Madeline Fenna van Geuns 1923-2004

This page about the life of Madeline Fenna van Geuns came about by chance through a family tree of the Noothoven van Goor family.

Madeline Fenna van Geuns 1923 - 2004

Madeline van Geuns ±1940

Madeline Fenna van Geuns was born on June 2, 1923 in Amsterdam, daughter of Sebastiaan Hendrik van Geuns, born on Wednesday, June 29, 1887 in Amsterdam, and Eveleth Valentine Brooks, Eveleth was born on Sunday, June 18, 1893 in San Francisco, California, United States.
Her parents were married on April 27, 1919 in Melo Park, California, the divorce was pronounced on March 15, 1940 in The Hague, Madeline was 17 that year.
Her father was employed by the Dutch branch of the Swiss insurance company 'Winterthur'.

Father Sebastiaan lived in Amsterdam at several addresses, Tenierstraat 4, Emmastraat 32, and until March 30, 1940 at Olympiaplein number 137.
After the divorce, from March 30, 1940 to May 9, 1950, he lived on the second floor of an apartment building at Zomerdijkstraat 26. (Gerrit van der Veen lived in the same building at the time). From May 9, 1950 until October 21, 1959, he lived at Herengracht 524. He most likely lived above the office there.
His brother in law Alfred Schröder also lived on the Herengracht, at number 514. After this, he moved to Geneva, Switzerland.

During the war, before she went to work for Tobias Biallosterski, Madeline first served as a courier for the leader of 'Group 2000' (the Identity Card Center), Miss J.J. van Tongeren.
The office of her resistance group was rented from Sebastiaan van Geuns. According to Miss van Tongeren, this was an insurance office, in other words the office of the insurance company 'Winterthur'. Incidentally, Sebastiaan van Geuns refunded the rent every month back into the fund of Group 2000, which provided people with food and sent packages to prisoners in Vught and German camps.

september 1944-1

Secret agent Tobias Biallosterski and his radio operator Pieter (Bram) de Vos arrived in Amsterdam around September 12, 1944.
At that time, Madeline was still working for 'Group 2000', she was 21 years old then, and her friend Gerda Meijer asked Madeline to go to work for Tobias.
About three weeks later, Madeline decided to work for Tobias, which was fortuitous, as Madeline had been raised bilingually, since part of the telegrams were written in English, or outgoing telegrams had to be composed in English.
She assisted Tobias with the encoding and decoding of telegrams and served as his personal courier.
They and Gerda most likely cycled at least once a week from Amsterdam to Midden-Beemster and back, a round trip of approximately 52 km, regardless of the weather.
In Midden-Beemster was the rendezvous point of the courier service between Tobias and his associate Hil Schipper.
Tobias’s first “office” was a room in the home of Sebastiaan van Geuns on Zomerdijkstraat in Amsterdam.

The two former husbands of Eveleth Valentine Brooks, she was married to Sebastiaan for 23 years, but to Charles she had been married for barely five months.

september 1944-2

On Friday, October 20, 1944, the team, consisting of Tobias, Madeline, and Gerda, moved to a residence at Herengracht 5.
They stayed here for only about five days, as the owner realized that illegal activities were being carried out there. Did the team then return to Zomerdijkstraat 64? At the beginning of November, they moved into a new headquarters, Noorder Amstellaan 37. The Noorder Amstellaan was later renamed Churchill Avenue, ironically, a Jewish family, the Ledermann family, lived and resided on the Noorder Amstellaan 37-3 upper floor. This webpage is about Jewish Amsterdam, and HERE is another story about the Ledermann family and what became of them, also see the photo below of Barbera and her husband Martin, and here is a PDF about her early years in Germany and Amsterdam.

Huwelijksdag 10 September 1950 Martin Rodbell (1925-1998)

Gerard Benjamin du Celliee-Muller had meanwhile also been added to the team. Tobias had met him at a drop zone, and he was a friend of Madeline.
Gerard, nicknamed Jard, was a member of the ground crew at the drop zone. After the arrival of Paul Peters, another courier was added to the team: Anita Gijssen, alias Aspasia. (this nickname was related to ancient Greek history)
At this address, Noorder Amstellaan 37, lived: Tobias, Madeline, Gerda, and Jard.
Laloe (courier Louise de Vries) was present here during the day, but slept at her own address at night, this did not sit well with Tobias, but he had to accept it.
At times they also had guests, such as pilots en route to the liberated part of the Netherlands.
In early January, another person joined the team, agent Frankie Hamilton, alias Josephine, all in all there were now two men and four women living in the building.
Pilot Ken Belton formed the impression, when he also stayed here temporarily on his way south, that Tobias and Madeline were a couple (which was incorrect), this may have been encouraged by the fact that they worked very closely together and that an increasing number of telegrams had to be encoded and decoded.

