Robert V J P Varman Ph D
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
I am descended from two family with similar names. The name indicates that the ancestor had a farm or house near or in a forest. The basic word 'bos', 'bosch' is cognate with our English word 'bush' when meaning a forest, not a shrub. In Australia we never say we are going to spend the weekend in the forest, we'd say 'in the bush'.
The name is Dutch or Flemish but can also be German (Germans also have Busch). The French equivalent is Bois or Dubois.
Bosch or Bos
Our earliest Bosch ancestor was born about 1590 and lived at Maastricht (Netherlands, province Limburg), as did many of his descendants. The family spelt the name Bosch or Bos (same pronunciation).
However, your request seems fit in closer in regards my ancestors from Oosterland (and Oostende) in the Dutch province of Zeeland. My earliest ancestor there was Jacob van den Bosse, born about 1660 Oostende(?), died in 1701. His daughter (my ancestor also) Apollonia van den Bosse was born around 1699 at Oosterland, Zeeland and died February 4, 1751 at Zierikzee. She married Arnoldus de Vos (1696-1747, Zierikzee). I include that in case it is ever useful.
The name van den Bosse, in The Netherlands, can also be written as Bosse. The 'e' or 'en' at the end of a name like Bos indicates the English words 'comes from'. The prefix 'van den' means the same thing.....as 'du' in French.
I would say that your Bosse was Dutch in origin unless it is an anglicised from Boss (the English love putting 'e's on the end of some surnames). I would still bet on a Dutch origin. If it was French you would expect Dubois and it would have remained the same especially in a place like Quebec. However, you never can know for sure what happened.
I would suggest that you write to the archives or registrar of births, deaths and marriages at Quebec to see if they could do a search of your 1820s ancestor's parents and take it from there. If you come to a dead-end there, try them on 'van den Bosse'.
I hope this will be of some use in your quest.
Very Best Wishes,
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
REALLY DELIGHTED TO HEAR FROM YOU. MANY THANKS FOR MAKING ENQUIRIES AND INCLUDING A SMALL FAMILY TREE IN YOUR E-MAIL. I AM STILL FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT THERE HAS TO BE A CONNECTION.
STRANGELY ENOUGH ONE OF ZEGERT GELENS SONS WAS CALLED PIET AND WAS BORN ON 25 MAY 1893 (SCHOONHOVEN, I THINK) BUT MY TANTE MIEP GELENS (BORN 1896-1985) DIDN'T MENTION ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT HIM.
ZEGERT GELENS DID HAVE BROTHERS, BUT WE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN:
1--JAN GELENS MARRIED 2 CHILDREN (TANTE MIEP DIDN'T KNOW THEIR NAMES)
2--HENDRICK GELENS
3--CASE GELENS BORN CA 1864...MARRIED/NO CHILDREN (DOORDRECHT OR KRALINGEN)
IF THE ABOVE IS NO GOOD, PERHAPS WE HAVE TO GO BACK A BIT FURTHER. THIS IS A ROUGH OUTLINE OF THE ANCESTRY. I MUST DO SOME MORE RESEARCH:
JOANNES GELENS MARRIED ?Name not known
BORN CA 1720S/1730S
| son
JOANNIS JANSE GELENS
BORN CA 1750S ZEVENBERGEN?
MARRIED APOLLONIA CLOPPERS BORN 1750S, ZEVENBERGEN? |
| son
CORNELIS GELENS (GELINS)
BORN 19 AUGUST 1782 ZEVENBERGEN
MOVED TO GASTEL BY 1810
MARRIED 24 JAN 1810 GASTEL, JOHANNA BUIS (BORN AT ESTSCHEN) |
| son
JOANNIS GELENS (GELEIJNS)
BORN CA 1815 RUCPHEN
MARRIED MARIA VAN STEEN, BORN CA 1815 AT GASTEL |
| son
CORNELIUS GELENS
BORN 8 MAY 1842, RUCPHEN
DIED 11 NOVEMBER 1881 ROTTERDAM. ACCORDING TO TANTE MIEP HE DIED AS A RESULT OF A BAD FALL ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE. THEY WERE BUILDERS. MARRIED GEERTRUY ADRIANA DE GROOT, BORN 30 MARCH 1842 AT STEENBERGEN.
