Jacob van Hegten was born in 1890 in Dordrecht, into the Jewish family of Hartog van Hegten and Magcheltje Haas. From 1936 onward, he lived on Tuinbouwlaan with his wife Maria, who was Roman Catholic, and their four children.
In his spare time, Jacob enjoyed boxing, was artistically inclined, and loved the music of The Comedian Harmonists, a famous vocal group from Germany. He was someone who truly enjoyed life. That same attitude, however, may have put a strain on his marriage. During the war years, Maria wanted to divorce him, but in her view the process took far too long. In 1943, she reported him to the Sicherheitsdienst in Breda. Jacob was arrested and sent to Camp Vught. On November 15, 1943, he was deported and later murdered in Auschwitz on January 31, 1944.
After the war, Maria was denounced by her own children for her betrayal and was prosecuted. She was sentenced to eight years in prison.
