Cornelius Reemer was born on 17 September 1830 in Antwerp, Belgium. His mother, Hendrika Antoonica Rijstenborg, was a dressmaker from Den Helder. Hendrika herself had been illegitimate, the daughter of Hendrik Anthonie Rijsterborgh a Rear-Admiral who was later knighted by the King of the Netherlands, and Maria Christiaanse Klembie of Rotterdam. Maria was the step-daughter of Cornelius Reemer, a ship Captain, and no doubt saw him as a father figure, as she named her son after him, one year after he had died. Cornelius was also illegitimate, which may be the reason he was born in Antwerp; it is possible his young unmarried mother had crossed the border to avoid scandal surrounding the birth. His mother remained unmarried until 1866, when she married Willem de Graaf. It is possible that Willem was Cornelius's father - on a record of his birth provided at his marriage, "de Graaff" can be seen pencilled in at the top of the page.
Johanna van den Eijkhof was born on 12 January 1840 in Haarlem, Noord-Holland. Her parents were Joannes van den Eijkhof, a labourer and carter, and Anna Jacoba Brussé.
Cornelius and Johanna married on 3 January 1866 in Haarlem. They had seven children, of whom only three survived into adulthood. In December 1888 their daughter Anna died aged only fifteen, and ten days later Johanna's mother (with the same name) died aged 76. Cornelius worked as a labourer until 1896, when he started working as a gravedigger.
Johanna died on 19 November 1899 aged 59, and Cornelius placed an obituary in the paper describing her as a much-loved wife and mother. Cornelius retired on 10 June 1905, and received a pension of ƒ154 per year. He later lived with his daughter Hendrika and her husband Johannes Rooijers in Jan Steenstraat, where he died following a long, painful illness on 1 March 1912 aged 81.
Children: Cornelis Willem Reemer (1868-1948) Johannes Reemer (1869-1869) Hendrika Anthonetta Reemer (1870-1958) Willem Reemer (1871-1871) Hendrika Anthonetta Reemer (1873-1888) Dirk Reemer (1876-1876) Huberta Reemer (1877-?)