Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor?

Blog series trying to verify my descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine, one generation at the time, according to the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Grave of Eleanor of Aquitaine at Fontevrauld Abbey

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Discovering the Possible Line

When I was about ten years old, I read about Eleanor of Aquitaine in the book De Gouden Dolk [The Golden Dagger] by Thea Beckman. Eleanor is a minor character in the book; the employer of a servant that the main character, a young crusader, fell in love with. Learning about Eleanor Queen Eleanor fascinated me. I found out that she was born about 1124 and died at age 80 in 1204. She was the Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, and the only woman ever to be Queen of both France and England, by … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 1: Yvette Hoitink

This is the second post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. Yvette Hoitink, daughter of Els Marijnissen The first step is to prove that I'm the daughter of my mother, Els Marijnissen. This is the easiest link of all to prove: I grew up with my mom and lived with her until I was 23. There's never been any doubt that she's my mother. … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 2: Els Marijnissen

This is the third post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that I am indeed the daughter of my mother, Els Marijnissen. Els Marijnissen, daughter of Johannes Marijnissen My grandfather Johannes Marijnissen, called Jan, is the earliest generation I knew personally. My grandparents lived just a few blocks from … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 3: Johannes Marijnissen

This is the fourth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my mother was the daughter of Johannes Marijnissen and Catharina Flooren. Johannes Marijnissen, son of Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel Researching my mother showed her father was Johannes Marijnissen, born in Breda on 11 November 1918. She … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 4: Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel

This is the fifth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my grandfather Johannes Marijnissen was the son of Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel. Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel, daughter of Gerardus van den Heuvel Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel represents a milestone in my possible line back to … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 5: Gerardus van den Heuvel

This is the sixth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my great-grandmother Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel was the daughter of Gerardus van den Heuvel and Maria Cornelia Bovendeert. Gerardus van den Heuvel, son of Dorothea Smulders Gerardus van den Heuvel is the most recent generation in my … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my ancestor? Generation 6 – Dorothea Smulders

This is the seventh post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my second great-grandfather Gerardus van den Heuvel was the son of Dorothea Smulders and Gerardus van den Heuvel. Dorothea Smulders, daughter of Laurens Smulders The birth, marriage, and death records of Gerardus van den Heuvel (generation 5) … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 7 – Laurens Smulders

This is the eighth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my third great-grandmother Dorothea Smulders was the daughter of Laurens Smulders. Laurens Smulders, son of Hendrik Smulders Dorothea's baptismal, marriage, and death records named her parents as Laurens Sm(e)ulders and Joanna Maria de Bont and … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 8 – Hendrik Smulders

This is the ninth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my fourth great-grandfather Laurens Smulders was the son of Hendrik Smulders. Hendrik Smulders, son of Jan Smulders In the last blog post, I briefly discussed the marriage and death record of Hendrik Smulders, who married in 1777 and died in … [Read more...]

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 9 – Jan Smulders

This is the tenth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my fifth great-grandfather Hendrik Smulders was the son of Jan Smulders and Catharina Cleijberg. Jan Smulders, son of Petronella van Vlijmen Research into Jan's son Hendrik had already uncovered the marriage record of Jan Smulders and Catharina … [Read more...]