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| The genealogy of the Keasberry family |
| » Chapter B The descendants of William Henry |
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The following is firstly a short historical summary, copied from the Almanac of Netherlands-Indies, about the occupation of Java by English troops in the period 1811 - 1816. The name Keasberry appeared for the first time in Java during the occupation.
1811. "The English fleet, under command of Lord Minto, was sighted at (non-existent referral [?]). After strong opposition Batavia and the surrounding fortifications were captured. The Governor-General Janssens retreated to Semarang and eventually capitulated and surrendered the Colony (18 September 1811). Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was appointed Lieutenant-Governor-General." Later he was succeeded by John Fendal.
1816. "The Colony was handed back to the Dutch. The Dutch flag was once again hoisted in Batavia, 19 August 1816."
(Author's note: Lord Minto was Governor-General of India and leader of the expedition to Java. He appointed his energetic 30 year old secretary, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles as Lieutenant-Governor-General. The British attack on Java was the direct result of events in Europe. After France had annexed the Netherlands in July 1810, the English feared that the island - which from then on formally belonged to France - would serve as a stepping-stone for an attack on the British possessions in India).
During this period, according to the Gazette of 5 December 1812, Major John Palmer Keasberry, born in Bath, was given six month (as from 25 August 1812) leave from Madras to go to Java. However he did not arrive until 14 March 1813 and by 'Proceedings' on 24 April 1813 he was appointed Resident of Tegal (Central Java - Coastal area) with 300 Strait dollars as from 1 May 1813. It was not until 23 May 1813 that he took over the residence from Zheatzcky (Bailiff of Resident under Daendels). On 24 September 1813 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Among other things he dealt with the assessment of land revenue locally there. From the 'proceeding' of 17 September 1813 it appears that he had 'a long acquaintance with the Eastern islands and language'.
W. Davies was sent to Tegal as 'assistant' to the Resident Keasberry, who had become ill. Davies arrived on 2 May 1814, but by that time the Resident was already dead. This premature death in 1814 at the age of 41 left his widow Eliza Breithaupt with 3 sons William Henry Keasberry, John Christopher Nathanial Keasberry and Benjamin Peach Keasberry. The monetary estate of their father was managed by the Orphans Court at Semarang and the inheritance of about 906.50 Strait dollars was paid in 1833.
Eliza Breithaupt did not remain a widow for long; in 1815 she married again to widower John Davidson who was formally Resident of Rembang (Central Java), and thereafter of Pronolingo and Besuki (East Java). His first wife had died on 15 September 1814 at Rembang. In September 1815 the family moved to Probolingo where, on 15 May 1827, Eliza died at the age of 39 years. Her second husband, John Davidson died on 13 May 1850 at Pasuruan. An interesting anecdote is that 123 years later Victor Frans Keasberry also married a Davidson namely, Emma Flora Geertruida Davidson.
After the death of their father, the three sons, William Henry, John Christopher Nathanial and Benjamin Peach, were sent to school for further education, first to Mauritius and afterwards they completed their studies at Madras (India). The two eldest sons then returned to Surabaya (East Java), while Benjamin Peach settled in Singapore (see Chapter C). William Henry, who was then already adult (1830), worked at the Trade Office (House of Negotiation and Commission) of F. Browne
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