THILAKAWARDENA ABEYRATNA GAJANAYAKA so it was said, was the Keeper of the Elephant Kraal(GAJANAYAKA) of the then Kandian King. THILAKAWARDENA ABEYRATNA GAJANAYAKA was known to have been excelled in Archery and had astonished the king by shooting an arrow at the direction of the cry of a frog thus killing the frog. The king was so impressed by such dexterity, had bestowed upon him the title SADDA VIDDA PALANGA PATHIRA GAJANAYAKA MUTHUKUMARA. However, none of his descendants seemed to have carried this long title through generations. DON THILAKAWARDENA ABEYRATNA GAJANAYAKA was simply referred to as the GAJANAYAKA MUDALIAR (Head of the Elephant Kraal).
During the Kandian Rebellion of the 1800’s, DON THILAKAWARDENA ABEYRATNA GAJANAYAKA, aka GAJANAYAKA MUDALIAR, fled the Kandian Province and took refuge in the southern district of Matara, where he met the family of HATAMUNE LIYANAGE BARESTU BASTIANSZ. BARESTU BASTIANSZ was of DURAWA caste and he and his wife (name unknown) had had a daughter(name unknown) of marrying age. GAJANAYAKA MUDALIAR, having a keen interest in marrying the young lady, presented himself as one of the DURAWE caste and assumed the family name of his intended bride. GAJANAYAKA MUDALIAR was never heard to have divulged his actual place of birth, the names of his parents nor their family names. He was said to have been contented to take the woman, with her caste and the family name, and as such continued as DON BASTIANSZ THILAKAWARDENA ABEYRATNA GAJANAYAKA to the last.
The GAJANAYAKA MUDALIAR and wife had two daughters and two sons;
A. (Eldest daughters name unknown)
B. CATIRINA BASTIANSZ
C. APPOOHAMY BASTIANSZ
D. JOHANNUS SAPHENUS BASTIANSZ
(A) The eldest daughter was said to have been married to one LAURENSZ PETRUS ALTENDORF, Notary Public and Head Clerk of the Matara Kachcheri (Katchcheri = Government administrative office). No record of their having had any children.
(B) CATIRINA BASTIANSZ, who was married to JACOBUS JANSZ, Deputy Fiscal’s Clerk of Matara, had one son FREDRICK EARNESTUS JANSZ, the Secretary of the District Court, Matara, and married Miss VAN SETER. From this marriage they had three daughters: 1.LUCRATIA 2. PETERNELLA 3.EMELY
1. LUCRATIA JANZ was married to GERARD ARNOLDS POULIER, Proctor at the District Court, Matara. They had four daughters and a son:
i. CARLINE POULIER was married to FREDERICK EDWARD BASTIANSZ and had children.
ii. SUSAN POULIER was married to Mr. FERDINANDS, Head Clerk at Matara Kachcheri. They had no children.
iii. AGNUS POULIER was married to JANUS MARTIN KELLER, Proctor at District Courts Matara. They had a son and a daughter.
iv. LILLY POULIER was married to BILLY JANSZ, Proctor at District Court, Galle, and had children.
v. FREDDY POULIER was first married to Miss ANTHONESZ, and after her death remarried Miss ALBREECH, and had children.
2. PETERNELLA JANZ, the second daughter of F.E. JANSZ, was married to FRETSZ ARNOLD ALTENDORF, Landed Proprietor of Matara. They had five sons and a daughter:
i. CHARLEY ALTENDORF married EMMA BASTIANSZ, and had one daughter and a son, who married Miss EARNEST
ii. DARLEY ALTENDORF married Miss KELLAR and had children
iii. HENRY aka PAUL ALTENDORF married a widow named Mrs. CURNISZ
iv. BILLY ALTENDORF married Miss POMPEUS
v. JOSEPH ALTENDORF married Miss VOLLENHOVEN
vi. JUMIMA ALTENDORF was married to CHARLES ALEXANDER WICKRAMARATNA, Mudaliar of Weligam Korale (Korale=a revenue district during British administration in Ceylon [Sri Lanka])
3. EMELY JANZ, the third daughter of F.E. JANSZ, was married to JOHN HENRY ERNEST, Teacher of the Government English School, Matara. They had two daughters and two sons:
i. EMMA ERNEST who was married to REV. VANDERWALL and had children.
ii. HARRY ERNEST, who married Miss VOLLENHOVEN and had children
iii. CHARLEY ERNEST, who was married to Miss ALTENDORF, (daughter of CHAS HEN ALTENDDORF, Proctor & Additional Magistrate, Matara) and had children.
iv. “Miss ERNEST” (birth name unknown), who was married to GERRY KEUNEMAN, Proctor at District Court, Matara, and had children
(C) APPOOHAMY BASTIANSZ, the third child (first son) of said GAJANAYAKA MUDALIYAR was married (wife’s name unknown) and had one son: CHARLES WILHELMUS BASTIANSZ, who was married to the eldest daughter of LOUIS FERDINANDUS (Government Proponent of Southern Province, Matara). CHARLES and his wife had two sons: 1. ABRAHAM CHRISTIAN 2.WILLIAM CHARLES
1. ABRAHAM CHRISTIAN BASTIANSZ married Miss BOTEJU of Galkissa, Colombo and had a daughter and a son: 1.Elisa 2.William Charles
i. ELISA was married to ADAMBARAGE ALLIS of Peliyagoda, Colombo, and had one son: R.A.DE ALWIS.
ii. R.A. DE ALWIS married Miss ANNE GOONARATNA of Magalle and had one son: RICHEE.
