Open questions

CONFLICT STILL OPEN. Open Archieven holds no 1908 death record for him at all, in Simon's Town, Liege or anywhere else, so neither date is confirmed; the Simon's Town date is kept only as the existing entry. What is now documented is his marriage: he married Carolina Bowern at Simonstad (Kaap de Goede Hoop) on 1 Oct 1874, aged 28 and serving as officier van administratie 3e klasse, inscribed in the Bergen op Zoom marriage register on 11 Feb 1875 (akte 12). Carolina Bowern died at Breda on 14 Feb 1932 (akte 97); that record names him as her husband but does not say whether he was then alive.

CONFLICT: her repatriation card (Het Utrechts Archief 1405, inv. 815) gives her birth as 08-10-1918 at Tasikmalaja, one year later than the 8 Oct 1917 recorded here. The card also records her arrival in the Netherlands on 24-05-1958 as Adrienne Stoove-Clarkson, travelling with Ralph Eduard Stoove (b. 20-05-1930 Tjiamis).

Date entered as "10/8/1917"; day/month order not confirmed by a record (read as MDY).

Death not found in a record. A search of Open Archieven for every Clarkson record returns no Breda (or other Dutch) death or transcription for him in 1882-1883, so the GenArchives claim of 23 Nov 1882 at Breda is still unverified; their page also mistypes his birth as 1863. He last appears in the Officiersboekjes for 1883, consistent with a death in late 1882.

About

Hermine van Ede van der Pals

Why

The single best shot at her birth date and birthplace, and at the family's arrival and departure dates. She is the only person in the direct line with no birth, marriage or death record at all.

Where

Regionaal Archief Nijmegen, toegang 679, inv. 33108 (wijk B deel 3) and inv. 33173 (wijk A deel 10).

What blocks it

The scans sit behind the Nijmegen reading-room viewer (studiezaal.nijmegen.nl) and return HTTP 403 to anonymous requests. Needs a reading-room visit or a request to the archive.

Records

Registratie — Nijmegen 1890
Registratie — Nijmegen 1900

About

Herman François Clarkson × Josina Elizabeth van den Bos

Why

The index entry already proves the parentage. The akte image would confirm it in the couple's own hand, and the marriage bijlagen should contain Herman François' Indies birth certificate, which would be direct proof of the 1880 Soerabaja birth.

Where

Stadsarchief Rotterdam, toegang 999-06, inv. 1907K.

What blocks it

The Open Archieven index links the register volume, not the page, so the downloaded scan is the volume's title page. The entry needs the Rotterdam viewer.

Records

Huwelijk — Rotterdam 16-07-1907

About

Abraham David Salomons Clarkson × Helen Wills

Why

This is one of the two records that prove generation 1 to 2. The index gives the parents in full, but no image has been retrieved.

Where

Zeeuws Archief, toegang 25, inv. VLI-H-1837, akte 63.

What blocks it

The index carries no scan URI; the digital original is behind a JavaScript browser at zeeuwsarchief.nl.

Records

Huwelijk — Vlissingen 22-11-1837

About

Abraham Clarkson (1853–1882)

Why

The last unproven fact about a man whose birth, militia service and KNIL service are all documented. GenArchives claims 23 Nov 1882 at Breda; nothing supports it yet.

Where

Stadsarchief Breda directly; the KNIL stamboeken at the Nationaal Archief (2.10.50 inv. 10 is already identified); De Locomotief family notices on Delpher.

What blocks it

Open Archieven indexes no death or transcription for him anywhere in 1882–1883. All 1,819 Clarkson hits were checked, including Breda's own 16.

About

François David Clarkson (1846–1908?)

Why

Two candidate deaths are on record in compiled trees — Simon's Town 22 Mar 1908 and Liège April 1908 — and nothing decides between them.

Where

South African or Belgian civil registration. His 1874 Simon's Town marriage is documented, so the Cape is the place to start.

What blocks it

Dutch indexes hold no 1908 death for him at all.

Records

Huwelijk — Simonstad (Kaap de Goede Hoop) 1-10-1874

About

Abraham Clarkson × Hermine van Ede van der Pals, and generations 5 to 7

Why

The parent-child link is proven by the 1907 Rotterdam marriage, but the marriage itself has never been seen. The same applies to Willem's 1918 Bandjar birth and the 1948 Makassar marriage.

Where

wiewaswie.nl, the Indische kamparchieven, and Delpher for family notices in De Locomotief.

What blocks it

Open Archieven does not index Netherlands Indies civil registration for this period.

About

Generation 1

Why

He is proven as a father by two records, but exists in them only as a name. His 1786 birth is uncited and his 25 Dec 1819 death at Essequibo/Demerara has never been found.

Where

British Guiana (Demerara/Essequibo) burial records; St Eustatius registrations for the 1811 birth of his son.

What blocks it

Outside the Dutch indexes entirely.