Gidion Meljado - Gidion's offspring

Started by Linda Backus on Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Problem with this page?

Participants:

Profiles Mentioned:

Showing all 6 posts

My father, Gerrit Louis Meljado, and his brother Jacob, are believed to be sons of Gidion Meljado who died Burma Railway 1943 POW camp. Gerrit and Jacob are both deceased. Gerrit had 4 children (my 3 siblings) who all live in Australia and Jacob had 3 children all in the USA.
Can anyone verify this is the same lineage. I am unable to find evidence of Gidion's marriage or children.

There is at least one online family tree which shows this Gidion Meljado as dying in Apolon Village, Burma during WW2.

The death is recorded here https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/75... and includes a Service Number, so perhaps someone with access to Dutch WW2 service records could use the number to confirm it is the correct Gidion.

Do you think Gerrit and Jacob born in NL or Indonesia?

Thank you for your reply.
Gerrit and Jacob were born in Indonesia: Cheribon.
Gerrit met my mother in Indonesia and they migrated to Australia.

Gidion (their dad) also lived in Indonesia, apparently married, had 2 sons (my dad and uncle) and went to war, died in POW camp Apolon. My dad fought in the same war for the Dutch army a paratrooper, also was POW but survived.
The Dutch military services website gives my father (Gerrit) the same service number....! ) So obviously details are confused somewhere along the way.
Thank you anyway.

Regards

Linda

I have never even heard of a Dutch paratrooper, at least not in WW2.

What's needed is evidence that links this Gidion to your family. I can think of a few possibilities but not having much luck turning anything up:

1. enlistment record for the Burma man showing his birth details as matching Amsterdam Gidion.
2. marriage record for Gidion in Indonesia with birth details.
3. birth record for either Gerrit or Jacob which lists their father's age and place of birth.
4. Jacob or Gerrit's death record, which might list father's birth place.

Yes, answers to those questions are needed to establush connection between Gidion and his sons
wife (Maria Schipper i am td but cannot find connection. She married twice. I will work on it.

Your comment re not knowing of Dutch paratroopers... prompted me to check the one portrait photo i have of Dad in military garb... He wears the cap badge of the British Paratroopers! Thsnk you! Will keep you posted re progress if you wish.
Linda

Hello again

I have identified that Gidion Meljado born 1/10/1910 is my grandfather. He appears on my fathers birth certificate and we have his death certificate from Apalon Village, Myanmar in Indonesian and Dutch where he died 4/12/1943. They spell his name Gideon which is incorrect. The death cert identifies Gidion as coming from Magelang in Indonesia, that he divorced Maria Schipper (with an "s" on the end, also incorrect) His service number was 124201 . I also have his Japanese POW card .
My father's birth Cert identifies him as born in Cheribon to Maria Schipper and Gidion Meljado .

I have no marriage records but confirm from above and from my cousins that he married Maria Schipper in Indonesia,
I have found her as follows: Birth 12/2/1908. Daughter of Tieme Schipper and mother: Niah,
Tieme died 1917, Niah in 1933-34. (Niah would be Indonesian I expect (My aunt, Maria's daughter, Winny, said Tieme died suddenly of heart attack)
Maria remarried 1934: Henricus Fransiscus Rolfes. (Winny's father)

Supporting information re Maria (also noted as Marianna and Mary) is evidence of her sister Anna Grootjans (nee Schipper) who married Anton Grootjans. There is evidence that Anton Grootjans married Anna (nee Schipper) who is also from Cheribon Indonesia. There is also evidence of their arrival in Holland 1949 (repatriated).

I have photos of Maria Schipper, her second husband Hendricus and great aunt Anna Grootjans as my cousins in the USA (dad's brother's kids) visited them in Holland before he (Jacob Gerrat) passed.

Gerrit Louis Meljado: I have dad's birth certificate which identifies him as born in Ceribon and to parents Gidion and Maria Schipper.

Any other information you may have will be much appreciated

Regards

Linda Backus

Showing all 6 posts

Create a free account or login to participate in this discussion