Samuel Draisma van Valkenburg (1830 – 1894)

Generation 3 · Van Valkenburg – Graham Family Project

Apotheker · Industrial Innovator · Founder of the Levertraan Factory at Leeuwarden

Early Life (1830 – 1850s)

Born 16 September 1830 in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands, to Jan Jacob van Valkenburg (1790 Amsterdam – 1844 Leeuwarden), an apotheker, and Anna Draaisma (1802 Leeuwarden – ?).

Baptised in the Reformed Church at Leeuwarden; his middle name “Draisma” derives from his mother’s family — a Frisian line of merchants and ship-owners. He grew up on Doelestraat, in a household already immersed in pharmaceutical work through his father’s apothecary.

Apprenticeship and Career Foundations (1850s – 1860s)

Trained as a chemist and apothecary in Leeuwarden, continuing his father’s trade. By the mid-1860s he was listed in municipal records as a koopman in geneesmiddelen (merchant in medicinal goods). His experiments in fish-oil processing anticipated the nation’s boom in cod-liver oil production.

Industrial Breakthrough and Factory Era (1869 – 1894)

In 1869 he founded the firm Draisma van Valkenburg, Handel in Levertraan at Doelestraat 2–4, Leeuwarden. Initial production used small-scale boilers in the converted apothecary premises. By the 1870s his advertisements in Delpher press described “Lofodinsche levertraan van S. Draisma van Valkenburg te Leeuwarden,” refined from Norwegian stock for national distribution. Through the 1880s he expanded into one of the Netherlands’ largest lever-oil producers, installing steam equipment and bottling lines. HCL photo records show workers washing and packing bottles on-site — the country’s first modern fish-oil factory.

Civic standing followed: listed as fabrikeur in levertraan, member of trade societies, and benefactor to church charities. On 8 October 1885 he married Maria Christina Jacoba Baart de la Faille (1850 Leeuwarden – 1921). Their children included Frederik Alexander van Valkenburg (1870 – 1947) and others who continued the business.

I. Apotheker of Leeuwarden

Samuel’s shop on Doelestraat served patients and physicians alike, supplying compounds and tinctures typical of mid-nineteenth-century practice. His insight that medicine could be produced industrially transformed a local pharmacy into a national enterprise.

II. From Pharmacy to Factory (1869)

By heating cod livers with steam rather than open flame, Samuel achieved a purer oil and set a new standard of quality. The brown-and-green bottles of “Levertraan S. Draisma van Valkenburg” became ubiquitous in Dutch homes, remembered by generations of children who took a spoonful each winter month “with an R in it.” His quiet innovation bridged apothecary art and industrial science.

III. An Entrepreneurial Family

The success of the lever-oil enterprise placed the family among Friesland’s urban industrial elite. Fine furniture, portraits, and estate records suggest a household of means and culture. The double surname “Draisma van Valkenburg” became synonymous with reliability and health throughout the region.

IV. Enduring Legacy

The factory remained family-run into the mid-twentieth century, receiving the “Royal” designation (Koninklijke Maatschappij Draisma van Valkenburg N.V.) in 1955. Production ceased in 1974, yet its heritage endures — the Doelestraat buildings still stand, their facades decorated with a mural commemorating the brand’s distinctive label.

Later Life and Death (1894)

Samuel died 26 September 1894 in Leeuwarden. His Memories van Successie (estate inventory) listed real property and factory assets, valued at the Leeuwarden tax office. The business continued under his descendants for two generations; his grandson Frederik Alexander served as director until 1947.

Record Gallery

1830 Birth Record (Leeuwarden)
Samuel Draisma van Valkenburg

1885 Marriage Record (Leeuwarden)
Samuel Draisma & Maria Christina Jacoba Baart de la Faille

1894 Death Record (Leeuwarden)
Samuel Draisma van Valkenburg

Sources & Verification

• Civil registers (Leeuwarden): birth and death acts + estate file with images (Open Archieven / AlleFriezen)
• HCL Archive Toegang 1644 – Koninklijke Maatschappij Draisma van Valkenburg N.V. (finding aid and photo records)
• Oldehove.eu – “Historie gebeiteld in steen” article on Leeuwarden industry
• De Erfgoedstem (2018) – mural and building reuse report
• Leeuwarden-in-Beelden / Fryske Akademy – building entries and photographs
• Delpher press ads (1870s – 1890s) – national advertising for S. Draisma van Valkenburg levertraan
• WeRelate & GenealogieOnline – marriage and parental confirmation

Record type: Genealogical Profile (Generation 3)

Prepared by: Van Valkenburg – Graham Project · Appendix G · 2025

Verification Charter · Leeuwarden Registers · Appendix G Standard