Familie Coers/Koers in de Bommelerwaard

Johannes Kourts came to the Netherlands as a soldier. In 1713, in Deventer, he married Lisabeth Luksiger.

His grandson Peter Coers was baptized in Deventer on 19 Aug. 1742. He was also a soldier. He was stationed in Nijmegen and in Fort Sint Andries in Heerewaarden. He probably married Willemijn Reuvers in Driel in June 1768. There are 3 known sons and a daughter:
Bastiaan Coers, baptized Driel 19 June 1768, died Driel 6 January 1821
Alegonda Coers, baptized Driel 21 December 1769
Rijk Coers, baptized Driel 13 October 1771
Petrus Coers, baptized Driel 28 April 1776

The oldest, Bastiaan baptized on 19 June 1768 is the first of many with the surname Coers or Koers who were born in the Bommelerwaard. During the research that I have done in the last 35 years it appeared that almost all persons with the name Coers/Koers in the Bommelerwaard and in 's-Hertogenbosch up to the twentieth century descended from this Bastiaan. It was therefore possible to send a mailing to all persons living in that region at that time. In this way contact was made with several members of the Koers family. Thanks to the help of some of their members, especially Mr. A.H.Koers from Haarlem who responded on behalf of two of his brothers, I have been able to map out a large part of this family. I also got the opportunity to visit an almost 99 year old member of this family, Metje Koers in Kerkdriel, who died in 2000 at the age of 101. (see photo) )
I then contacted Metje's stepson and his wife, as well as Dirk Koers, grandson of Dirk Koers Jzn. I got a number of photos and information there and had a pleasant afternoon and evening. It even turned out that there was a Jenneke Koers who was not in my data.
In the meantime (2024) these three members of the family have passed away.

In the meantime I have started to decorate the 'skeleton'. With the help of the notary archives in the regional archives of Bommelerwaard I have been working since autumn 2000 to find out who they were and what these people owned. Data about the purchase of land, houses and goods, but also the drawing up of the contents due to the death of people gives a good picture of life at that time. This research also revealed the data of Dirk Coers - see Dirk Koers Bastiaanszoon.
Another Dirk Koers regularly appears in the notary archives. You can find him at Dirk Koers Jzn. The research in the notary archives will certainly take several years. For this I had to go (by public transport) to the regional archives in Zaltbommel, now in Tiel. Furthermore, research in land registry registers can be considered later to find the location of the assets.

After 2020 I have found another branch of descendants in Amsterdam. And over time, more and more descendants have been found via the female line, think of Van den Anker and Janssen. Also, various family members have been found who have emigrated to faraway countries.

Are you (possibly) a member of this family, interested for other reasons, can you help with data, photos of this family or with other matters, then please contact us.

The address for comments is:

Wim van Beek
Burgemeester Wapstraat 56, 2381 XR Zoeterwoude, Nederland

or use the 'send e-mail' button

Dirk Koers Johanneszn ( I )

Dirk Koers, born 8 October 1845 and died 27 January 1932 as son of Johannes Koers and Metje de Kok. He is the third child and the first-born son. Dirk married Geertruida Schimmel (30 November 1851 - 20 February 1932) on 12 July 1877 in Heerewaarden. Geertruida gave birth to 6 sons and three daughters. However, four of their sons died within two months of birth.

Why a chapter about Dirk Koers? In various civil registry records, he stated over time that his occupation was farmer, shopkeeper in the Rooischestraat and contractor. This entrepreneurial spirit struck me. That is why I started my research in the notarial records with their wedding year.

That was a good start, because already in the following year (1878) on February 13 he buys a house with yard and dike from his father-in-law, together 2.50 ares for 300 guilders. In 1885 he bet on a plot of flood plain measuring 1.4539 hectares for 1470 guilders. After the auction, however, the seller decides not to proceed with the sale. In 1886 he succeeds in acquiring a plot of land on the "Hoenzadrielse weide" for 530 guilders, 73.30 ares for 530 guilders. In the deeds of 1889 I come across a deed in which he buys 3 lots of hay grass, together 250 guilders. In 1890 he bet on four plots of land, but when the auction is completed Mr. van Lanschot, landowner in 's-Hertogenbosch, becomes owner of this plot.

