Personal IOUs

Eight personal IOUs (articles 65 - 72) were also among the papers that Maria left behind. They all date from after the death of her father. However, after the principal had been repaid, the actual document would probably be destroyed. We don't know how many earlier IOUs the Leeuwenhoeks might have accepted from other friends and relatives.

Who were they?

These IOU's came from people in two families close to Maria van Leeuwenhoek, the Haaxman family and the Van der Sprenkel family.

Cornelis Haaxman

A baker who lived on the Schoolsteeg. His bakery still stands off the garden of the Prinsenhof. Cornelis was Leeuwenhoek's great-nephew, his niece Maria Molijn's grandson. Along with three siblings (children of Jan Haaxman and Aletta Pijnaker) Maria (wife of Steven Bolland), Adriana and Dirck Haaxman, he was among Leeuwenhoek's heirs. See Loos-Haaxman's Delftse Burgers for more on this family.

Jan Blondel

He married Maria Jongesnijder in 1731. By April 20, 1740, he was bankrupt because on that date notary van der Lely (ONA inv. 2753 no. 14) sold off six properties in the couple's abandoned estate: the east side of the Lakengracht, the north corner of the Nieuwe Doelstraat and the Lakengracht, the south side of the Broerhuijslaen, the west side of the alley once named the Roode Hek on the south side of the Moslaan, the south side of the same alley.

The Blondels and Sprenkels were related. On July 5, 1718, Pieter van der Sprenkel (1685-) and Alijda Boogers baptized their son Adrianis. The witnesses were husband-and-wife Jan Blondel and Neeltie Boogers, sister of Alijda, and Josina van der Sprenkel, sister of Pieter.

Simon van den Enden

He married Barbara van der Sprenkel (1712-1784) in 1740. She was the sister of Maria van der Sprenkel and the half-sister of Josina van der Sprenkel.

Gertruij Haaxman

Cornelis' sister, she married Jan van Koetsveld in 1734. Over the following two decades, she gave birth to eight children: 1735, 1737, 1739, 1742, 1744, 1746, 1750, and 1757.

Arij Oosterhout

Adriaan Oosterhout (1699-1760) was a painter of Delftware who married Maria van der Sprenkel in 1725. At that time, she was living on the Oosteinde. He moved in with her because they buried several children from that address. By the time he died, he was living on Vlaamingstraat.

Maria van der Sprenkel

Josina's half-sister, born 7 June 1701 to Robbregt van der Sprenkel and his second wife Anna van Cessel. She and Oosterhout had children twins Judick and Johanna (1726), one of whom died a year later, Robbert (1728), who died as an infant, another Robbert (1731), Elizabeth (1734), Josijna (1736), Adriana (1738), Johannis (1741), and Robertus (1744).

Josina van der Sprenkel

She was born 27 November 1689 to Robbregt Pietersz van der Sprenkel and Cornelia Jacobs van der Bilt. Josina was Maria van Leeuwenhoek's maid, perhaps as early as 1705. Forty years later, she inherited the house on the Oosteinde. When she died in 1757, she was noted as a spinster (vrijster) living on Vlamingstraat. 

Aletta Bravenboer

She married Jan Haaxman (16??-17??) in 1709. They had children Adriana (1711), Cornelis (1713), Barbera (1716), Dirk (1718), and Jan (1722). Barbera's baptism on June 26, 1716, was witnessed by Anthonij Lewenhock [sic] and Marija Leeuwenhock, perhaps because Barbera was the name of Antony's first wife and Maria's mother.

Aletta was the widow of Jan Haaxman when in 1731 she married Pieter Bravenboer.