Adriaan Koek
(1759 -1824)
Adriaan Koek (the father-in-law of Petrus Johannes de Wit) was a prominent Dutch burgher then in Melaka. This is because Adriaan Koek was the brother-in-law of the Dutch governor Abraham Couperus (Governor of Melaka from 1788 - 1795). Keok was not a member of the Dutch administration but an independent burgher engaged in trade and shipping and owned considerable landed property in the vicinity of the Melaka town. When the British landed in Melaka in 1795 and established a bridgehead, it was on Koek's property in Banda Hilir. (Banda Hilir is now the heart of the town's new commercial center).
Adriaan Koek had built up such a wide network of trading connections in the Straits region that he had come to exercise a strong personal influence among several of the Malay rulers. He even succeeded in persuading Sultan Mahomed of Johor to appoint him as his agent with power of attorney to collect the tenth of the produce of all lands on the west coast of mainland Johor, from Batu Pahat and Padang (Parit Jawa) northward as far as the boundary with Melaka.
He was described as 'Captain of the Civil Guards' in 1808, when he was granted land outside the Trankerah gate by the British Governor of Melaka, William Farquhar. With the arrival in August 1818 of the Dutch governor-designate, Timmerman Thyssen, who was his nephew by marriage, Koek inevitably became a key figure in the new administration holding a rank next to the Governor. He was the new governor's new right-hand man and eventually became Acting Governor himself in 1823. Koek was also President of the Melaka Court of Justice from 1812 to 1824.
Adriaan Koek was born in Melaka on 24th December 1759 and baptised at Melaka on 15th March 1760. His parents were Joost Koek and Catharina de Roth. He was married at Melaka on 27th February 1785 to Maria Dionicia Wilhelmina Dieterich of Melaka. Koek died in 1824 at 65 years of age and was buried at Melaka. He left five children - four daughters and his only surviving son, George Koek (1796 - 1828).
The following information was
obtained with the kind assistance of
Mr. Herman Oomen (The Netherlands)
from a summary made by Mr. van Helsdingen
and kept in the central archives at Den Haag, Holland
of the church files of the Dutch Reformed Church
of Malacca stored in London.
The family of Adriaan Koek
Adriaan Koek was born in Malacca on 24-12-1759 (baptism 15-03-1760 at Malacca). He was the son of Joost Koek and Catharina de Roth. Died and was buried at Malacca in 19-05-1825.
Adriaan Koek was appointed Captain of the 'civilian-garde' at Malacca from 1819-1824, Percieved-Governor from 1822-1823, president of the Chamber of Justice at Malacca 1812-1824.
Adriaan Koek was married at Malacca on 27-02-1785 to Maria Dionicia Wilhelmina Dieterich from Malacca. Her bapism on 20-09-1769 at Malakka, and she was taken as a member of the church at Malacca on 18-02-1785. She died at Malacca on 09-11-1818 and was buried on 10-11-1818. She was probably the daughter of Gustaaf Dieterich and Catharina Wilhelmina of Malacca.
Their children were :
1. Josua Koek, batism 02-04-1786 at Malacca;
2. Wilhelm Koek, baptism 15-06-1788 at Malacca, buried 09-09-1818 at Malacca;
3. Adriaan Koek, baptism 13-05-1790 at Malacca;
4. Daniël koek, baptism 18-09-1791, buried 10-01-1792 at Malacca;
5. Catharina Maria Koek was baptised on 06-01-1793 at Malacca and taken as a member of the church on 26-01-1812 at Malacca. It was mentioned that she was out of the country on October 1824. She was married at Malacca (tax payed 30-08-1817) to James Carnegy, Master Mariner at Malacca, honourable dismissal in 1823, died at Malacca before 01-08-1823.
Their child was :
5.1. Patrick Adriaan Carnegy, baptism 06-06-1819 at Malacca;
6. George Koek was baptised on 19-12-1796 at Malacca. He was a clerk from 1820-1821, 1st clerk in 1822 and Assistant Bookkeeper in 1823 for the taxkeeper at Malacca. He died at the age of 32 years and was buried on 17-01-1828 at Malacca;
7. Jacobina Elizabeth Koek was born at Malacca on 26-10-1797 (baptism
29-10-1797 at Malacca). Taken as member of the church on 26-01-1812. Died
at the age of 71 years and was buried on 06-05-1868 at Malacca.
She was first married at Malacca on 16-10-1820 to Petrus
Johannes de Wit (1796-1831), son of Willem Adriaan de Wit and Maria
Magdalena Kotze. Petrus was baptised on 23-10-1796 at Kaapstad, South Africa.
See Petrus Johannes DeWitt.
She remarried at Malacca on 04-02-1835 to Jan Tessensohn who was born on 02-05-1808
at Malacca (baptism 27-10-1811 at Malacca), the son of Jochem Hendrik Tessensohn
and Catharina Michiels (Smit?). There was not record of her children from
her second marriage;
8. Wilhelmina Koek was born on 10-10-1798 at Malacca, (baptised on 21-12-1798 at Malacca), and was taken as a member of the church on 26-01-1812. She died on 16-12-1852 at Batavia. She was married at Malacca on 29-05-1882 to Lodewijk Carel Count van Ranzow, who was born at Manaar (Ceylon) on 13-12-1787. He was employed as Inspector for tin mines at Jeboes (Banka) on 1819, Resident of Riouw in 1821, Assistant Resident of Benkoelen in 1827, Assistant Resident of Soemanep (Madoera) from 1828-1829. He died at Batavia on 02-01-1865. He was the son of Daniël Ditloff, Count, van Ranzow and Johanna Elisabeth Cramer. The van Ranzow family is also connected to the British Royal Family.
