During genealogical research, you sometimes come across interesting ancestors. One such family is, for example, the Van Motman family, who were influential in the Dutch East Indies and who’s family crest is shown above.

Johannes de Quant (1841-1890), went to the Dutch East Indies as a teacher. The school he started out was run by headmaster Christaan Hendrik Reijgers (1819 – 1905). Johannes married her daughter Christina Hendrika Reijgers (1844-1919) in 1864. Christina’s mother was Olympia Louisa Alexandrina van Motman (1810 – 1868). The Dutch novelist ‘Hella Haasse, in her book ‘Heren van de thee’, mentions the Van Motman family as an influential landowning family.

The current Van Motman family is descended from Gerrit Willem Casimier van Motman. Our ancestor Olympia was descended from his brother Frederik, as shown above. With regards to Frederik I found the following information:

The Royal Dutch Society for Genealogy and Heraldry states the following DNL 1903 VOLUME 21 (I have edited the text for clarity):

At the beginning of the 19th century there were still two persons of this name living (Van Motman) in Java, whose existence was known to the members of this family at that time, but of whom it is unknown how they can be attached to the family in question. I, too, cannot even guess what their lineage might be. They are as follows: I… II. Frederik (van) Motman, on the ranks of officers, etc., in the service of the Republic of the United Netherlands anno 1776, appearing as a vendrig in the Saxe-Gotha regiment at Tholen, since 5 July 1775. Arrived in Batavia in 1808 as a captain, he was a major on the staff of the cavalry in the Indies on January 7, 1809, in which official register he also appears with the title of knight and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel by Daendels. In 1810 he became a colonel;

He was wounded during the capture of Meester-Cornelis by the English in 1811, but a few days later he was appointed by Janssens as commander of the troops to replace Jumel. He died in Batavia in 1812 and must have been married to Jacomina de Arkel.

A daughter of Frederik (van) Motman and Jacomina de Arkel, was Olympia Louise Alexandra (van) Motman, born in Soerabaja in 1810, died in Soerakarta October 9, 1868, married twice, 1». in Semarang March 19, 1830 with Johan Jacob Keiler (born Dordrecht 1803), and 2°. in Soerakarta on July 6, 1842 to Christiaan Hendrik Reygers.

Below is the Van Motman Family crest.

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