2. WILLIAM CHARLES BASTIANSZ married Miss JOHANA WELMINA FERNANDO of Negombo. They had three daughters and a son: 1.Alice 2.Mary 3.Sarah 4.Affy
i. ALICE BASTIANSZ was married to LIONEL ASWIN FERNANDO, Proprietor of the Coconut Mills, Panadura
ii. MARY BASTIANSZ (marital status unknown)
iii. SARAH BASTIANSZ(marital status unknown)
iv. AFFY BASTIANSZ married Miss PERERA of Galkissa, and had one son: R.J.BASTIANSZ, who was married (wife’s name unknown) and had a daughter: ADA
(D) JOHANNUS SAPHENUS BASTIANSZ, the fourth child (second son) of GAJANAYAKA MUDALIAR, was a Landed Proprietor and clerk at the Matara Katchcheri. He was married to Miss KLYN and had three sons:1.PETRUS ARNOLDUS 2. JOHANNUS GERHARDUS 3.FREDRICK EVERHARDUS
1. PETRUS ARNOLDUS BASTIANSZ, Head Clerk of the District Court of Galle was married to Miss ELISA ANDREE of Galle and had two sons and a daughter: 1.John Henry 2.Fredrick Edward 3.Jane L.
i. JOHN HENRY BASTIANSZ, Head Clerk, District Court of Matara married one Mrs PERERA,the widow of J.W.PERERA, Secretary, District Court, Kandy and had one daughter (name unknown). She was married to DR. ABEYSEKERA, Medical Assistant of Colombo, and had children.
ii. FREDRICK EDWARD BASTIANSZ, Postmaster and Notary Public of Matara, was married to ANNA CAROLINE POULIER and had two sons and three daughters:1.Julian 2.Hacket 3.Caroline Emelia 4.Eva 5.Clara
1) JULIAN BASTIANSZ, Head Clerk, District Curt, Matara, married LUCY RIEED of Colombo and had two sons and two daughters.
2) HACKET BASTIANSZ, Planter, was never married.
3) CAROLINE EMELIA BASTIANSZ married ANDREAS CHARLES ALTENDORF, Pleading Drawer,
Per records provided by a 4th generation descendant, Andreas Charles Altendorf was born on September 24, 1849 and his official marriage to Caroline Emelia Bastiansz had taken place on May 10, 1876 at Dutch Reformed Church in Matara. From this union they had had two daughters and a son. i. ANGELBERTA PETRONELLA ii.CHARLOTTE MARIA (born July 3,1879) iii. FRETZ ARNOLD (born October 18,1880)
i. ANGELBERTA PETRONELLA ALTENDORF (born August 6,1877) was married to LOUIS WILLIAM DICKMAN (son of Johannes Jacobus Cornelius Dickman & Drusilla Johanna Engelina Woutersz). LOUIS WILLIAM passed away on January 4,1930. From the marriage ANGELBERTA and LOUIS had a daughter and a son. i. IRENE DICKMAN (born November 2,1907),a nurse, married to ANANDA GUNASEKERA, Attorney at Law of Balapitiya. ii. CHARLES FREDERICK (born February 10,1910) married to Miss ERAET.
2nd marriage of CAROLINE EMELIA ALTENDORF nee BASTIANSZ was to one Mr JAYASINGHE, Postmaster, Nuwara Eliya.
From the second marriage CAROLINE & JAYASINGHE had four children: i. Arthur Edward, ii. Stanley Lionel, iii.Alexander Wilson, iv.Lilly (Married to one Delpadatho)
4) EVA BASTIANSZ was married (husband’s name unknown). No children from the marriage.
5) CLARA BASTIANSZ married HENRY PERERA of the Salvation Army and had children
iii. JANE L. BASTIANSZ married DR. EGBERT WILLIAM BACKHUYSEN, Medical Officer, Hambantota. No children from the marriage.
2. JOHANUS GERHARDUS, the second son of JOHANNUS SAPHENUS BASTIANSZ married DONA LOUISA FERDINANDUS, the second daughter of LOUIS FERDINANDUS. They had two sons: 1. WILHELMUS MARTALANUS BASTIANSZ and 2. ANDRAYAS JAMIS BASTIANSZ.
I. WILHELMUS MARTALANUS, Land Clerk of the Matara Katchcheri, married LUCY ELISA BASTIANSZ and had one son: WALTER CLEMENT. He married PELISA DE SILVA of Colombo, and had one son ARTY. Following the death of LUCY ELISA, WILHELMUS MARTALANUS had a second marriage with EMILY MATILDA ANTHONISZ, daughter of H.G. WETTERIS ANTHONISZ of Galle. Unfortunately EMILY MATILDA succumbed to an untimely death. There were no children from the second marriage. After her death, WILHELMUS MARTALANUS BASTIANSZ married HATAMUNE LIYANAGE TOSINA BASTIANSZ of Piyadigama, Gintota. WILHELMUS and TOSINA had a son and a daughter: 1. HINTON WILMOT 2.WINIFRED MILLICIA
1.HINTON WILMOT BASTIANSZ was Married to NELLIE (Nelo) FERNANDO the eldest daughter of Charles Fernando, Public Health Inspector of Bambalapitiya, Colombo.
From this marriage HINTON WILMOT and NELLIE had 5 sons and 4 daughters.
i. Bertram Cyril
ii. Ogustus Martalanus a.k.a. Olington Mervin a.k.a. WALLY BASTIANSZ
iii. Millicent (Millie)
iv. Muriel
v. Felicia Florence (Dolly)
vi. Arthur Wilmot
vii. Susan
viii. Shirley Shelton (Shelly)
ix. Leslie