June 4 1849

On that day my great-grandmother Blondina Muylaert was born in Denderhoutem. She was a daughter of Franciscus Muylaert (Nieuwerkerken 1818 - Denderhoutem 1888) and Coleta Vlaemick (Denderhoutem 1813 - 1891). Coleta had five children with her first husband Josephus Baeyens (Denderhoutem 1805 - 1846) and three with Franciscus.

Blondina was the only one of my great-grandparents who, according to family lore, always refused to be photographed, but that cannot be entirely true : she must have had an identity card. Maybe, the photo on that card has been destroyed, maybe it has been kept in the family of my grandmother's sister Line. I shall never know.

In 1882 Blondina married Felix De Vidts (Pamel 1853 - 1940). They lived in the Piezelstraat in Pamel. Once or twice, as a very young child, I accompanied my grandmother when she visited her sister. Contacts were irregular because the relations between the sisters was not really optimal after the death of their parents. No need to say more, I think.

Felix and Blondina had five children (I listed them in another post). My grandmother Maria Antonia De Vidts (Pamel 1855 - Okegem 1949) was the oldest surviving one, but died relatively young. Her sister Adeline (Pamel 1890 - 1981) lived almost as long as their mother.

Maria Antonia De Vidts married Joannes Franciscus Neukermans (Okegem 1886 - 1961) and my mother was the second of their five children.