|sons and daughters:
JAN GELENS...ZEGERT.............GEERTRUY....MARIA.....HERMINA....HENDRICH.....CASE CA 1864 1866 KRALINGEN
Zegert MARRIED ANNA MATHILDA VAN BAKEL and had the following children
|sons and daughters:
WILLEM........PIET.......GEERTRUIDA......JOOP........MIEP
1891-1960?.... 1893-...... 1894-1919........... 1897-.......1896-1985
Geertruida was our grandmother
AS YOU CAN SEE THIS IS A MIXTURE OF WHAT TANTE MIEP (MARIA HENDRICA CHRISTINA GELENS) TOLD ME AND MY OWN RESEARCH INTO THE PARENTS OF ZEGERT, THOUGH VERY INCOMPLETE. I HOPE THIS WILL INSPIRE ME TO FIND OUT MORE.
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR PIET ANTONIUS GELENS WAS BORN? I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I FIND OUT MORE.
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Your ancestor's name Valkete Janse Douw means that his father was called Jan. So that's sort of hopeful.
From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
The name comes up mostly in the west side of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North Holland, South Holland and Zeeland. Our Douw ancestors come from Zeeland:
(Generation 1) Jan Douw............Note Jan = Joannes (Johannes). born ca 1565 Scherpenissen, Island of Tholen (pronounced Tolen), province, Zeeland. The Netherlaneds. Married ?
(Gen. 2) Manus Jans Douw........Note:Jans,Janse and Jansz are all the same name. born ca 1595 at Scherpenissen......married twice. died 1634 at Scherpenissen Married (1) Geertje Jans (five children including twins) Married (2) Jaquemijngen Cornelis (my female ancestor, three children).
(Gen. 3) Jan Manus Dauw.............thrice married. born 1625 at Scherpenissen. died after 1674.Scherpenissen or nearby Schoondorp. Married (3) 1670 at Portvliet to Cornelia Cornelus (born at St Maartensdijk).My female ancestor. Married (1) 1651, Lijsbeth Jans..........Note: 'ij' is the same as 'y'. Married (2) 1653, Cornelia Jacobs.
(Gen 4) Marinus Janse Douw...........Note: also began to use the surname Manus born 18 March 1674, Scherpenissen. died? Moved to Bruinisse and married there in 1701. Alderman of Sirjansland. Married 1701 Neeltje Faij of Bruinisse, Island of Duiveland, province Zeeland.
(gen 5) Cornelis Marinusse Manus......Note: change of surname. born 20 December 1705, Bruinisse. ---- Most of Cornelis' descendants go by the surname of 'Manus van der Jagt' but it has long been known that their ancestors were formerly surnamed 'Douw'.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
Thanks for the message and for the Manis mailing list. Ours are on the earlier part of the scale and came from Scherpenisse, province Zeeland in the Netherlands. There was a lot of USA migration from Zeeland, so you never know.
This is the outline genealogy (below). You'll note the origin of the name begins with the children of Manus Jans Douw (1595-1634).
(Generation 1) Jan Douw. Born ca 1565 Scherpenissen, Island of Tholen (pronounced Tolen), province, Zeeland, The Netherlands. Married: wife not known.
Note Jan = Joannes (Johannes).
(Generation 2) Manus Jans Douw. Born ca 1595 at Scherpenissen. Died 1634 at Scherpenissen. Married (1) Geertje Jans (five children including twins) Married (2) Jaquemijngen Cornelis (my female ancestor, three children). Note:Jans,Janse and Jansz are all the same name.
(Generation 3) Jan MANUS (also listed as Douw). Born 1625 at Scherpenissen, died after 1674.Scherpenissen or nearby Schoondorp. Married (1) 1651, Lijsbeth Jans..........Note: 'ij' is the same as 'y'. Married (2) 1653, Cornelia Jacobs.
