Person:Anthonia Heer (1)

Birth

Arnolda Antonia Heer was born before 13 June 1796. There are no official birth certificates since birth certificates were only introduced since Napoleon Bonaparte annexed the Netherlands as pat of the first French Empire. In the baptismal record of 13 June 1796 we can see that she is born as the legitimate daughter of Joannes Heer [1] and Maria Hermans [2]. in the records we find references to her godmother Cornelia van Eekeren, her godfather Joannes Wilhelmus Heer and a witness Elisabeth van Laarhoven. Because of the lack of a birth certificate her birth date is registered as 13 June 1796, to which it is referred in future official documents as well.

We cannot find any information on Arnolda Anthonia Heer between her birth and her marriage with Frans Mentzel.

Marriage

After these periods of turmoil on 8 July 1818 Anthonia Heer married Frans Mentzel in the city of Gent. Prior to this marriage they had two children (Marie Jeanne Mentzel in 1817 and Anne Theodore Elisabeth Mentzel in 1818) which were recognized as legitimate children by this marriage. They were both stationed in the garrison base in Gent, Anthonia Arnolda Heer as a private person (presumedly a camp follower).

In the birth certificate of Marie Jeanne Mentzel (Gent, 28 February 1817) Arnolda was mentioned as the mother and stationed at the garrison base (most likely the base which is currently known as the Leopold Kazerne). This is confirmed in the birth certificate of Anne Theodore Elisabeth Mentzel (Gent, 3 May 1818), the death certificate of Marie Jeanne Mentzel (Gent, 21 December 1818) and the birth certificate of Joannes Franciscus Mentzel (Gent, 4 March 1820).

From the birth certicate of Gustavus Adolphus Philippus Mentzel (Dendermonde, 22 February 1822) Anthonia Heer was mentioned as the mother and garrisoned in Dendermonde. The birth of her daughter Christina Gustave Mentzel (Gent, 15 October 1823) and her death (Dendermonde, 5 April 1827) indicates that the family had once again moved between Gent and Dendermonde. Martinus Carolus Mentzel birth (Gent, 20 Juli 1825) gives us the indication that the family stayed in Gent between 15 October 1823 and 20 July 1825. In 1827 the family was again in Dendermonde. Here her children Charlotte Bernardina Mentzel (Dendermonde, 22 January 1828) and Fredrik Martinus Leonardus Mentzel (Dendermonde, 7 March 1830) were also born. The birth of Frederik Martinus Leonardus was half a year before the independence declaration of Belgium on 4 October 1930.

After the cessation of Belgium in October 1830 Anthonia Heer and her family went to Haarlem where Rosina Anthonia Mentzel (Haarlem, 27 May 1832), Hendrik Karolus Mentzel (Haarlem, 29 march 1834), Theodora Johanna (Haarlem, 27 February 1836) and Johannes Engelbertus Mentzel (Haarlem, 10 June 1838) were born. In police records of the city of Haarlem [3] it can be found that Anthonia Heer and her family lived in a house on the Bakenessergracht in Haarlem which was owned by Jean Maigniel (who died on 16 June 1832 and was a soldier in the 10th division infantry)

The first census registration in 1839 of Anthonia Heer can be found in Haarlem in the military housing (garrison base) [4]:
1. Frans Mentzel, 53 years old, Fraustadt, sergeant with 6th division;
2. Antonia Arnolda Heer, 43 years old, Breda;
3. Martinus Carolus Mentzel, 14, Gent;
4. Martinus Frederik Mentzel, 10, Dendermonde;
5. Johannes Engelbert Mentzel, 1,5, Haarlem;
6. Elizabeth Theodora Mentzel, 22, Gent;
7. Charlotte Bernardina, 12, Dendermonde;
8. Rosina Anthonia Mentzel, 7, Haarlem.
We also know from the retirement records of Frans Mentzel that in November 1841 Anthonia Heer was located in Haarlem.

The second census registration can be found over the period 1850-1860 in the city of Den Helder [5]:
1. Frans Mentzel, 3 December 1786, Germany, married, Roman Catholic, occupation: rijksportier, left the city on 11 October 1851 to Bergen op Zoom;
2. Antonetta Arnolda Heer, 13 July 1796, Breda, married, Roman Catholic, no occupation, left the city on 11 October 1851 to Bergen op Zoom;
3. Johannes Engelbert Mentzel, 10 June 1837, Haarlem, unmarried, school pupil, left the city on 11 October 1851 to Bergen op Zoom;
4. Rouanna Antonetta Mentzel, 27 February 1832, Haarlem, unmarried, no occupation, left the city on 11 October 1851 to Bergen op Zoom;

