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Johanna Madeleine van Malapert

1758-1831.

Engelberta Elisabeth de Godin (1716-1771) was the granddaughter of Engelberta van Brienen. She married Lodewijk van Malapert (Lord of Jutphaas and Plettenberg), who's first wife had passed and given him 6 children, who now were between the ages of 8 to 15. They lived in castle Plettenburg in Jutphaas (south of Utrecht). See image on the left.

After 3 years they had a daughter (child number 7 in the family) and named her Johanna Madeleine.

When Johanna Madeleine was 13, her mother passed away.
When she was 21 she lost her heart to Johan Krüger, coachman for the Count of Rechteren. This intended union was much against the wish of her father, described in old documents as being "below the decency of his family", but his objections were to no avail.

Johan Krüger, faithful to his profession, abducted his bride in his master's coach and took her to Rheinberg in Germany, where they got married. Documents show that Johanna's father tried to trace his daughter and have her committed to a "correctional facility", but it was all in vain.
He then promptly disinherited her. Knowing that his estate was then worth some 100,000 guilders (US$ 6 million in today's money), then we get an idea what Johanna "lost" by following her heart.
At a later time she did however inherit her share of her mother's estate.
In following her heart, she might have been poor in earthly goods, she was however rich in descendants.
Four years later, in 1783, their marriage was confirmed by representation in the Dom church in Utrecht.