9. Johanna Koek was born in 1801 at Malacca and died on 27-09-1853 at Batavia. She was married at Malacca on 16-11-1822 to Eduard van Angelbeek, who was born on 12-09-1801 at Amsterdam (Holland). In 1816 he arrived in the Indië. He was employed as chiefclerk and chief of secretaryship at Malacca from 1820-1824. Later he was appointed secretary of Cheribon in 1825. He died on 19-12-1825 at Buitenzorg (Batavia). He was the son of Mr. Johann Gerhard van Angelbeek and Anna Geertruida Sanderson.
Their children were :
9.1. Christina Anna Geertruida van Angelbeek, born on 23-08-1823 at Malacca, baptism on 22-08-1825 at Malacca.
9.2. Maria Wilhelmina van Angelbeek, born on 30-06-1825 at Malacca, baptism on 22-08-1825 at Malacca, burried on 15-09-1825 at Malacca.
Adriaan Koek's siblings
Daniël Koek was Adriaan Koek's brother. Born on 29-08-1787 at Malacca,
he was Notary at Malacca 1820-1825, appointed secretary of the Orphan-Chamber
at Malacca on 1826. He was married to Francina Verhoeven (daughter of Lambertus
Verhoeven and Maria van Es).
Their children were Joseph Koek (1808), William Koek (1810), Catharina Koek
(21-08-1812), Carolina Koek (02-11-1814), Cornelia Koek (09-08-1816), Maria
Koek (22-09-1818), Daniël Bernardus Koek (14-03-1821), Antoinette Alexandrina
Koek (30-03-1823) and Eliza Elizabeth Koek (10-01-1825). Daniël Koek died
and was buried on 22-05-1842 at Malacca.
Daniël Koek died and was buried on 22-05-1842 at Malacca.
Johanna Koek was Adriaan Koek's sister. She was born on 24-09-1790 at
Malacca and taken as member of the church on 26-01-1812 at Malacca. She was
first married to Wilhelm Moser (Luitenant Infantry at Malacca) on 11-08-1810
at Malacca. Wilhelm Moser died and was burried on 19-06-1816 at Malacca. Their
children were Johanna Wilhelmina Moser (24-10-1812) and Catharina Henriëtte
Moser.
Johanna Koek remarried at Malacca on 20-05-1826 to Gerrit Leendert Baumgarten
(28-10-1789), son of Christiaan Godfried Baumgarten and Maria Catharina Velge.
He was Storehouseholder at Malacca (1824), Master Mariner at Malacca, member
of the Orphan Chamber (1823-1824) and Deacon (1823-1825).
Johanna Koek died on 25-11-1872 and was buried on 26-11-1872 at Malacca.
Catharina Koek was also Adriaan Koek's sister. She was born in 1781 at
Malacca and was taken as member of the church on 26-01-1812 at Malacca. She
was married at Malacca on 06-10-1793 to Johann Anton Neubronner (fromFrankfurt
am Main. President of the Orphan-Chamber at Malacca ,1808-1815).
Their children were Johan Anton Neubronner (23-08-1794), Johan Christiaan
Neubronner and twin-brother of Johan Anton Neubronner (23-08-1794), Fredrik
Joseph Neubronner (1796), Louisa Neubronner (02-01-1798), Henriëtte Neubronner
(1800), Thomas Neubronner (1804), Maria Antonetta Neubronner (12-11-1806),
Louis Neubronner (07-08-1808) and Daniël Neubronner (02-03-1810).
Catharina Koek died and was buried on 24-10-1849 at Malacca.
Extract from 'The Hikayat Abdullah'
Translated by A. H. Hill for the
Journal of the Malayan Branch
Royal Asitic Society
(Volume XXVII Part 3 - June, 1955)
"Not very long afterwards my father obtained employment with Mr. Adrian Koek, the official deputy to the Resident of Malacca. My father was soon made captain of a large sailing boat called The Trailing Sail which travelled to and fro between Malacca and Kedah, for Mr. Koek was very friendly with the Kedah rajas. On one occasion my father brought back an elephant, a present from a Kedah prince Tengku Daud to Mr. Koek. It was the first time the people of Malacca had set eyes on a live elephant. My father also worked as envoy for Mr. Farquhar and Mr. Koek in other Malay countries like Lingga, Riau, Pahang, Trengganu, Kelantan and Palembang, even as far afield as Java and neighbouring territories."
Notes:
Adrian Koek, a prominent Dutch official of the Dutch East India Company before its collapse, continued to play a leading part in the government of Malacca under the British administration. From 1798 to 1818 he was a member of the Dutch College of Justice, a body of influential Dutch citizens working under British protection, and for part of that time as President. He was a close friend of Farquhar, whi in 1812 sent him to Bulang to warn the Bendahara of Pahang not to interfere in a dispute over the Riau-Johor succession.
After the Dutch restoration in 1818, Koek became the senior member of
the Malacca Council. He was a valuable restraining influence on Timmerman
Thyssen, the Governor, when in 1819 the Dutch dispute the validity of Raffles's
settlement at Singapore. Three years later he accompanied Thyssen to Riau
to sieze the regalia of the Riau-Johor Sultanate.
Gravestones found at Bukit Serindit Cemetary in Melaka
IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
JOSEPH KOEK
DIED 21 JULY 1886
AGE 77
(Born 1809)
MISS M S KOEK
DIED DEC. 1892