Marius Bongenaar was born in Leiden in 1986. He became a photographer's assistant and worked in Rotterdam, Leiden, Utrecht and The Hague between 1914 and 1926, when he moved to Bandung, Indonesia, where he had his own photographic studio. It is possible he married Sjoerdje Francisca Langeveld in 1920 in Leiden, but some time in the 1920s he married Indonesian born Catharina Maria (b. 16/11/1904). They had three sons, Richard, Charles and Ferdinand. Ferdinand (March 1932 - 4 December 1945) died in Indonesia in 1945, shortly before the family left for New Zealand in 1946. Once in New Zealand the family came to Gisborne and Bongenaar took over Alan Gordon's photography studio in 1948 and operated it until his death in 1956. Some time after Marius' death, in the late 50s, Catharina moved to Napier, where she died in 1984. Charles (1936 - 1960) also died young, in Napier, at the age of 24. Richard (b. 20/4/1930) lived until he was 85, dying in 2015. He moved to Christchurch and married Doris Shapcott some time before 1950. Doris died in 1962 and in 1963 Richard moved to Wellington then the Manawatu. He married Bernice Jeanette (2/3/1931 - 2003) and they had two children, John and Glenda.