Tobias Biallosterski (1920-1945) (link only in Dutch language, so sorry)

Gerard Benjamin du Celliee-Muller continues:
After Tobias was arrested on February 10, 1945, the building was completely cleared the next day, Sunday, February 11, and the telephone lines were also removed.
Madeline was the first to receive the news of the arrest and immediately cycled to Stadionkade 64, the home of Henk Veeneklaas, where Pieter de Vos was also staying, to inform both of them.
She also called Paul Peters (real name Polak) when he arrived at his transmitting address at Nicolaas Maesstraat 5b. This address was "compromised" since the SD already had all my (meaning Jard’s) papers with real name, photo, etc., in their possession, and also because the SD had found a signal key and a pistol in my original residence.
This address, Nicolaas Maesstraat 5b, was occupied by my parents, who had already moved earlier to a smaller apartment.
I was then given control of the house and in turn made it available to DOUWE as a transmitting address.
Immediately after our arrest, Douwe instructed Anita to remove his set, but the two aforementioned items were left behind.

After Tobias was out of the picture, Madeline moved in with Henk Veeneklaas into two rooms in a large building at Weteringschans 82 in Amsterdam.
She stayed here with Veeneklaas until the liberation, and the Draughts mission was continued.
Of the original staff members, Tobias (died on February 25, 1945 in the "Oranjehotel" in Scheveningen from gunshot wounds), Gerda, and Anita had been arrested. It was assumed that they had been shot during an attempted prison liberation on March 14, but this was incorrect, as both women survived the war.

Eva Biallosterski thanked Henk Veeneklaas for his sympathy at Tobias’s passing.

Jard had left for liberated territory because he posed a danger to the others and because the Germans had seen his face during the arrest. He was, however, one of the few to escape, while Frankie Hamilton was in hiding on a farm in North Holland.
Jard was sent to London and became the paymaster of the BBO (Bureau of Special Operations).

Click on the photo to go to the article about Dr. De Vos (1893–1954), the father of Pieter (Bram) de Vos, available only in Dutch, my apologies for this.
The same applies to the detailed story/article linked below.

Read the story about the early phase of the ‘O’-branch of the Dutch stay-behind organization HERE

Here are the two death notices for both Bram de Vos and his wife "Miesje". The text at the top of Bram’s card reads:
"In the early morning of D-Day (2009), my beloved husband, our dear Dad, Grandpa, and father-in-law was freed and passed away in complete peace. We will miss him dearly."

Read the story on Wikipedia about Henk Veeneklaas. This story is also available only in Dutch.

Here are some reports about certain individuals from a report dated April 6, 1945.

2. Does Peter Noord know anything about the SD officers Klein and Hogersteyn, both of whom claim to have worked for Peter Noord as well as for Otto?
3. Has Peter Noord ever given a statement in which he asserts that SD officer Klein (aka Klijn) worked for Otto and that he could be trusted?
4. Did Otto and Leopold sign this document, which was drafted both in Dutch and in English?
5. Did Peter Noord write a letter on January 9, 1945, also stating that Klein (aka Klijn) was trustworthy, and was this letter delivered to Brabant?

Klein is Henk Klijn, an SD officer who oversaw the clearing of homes of deported Jews — he was not personally involved, but directed the personnel, and he also served as a courier for Thea Hoogensteijn.
Henk Klijn later joined the Resistance. Hogersteyn is Hoogensteijn, Cornelia Wilhelmina Theresia (Thea), a typist at the SD headquarters on Euterpestraat in Amsterdam.
Peter Noord is Peter Hordijk. Otto is Philip Vermeer, KP? Leopold could be BBO agent Bert de Goede, not certain. Freek is Gerben Wagenaar, RVV, and Pierre is J.M.P. de Bie, KP, who collaborated with Thea Hoogensteijn and had a brief personal relationship with her.
http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/Hoogensteijn

More about Henk Klijn and Pierre de Bie can be found in the PDF, see here: "Knokploegen in Rotterdam 1944-1945". This is how operations were conducted at the time — it was a different era, not everything was honorable, but that was inherent to the wartime situation.
This PDF features both Henk Klijn and Pierre de Bie in a striking account of the interrogation and execution of the SD collaborator
Cornelis (Kees) Bitter (September 15, 1919 – January 5, 1945).
The PDF documents how the LKP Rotterdam operated. Personally, it was not very admirable, but I leave the judgment to you after reading it.

The Rebirth of a German Girl – a Hidden Family History, by Jan Hopman, unfortunately only available in Dutch as far as I know. If this is not the case, please let me know via the contact page.
The author explores the role of his aunt, who during World War II served as a secretary for the German SD in Amsterdam, but used her position to aid the Resistance.
“Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the intelligence and security service of Nazi Germany”.

