Dutch Canal Sailing Barge "Neeltje"

[Dutch Barge]

Hello. I'd love to reach out to forum user "Neeltje." My name is Linda (Bouman) Snell, and I believe his 1902 Tjalk may have been owned and operated in the Rotterdam area in the 1910's-40's by my grandfather Marius Bouman and his sons (including my father). I assume he named her Neeltje after his daughter/my aunt. An artist's drawing I have of his canal barge in port in Rotterdam clearly shows her identification as both "Neeltje" and "M Bouman."

I'm too new to the forum to have private message privileges, so I need your help getting this message to "Neeltje." I'd love to compare notes and maybe come to see her (I live in Florida). Thanks! Linda

[LittleWing77]

Welcome Aboard, Linda!

Now that sounds like an intriguing exchange! Haven't seen Neeltje pop up on Forum threads, however.

Do post a few times (I think the number may be 10...?) and then you'll be able to send a PM - which hopefully will forward a copy to Neeltje's email so they'll have a notification.

EDIT: I stand corrected! While I was posting this message, Neeltje was reviewing this thread. Cool. Hope the two of you can connect. By the way, any cool pictures you can post of the boat in your Granda's day?

Fair winds!
LittleWing77

[Dutch Barge]

Thanks. Hoping to connect with Neeltje. I did get permission to send a private message, so look there for more details, Neeltje. Since I posted this, I found a note from my uncle that he tracked the Neeltje to Baltimore, where the Canrights owned her. He corrected my original assumption that she was named for my aunt—seems like she was named for my great great aunt. My grandfather’s uncle was the original owner, and his mother was Neeltje.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Dutch Barge:

Here's a link, to a thread by an owner of what may be Neeltje: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...or-127620.html

It was written quite a while ago, and I am not sure if it is what you are looking for. However, if you click on the person's avatar, two options are to send a PM or to send an e-mail to them. Possibly their e-mail address is still the same..... Haven't seen them around here for a long time.

Good luck with your search. Be patient.

Ann

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Linda.

[Thisiledome]

Originally Posted by Dutch Barge

Hello. I'd love to reach out to forum user "Neeltje." My name is Linda (Bouman) Snell, and I believe his 1902 Tjalk may have been owned and operated in the Rotterdam area in the 1910's-40's by my grandfather Marius Bouman and his sons (including my father). I assume he named her Neeltje after his daughter/my aunt. An artist's drawing I have of his canal barge in port in Rotterdam clearly shows her identification as both "Neeltje" and "M Bouman."

I'm too new to the forum to have private message privileges, so I need your help getting this message to "Neeltje." I'd love to compare notes and maybe come to see her (I live in Florida). Thanks! Linda

Hi Linda, and glad to have found your message. We are the current owners of Neeltje, in London. We are restoring her to be our next home, and have been able to track back with the registration numbers engraved into the boat and some available databases the original documentation of the boat. She was originally registered in 1900 as "de vrouwe Neeltje" by "P.Bouman', who lived in Gouda; later on registered to M.Bouman. We have more details of Neeltje's history, where she's been based, and its owners along the time. It'd be great to connect, and share more details with you, and we are also very curious to know more, such us what was Neeltje used for?
We are new to the forum and just registered as we found your message to be able to reply and connect. We shall find a way to exchange more contact details!

[Dutch Barge]

Hello Thisiledome,

The Neeltje you have does sound like my great grandfather’s (P Bouman) and grandfather’s (M Bouman) 1900 barge. The only discrepancy in your information is that the initial registration should have been Goudswaard instead of Gouda. The original contract from the builder does show a handwritten correction—perhaps correcting it from Gouda to Goudswaard. I’m a little confused though, because soon after my original post, I found the Neeltje in Florida, with a long story how she got there. Now she’s back in Europe? I figure either she was sold to you, or I found the wrong barge either then or now.

I would love to share notes. Are you comfortable giving me your email address?

Linda (Bouman) Snell

[Thisiledome]

Hi again Linda,
Sure, our email is: thisiledome@gmail.com
As far as we know, Neeljte was brough from the Netherlands to the UK in 2007, and have been in London most of the time, except for a period of 3 years in Portsmouth. And the details you shared keeps matching: it's only the first document that says, rightly or wrongly, your great grandfather was living in Gouda when he registered her in 1900 after measuring her in a yard in Lekkerkerk (by Rotterdam), while subsequent documents from 1928 points to your grandfather Marius living in Goudswaard.
We guess this is the one from your family ancestors, as our links are not based only on year of construction, name and origin, but also on the codes that are engraved in metal in different parts of the hull structure when Neeltje was measured for registration at different times, which we uncovered while doing restoration and painting jobs on her. We'll happily share further information and documents

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[MicHughV]

My grandfather on my dad's side captained a barge out of Rotterdam.....wish I could dig up some pics.
Not sure if it was a sailing barge though.
I never met him, but my dad sometimes spoke about him and his barge.
Would have been around the turn of the century.