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Fort Kochi - Abraham Cornelis de la Haye

Written by Valentine Wikaart on .

In August 1752, head merchant Abraham de la Haye feels that his time is almost up. Only 43 years old, he becomes sicker and weaker by the day, realising the uncertainty of his life. Life had looked so promising. He had joined the VOC in Batavia in 1723 as a ‘soldier of the pen’ and had risen to the rank of head merchant. For the past two years, he had served as the provisional supreme commander of Cochin and the Malabar Coast. Just a year ago, his family had grown with the addition of a son. He had named him Robbert Christoffel — Robbert after his own father, and Christoffel after his father-in-law. Robbert was baptised in St. Francis Church in Cochin, close to his home. The same church where he will soon be buried. Before it comes to that, he still has some matters to settle, including changing his will. Together with his wife, Geertruijda Walling, he had already made a will, but back then there were no children; now there are three. He has held administrative positions all his life as an accountant, tax officer, chief administrator, and secretary. He was born in Colombo and, as a child, moved with his parents and his brother Huijbert to Batavia. With his own family, he went to Surat in northern India, and now the end is approaching in Cochin.

For the addition to their will, Abraham writes the text himself. In fact, he does not want to change anything in the text, only to add to it. Of course, Geertruijda, who has been his wife for 23 years, remains his universal heir. The children Johanna, Anna, and Robbert will each receive their lawful share when they come of age or marry earlier. He writes, somewhat firmly, that his wishes must be promptly executed after his death. To ensure this, he appoints, in the absence of any adult male relatives, four men who have to take the reins. They are to arrange his funeral, handle his estate, and support his wife as much as possible. He knows that she is perfectly capable of managing her affairs — she has always handled his bookkeeping — but he also knows that a woman in business is often not taken seriously.

IND 022 Haye NL HaNA 1.04.02 2815 0184List of students in 1753 in Cochin (NL-HaNA 1.04.02 2815 0184)

He wants to be buried in the St. Francis church. For that, a grave must be purchased in a well-situated place. The grave must not only be well-bricked but also covered with a carved gravestone. Furthermore, the grave must provide space for his entire family and his descendants. It must never be cleared and full is full. The cellar must provide space for 6 large coffins, three coffins in width and two in height.

He also wants a thorough inventory made of the vessels and outstanding debts that need to be collected, and his merchandise must be sold. These are to serve as an inheritance for his children. He has also given thought to his children and made his wishes clear. His wife may keep their daughters, aged 12 and 10, with her and take them wherever she wishes. For his young son, he envisions a different path, though he expects his wife may not want to cooperate. He imposes on his friends the obligation to send Robbert to Europe when he is 5 years old for a good education.

Transcript of the tombstone of Abraham de la Haye.

One of the items in the annex to his will is also his participation in several ships that he co-owned with Jan Schreuder, the former director of Surat, who had since married his niece Clara de la Haye. Together, they had enjoyed good times. Jan Schreuder had successfully managed to increase profits for the VOC, partly by allowing private trade. That had been very profitable for them. His 'household' now consists of 42 people, of whom 32 are enslaved and three are free indigenous servants. It will be a considerable expense to provide them all with mourning clothes.

All that success also has its downsides. Abraham has seen many heads roll from colleagues who overplayed their hand in free trade. Therefore, he also gives the instruction that Geertruijda must thoroughly review all his papers after his death. All promissory notes, bonds, and other securities must be kept. She should also take good care of all family documents, but everything else should be burned immediately. He reflects once more on all those fine clothes, the silverware, the jewellery... They must all be listed in an inventory for the future, but nothing should be disposed of.

Tombstone of Abraham de la HayeTombstone of Abraham de la Haye.

He closes his eyes on October 5, 1752, and is buried with great ceremony in St. Francis Church, in a grave with an engraved slab covering it, leaving space for only one name: Abraham Cornelis de la Haye.

Abraham Cornelis de la Haye was the son of Captain Robbert de la Haye of Mons and Clara Cranendonck. In 1729, he married Geertruijda Johanna Walling on March 10 in Batavia, the sister of his brother Huijbert's wife. Huijbert, who had been widowed by Hester Cloppenburg, married Anna Catharina Walling in 1727. The only known child from this marriage is Clara Walling, who became the fourth wife of Jan Schreuder, governor of Surat and later of Ceylon.

The Walling sisters were the daughters and only legitimate children of Christoffel Walling of Heidelberg, the resident of Tegal, and Johanna Dreuning.

There are three known children of Abraham and Johanna. Anna Catharina (1743–after 1753) must have died young, Robbert Christoffel (1751–1778) perished in a shipwreck in 1778, and Johanna Geertruijda (1741- after 1782) married around 1765 Assuerus van den Bergh van Zwolle and had a daughter in 1766 Geertruida Gerardina (1766-1799 Amsterdam). She married a second time to Reverend Leonard de Vreede le Gou. She was living in 1782 in Leiden.

 

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