Made will in which he and wife Barbara named each other universal heirs
Made will in which he and wife Barbara named each other universal heirs. Frans Boogert notary
Rozemond 1992:
Now it is the case that, if guardians for minor children were appointed by will or prenuptial agreement with the exclusion of the orphan chamber and/or the court, this exclusion had to be proven in the event of the death of (one of) the parents. Otherwise, the supervision of the guardianship appointment and guardianship and the estate management of the guardians fell to the orphan chamber or the court of the place where the death house was located. In both cases, this should have been reflected in the archives of the orphan chamber or the court.
In Cornelia Swalmius' will, guardians are appointed to the exclusion of orphan chambers and courts. If Cornelia left any children behind when she died in 1694, they would still have been minors in that year. In that case, it should have been recorded in the attendance registers of the Delft Orphan Chamber that the Orphan Chamber was excluded from guardianship. No such note has been found, from which we can conclude that Cornelia, if she had had children, survived them. After the death of Barbara de Meij, we do find an inscription that reads:
Anthoni Leeuwenhoeck, Camerkeeper
On the 11th of March 1667, Anthoni van Leeuwenhouck, camerbewaarder, presented the exhibited Copy of the Testament between him and Barbera de Mey, his wife, on 23 October 1662 before the notary Fr. van der Boogaert And passed the witnesses within the city and confirmed the death of the aforementioned wife, whereby the Weescamer was found to be excluded. Done before Messrs. Pieter van der Hoef and Dirck van Lodensteyn, orphan masters.
Fortunately, the protocols of notary Van der Boogaert have been preserved and we also find the will on the date mentioned.
It is a mutual will, in which the spouses appoint each other as sole heirs. It further contains the clause that the surviving spouse ... remains obliged to maintain the child already procreated at the time of their death, of which they may later come to procreate, to maintain the child in eating, drinking, healing and reason, to keep them at school and to practice a craft or other exercise to learn...
It seems to be necessary to record something like this in a will; This is conceivable for going to school, as there was no compulsory education at the time. The child that has already been procreated refers to Maria, as in 1662 her brother Philips and her sister Margrieta, born in 1655 and 1658 respectively, also died in those same years and her other brothers, both also called Philips, were born in 1663 and 1664. It is not yet known whether Maria ever received any training.
In the following passage, the surviving spouse is instructed, when children reach adulthood or enter marriage, to settle this fairly and to pay out a one-off payment of 600 guilders to all of them, with the stipulation that this amount replaces the legitimate portion from the estate of the first deceased.
If their child or children died unmarried or without having made a will, but also if Antoni or Barbara were to die first without leaving descendants, the surviving spouse was liable to pay the heirs a one-off sum of 300 guilders in the event of death. without the surviving spouse being forced to submit an inventory, under penalty of loss of all rights and benefits they would otherwise have had.
Finally, they appoint each other as guardian and guardian for their minor children, with the exclusion of the orphanage of Delft, or the place of the death house, in case they should move again, as well as of all other blood relatives who believe they are ineligible for guardianship.
Temporary results:
This research ultimately yielded two "new" advance directives: the will of Van Leeuwenhoek with his first wife from 1662 and the prenuptial agreement between Antoni and his second wife from 1671. They don't deliver much that's shocking. That is not surprising, because his scientific "career" has yet to begin.
The first piece is also a normal will, made for a couple who hope to start a family. If it had not been made, the surviving spouse would have received half of the property and the descendants would have received the other half, subject to any prenuptial agreements made. If they also died before their living parent, they inherited nothing, but their assets went back to the family of the first deceased.
Now the surviving spouse inherits everything and first the descendants die and then the surviving spouse, then the entire estate goes to the surviving spouse's family. That was apparently Antoni and Barbara's intention. Why? You probably need to know the family for that.
