I’ve rummaged around and found Opa Kerlen’s memoirs and scanned in the preface to them. I’ve typed the preface up and run it through Google Translate. The results of which are below.
Addendum: Margurite has kindly translated them for me.
Month: January 2019
On the 5th June I saw the first light.
This worldly event happened, according to my elder sisters, in the small office next to the shop on the Nieuwstad in Zutphen, where my father kept a rather flourishing shoeshop.
Since all the punishement rooms in the building were full I was locked up with another three in the so called Mouse tower; it was a Saturday afternoon. The tower was part of the old fortification; the internal space consisted only of a round room with a heavy pillar and the 1.5m thick outside wall was supporting the arched attic; in the walls were spaces for shooting holes who gave view on the city and were shut off with iron bars.
From a wedding comes a wedding; same story here: for some time de Jongh had already madly fallen in love with my favourite sister Mina and for a long time didn’t have any success, probably because as a jealous brother I adviced her against it every time.
Chapter II.
My life and carier as subaltern officer.
a. as Lieutenant.
Late in the afternoon of the 22nd May 1870 I arrived in Harderwijk; tante Joh was of course at the station and together we walke the long road to the house of Mrs. Braskamp, where I was going to stay again.
When I arrived back in Meesterr Cornelis I learnt that I would have to stay there for a while; this didn’t suit me at all lookig at the daily travelling up and down from the hotel and the boarding costs there; so I accepted with both hands the suggestion from my contemporary Albrecht to stay in a small room in one of the annexes of his house in the Beerenlaan for a small compensation.
In the canal of Moeara Bahroe two of those darling little animals had their permanent residence and towards 2 pm they came to bask in the sun on the muddy outskirts of the canal.
Of course Captain Leers also took part in the joined dish, however, he had the bad habit to ask with every dish if it was edible and besides also smelled his portion before he began to eat.
The losses from the front attack on the Missigit suffered, for months caution for the further attack on the Kraton, and so a kind of organised siege began against it and the minors had to make trenches for the first time.
The colonel had someone place a large drawing table in his cabin and he daily stood there working, not being disturbed by the sometimes heavy rolling of the steamer; it was admirable as in the 7 days journey he made 3 projects for the new back veranda as well as the dance hall for the Hotel of the Army commander de Neve, sothat he only had to choose.
CHAPTER II
My life and career as subaltern officer.
b. As Captain.
With the permission to my engagement Papa Baumgarten had set the condition, that it was not allowed to be public before I, as a good son, would have got permission from my parents.
Still, the health situation despite all this water and mudpools is good and epimdemics don’t occur often. Just like in Singkawang, yet more regularly, a busy correspondence with Singapore exist through Chinese steamers with shallow draughts, which bring goods and take away forest products and so it was all the time possible for me to keep a correspondence with Charlotte; we had agreed – and her father had approved of it – that our wedding would take place after my commission trip, and therefore I had asked a 14 days leave to Singapore, which was permitted.
Mrs. v. Dapperen spoke a little English and so could get along with Ch. Her maiden name was Jetje Polkijn and her father was retired ltnt. colonel of the Administration of the Navy, who after his dismissal had obtained a good job at the My. Nederland.
In the beginning the little one grew very well, looked after by her mother and a young and excellent servant, who carried the child around the yard in the morning and evening. In that yard we also kept a monkey which was attached to a bamboo stick in the ground, above which was a box; this animal was extremely jealous of the baby and sometimes broke loose, which was becoming dangerous.
In time before our departure I had requested the Government a 14 days leave to spend abroad in Singapore, which I was granted.
Ch. could then stay another 14 days with the children, whilst I would get our house in Bengkalis in order as well as possible.