# Clarkson paternal line — record research, 1 Oct 2026 Scope of this round: harvest everything Open Archieven holds for the surnames in the line, pull the full record detail (not just the hit list) for everything plausibly ours, download the scans where the archives serve them, and use that to settle the open links and conflicts. **Headline: the line from Robert Rolston Clarkson (gen. 1) down to Herman François (gen. 4) is now carried by official civil records at every step.** The priority-1 missing link was found — but not where we expected it. The marriage of Herman François Clarkson and Josina Elizabeth van den Bos was **not** in Den Helder: it was in **Rotterdam on 16 July 1907**, and it names his parents. What was harvested: | | | |---|---| | `clarkson_results/clarkson_records.csv` | 2 518 index hits (1 819 "Clarkson", 699 "van Ede van der Pals") | | `clarkson_results/raw/` | the untouched search JSON, 27 files | | `evidence/raw/` | 38 full a2a record documents for the records that matter | | `evidence/scans/` | 22 archive scans, full resolution | | `evidence/INDEX.csv` | one row per record: link, date, place, everyone named, archive reference, local scan | --- ## 1. The record that proves generation 3 → 4 **Marriage, Rotterdam, 16 July 1907** (second index copy of the same akte: `srt:A1F8058A-C322-4BC2-A437-A0DE8B4FB886`) Stadsarchief Rotterdam, BS Huwelijk, toegang 999-06, inv. 1907K. People named: | role | name | detail | |---|---|---| | bridegroom | **Herman François Clarkson** | 26 years old, born **Soerabaia (Nederlandsch Oost Indië)** | | father of the groom | **Abraham Clarkson** | | | mother of the groom | **Hermina van Ede Van Der Pals** | | | bride | Josina Elizabeth van den Bos | 23 years old, born Rotterdam | | father of the bride | Nicolaas Gijsbertus van den Bos | | | mother of the bride | Henriette Wilhelmina Hopmans | one copy reads "Hopmans van Wurmond" | This is exactly the pairing the tree had on faith. Groom's age and birthplace match the tree's Herman François (b. 24 Aug 1880 Soerabaja); the parents match generation 3. **Verdict: the link is proven.** Two independent corroborations turned up as well: - **Rotterdam alleenstaandenregister D-31** (toegang 494-03, inv. 599, blad 156) — — gives "Herman Francois Clarkson, **geb. 24-08-1880, Soerabaja**". That is the first *civil* confirmation of his birth date and place; previously it rested only on the War Graves Foundation. - **Nijmegen population register, wijk B deel 3 (ca. 1890)** (toegang 679, inv. 33108) — — one household: **Hermina van Ede van der Pals** with **Herman F. Clarkson** and **Willem P. Clarkson**. The widow and her sons, back in the Netherlands after Abraham's death. ### Why Den Helder was a red herring The 1910 divorce sits in the **Den Helder marriage register** (NHA 358.33, inv. 21910, akte 190; also indexed by Regionaal Archief Alkmaar as 77.1.2.030, inv. 627, akte 1910/188) because a Dutch divorce was inscribed where the couple *lived*, not where they married. They do appear together on a Den Helder-region gezinsblad covering 1880–1917 () — which is why Den Helder looked like the place to search. No marriage bijlagen were found, because the marriage is Rotterdam's. --- ## 2. Generation 1 → 2, previously UNVERIFIED, now documented twice **Marriage, Vlissingen, 22 November 1837**, Zeeuws Archief toegang 25, inv. VLI-H-1837, akte 63 - bridegroom **Abraham David Salomons Clarkson**, born **Sint Eustatius**, luitenant ter zee 2e klasse - father of the groom **Robert R. Clarkson** · mother of the groom **Catharina Maria Salomons** - bride **Helen Wills**, born "Folkstone, Graafschap Kent (Engeland)", particuliere - father of the bride **Joseph Wills**, scheepskapitein · mother of the bride **Mary Ludick** **Death of Abraham David Salomons Clarkson, Bergen op Zoom, 4 November 1876**, akte 242 (WBA toegang boz-0029, inv. 346; duplicate BHIC toegang 50, inv. 675) - deceased **Abraham David Salomons Clarkson** - father **Robert Rolston Clarkson** · mother **Catharina Salomons** · partner **Helen Wills** The death record gives the full name **Rolston**. Two official records, 39 years apart, agree on the parents. **Verdict: generation 1 → 2 is proven.