The Jedburgh teams were small Allied units made up of British, American, and local Resistance members. They were parachuted into occupied Europe to arm, train, and coordinate local Resistance groups in support of the advancing Allied forces. Between June 1944 and May 1945, 101 operations took place across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The patch was an unofficial insignia, symbolizing both their paratrooper status and membership in this elite special unit, marking them as a highly trained and courageous force behind enemy lines.

The post-war years

In Madeline and Gerard’s photo album, there are a few pictures from a vacation on Terschelling in the summer of 1945.
In one of the photos, a woman is pictured with a large black dog, a "Barbet", was this the same dog that had been at Noorder Amstellaan, and is this Madeline?

No, absolutely not the same dog, as this dog is much smaller and is in fact a Cocker Spaniel.
As an impartial reader and writer of this piece, I can confirm that this is indeed Madeline van Geuns, appearing in both photos with the dog, on Terschelling in 1945.
I base this on years of practicing a “hobby” called genealogy, which, by the way, I stopped pursuing as of December 31, 2019, but that’s beside the point.

Maria Elisabeth Adriana (Mies) Philips (02-04-1923 – 08-14-2016), seated on the left, married on Saturday, June 19, 1948, in Zaltbommel to Pieter (Bram) de Vos (05-20-1924 – 06-06-2009). – The identities of the other women are unknown; according to the source, they were fellow students of Mies Philips. If anyone knows who these women are, please send an email via the contact page. Many thanks in advance.
(With special thanks to Liezekee de Vos for the correction regarding the women in the photo; the woman standing on the left is Liezekee’s mother.)

A kind of "vacation" on Terschelling, summer 1945, probably with a Barbet, see the comparable photo above

This French hunting dog has carried the name 'barbet' since the 16th century, a name it undoubtedly earned thanks to its beautiful beard (barbe is the French word for beard).
The Barbet is an excellent hunting dog, especially trained for water work. It is a first-class retriever, particularly when it comes to wounded game that has ended up in the water.
At home, it is a friendly companion well-balanced, intelligent, eager to learn, and gentle with children and other pets.

Gerard Benjamin du Celliée Muller, Terschelling 1945

The license plate GZ-53143 was registered to Dr. Samuel Albert (Boet) de Lange, born May 31, 1919, in Amsterdam, passed away June 6, 2007, in Rotterdam.

Copenhagen, Denmark. Mrs. Biallosterski [widow of secret agent Tobias Biallosterski] received the Military Order of William for Tobias Biallosterski’s Resistance actions from Prince Bernhard on Saturday, April 6, 1946.

Departure and Arrival 1946

What Madeline did immediately after the war is not well documented, except for what is shown above from her kind of vacation on Terschelling in 1945. However, on January 15, 1946, she traveled by ship — the SS Laurence J. Gallagher — from Amsterdam to New York.

She was 22 at the time, worked as a secretary, and lived in Heemstede. According to the passenger list, Madeline spoke four languages.
Did she stay with her aunt? Wilhelmina Justina van Geuns? This lady was certainly not a “tante,” but she was a distant relative according to the family tree.

Madeline then traveled on to California and stayed with her grandfather George W. Brooks at 810 Grand Street, Alameda, California. However, this address is incorrect, because according to the January 1946 passenger list (see below), Madeline Fenna went to her grandfather George W. Brooks at the correct address: 2560 Vallejo Street, San Francisco, California, United States.

Emigration to the United States

On March 3, 1948, she married by proxy Gerard Benjamin du Celliée-Muller, who was living in Curaçao at the time.
On April 15 of that year, she flew from Amsterdam via New York to Curaçao. At the time, she lived in Amsterdam at Breugelstraat 10, 3rd floor. This had previously been the home of her mother’s ex-husband, Charles Alfred Ide (1887–1965), who had been briefly married to her mother Eveleth Brooks from January 1941 until May 4, 1941.
Her flight number was KL651, and the aircraft bore the registration PH-TAV.

<>Lockheed L-749 Constellation, the “Flying Dutchman” of KLM

At some point, Madeline and Jard left Curaçao and settled in California.
It was there that their three children were born: Mariette Eve (1951), Noël Sebastian (1953), and Jeffrey.
Gerard Benjamin maintained contact with the Mulder family in Obdam, who had hidden him after his escape from the Town Hall.
He sent them the family photo shown below.

Madeline Fenna du Celliée-Muller – van Geuns passed away on June 10, 2004. See also HERE

TIMELINE

Madeline was born in Amsterdam on June 2, 1923.

