His mother was adopted in Demerara (south America) by Maria Catharina Blondell and her husband the Frenchmen Charles Desbarats. They lived at the time he was born in Maarsen. She was an older sister of his great aunt the widow Johanna Eeftinck - Blondell who lived in the estate Buitendorp In Aarlanderveen close to Zwammerdam When her husband died she moved to Zwammerdam to be close to her sister and adopte child married to Jacob Schattenkerk.
She must have been fond of little Charles. When she died in 1814 she left the nine year old boy her house in Zwammerdam and 4000 guilders, a fortune at that time.
Charles was an intelligent boy and went to Leiden University to study medicine from which he graduated as candidate in 1827 and became medical doctor (physician) on June 19, 1829.
 Swadenburgerdam 16
(the white house on the right) close to the estate Buitendorp of the Eeftinck family 
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After completing his studies he married Sara Henriette Christine van Halm in Leiden, on the 13th of November 1829 born 1806 in Paramaribo Suriname daughter of Volkert Johannes van Halm and Maria Jacoba Duchesne.
They lived in their Zwammerdam house together with a housemaid. There Sara gave birth two sons Jacob Volkert in 1830 and Charles Marie Corneille in 1832.
For a genealogie van Halm in Dutch see here... In May 1832 Charles got an appointment as municipal physician in Doetinchem . This was where Wendelina was born that year followed by Catharina in 1836 who died the same year. An other Catharina was born in 1837. Then Hendrik Christiaan 1840 and number eight the youngest Adam Francois in 1844 Around 1833 Charles bought the coffee plantation "Weltevreden on the Commenwijne river in Suriname from the family Weissenbruch to help his farther-in-law Volkert Johannes van Halm on a job as administrator. In 1835 His mother in Law Maria Jacoba Duchesne lived with the family Schattenkerk. Volkert van Halm died in 1849 in Paramaribo. The plantation was sold. His wive died in 1855. In 1845 the family moved to Doesburg where Charles became both medical doctor (physician) and town counsel. |
About their children who survived childhood:
In 1863 she inherited the estate with villa Boschlag in Loil municipality of Didam. Her husband wanted his grandfather Jacob Schattenkerk (1773 Amsterdam - 1841 Emmerich) to be reburied there. See here..
For Australian branch See here..
As of 1867, Charles's wife tried to submit a request to the 2nd chamber of parlement. After it was formally rejected a number of times as being unsealed, she managed to get on the agenda in October 1870, after which her petition was referred to a committee. The content in brief according to the report of the committee:
a) Permission for legal separation.
b) A distribution of her assets in Suriname that she claims as the only daughter and entitled party and of which it is unclear to her who owns it at that time.
As security, she requests a surety of 6,000 guilders in deposit, with a provisional advance of 400 guilders.
The committee understandably concludes that this is completely beyond its competence and dismisses it.
What a curious action after such a long time. By then the plantation would have been sold. She seems quite confused. At the time of the petition she was still living with her husband in Doesburg. She died in 1885 in Eden, where her family lived, separated from Charles as she had wished.
Charles died in 1890 Zoeterwoude near Leiden and was buried in the Schattenkerk family grave in Zwammerdam according to his wish.
Photo of Charles Schattenkerk
(Received from mr. van Alst Oudheidkundige Vereniging Didam).
A newspaper article on his death:
They write from Doesburg to the Zutphen newspaper. Died on 10 January 2007 in Leiden at the age of 84 years, dr. C. Schattenkerk. He was a really solid old-fashioned physician, a broad-shouldered, strong figure, but full of gentleness, a concise, angular man, but always ready to help, a man full of dedication and knowledge that he had spent more than half a century in the so-called back corner of Gelderland, first Doetinchem, later elsewhere for longer than a human age for the benefit of suffering humanity. In the last years of his life he had withdrawn from the busy practical life, but in the former place of his living and working in Doesburg, and far in the vicinity, the memory lives of his beneficent activity, of his brave, confidence-inspiring conduct, of the restless concern for the city of his habitation, whose interests he long served as alderman, continued unabated. His memory will be remembered by all who knew him as that of a good man who loved his job. who, never resting where he could help others, was the epitome of a humane, conscientious physician and of a useful citizen of the state.
About the Schattenkerk graves