** Robert Rolston's own dates are still open (below). --- ## 3. Generation 2 → 3 **Birth of Abraham Clarkson, Vlissingen, 16 August 1853**, akte 215 (toegang 25, inv. VLI-G-1853) — scan downloaded and read: the akte names the declarant "Abraham David Salomons Clarkson, oud eenenveertig jaren, van beroep luitenant ter zee eerste klasse, wonende te Vlissingen", the child born 16 August 1853, "van hem aangever en van **Helen Wills**, particuliere, echtgenoote", given the name **Abraham**. **Verdict: proven.** The tree's date (16 Aug 1853) and the registration date (17 Aug) were both right. Siblings' birth records were picked up in passing and are in `evidence/`: Robert Henrij 1838 (akte 251), François David 1846 (akte 58), plus Joseph Charles 1843, Maria Elisabeth 1844, Adolph 1851 in the index. --- ## 4. Abraham Clarkson (gen. 3) — military records found, death still not Priority task 2 asked for a KNIL record. Three military records name him: | record | reference | link | |---|---|---| | Militia enrolment, lichting 1873, klasse 1853 — "Abraham Clarkson, **geboren te Vlissingen**" | WBA boz-0007, inv. 5173 | [wba:3c978a55](https://www.openarchieven.nl/wba:3c978a55-e1bf-c439-d855-0db6c2a60c9c) | | Stamboek, Oost-Indisch leger — Abraham Clarkson, **Vlissingen** | NA **2.10.50, inv. 10**, scan NL-HaNA_2.10.50_10_0214 | [ghn:cd372452](https://www.openarchieven.nl/ghn:cd372452-c2e9-6c3b-98dd-266f7c630aa6) | | Officiersboekjes, "A. Clarkson" | Nederlands Militair Erfgoed, yearly lists | [lgm:ccdddf3a](https://www.openarchieven.nl/lgm:ccdddf3a-a157-331f-83d5-e004c2dc0bb0) | A further officer stamboek entry sits at NA 2.13.04, inv. 625 ([ghn:09a8f8b6](https://www.openarchieven.nl/ghn:09a8f8b6-0d2b-3a0f-53d9-fa2038671969)). "A. Clarkson" appears in the Officiersboekjes **1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882 and 1883 and then stops**, which fits a death in September 1882 — but that is an argument from silence, not a record. **His death is NOT found.** I searched the whole 1 819-row Clarkson harvest: Open Archieven indexes no death or transcription for him anywhere in 1882–1883, in Breda or elsewhere. The GenArchives claim of 23 Nov 1882 at Breda remains unverified. Stadsarchief Breda's own holdings are in the harvest (16 Breda hits) and none of them is his. **The 1879 Soerabaja marriage to Hermine is also not found** — Open Archieven does not index Netherlands Indies civil registration of that period. Note the tree's date "8/7/1879" is still an unresolved MDY/DMY reading. --- ## 5. Hermine van Ede van der Pals — first records ever She had no record at all in the tree. Four now name her: | date | record | what it says | link | |---|---|---|---| | 16 Jul 1907 | Rotterdam marriage | "Hermina van Ede Van Der Pals", mother of the groom | [srt:65ed78fd](https://www.openarchieven.nl/srt:65ed78fd-f54f-7cbd-b009-66e1aa5074f4) | | ca. 1890 | Nijmegen bevolkingsregister, wijk B deel 3 | household with Herman F. and Willem P. Clarkson | [ran:8C1FDE01](https://www.openarchieven.nl/ran:8C1FDE01-4049-4E50-B69C-BB90F2EE387B) | | ca. 1900 | Nijmegen bevolkingsregister, wijk A deel 10 | "Hermina van der Pals van Ede" with Willem P. Clarkson | [ran:4BBE9FFF](https://www.openarchieven.nl/ran:4BBE9FFF-6CF2-4570-84DF-087B7A87E228) | | 5 Jul 1900 | Nijmegen notarial akte 6679 (toegang 450, inv. 251) | named with Abraham Clarkson and Robert Henry Clarkson | [ran:3AC86142](https://www.openarchieven.nl/ran:3AC86142-CBD4-4404-B3AE-92C43E41DBFA) | No birth, marriage or death record for her exists in Open Archieven. The tree gives her parents as Jan van der Pals and Mak Ponno, which points to an Indies birth — consistent with the silence. **Next step for her:** the Nijmegen register scans are behind the Regionaal Archief Nijmegen reading-room viewer (`studiezaal.nijmegen.nl`, HTTP 403 to anonymous requests). Those two