Hannigje de Jong - inland waterway skipper
On this website, historical women from the maritime sector share their stories. This is the story of Hannigje de Jong.
Over Hannigje de Jong
- Lived: 1873–1911
- Employer: N/A
- In which maritime sector did she work? Inland shipping
What kind of work did she do?
Hannigje de Jong worked in inland shipping her entire life. She was born on an inland vessel and remained on her parents’ ship until her marriage (when she was 29 years old), where she certainly helped out and also earned some extra money with her sisters by selling eggs. After her marriage to Gerrit Hutten (1879–1945) in 1903, she became responsible for the household and raising the children, and she worked alongside her husband on board (steering the ship, at the helm, tying ropes, painting, repair work…). The fact that her role as a skipper’s wife was significant is evidenced by the hiring of a servant after her death. The couple had little formal education: the work was learned on the job. The couple owned two ships in succession named Annigje (after Hannigje): first a wooden ship, and from 1908 onward, the iron Hasselter barge that is now part of the MMR collection. The cargo—such as peat, hay, sand, and gravel—was bought and sold at their own expense and risk, and this is how they generated income. They sailed within the Netherlands from Kampen, mostly in the northeastern provinces of the Netherlands but also across the Zuiderzee to Amsterdam.
What else is there to tell about her maritime life?
The couple were quiet, kind, thrifty, and devout people. They had three children. Hannigje died of cancer at the age of 37.
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