1892, in deed 80 it is described how different pieces of land are staked. Dirk stakes on parts II, V and VII. Stake V is leased by himself, stake VII is leased by Bastiaan Koers Johanneszoon, probably his youngest brother. In the deed of allowance it appears that he only gets lot V in his possession when mining. That is arable land "Hannes de Gier Boomgaard", measuring 27.60 ares taxed with dike slope measuring 3.50 ares. Bought for 970 guilders. In 1896 he leased 3 pieces of land, 1.43 ha "GrietOttoKampke" from the 'Grootte of algemene arme van Driel', 1.036 ha "Heimennaast de Rooisestraat" from the 'Roman Catholic Institution for the Incurable of Saint Elisabeth' in Amsterdam and "Benedenste Palmwaard" from the Van Lanschot Company. Together for 272 guilders.

On 9 May 1898 he entered into a partnership with contractor Johannes Cornet in Zaltbommel. The aim of the partnership was to enter into and carry out national and other public works. Dirk Koers became the only one allowed to manage the current account. The following notarial deed is remarkable, however. Dirk Koers took out a credit on account for a maximum of twelve thousand guilders. He gave the bank a first mortgage on his possessions for this. He then owned 7 plots of land, together approximately 2.5 ha in size, including one with a house, barn, yard and garden.
Through his grandson Dirk Koers I now know that Dirk usually worked around the IJssel and its surroundings. They carried out dredging work, placed revetments and worked on breakwaters. Often as a subcontractor for the company 'van Hattum'. Cornet is said to have owned a dredger. Unfortunately, no details about these matters are known from grandson Dirk. And Dirk told me that during the war the remaining papers of the company were lost when the Germans blew up the safe after an evacuation of the residents.

Six years later a deed was registered in which the company was dissolved. And I still come across lease deeds in which Dirk Koers leases land for the season (spring to November) 'to graze'. Since there was a lot of fattening (fattening for the slaughter of cattle) in the Bommelerwaard and Dirk leases a lot of land for the spring to autumn period, there is a chance that Dirk also had a fattening farm in the summer. And increasingly often Johannes Koers (his son) is allowed to lease pasture for him as 'oral proxy'. So it seems that Dirk is busy with his company. I have also come across his name in the building permits. And I still have a few years of notary archives to go through, in the meantime 1916-1925 has also become available, unfortunately without the wills for which a term of 100 years now applies before they become public. That is a pity, because I know that Dirk had his will drawn up during this period.
Another anecdote: Dirk was financially well off. So if you had to go from Hoenzadriel to the train station in Hedel, for example, you didn't walk. So it could happen that one of his brothers' children was passed by a carriage and that this carriage stopped, Dirk's head appeared through the window and cheerfully called out "Hello nephew". After which the carriage continued on its way.
Thanks to Dirk, it is clear that his father Johannes regularly had to act as an agent, Johannes' father was often away from home for the construction business. That was in Johannes' line, he felt more for the farm than for the construction business, as did his brother Pieter. My feeling that Dirk would leave his mark was right, and I think I can still say here: 'To be continued!'

Dirk Koers Bastiaanszn ( II )

During the research into Dirk Koers (I) I came across a deed in the beginning in which an inheritance was divided. One of the persons mentioned in it was Petronella Baas, widow of Dirk Koers. In Pro-Gen I saw that I had a Dirk Coers with the date of birth 2 Oct 1808 in Driel. Nothing else was known at that time. Searching further with the summary data I found that he died on 19 Dec 1865 in Grave, but at that time he lived in Veghel. He was married to Petronella Baas, born 19 Feb 1815 in Raamsdonk, died 03 Sept 1880 in Veghel. Two children were known:
Elisabeth Johanna, born 2 juli 1851 in Amersfoort, married to Berend van den Berg, en Johanna Antoinetta, born 24 mei 1855 in Utrecht.
Dirk was a Chief Warrant Officer in the army and Petronella was the daughter of a ferryman, the Baas family was a skipper's family. In Veghel they probably lived next to a brother of Pitronella. I could not find more and I placed a call on this site.

