It is 19-08-1869 when Maaike Sparreboom is born, the year in which the Suez Canal is ready, plastic (celluloid) and the (bicycle) dynamo are invented. And also old measures such as the pound and the cubit are abolished and replaced by the kilogram and meter.
Maaike was born in IJsselmonde, an independent municipality where many members of our family were born. It was not added to Rotterdam until 1941. Many people lived off salmon fishing, which later became impossible due to overfishing and severe water pollution.
You cannot simply compare that time with now, even though Maaike was born only 150 years ago. Many people did not grow old, because of illnesses but also because of poor working conditions. Maaike was only 9 months old when she died. Although the above death certificate does not state how she died, it is conceivable that this was a childhood illness that caused many children to die at the time. In addition, we know that there was a typhoid epidemic during that period.
The death certificate is signed by Maaike’s father, Jan Sparreboom. According to our records, he had a total of eight children. Those children did go to school, but usually until they were twelve, after which they had to work. That must also have been the case for Cornelis van Deelen, who registered the death together with Jan. Because at the bottom of the deed it is stated that he stated that he was unable to write and therefore could not sign the deed.
Maaike was probably named after her grandmother Maaike Leenheer. Mentions were very common before 1945. It was not until after the Second World War that children were given names that had never been used in their families before. We also see this name among Maaike’s other siblings: Jan, Cornelis, Grietje, Johannes, Simon and Pieter. And after her death on 01-06-1870 Maaike got a sister on 26-10-1871 with the name…Maaike.
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