Johanna Blom was born in Nijmegen in December 1831.
Her birth certificate gives her name as simply Johanna. Her father had served in the military prior to entering the salt business. His complete name was Willem Blom, but her mother’s name was a lengthy Jeannette Francoise Josephine du Bois. Her grandfather was Francois Reijnier du Bois, and the Reijnier du Bois name is traceable for centuries in Maastricht. Three centuries back, we find the latinized names, Petrus and Carolus du Bois. Carolus Magnus or Charlemagne, first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, had been enthroned at nearby Aachen in the 9th Century. Du Bois means “of the woods” so they may have been gamekeepers for nobility.
Johanna married Frans van Leeuwen, a minister. They raised two daughters and two sons in Kampen. Their son, Ernst, immigrated to America in 1893. Johanna and Frans died in 1903 and 1904, respectively. When Ernst visited Holland in 1911, much of his time and most of his postcards were devoted to Nijmegen. Ernst apparently considered Nijmegen his home despite being raised in Kampen. Many of his postcards pictured the Valkhof ruins. The Valkhof was a castle built by Charlemagne, destroyed by Vikings, rebuilt, and destroyed again by Napoleon. A major WW II battle (Operation Market Garden) was later fought near the Valkhof.
Valkhof chapel
Nijmegen weighing house
This is a photo of Johanna Blom’s mother, J.F.J. du Bois, or mother’s sister.
We also have photos of Johanna’s siblings.
Francoise van de Wolf Courech Blom, Elizabeth Tuymelaar Blom, Salomon Blom .
Not pictured: Wilhelmina Blom.
See the van Leeuwen section for information about Johanna Blom’s two sons and two daughters.