My growing up

Left: Anna's tomb at Jakarta's Open air museum Taman Prasastie.

Mid: Anna's second daughter Cornelia Helena Geertruida Kroesen married to Julius Boers, Governor of South East Borneo Indonesia 1894-1898.

Right: Anna's first daughter Laura Eleonora Annette, Anna's second daughter Cornelia and her youngest son Johannes Alexander. (Governor of Celebes and New Guinea.)


All pictures above show the house where Anna lived in Jakarta Indonesia, when she was married.


We moved away from our luxurous house at Simongan Land and I grew up in another house in Bodjong Semarang in the centre of the city and my brother Frederik Daniel arranged my education and I became a Lady according the common decency rules for Ladies in those days who were supposed to entertain in the elite society. (The upper echelons of Society.)

 

It was in the year of 1852 (24 March) at age of 21 years, that I married a young military officer called Tiemen Cornelis Johannes Kroesen, who was destined to be one of the NIL army leaders in his carreer. My husband was decorated (Militaire Willemsorde MWO) at young age - still ranked as a captain - for repressing the rebellion of the Swiss soldiers (employed by the Dutch NIL army) at the barracks of Fort Willem I Semarang. He did so, for that specific night in 1860, his higher ranked commanding officer was not available and quick measures had to be taken to repress the rebellions in which he succeeded fully. (For further details about our life in my childhood: pls go to the end of the previous page Anna's Father Died)

 

We had a good life and Tiemen and I had 4 children. ( Picture above right). Our eldest daughter (left picture) Laura Eleonora Annette Kroesen, our second daughter Cornelia Helena Geertruida Kroesen, (right picture) our youngest son Johannes Alexander Kroesen.

Laura became the wife of a Governor and died at young age of 23 years. Her sister Cornelia became the wife of her sister's widower. And Johannes Alexander became a Governor and retired 1908 and died 1911 at Arnhem Holland where his thomb is preserved. Unfortunately we did not save any picture from our third child Tiemen Egbert Karel Theodoor Kroesen. He too died at young age since the climate did no good to his health and the cooling clean air of the mountains was not sufficient to heal him. Though he spent his years in a sanatorium. He remained unmarried and had no children. (*Editor's note: Not officially registered, though some documents note that he had a relationship with a local woman at the begin of his carreer as an Assistant Governor.)

 

Our second daughter Cornelia and her husband are shown on the picture in the middle and the picture on the left shows the family grave at Jakarta in which I am resting together with my husband and my eldest daughter Laura. My second daughter Cornelia followed her husband to Holland and there she rests together with her husband and one of her sons at The Hague...

 

Our family grave in Jakarta is now part of the National Museum Taman Prasasti at Jakarta Indonesia.... I wonder how many visitors these days, do realize that this grave is the eternal restplace of a descendant of one of Armenians Greater Noble Sons.

 

Our children grew up, married and left home and my husband was rather busy doing his job as a leading officer in the NIL army and it was then that I realized that the time had come for me to indulge myself into my father's history and background as once he ordered me in his last moments on earth.

 

He died when I was at young age and my older brothers and older sisters had no time to teach me and to tell me about the backgrounds of our father. My marriage with the Dutch leading officer was also not encouraging me as I had my obligations due to the position of my husband in daily life of the elite of Jakarta.

 

I contacted the church leaders of the Armenian church nearby our home at Jakarta and I bought books and documents and gathered all kind of information about the Armenians and soon I was acquainted with the backgrounds of my father's life and dreams.

 

I started to write a book about his life and it was 116 years after my death in 1894 that this book came into the hands of one of my descendants and it is he who published my book about my father Afgha Hovsep Hovhanes Amirkhan, as it is he who became the next to be choosen one.

 

I whispered some words into the book, knowing that one day he will hear these words.

 

"For him who has the blood of my father. One day you will find the truth which was hidden by those who were jealous and arrogant and you will find persons who will help you to decipher and orden the remnants of the broken puzzle which were trampled and almost destroyed by miscreants. Your great grandfather's soul and spirit is now passed through to you. He will guide you. Remember: Though the lie still so fast, the truth will catch him tough."

 

Go to the page about Agha Hovsep Hovhanes Amirkhan.