pages are the most likely place to find her birth date and birthplace written out, plus the family's arrival and departure dates. --- ## 6. The known conflicts ### Henriëtte Helen Clarkson's birthplace — RESOLVED, GenArchives was right Three independent records, all saying **Meester Cornelis**, not Willem I: - **Leiden death, 29 Apr 1963**, akte 533 (Erfgoed Leiden 1005, inv. 151) — "oud 90 jaar, geboren te **Meester Cornelis**", father Robert Henry Clarkson, mother Wilhelmina Elisabeth Philippina Roelants. - **Nijmegen marriage, 2 Mar 1914**, akte 74 (Gelders Archief 0207A, inv. 9106.01) — bride born **15-10-1872**, same parents. - **Breda bevolkingsregister 1880-1889 deel 07** (inv. 1322) — "Henriette Helena Clarkson, 15-10-1872, **Meester Cornelis**". The tree's birth *date* (15 Oct 1872) was correct; the place was not. Both are now fixed, and her **death (29 Apr 1963, Leiden)** — which the tree did not have at all — has been added. ### François David Clarkson's death — STILL OPEN, but his marriage is now documented Neither Simon's Town (22 Mar 1908) nor Liège (April 1908) can be confirmed: Open Archieven holds **no 1908 death record for him anywhere**. What did turn up: - **Marriage to Carolina Bowern, Simonstad (Kaap de Goede Hoop), 1 Oct 1874**, inscribed in the Bergen op Zoom register on 11 Feb 1875, akte 12 (WBA boz-0029, inv. 205). He is 28 and "officier van administratie 3e klasse". This at least anchors the family's real Simon's Town connection. - **Carolina Bowern died at Breda, 14 Feb 1932**, akte 97 (BHIC 550, inv. 4351). The record names him as her husband but does not state whether he was still living. Conflict note kept in the tree, rewritten to say what is and is not known. ### Patricia Maureen's birthplace (Buitenzorg 1954) — NOT ADDRESSED Nothing found. Her birth is in the Indies/Indonesia in 1954 and is outside everything Open Archieven indexes. The `CHECK:` note stands. Delpher family notices or an Indonesian civil record would be the route, not this API. --- ## 7. New conflict found **Adrienne Clarkson** (daughter of Herman François × Piah Engkok) — the tree has her born **8 Oct 1917** at Tasikmalaja. Her **repatriation card** (Het Utrechts Archief, toegang 1405, inv. 815) gives **08-10-1918**, same day and place, one year later, and records her arrival in the Netherlands on 24 May 1958 as "Adrienne Stoové-Clarkson", travelling with Ralph Eduard Stoové (b. 20-05-1930 Tjiamis). Flagged as a `CONFLICT:` note in the tree, 1917 kept as the entered value. --- ## 8. Other records worth having - **Helen Wills' death, Utrecht, 29 Nov 1903**, akte 1742 (HUA 463, inv. 529-03) — age 90, father Joseph Wills, mother **Metij Cusick**. The tree already had "Mary Cusick"; the 1837 marriage index reads "Mary Ludick". Same woman, two index readings — both now cited on her. - **Joseph Charles Clarkson's death, Bergen op Zoom, 8 May 1869**, akte 68 — father Abraham David Salomons Clarkson, mother Helen Wills. (This was already `@S4@`; the detail and scan are now on disk.) - **Three Bergen op Zoom notarial deeds of 1879** (notaris H.A. van Goch, toegang boz-0050, inv. 1390, akten 5976, 5987/6000, 6023) naming Helen Wills with her children Abraham, Robert Henrij, François David and Maria Elisabeth — the estate of A.D.S. Clarkson. Useful corroboration of the whole sibling set in one place. Scans downloaded. - **Herman François' Oorlogsgravenstichting dossier** has an archive reference after all: Nationaal Archief **2.19.255.01, inv. 25446A**. --- ## 9. Verdict on each link in the line | gen. | link | before | now | |---|---|---|---| | 1 → 2 | Robert Rolston Clarkson × Catharina Maria Salomons → Abraham David Salomons | UNVERIFIED | **PROVEN** — 1837 marriage akte 63 + 1876 death akte 242, both naming the parents | | 2 → 3 | Abraham David Salomons × Helen Wills → Abraham | confirmed from a compiled tree | **PROVEN** — 1853 Vlissingen birth akte 215, scan read | | 3 → 4 | Abraham × Hermine van Ede van der Pals → Herman François | the weakest link; nothing connected them | **PROVEN** — 1907 Rotterdam marriage names both as the groom's parents; Nijmegen household corroborates | | 4 → 5 | Herman François → Willem (b. 1918 Bandjar) | tree only | **unchanged** — Indies birth, not indexed here | | 5 → 6 | Willem × Eleonora Grillet → Ronald Herman | tree only | **unchanged** — Makassar 1948, not indexed here | | 6 → 7 | Ronald Herman × Hilja Nederhoed → Pascal | tree only | **unchanged** — within privacy windows | Generation 1 itself (Robert Rolston's 1786 birth, his 25 Dec 1819 death at Essequibo/Demerara) is **still unverified**: he exists in the Dutch records only as a named parent. Likewise the 24 Sep 1811 St Eustatius registration — the 1837 marriage confirms Abraham David Salomons was born on Sint Eustatius, but the registration itself is not in Open Archieven. --- ## 10. What was changed in the tree All edits are in `pascal_clarkson_cleaned.ged`; the original export is untouched. Sources **`@S7@`–`@S26@`** were added (20 new sources, all official records or archive indexes, QUAY 3). Validation after editing: 6 613 lines, 403 records, **every cross-reference resolves**, all dates in `D MON YYYY`, CRLF throughout. - Robert Rolston Clarkson — paternity sourced to the 1837 and 1876 records; note rewritten to separate what is proven from the still-unverified 1786/1819 dates - Catharina Maria Salomons — sourced, both name forms noted - Abraham David Salomons Clarkson — birth (Sint Eustatius), death and parents all QUAY 3 - 1837 marriage family — upgraded from the compiled tree to the Zeeuws Archief akte - Helen Wills — birthplace and death QUAY 3; Joseph Wills given his occupation; Mary Cusick sourced - Abraham Clarkson — birth QUAY 3 (akte 215); militia, KNIL stamboek and Officiersboekjes added; death note corrected to record that no Breda transcription exists in the index - Hermine van Ede van der Pals — her first four records - Abraham × Hermine family — note rewritten: the marriage is still missing, the *link* is proven - Herman François Clarkson — birth confirmed by civil records - Herman François × Josina — **marriage filled in: 16 JUL 1907, Rotterdam**; divorce akte references added - Josina Elizabeth van den Bos — born abt 1884 Rotterdam; her parents added as new individuals (`@I90000003@`, `@I90000004@`, family `@F90000003@`) - Henriëtte Helen Clarkson — birthplace corrected to Meester Cornelis, conflict closed; death added - François David Clarkson — 1874 Simonstad marriage documented, 1908 death conflict rewritten as open - Adrienne Clarkson — new conflict flagged - Robert Henrij Clarkson — 1838 birth sourced QUAY 3 --- ## 11. Loose ends, in the order I would chase them 1. **Nijmegen population register scans** (`ran:8C1FDE01`, `ran:4BBE9FFF`) — blocked at 403 for anonymous requests, served through the Nijmegen reading-room viewer. The single best shot at Hermine's birth date and birthplace. 2. **The 1907 Rotterdam akte image.** The index links the *register volume*, so the handle resolves to the volume's title page — that is the one scan in `evidence/scans/` that is **not** the record it is named for, and it is labelled `..._REGISTER-TITLEPAGE-only_...` to make that obvious. The akte itself needs the Stadsarchief Rotterdam viewer. The marriage **bijlagen** would also be there, and should contain Herman François' Indies birth certificate — the direct proof of his 1880 birth. 3. **The 1837 Vlissingen marriage scan.** The index carries no scan URI; the digital original is at zeeuwsarchief.nl behind a JS browser (toegang 25, inv. VLI-H-1837, akte 63). 4. **Abraham's death, 1882.** Not in Open Archieven. Try Stadsarchief Breda directly, the KNIL stamboeken at the Nationaal Archief (2.10.50 inv. 10 is already identified), and De Locomotief family notices on Delpher. 5. **François David's death, 1908.** Needs a South African or Belgian source; Dutch indexes are silent. 6. **The 1879 Soerabaja marriage** and everything from generation 4 downward — Indies records, so wiewaswie, the Indische kamparchieven and Delpher rather than this API.