1661- Will

page 2

Hi Anne,

In fact, it is a mutual (partial) revocation of the prenuptial agreement. It starts off with stating that Arent appeared before the notary. He had examined the original prenuptial agreement, in which was stated that all profits and losses during marriage would befall equally (50/50) to each of the marriage partners. Furthermore, Arent states that he had not paid sufficient attention to this when the agreement was read to them and that he now had realised that the agreement should contain the following content:

- all profits and losses of the couple during this marriage would befall only to his part

- if he would be the first to die, Maria as his widow would be entitled to the possessions she had brought into the marriage or the possessions she would have acquired personally during marriage; in addition to this, she would also be inheriting one child's part of the full inheritance of her late husband

- if she would be the first to die, her heirs would only be allowed to inherit the possessions she originally brought into the marriage and the possessions she would have inherited personally during marriage 

The document then continues by stating that Arent had summoned his wife to think if this was true and that Maria in the end declared this to be the truth. 

Subsequently, both promise to act accordingly when one of them will die.

Dear Rene

Well this is very interesting!

From documents, that I have to confess, are very difficult to read using Haarlem Transkribus, I think it suggests that Maria van Kittensteijn's estate owed 513 guilder to someone in Delft, (31 Dec 1662) " which he could take to the preference of her goods" . 

In June 1663 another case states that Maria owes 1,000 guilders "and there to make known his account and on the insolvent estate and goods of Maria van Kittensteijn, wife of the late Arent van Strath, with a sum of one thousand guilders".

Arent van Straten died 31 Oct 1661, so I assume this revocation was done before that date. 

I don't have any church record of Maria's death (or birth or marriage in Delft- the marriage is only known because of the pre-nuptial agreement in 1651, and her birth date because of the Orphan chamber in 1625 on the death of her father). So it's a mystery where she went after she sold the "Moors Head" pottery in 1663/1664 which she owned from 1661- perhaps inherited from her husband?

I'll upload the 2 'sales' documents for the pottery soon. Perhaps that will shed some light on all of the above.

As I've said before Maria's family story seems quite complex. Quite a challenge to unravel!

Thanks as always for your help in the 'untangling' :-)

very best wishes

Anne