At the age of three his family left Amsterdam for Philadelphia, where his father began a paint and varnish factory.
In 1838 he returned to Europe and spent six years at the Düsseldorf Academy under Von Schadow and Sohn.
Besides the painter Thérèse and the sculptor Georgine, their son George Washington also became an artist.
This cemetery closed before 1900, most bodies removed by 1955 and is now a park and museum with no grave markers.
His remains may have been moved to 'De Nieuwe Ooster' where his daughter Theresa is buried.