Married (3) 1670 at Portvliet to Cornelia Cornelus (born at St Maartensdijk).
(Generation 4) Marinus Janse MANUS (sometimes listed as Douw). Born 18 March 1674, Scherpenissen. Died? Moved to Bruinisse. Alderman of Sirjansland. Married 1701 Neeltje Faij of Bruinisse, Island of Duiveland, province Zeeland.
(Generation 5) Cornelis Marinusse MANUS (MANES and MANESE). Born 20 December 1705, Bruinisse. Died 3 March 1799 at Sirjansland, Zeeland. Married Johanna (Janna) Theuns van der Jagt from Ouwerkerk, 6 March 1732 at Ouwerkerk, Zeeland.
eight children in generation 6 including:
(generation 6) Neeltje MANUS. Born 4 January 1739 at Bruinisse. Buried 14 May 1804 in the St Lieven's Monsterkerk, Zierikzee, Zeeland. Married Abraham de Vos 8 May 1765.
WE DESCEND FROM THE MANUS FAMILY THROUGH THE DE VOS FAMILY OF ZIERIKZEE, ZEELAND. MY MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER WAS A DE VOS.
NOTE: In the 6th generation the male line of MANUS changed their surname to: MANUS VAN DER JAGT.
This information won't be of immediate help to the the various Manus families elsewhere but it may be found eventually that some are related. In this case the name is derived from the formal name Hermanus (HerMANUS) as often happens with other names, Mercaris becomes Caris and so on. Spelling variations noticed in the registers of this family include Manus, Manes and Manese. As the 'u' or 'e' is unstressed the name could just as likely be written as Manis and even Manas as far as pronunciation goes.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
I was delighted to receive your e-mail and wonderful information. I hope that I don't disappoint you but I have little to add to yours so far. You have inspired me to do a little more letter writing to the archives in Zeeland-Flanders. One thing for sure though, we must be distant cousins. Here follows my line of Bokelaar descent:
Generation 1
Cornelia Bokelaar
Born: ca 1760s St Anna Ter Muiden.
Died:?
Married: 1780s Pieter Romanus van den Amele, of St Anna Ter Muiden.
Generation 2
daughter:
Cornelia Catharina van den Amele
Born: September 19, 1794, St Anna Ter Muiden. (Ned. Herv). Died: after 1860s.
Married: May 25, 1820 (at Groede or Oostburg) Antony German (1791 Groede-1864, Oostburg).
Generation 3
son:
Francois German
Born: June 24, 1830, Oostburg.
Died: February 4, 1903, Oostburg.
Married: Elisabeth Cuveljé (1836 Oosburg - 1873, Oosburg) the daughter of Simon Cuveljé (1806-1898) and Elisabeth Risseeuw (1819-1848) both of Oostberg.
Generation 4
daughter:
Cornelia Elisabeth German
Born:October 17, 1867, Oostburg.
Died: January 7, 1942, Den Haag.
Married: Jan de Vos (1865 Zierikzee-1935 Oostburg). The old de Vos family of Zierikzee.
Generation 5
daughter:
Dina Elisabeth de Vos
Born: March, 12, 1894, Oostburg.
Died: May 6, 1976, Den Haag.
Married: Petrus Josephus van Bommel (1893 Rotterdam-1967, Ede).
Generation 6
daughter:
Johanna Cornelia van Bommel.
Born: Oostburg, 21 June 1916............ Now living near Sydney, Australia. Married Victor Johannes M. Vermin (1914 Amsterdam/lived at Den Haag - 1982 Gosford NSW Australia).
Generation 7
son:
Robert Victor Johannes Vermin (In Australia name used is Varman, you know why!?) Born: December 14, 1949. To Sydney, Australia, 1954. I have two sisters and one brother.
Generation 8
My sister Kathy has three children and my brother has three children.
