When Joannes Jan Koeleman was born in 1804, in Kudelstaart, North Holland, Netherlands, his father, Anthonius Hendriksz Koeleman, was 29 and his mother, Neeltje van Zijl, was 25. He married Maria van der Wiel on 20 June 1834, in Ter Aar, South Holland, Netherlands. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 20 April 1858, in Leimuiden, South Holland, Netherlands, at the age of 54.