We can indeed find Anthonia Heer and family in the census 1850-1860 of Bergen op Zoom, Vischmarkt 232 [6]:
1. Frans Mentzel, 3 December 1786, Germany, married, Roman Catholic, occupation: rijksportier, arrived on 11 October 1851 and moved to I.159;
2. Antonetta Arnoldina Heer, 13 July 1796, Breda, married, Roman Catholic, no occupation, arrived on 11 October 1851;
3. Johannes Engelbertus Mentzel, 10 June 1838, Haarlem, unmarried, Roman Catholic, no occupation, arrived on 11 October 1851;
4. Rounna Antonetta Mentzel, 27 February 1832, Haarlem, unmarried, Roman Catholic, no occupation, arrived on 11 October 1851;

We find the Anthonia Heer family again in Bergen op Zoom 1860-1870 at the "Wachthuis" 106 [7]:
1. Frans Mentzel, 3 December 1786, Germany, married, Roman Catholic, occupation: rijksportier, arrived on 11 October 1851;
2. Antonetta Arnoldina Heer, 13 July 1796, Breda, married, Roman Catholic, no occupation, arrived on 11 October 1851;
3. Johannes Engelbertus Mentzel, 10 June 1838, Haarlem, unmarried, Roman Catholic, no occupation, arrived on 11 October 1851;
4. Rounna Antonetta Mentzel, 27 February 1832, Haarlem, unmarried, Roman Catholic, no occupation, arrived on 11 October 1851, moved to Middelburg 25 July 1855;
5. Johannes Engelbertus Mentzel, 2 December 1854, Bergen op Zoom, illegal child of Rosina Anthonia Mentzel, unmarried, Roman Catholic, moved to Middelburg 25 July 1855;

And we find the Anthonia Heer family again in the census records of 1860-1880 at the south harbor C.105[8]:
1. Frans Mentzel, 3 December 1786, Germany, married, Roman Catholic, occupation: rijksportier, died 15 August 1863;
2. Antoinetta Arnolda Heer, 13 July 1796, Breda, married, Roman Catholic, no occupation, left 1 October 1863 to Amsterdam;
3. Johannes Engelbertus Mentzel, 10 June 1838, Haarlem, unmarried, Roman Catholic, occupation: printer's assistant, left on 11 January 1863 to Breda, returned 5 May 1863 and left again on 1 October 1863 to Amsterdam;
From this record it is clear that Anthonia Heer moved to Amsterdam after the death of Frans Mentzel

Post marriage period

We can find Arnolda Anthonia Heer in the census records of Amsterdam although the entire period between 1863 and the first census is not entirely known at this moment.

The first records we find are dated 14 September 1867 where we find Anthonia Arnolda Heer again in the patient registers of the Binnengasthuis [9]. Here she was nursed for 206 days and we find the following relevant information:
Arrived on 20 February 1867 at the "Vrouwenverband", room 2 bed 60, Antonia Arnolda Heer, Roman Catholic, 71 years old (born 13 June 1796 in Breda), without occupation, widow of Franciscus Mentzel, 6 children of legal age, living in Utrecht, multiple streets Z:232, parents: Jan Willem Heer and Maria Hermans (both passed away), left on 14 September 1867 after begin nursed for 206 days, number of "buurtbiljetten" 484.
In the archives of Utrecht there is nothing to be found on Arnolda Anthonia Heer.

The first census records in Amsterdam we can find are from the 1874-1893 census period where we find her living in the Noorderstraat 89 [10]. In the records we find the following information:
1. Antonia Arnolda Heer, widow, head of family, born 13 June 1796 in Breda, Roman Catholic, arrived in January 1873 from "blad 20 29" and left in July 1876 to "deel 22 folio 113".

Indeed we can find Anthonia Arnold Heer in the next census record in the Barndesteeg 13 [11]:
1. Antonia Arnolda Heer, female, head of family, born 13 June 1796 in Breda, Roman Catholic, widow, arrived in July 1876 from "deel 334 folio 254" and left in September 1883 to "G4 folio 72";
2. Fredericus Martinus Leonardus Mentzel, son, born 9 March 1830 in Dendermonde, Roman Catholic, occupation: writer with the police, arrived in July 1876 from "deel 335 folio 12" and left in October 1883 to "deel 64B folio 185".

The last registry we can find on Arnolda Anthonia Heer is the registration at the Plantage Middenlaan 52, which was an elderly home for poor Roman Catholic men and women [12]:
Antonia Arnolda Heer, female, born 13 June 1796 in Breda, Roman Catholic, widow, arrived in September 1883 from "22/113" and died in december 1883.

We can find her death certificate in the Familysearch database only and not in any of the archives in the Netherlands for unknown reasons:

We see that a Josephus Danko, 81 years old, familiar with she deceased and also living in the Sint Jacobs gesticht and Theodorus van Kasterop, 69 years old, also a familiar of Anthonia Arnolda Heer were the ones to certify the death of Anthonia Arnolda Heer. She died at approximately 5 a.m. on 14 December 1883, 87 years old and a widow of Franciscus Mentzel.