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The Bergen op Zoom familyThe lines of this song are still sung in Bergen op Zoom each year during carnival. The song was written during the 80 year war against the Spanish king. This war was an independency war. The provinces of Holland wished to be free from the Spanish government because of the high tax (10 %) and freedom of religion. In order to achieve this goal Prince William of Orange, count of Holland, became Protestant to oppose the king of Spain, who was catholic. Bergen op Zoom was long catholic, compared to other Dutch cities: only in 1680 the city became Protestant. Protestantism became the state religion and the main churches of Bergen op Zoom became Protestant. But when Catholicism was allowed again 20 years later the majority of residents of Bergen op Zoom returned to Catholicism. And certainly after 1742, when the French conquered Bergen op Zoom, but few Protestants were left. In the St. Gertrudis church or Peperbus under the confessional my forefather Willem Jobse van Dort (1764) is buried. He was married to Johanna la Riviere and Helena Wittermans. Helena was buried in 1770 besides him. According to the funeral books the church bells rang for 2 hours for both of them, meaning that apart from being religious, they also were well to do. Willem Jobse van Dort was a (market) skipper from Bergen op Zoom to Rotterdam. He lived in Rotterdam for a while also. His first wife Johanna la Riviere died in Rotterdam. |
People from Bergen op Zoom moved to Tholen in Zeeland (Netherlands), which was very Protestant, to Rotterdam and the whole country; wherever they could find a job. Some stayed in Bergen op Zoom. Among them are the well known anchovy fisherman and oyster growers of the family van Dort. The "Ansjovisfabriek van Dort" (anchovies factory) canned anchovies and existed from 1900 till 1950. The way they collect the anchovies is unique to Holland. By putting branches and trees in the waters of Oosterschelde, an estuary in the north sea, they make a kind of trap for the fish. Once every day, they move the fish into a net, while wading through the water. The last anchovy fishermen, Cor van Dort and his son Cornee and the family Landa, still fish every year. Other more or less well known van Dort's from Bergen op Zoom are Willem van Dort (1875-1949) and his son Willem van Dort Jr. (1905 - 1995). They were both painters of landscapes, portraits and flowers. The father was an impressionist. His son taught at the gold smith school in Schoonhoven, and the art academy in Rotterdam. In '95 there was an exhibition of their paintings in museum the "Markiezenhof" in Bergen op Zoom. 11) up left: anchor, signifies his grandfather from fathers side, a skipper. up right: dolphin, signifies his grandfather from mothers side, a fisherman. below: wheel topped with a horn, signifies his father, a traveling merchant. Since Johan Joseph had no children, his ring was probably heritated by Gerret Willem Christiaan, the son of his brother Willem Christiaan . Gerret Willem was a chemist in The Hague. Gerret Willem van Dort was granted permission by the king to call himself van Dort-Kroon. Kroon is Dutch for crown. Hence his children are all called van Dort-Kroon. In the collection of Steenkamp-Damstra (CBG) a stamp of his seal (Waddinxveen, 1880) can be found. The surname pages contain only a small part of the research he has done the last year. Even in the 17th century, the family van Dort of Bergen op Zoom was quite an extensive family. Note that this is just a part of the genealogy, since the rest still has to be typed in. |
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Gedcom
I will add a link to the gedcom or an internet version of the genealogy soon. |
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