Petrus Andreas Spinsemaille (1749-1833) x 1778 Maria Anna Catherina Nuyttens (1759-1840) lived in a farm in the "Stedestraat". We have a picture with the late 19th century look of this farm. But for his and his family it was the time of the French Revolution.

They had 11 children. from the 7 oldest children most died very young and probably only Petrus Josephus (1784 - aft1856) survived. Joh. Baptiste (1788-1810) another from this seven children is said that he was a soldier in the "Grande Armée" of Napoleon and that he died in Russia. So the children of Petrus Andreas lived in their youth under he French Revolution (1789-1814) when France occupied this country from 1793 till 1814.  

The 4 youngsters born between 1792 and 1800 will survive.  

After the defeat end 1813 of France in Russia allied forces with Autrich marched on Paris in March 1814. In this month battles took place around Zwevegem locally known as the Campaign of Zwevegem. The allied forces operated from Oudenaarde and the French troops from Courtrai. The main battle took place on 31 March 1814. Early in the morning French troop encamped at the cemetery of  Zwevegem attacked the Allied Forces laying at Knokke (Zwevegem) and defeated them. The battle raged the whole day and the parish of Zwevegem was totally devastated. But the same day the allied forces took Paris and the war was finished. At that time Bavo and Petrus Cornelius our ancestors and the youngest of the family were ca 15 years old and were certainly very impressed by this events

19th cent  look of the farm of Andries Spinsemaille

in the Stedestraat, Zwevegem, Wvl, B

J.B. Spincemaille (1788-1810) soldier of Napoleon

He died 1 Nov 1810 in ... the military Hospital in Brussels, Br, B

As a result of the Congress of Vienna in 1815 Belgium and Holland were unified under the King Willem of Holland and the peace installed them again and the children will marry gradually. First Petrus Josephus, probably the only survivor of the 11 oldest children  married  Marie-Elisabeth Yserbyt 33 years old in Deerlijk, Wvl, B, 11 Sep 1816. They will live in Bellegem, Wvl, B, but they will not have children. Contrary all the four youngest children 2 girls followed by two boys will  mary and will have children. Anna Theresia the oldest with Joannes-Eugenius De Canter from Bellegem, WVl, B in 1824 before Belgium became independend in 1830. Her younger sister Angela will stay as it was usage at the parental form to help her parents in their old days and married after the death of her parents in 1842  with  Bernard Delbeke a widow of Zwevegem at an age of 47 years old. Nevertheles she will bear three children. The 2 youngsters Bavo and Petrus Cornelius will continue the family line. Bavo will marry Maria Francisca Vercoutere in Deerlijk, Wvl, B ca 1830 and will live there. Petrus Cornelius the youngest of both boys will stay at the farm as it was usage and will marry Rosalia Nolf in Moen, Wvl, B only ca 1837 a few years before his mother died in 1840.He will stay in Zwevegem on the farm in the Stedestraat.

Inheritance of Andries Spinsemaille

Zwevegem, Wvl, B 1749-1833

Memorial cards of the family members

in a prayer-book

We will find this 5 children at the moment of the distribution of the inheritance of Petrus Andreas Spinsemaille in 1841

Besides this inheritance we don't have a lot of written documents of Petrus Andreas and his children. But this people ware deep-catholic and owned in their prayer-book on the day of the death of their relatives the  memorial cards of their family members. This cards went from generation to generation and came in that way to us.  

The families of Bavo and Petrus Cornelius will have to survive the misoogsten and the crisis of 1848 - 1850. We will see in the next pages the big influence it had on the live of their families.