Louisa Zecha

Louisa Zecha
Born
Francisca Louisa Zecha

1848
Batavia, Dutch East Indies
Died1939(1939-00-00) (aged 90–91)
Sukabumi, Dutch East Indies
OccupationCommunity leader
Known forMatriarch of the Lauw-Sim-Zecha family
Spouse(s)Lauw Tek Lok, Luitenant der Chinezen of Bekasi
Sim Keng Koen, Kapitein der Chinezen of Sukabumi
ChildrenChristian Tjeng Soey Lauw-Zecha
Maximiliaan Theodoor Tjeng Kiet Lauw-Zecha
Louis Tjeng Bie Lauw-Zecha
Emilia Joe Nio Lauw-Zecha
Cornelia Sebastiana Gobang Nio Lauw-Zecha
Sim Tjeng Bouw
Betsy Lembor Nio Sim-Zecha
Piet Tjeng Ho Sim-Zecha
Chester Tjeng Soan Lauw-Sim-Zecha
RelativesChe Engku Chesterina (granddaughter)
Adrian Lauw-Zecha (great-grandson)

Francisca Louisa Zecha (1848–1939), usually known as Louisa Zecha, was a prominent, colonial Indonesian community leader and the Indo-Bohemian matriarch of the Lauw-Sim-Zecha family, part of the 'Cabang Atas' gentry of the Dutch East Indies (today Indonesia).[1][2][3][4] She attracted significant attention due to her controversial interracial marriages to two Peranakan Chinese magnates, Lauw Tek Lok, Luitenant der Chinezen of Bekasi and Sim Keng Koen, Kapitein der Chinezen of Sukabumi.[1][2] The posts of Kapitein and Luitenant der Chinezen were high-ranking civil administration positions in the Dutch colonial bureaucracy.[2][5] Zecha's community leadership, philanthropy, personal bravery and longevity earned her widespread respect and admiration in colonial society by the time she died in 1939.[6]

  1. ^ a b Gautama, Sudargo (1958). Segi-segi hukum peraturan perkawinan tjampuran: Staatsblad 1898 [Legal aspects of mixed marriage regulations: Staatsblad 1898] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Djambatan.
  2. ^ a b c Tan, Mely G. (1963). The Chinese of Sukabumi: A Study in Social and Cultural Accommodation. Ithaca: Cornell University. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  3. ^ Zecha, Shirley (2004). The Zecha Heritage Cookbook: My Great Grandma Never Left Our Kitchen. Kuala Lumpur: Batavia Delights Sdn. Bhd. ISBN 978-983-41856-0-2. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. ^ Friend, Theodore (2009). Indonesian Destinies. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03735-9. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. ^ "MEVROUW ZECHA† Nijver en toegewijd leven" [MRS. ZECHA† Industrious and dedicated life.]. De Indische courant (in Dutch). 3 February 1939. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Mevrouw L. Zecha †". Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Kolff & Co. 2 February 1939. Retrieved 10 May 2020.