ONA Delft inv. 2013, fol. 113
Not. Frans Bogert, Delft 23-10-1662
In den Name des Heeren Amen. Op den drijentwintigsten October in den Jare naer geboorte onses heeren ende salichmaecker Jesu Christi duijsent ses hondert twee en sestigh compareerde voor mij Frans Bogert Nots. publij. bij den hove van Hollant geadmitteert binnen Delft residerende mitsgaders vor den onderges. getuigen d'eersame Antonij Leeuwenhoec, Camerbewaerder van de heere Schepenen deser stad end d'eerbaere Barbara de Meij, egteman ende vrouw mij Notario bekent, clouc ende gesont van lichamen, gaende ende staende, haer verstant, redenen ende memorie seer wel hebbende ende gebruijckende soo ons opentlijc scheen ende bleecq ende men niet anders en conde bemercken, te kennen gevende sij comparanten de sekerheijt van de dood ende de onsekerheijt van de uijre derseler ende niet gaerne van dese werelt soude willen scheijden sonder alvooren te heben gedisponeert van hare tijdelijcke goederen haer bij Godt almagtigh alrede verleent off nogh te erlenen, doende alle 't selve uit oorbedahten rade sonder inductie off misleijdinge van ijmant ende alvooren bevolen hebbende hare siele inde grondeloose barmhartigheijt Godes en hare doode lichamenen de Christelijcke begravinge der aerden, quamen alsoo ter voorgevene dispositie, verklaede sij testateuren te recoceren, casseren, doot ende te niet te doen alle voorgaende testamenten, codicillen off eenige andere makingen, niet willende dat eenige derselver het minste effect sllen sorteren, maer gehouden worden voor nul, cragteloos ende van onwaerden als off deselve noijt verleden off gepasseert waren, ende van nieus disponerende verklaerden sij testateuren d'een d'ander de eerststervende de langstlevende te hebben genomineert endegeinstitueert, sulx sij nomineren ende institueren bij desen tot sijne off hare eenige end universele erffgenam ende dat in alle de goederen, roerende ende onroerende, actien ende crediten, gene uijtgesondert, die de eerststervende van hen Testateuren metter dood ruijmen ende naerlaten asl mits dat de langstlevende gehouden ende verplight blijft het kint bij henluijden alrede geprocreert off die sij naer desen nogh soude mogen comen te procreeren, te onderhouden in eten, drancken, cleeder ende reden, deselve ter schole te houden ende een ambagt off andere exercitie te laten leeren, daertoe de langstlevende oordelen de selve bequaam te sijn ende gecomen sijnde ter mondigen dage off huwelijcken state deselve eerlijck uijt te setten ende boven dien aen hen allen uijtte keren de some van seshondert gl. eens, institueerende het voors. kint off nogh te procreeren kind off kinderen inde voors. soma van seshondert gl. in plaetse van haer legitime portie hen in goederen van de eerststervende competerende ende ingevalle de voors. kind off kinderen ongehuwelijkt oft ongetesteert quame te overlijden dat alsdan in sulcken cas off dat de eerststervende quame te overlijden sonder kinderen, de langslevende gehouden sal sijn aen de vrinden ende Erffgenamen ab intestato uijt te reijken d some van riehondert gl. eens sonder meer, sonder dat de langstlevende sal mogen worden gemolesteert omme te leveren eenige staat off inventaris als de consectie vandien verbiedende bij desen op peijne van te werden gepriveert van alle regt ende voordeel henluijden in desen gemaect.
Voorts sij Testateuren de langstlevende van hen gestelt ende gecommitteert tot voogt off voogdesse over hen na te laten minderjarige kint off kinderen met expresse seclusie van de heeren weesmeesteren deser stad off daer haer Testateuren sterfthuijs mogte comen te vallen, als mede alle andere vrinden ende bloedverwanten die de voogdijschap soude comen pretendeeren hen te competeren als de langstlevende all 't selve volcomentlijck toevertrouwende bij desen.
Alle 't gene voors. is bij mij Nots. hen Testateuren de(u)ijdelijck voorgelesen ende den sin van dien bij hen wel verstaen sijnde, seijden ende verleenden alle 't selve begerende dat alle 't selve naer haer luijden doot voortganck hebben ende effect sorteren sal niettegenstaende eenige solemniteijten in desen gerequireert niet geobserveert mogte bevonden werden, versoeckende hier uijt acte in forma verleden innen Delft ter presentie van Jacobus van Berlicum ende Eduardus darius beijde mijne Notario clercquen als getuigen van gelooveten desen neffens mi notario gerequireert ten dage, maend ende Jare voors.