Departure with her parents from Southampton by ship to New York on May 29, 1926.
Arrival in New York on June 6, 1926.
They continued on to San Francisco and stayed at this address: 2560 Vallejo Street, San Francisco.

Departure from Rotterdam to New York with her mother on June 30, 1932.
Arrival in New York on July 5, 1932.
They traveled on to stay with an aunt in San Francisco, Mrs. P. von Ettner.
She lived at the previously mentioned address: 2660 Vallejo Street, San Francisco.
Address in 1932 according to travel documents: Olympiaplein 39, Amsterdam.
Madeline von Ettner-Brooks, a sister of Eveleth van Geuns-Brooks, lived there.

Departure from Southampton to New York on June 9, 1934, with her mother.
Arrival in New York on June 15, 1934.
Both traveled on to Madeline’s grandparents in California.
Their address was 810 Grand Street, Alameda, California.
Address in 1934 according to the ship’s papers: Herengracht 514, Amsterdam.

Madeline began working for secret agent Tobias Biallosterski in October 1944 at Zomerdijkstraat 64, Amsterdam. Age: 21.

Departure from Amsterdam to New York on January 15, 1946. Age: 22.
Arrival in New York on January 31, 1946.
She traveled on to her grandfather in California, still at 810 Grand Street, Alameda.
Madeline’s reported address was Herengracht 514, Amsterdam, her father’s address.

Marriage to Gerard Benjamin du Celliée-Muller on March 3, 1948. Age: 24.
His address was Emmastad, Curaçao. Madeline’s address at the time is unknown.

Departure from Amsterdam on April 16, 1948, flying KLM to New York.
Arrival in New York on April 16, 1948, then onward to Miami, Florida, and from there to Curaçao.
Reported address: Breughelstraat 10, Amsterdam.

Departure from Curaçao to San Francisco on January 9, 1951. Age: 27.
Arrival in San Francisco on January 27, 1951. Madeline and Jard likely stayed with her mother.
Reported address: 47 Telegraph Place, San Francisco.

Madeline became a U.S. citizen on May 22, 1951.

Departure from Amsterdam back to New York on October 25, 1954, with Mariette and Noël.
Arrival in New York on October 26, 1954, and continued on to Miami, Florida.

Address in 1957: Menlo Park, Santa Clara, California.

Address in 1962: San Mateo, California.

Address in 1963: San Mateo, California.

Madeline’s mother passed away on December 6, 1986, in Menlo Park, San Mateo.

Jard, her husband, passed away on November 19, 1987, in Santa Clara, California.

Madeline passed away on June 10, 2004, aged 81, in Menlo Park, San Mateo, California.
(This conflicts with a previously reported address, namely "Mill Valley, California.")

SUMMARY TIMELINE

1923 – Born in Amsterdam on June 2.

1926 – Travels with her parents from Southampton to New York (May 29 – June 6). Continues on to San Francisco, stays at 2560 Vallejo Street.

1932 – Travels from Rotterdam to New York with her mother (June 30 – July 5). Stays with Aunt Mrs. P. von Ettner at 2660 Vallejo Street, San Francisco. Original Amsterdam address: Olympiaplein 39.

1934 – Travels from Southampton to New York (June 9–15), then on to grandparents in California at 810 Grand Street, Alameda. Ship papers list Amsterdam address: Herengracht 514.

1944 – Works for secret agent Tobias Biallosterski in Amsterdam, Zomerdijkstraat 64. Age: 21.

1946 – Departs Amsterdam for New York on January 15, arrives January 31. Travels on to grandfather in California (810 Grand Street, Alameda). Age: 22.

1948 – Marries Gerard Benjamin du Celliée-Muller on March 3. Travels from Amsterdam to New York via KLM on April 16, then to Miami and Curaçao. Madeline’s address unknown. Age: 24.

1951 – Departs Curaçao to San Francisco on January 9, arrives January 27. Likely stays with her mother at 47 Telegraph Place. Becomes a U.S. citizen on May 22. Age: 27.

1954 – Returns from Amsterdam to New York on October 25 with children Mariette and Noël. Travels on to Miami, Florida.

1957–1963 – Lives in Menlo Park, Santa Clara (1957) and San Mateo, California (1962–1963).

1986 – Mother passes away on December 6 in Menlo Park, San Mateo.

1987 – Husband Jard passes away on November 19 in Santa Clara.

2004 – Madeline passes away on June 10 at age 81 in Menlo Park, San Mateo, California.
(Conflicting earlier report: Mill Valley, California)

The Ancestor Company, beëindigd per 31 december 2019, website blijft online.
The Ancestor Company, by December 31, 2019 Genealogy terminated website remains online.
The Ancestor Company, terminée le 31 décembre 2019, le site Web reste en ligne.