Familytree-Majoie Hajary UK

Family tree

Majoie Hajary’s ancestors came from Africa, China and India. At Braampunt, at the mouth of the Suriname River, they enter Suriname by ship.

* y is also written as ij, here y is used.
** Tjong Ayong, also written Tjong Ajong with or without hyphen

Benoit, Pierre (Pierre Jacques) et al. Voyage à Surinam : description des possessions néerlandaises dans la Guyane. Bruxelles: Société des Beaux-Arts De Wasme et Laurent, 1839. Pl. I. Lithografie door P. Lauters.
Allard Pierson – De collectie Surinamica van de Universiteit van Amsterdam

Comment

Majoie’s enslaved foremothers all come from plantations owned by Anthony Dessé. Christina [=slave-name] works until 1863 together with her mother Auba [=slave-name] on the plantation Leasowes (Coronie), both born into slavery. (Sometimes the name is written as Acuba.) According to the archives of the Evangelical Brotherhood of Surinam (EBGS), Auba’s partner is Philippus Bernhard. It is not clear whether he is the biological father of Christina. After the abolition of slavery in 1863, mother and daughter were named Auba Carolina Rogers and Clementina Christina Rogers respectively.

Until 1873, enslaved people were forced to live under state supervision. According to her family, Christina moves to the plantation Good Intent (Nickerie, also owned by A. Dessé). Charles or Charley [slave name] is ‘domestic servant’ on Plaisance (Nickerie), in 1858 Dessé buys him free. From then on his name was Charles Esse (also called Essed in the EBGS archives). He married Christina Clementina in March 1889 and died the same year. His stepdaughter Carolina Batseba (also Beatsheba) Andresa Rogers receives his surname. Her biological father is according to the books of the EBG): Jantje Boorleder.This could be the former enslaved Jacobus Adolf Boerleider (1845-?), son of Lea (later Lea Boerleider (ca. 1817-1879), who gained freedom in 1859. Jantje and Lea came from the plantations of A. Wildeboer and J. Rincke: coloured elite [see Een ongekende elite, p. 308, Ellen Neslo, 2016].

Carolina Esse married Willem Tjong Ayong, born in Beneden Saramacca. His parents are from China. Willem’s mother’s name is Tjon Lim Fay according to one source (family book) and another source (Tjong-Alvares): Jong Lim Taij. Jong Lim Taij works on the Catharina Sophia plantation in Saramacca (for B.A. Dessé), where she meets Willem’s father: Tjong Ho Foeng.The daughter of Willem and Carolina is Philippintje Wilhelmina Albertina. She married Harry Najaralie Hajary. They are the parents of Majoie Hajary.
Majoie’s ancestors on his father’s side were contract workers from India. They are – also after their contract period – often referred to by their contract number. Harry Hajary’s parents are Hajary 1215 B and Majoie 372 L. Majoie is named after her. Hajary 1215 B’s mother is Shairally. Majoie 372 L’s parents are Jainub 371 L and Akkookhan 360 L. They live in West-Suriname, a.o. in Nickerie. Most of Majoie’s ancestors eventually moved to the city of Paramaribo.

Sources: National Archives Netherlands/Suriname, CBB Paramaribo, EBGS in Paramaribo, newspapers De Surinamer, nieuws en advertentieblad van 12-08-1926 and Surinaamsche courant and Gouvernementsadvertentieblad of 20-11-1858, Carry-Ann Tjong-Ayong (familybook), Aisha Ali, Ellen Neslo, Okke ten Hove, Chandra van Binnendijk, Robertine Romeny, Mohamedjoenoes/ Osinga family, Binyamin Tjong-Alvares (dwtonline).

Majoie Hajary’s ancestors were enslaved or contract labourers on plantations in Suriname in Nickerie, Coronie and (Lower) Saramacca. Map: De Lavaux, 1758, Special collections University of Amsterdam. Allard Pierson, University of Amsterdam, HB-KZL 105.20.03

Majoie’s parents: Harry Hajary (‘Paake’) and Mien Tjong Ayong (‘Maake’). Harry Hajary’s parents are from India. Mien’s from China and Africa.

A copper service set that Harry Hajary brought back from India during one of his missions for the government to improve the regulation of immigration of Hindustani contract workers.

Majoie likes to wear – especially on official occasions – the clothes of her Indian foremothers: a sari and a headscarf. Sometimes she paints a bindi (dot) on her forehead.

Carolina Batseba Andresa Rogers, later Esse or Grandma Carootje, is Majoie’s grandmother. From Carry-Ann Tjong-Ayongs Photo Album (Majoie’s cousin).

Clementina Christina Rogers is the great-grandmother of Majoie and the mother of Carolina. From Carry-Ann Tjong-Ayong’s album.

Majoie based the text of her oratorio Da Pinawikie (The Passion Week) on Grandma Carootje’s Sranan tongo Bible from 1870, she said. The photograph shows a bible from 1895 edited in Paramaribo.

Majoie and Toetie indentically dressed: in ‘par weri’ suits. Perhaps based on Chinese costume and/or a product of the needlework of their mother Mien Tjong Ayong alias Maake?

Photograph of the house where Majoie Hajary lives with her husband Roland Garros in 1951 in St. Denis, a suburb of Paris. On the back of the photo, Majoie writes to her family in Suriname: ‘Corner of our salon with the laughing Buddha! Another photograph of the salon shows a portrait of Majoie’s sister Toetie and a kotomisi – doll dressed by Maake in Surinamese costume.

Photo Carry-Ann Tjong-Ayong’s photo album (Majoie’s cousin). Willem Tjong Ayong is the husband of Carolina Esse and Majoie’s grandfather. He was the eldest child of his mother, whose name was Tjon Lim Fay (Jong Lim Taij). The marriage did not last, in which year they divorced is not known.

In compiling this site, great care was taken to ensure that names, sources and copyrights were not disclosed. Should you come across or recognise any of your own work without your name being mentioned, please contact the site manager Ellen de Vries