Jan Philips Leeuwenhoek

Patronymic: 
Philips
Antony's: 
great-uncle
Baptism: 
?
Burial: 
?

A Jan Philipsz died (DTB inv. 35 OK, fol. 143) on November 11, 1601 while living on Oosteinde. He was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk.

Perhaps it was his daughter who was buried (DTB 36 OK, fol. 72) on February 11, 1609.

This death makes sense if he was the brother of Cornelis Philips and Thonis Philips.

However, on March 5, 1634, another Jan Philipsz, sailor (varentgast) married (DTB inv. 69 fol. 37; right, click to enlarge) Geertruijt Arijens, who lived on the Vlouw. Jan usedthe family name van Leeuwenhouck. He was not the first in the family to use the "van" decades before Antony began to. His patronym was "Philipsz", so the only option for a father is Leeuwenhoek's great-grandfather, Philips Thonis. Jan Philips certainly could have spent decades at sea or abroad and returned to Delft as an old man. But then who died in 1601?

In any event, eight months after the marriage, Trijntgen was baptized (DBT inv. 8 OK, fol. 137) on November 26, 1634, father Jan Philipsz and mother Trijntgen Arents.

Five years after that, Lijsbeth was baptized (DTB inv. 56 NK, fol. 36v) on August 14, 1639, father Jan Philipsse and mother Trijntjen Aryens.

No dates for the next two, but they seem to show that Jan Philips, a seaman (varentman), bought (OAD inv. 283, folio 938v1, volgnummer 3, waarbrief 3r371) for 2,450 gulden and paid a transfer tax on a house on the south side of the Nieuwstraat. See also OAD inv. no. 731, folio 093r2a, volgnummer 1b and KCD inv. no. 370/23e, folio 006r2.

Again without a date, a Jan Philipsz. listed as a schipper, which indicates the captain of a ship, not just a seaman. He registered as a citizen of Voorburg (OAD inv. 404, fol, 38, volgnummer 11).

The following seem unlikely to be the Jan Philpsz related to Leeuwenhoek.

WKD inv. 432, fol. 401-401, bundel 23, notes that Jan Philipsz had two sons: Cornelis and Willem.

DTB 39 NK, fol. 235v of January 8, 1653 notes the burial of an unnamed daughter of Jan Phillipsz, an English shoemaker (schoenlapper), who died while living on St. Urselenstraat.

There were also men named Jan Philips living on the Buitenwatersloot and Gasthuislaan in Delft and in Gauw.