Person:Philippus Finaut (1)

In 1810 Philippus Gregorius arrives in Waterlandkerkje with the eightteen year old and pregnant Catharina Regina De Planter. In the village people assume that both are married, and when on the 28 of July Catharina Rosalie is born, she is registered as Fijnaut. Thereafter 7 more children are born and equally registered as Fijnaut. However, Philippus is not married to Catharina but with her niece Maria Jacoba De Grieck. Apparently he fell in love with her, she became pregnant and the two eloped. In 1836 Philippus' wife Maria dies and a few years later he decides to marry Catharina. Philippus then begs the King to legitimate the children, which the King refuses as 'the children had been begotten in adultery'. In that time they used to call things by their name! After that the names of the children should have been changed into De Planter. Luckily the mentality in this Zeeuwsflamish village was not that severe and they let it pass on. As a result the Dutch and the American branches of the Belgian family FINAUT have the name FIJNAUT and not De Planter.