Jan van Osnabrugge (1829-1899) moved to Harmelen in 1857 to work as a contractor for widow Aaltje van Barneveld. They married in 1858. Aaltje lived in the white home on the Old Rhine river (enlarge photo on the right).

Willem's father Adriaan and grandfather Jan were born there. They were all contractors and much involved in various functions in the Dutch Reformed Church.

Although the house was nice for its time, it was a bit of a challenge to sleep the six brothers and one sister upstairs. Adriaan married Maartje Visser in 1935.

The house stayed in the van Osnabrugge family until 1990 when Aaltje (Willem's aunt) passed away.

We had sliding doors in between the living room ("parlor") and the family room. During WWII we had Jewish refugees hiding and sleeping in the soffit at night. German soldiers were stationed in the property next door. Our parents didn't care. They did it anyway. Saw it as their duty.

Some 20 years after the war, my brother Jan found a phosphorus bomb and a 20 lbs tub of soft soap under the living room floorboards and a "Joden Ster" in the soffit. If they only could tell us their stories.

The phosphorus bomb was all corroded and Jan threw it in the Old Rhine River. We expected another Hiroshima effect, but nothing happend. It just sank. Maybe it will go off tomorrow.