Found !

Since not all places of residence have been investigated, it is not certain that there are no gaps. Furthermore, I am also looking up Dirk's military career. On October 22, 1828, he volunteered to serve in the Corps of Mounted Artillery as a gunner 2nd class. He subsequently re-enlisted several times. He was in action in Belgium from 1831 to 1834, and received the bronze metal cross for the Ten Days' Battle of 1832 in 1837. Dirk was trained at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. In 1841, he was transferred to a depot from where he would be sent to the colonies. However, after a short time, he was sent back to his old regiment due to unsuitability for colonial service.
Dirk's description in 1828: height 1m73cm, oval face, low forehead, nose thick and mouth normal, hair and eyebrows dark blond. In 1841, his forehead was 'high'. (This description is somewhat similar to mine!)
On the photo page there is a photo of Dirk's wife and his daughters.

nice story:

Born July 7, 1838 and died September 27, 1838: Bastiaan Theodorus Koers, son of Dirk Koers (Chief Warrant Officer) and his wife Johanna Scheerder. But at his marriage in 1847 he was a "young man", i.e. never married. In the census register (1840) I found a widow Johanna Scheerder, the same age, widow of Evert Kolfschoten, living innkeeper. According to the register she was unmarried. But the question remains, did he just help her out of need, or did he have a real reason to act as a father?

news:

Pieter Koers

I have long doubted whether I should dedicate a piece to Pieter Koers, Son of Dirk Koers and Geertruid Schimmel. If you mention his name in the Bommelerwaard you get mixed reactions. The first is often 'He was wrong in the war.'
However, if you ask further or look at literature about the Bommelerwaard or Driel during the war, it appears that it may be different. At a certain point, the mayors in the area were arrested by the Germans. A number of people, including Pieter, found that things had to be arranged. And they took on the local government. It is certain that Pieter never betrayed anyone, on the contrary, he used his position to warn people about the Germans.
In the area there were also monasteries etc. which served as old people's homes, among other things. Pieter made sure that enough food went that way so that no one went hungry. Of course, all these things happened as quietly as possible, so not everyone knew about it. What everyone does know is that Pieter was a member of the NSB, but not that he used this for the benefit of many non-NSB members. And it is sad that this membership is sometimes still held against other members of the family 60 years later.

The intention was that the CABR archives, which can provide insight into the above, would be visible online in 2025. Unfortunately, while the chance that people mentioned in these archives are still alive is very small, some people have blocked this option. We will have to wait a few more years for what this archive has to say about Pieter.

Bastiaan Coers

Bastiaan Coers, born 08-10-1812 Driel, departed 06-12-1890 's-Hertogenbosch.
In the judicial registers I found that Bastiaan was convicted twice for begging in 's-Hertogenbosch. After the second time he was put to work in an institution or workhouse. That was usually in Veenhuizen, but he did not seem to be registered there.
In the summer of 2017 I was in Drenthe and went to the archive in Assen. They have archives of the ´De Maatschappij van Weldadigheid´('The Society of Benevolence'). A study room volunteer became active immediately and before I was even properly registered he had everything at hand.
Bastiaan was apparently transported to Ommerschans after his second time in prison. He stayed there until the end of that year, and that was a short period.

As far as I know now, the scans of the lists have been on 'Alle Drenthen' for some time, the indexes are also digital now. The secret of the study room volunteer - when I visited there years ago - was the old-fashioned paper index, in the format of a telephone index book.