (1828-1870) It's in fact a sad story of a sad life of the family in which Gerrit as eldest son was born in the year 1828. A simple farmefamily living near Veenendaal where grandfather Gerrit and father Isaäc worked as a woolcomber and had are very simple life just like the most of the inhabitants of this small village. It was a period in which poverty was the most striking mark. Beggars were a plague.Inthis period the gouvernment founded labourcamps and beggarlabourcenters. In the first years only orphans were taken in. In 1820 the fortress Ommmerschans was the first location were a penalty labourcamp was founded. The next place was Veenhuizen, first only founded for the northern provences . Our Gerrit was ment to spent a long period in both places during his life. In 1830 only four Van Hunnik familys lived in Veenendaal. The brother Isaäc and Dirk and their cousins Hermanus and Dirk. Dirk was a labour man and stayed single. Hermanus was a hatmaker and became a butcher later. This change of profession would have enourmous consequenses for the future of the family. Isaäc was farmer and woolcomber, Dirk was a soldier. In the family of Isaäc and his wife Berendina van Ede In het gezin was Gerrit the firstborn. Death was a frequent visitor of this family. Gerrit was two years old when his little brother Leonardus was born and died after 3 months. One year later his sisther Cornelia was born and died after one week. When Gerrit was four years old when his sister Helena was born. She lived only 26 years and died after being a widdow and a second mariage. From April 30th 1847 till May 1st 1848 he served the army in the 3rd Artilary Regiment. He leaves the army probably caused by the death of his mother. One year later his father died. Gerrit is 21, Helena 17, Gerrit Johannes Adrianus 15, Evert 13, Jan 8, Johanna 6, Cornelis 3 and, . ..... all orphans. In1850 he joins the army again for a period of 5 years. We must assume that Gerrit didn't end it volantary. He must have been without any money he starts a life as beggar and vagabond. On June 28, 1856 he's placed in a worklabourcamp at Veenhuizen, after a short period he's transferred to another camp 'Ommerschans'. From there he escapes several times and police is looking for him. Police spread out the following discription: length 1,82 el (one el is 69,4 cm) , oval face, brown hair, brown eyes, big nose and mouth, round kin. In November 1861 he is caught in Nijmegen and sent again to Veenhuizen. |
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| Some happynes appears in his life when he falls in love with Aaltje Mulder, also living in this camp. They get released and on November 5 1866 they get married. It's not for a long time. On September 21 1867 he's sent from the prison Leeuwarden to Veenhuizen again. Three years later he dies in 1st Camp Veenhuizen, age 42 years. Twenty years later his brother died in this same place. |
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| Gerrit Johannes Adrianus van Hunnik (1834-1890) Discription from a police wanted notice: "length 1.82 el (one el is 69,4 cm) oval face, round forehead, grey eyes, pointed nose, small mouth, round chin, darkbrown hair and eyebrows, yellow skincolour, soft normal voice, muscussmell, last time dressed in a long black coat, trousers, waiscoat, shawl, low shoes and flat cap. He left from the city of Utrecht on December 19, 1867 possible to stay with his brother Evert van Hunnik, farmer at Gelders Veenendaal or to Johannes van Elst, merchant at Culemborg. He receives a pension every three months at the office of the courtpaymaster at Utrecht. Criminal offence: public violation (peeping Tom - crimen nefandum), sentenced by the court of Utrecht for six month in prison on January 9, 1868. |
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This is the translation of the police warrant on January 26, 1868. (thanks to the Politiemuseum te Apeldoorn) This Gerrit J.A. is an orphan when he's 15 years old. On April 24, 1852 he volunteers in the Dagoonder Regiment 4. He's doing well that time. In June 1854 he's promoted to corporal and in 1857 he's a sergeant and witness on the wedding of his sister Helena at Renkum. After this 6 years he leaves to the East Dutch Indies as a soldier and returns to the Netherlands in 1865 with a pension. He gets into the wrong life appearing his sentence for jail three years later. On february 7, 1868 he gets caught and sent to prison. |
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| After his sentence Gerrit J.A. tries to pick up a new life. He leaves in 1869 for New York. His profession: servant, his reason for leaving: adventure. In 1880 he's back in Europe living with his brother Cornelis in Bonn, Germany. Cornelis earns a living as a coachman. With this family he returns in 1883 temporarely to Veenendaal, one year later living in Bonn again. His adventureblood is still in him. He leaves for America again and returns in Holland in 1888. He's caught as a beggar in Amsterdam and locked up in labourcamp Veenhuizen. On July 9, 1890 he's sentenced for 10 moths jailpenalty for vagrancy. He dies poor and lonely on September 10, 1890 at Labourcamp 2 Veenhuizen. The brothers Evert (the farmer) and Cornelis (coachman) became the forefathers of the Van Hunnik wings G, H, J, K and L. These descendants live in the U.S.A., Germany and Holland. |
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