Gaelens
Our cousin in the Netherlands, Urbain Boerjan, made a trip to the registry office in Ghent, Belgium, and looked up these records for me. He had some difficulty finding the records because Nathalie's last name was actually Gaelens, not Schalenz. The name was probably misspelled when Nathalie entered the United States because the pronunciation of Gaelens sounds more like "Schalenz", as the "g" or "gh" in Flemish is pronounced as an 'h'.
Nathalie's parents were Virginie Hollebosch, 27 years old at the time of Nathalie's birth, and Eduard Gaelens, 34 years. They lived in Stroomstraete at Oost-Eeclo, Belgium. Virginie and Eduard were married on August 12, 1864, at 17:00 hours. He was 27 and she was 20.
Oost-Eeclo was merged with Boekhoute and Bassevelde to form Assenede, which is one of the oldest municipalities in Flanders. This town borders on the Netherlands, and is located along the approaches to the expressway linking Antwerp to the Belgium coast. The area hosts lovely creeks and ancient farmhouses, surrounded by wooded areas.
Eduard Gaelens, a labourer, was born on August 23, 1836, at Oost-Eeclo, Belgium. His father was Pieter Franciest Gaelens, a labourer. Eduard's mother was Marie Theresia van Hocke.
Virginie Hollebosch, a field worker, was born at Oost-Eeclo on October 19, 1843. Her father was Livinus Hollebosch, and her mother was Livinne Marie Lippens.
Nathalie was born on July 27, 1870, at 7:00 in the evening. Her father registered her birth on July 28, 1870, at the registry office.
 Oost Eeclo |
 Oost Eeclo Church |
 Inside Church |
 Stations of the Cross |
 Oost Eeclo Home |
 Church |
For more information on Belgium, go to www.MijnPlatteLand.com