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We still continue the old tradition of naming the first daughter of a family after their grandmothers. My mother 'Johanna Cornelia van Bommel' is named after Johanna Huijsdens and Cornelia Elisabeth German. Her mother 'Dina Elisabeth de Vos' was named after Dina Petronella Paret and Elisabeth Cuveljé. Her grandmother 'Cornelia Elisabeth German' was named after Cornelia Catharina van den Amele and Elisabeth Risseeuw.
Cornelia Catharina van den Amele was named after her mother, Cornelia Bokelaar. So my mother's second name, 'Cornelia' was passed down from a member of the Bokelaar family, her great-great-great-grandmother.
We still have an original property document signed by the daughter of Cornelia Bokelaar, Cornelia Catharina van den Amele.
Although Cornelia Bokelaar was born around the 1760s at St Anna Ter Muiden, she could not have been the daughter of Francois Bookelaar (Bokelaar). I would expect that she was the grandaughter of Francois Bookelaar and Jacomijntje Keuwers, if so, that would make us 6th or 7th cousins.
Most of my Zeeland-Flanders ancestors and relatives come from Oostburg, Groede, Waterlandkerkje, Schoondijke, Sluis and Zuidzande (as well as St Anna Ter Muiden). If you are ever interested I have the full documentation of the families: Cuveljé, German and Poissonnier (and a bit on Risseeuw). Do you have any other relatives from the area?
Robert.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
The surname Jacobse probably came up in every district as a surname because it was a popular Christian name (Jacob). The thing to know is, of course, where Gurtruyd Jaconse was born. It is possible that she also came from where her husband came from: the same goes for Eva Jacobse. If you suspect them to have been born in the NY district, they were very probably sisters---so you would be looking for a father called Jacob.
The name van Nuys is very well known. I'm fairly sure that there have been several studies about or including the name van Nuys. Flatbush used to be called 'Middelwoud' once? There is a connection between one of the branches of the van Arsdale family and the van Nuys family (Geertruida van Nuys)--shifted to York County, Pennsylvania.
I will keep a look-out for your direct ancestors.
ARENTS, CORNELIS, CUVELJE
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One of my ancestors was Jannetje Arents born about 1601 in Maasluis. She was still alive in 1668. I don't know who her parents were though. She married Teunis Jacobsz van der Jacht (Jagt) born ca 1601 at Maasluis.
This is not much use to you. Your ancestor married in 1640 at Slotterdam, suggesting that he came from the region (which I think was up north). Maasluis is down south. I'll let you know if I find any thing else.
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I have Cornelis and Cornelus in different parts of my family tree but they come from the province of Zeeland. The surname was very common all over the Netherlands because it was a popular Christian name: if your father was called Cornelius, his children would be surnamed Cornelis or Cornelus. I would think that your Divertje Cornelis came from the Edam area, as possibly were the van Blericums. You may find some leads by researching the van Blericums---an unusual name, so shouldn't be too difficult to trace.
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This is a real surprise because I thought that spelling was Dutch, or rather more specificly, from the province of Zeeland-Flanders. It is spelt Cuveljé, Cuvilje and Cuvelier--pronounced virtually the same. The other thing is that your ancestor is earlier than our earliest known Cuveljé.
I suspect that your ancestor Ariaentje Cuvilje, as she was born in France, would have been born as Cuvelier but within the Dutch community that would have been written as Cuvilje. The same thing happened in our family. Our earliest known ancestor of that name was Francois Cuvelier, born about 1675 "in France" and had married there a Catharina de Roubay--all the descendants are surnamed Cuveljé or Cuvilje (many migrated to the USA during the mid to late 1800s by the way).
They were obviously French Protestants. It is possible that we may one day find a connection and your information about Valenciennes may be the key. It is likely that Francois Cuvelier's wife's family, de Roubay, came from the same area as he did, so if we find that the de Roubay family came from Valenciennes we'd be on a winner.
I am just astonished at the number of Dutch people that left for North America during the 1600s. Will let you know when I find out anything more.
Nota Bene: I have a large amount of information on the CUVELJE family of Zeeland-Flanders (The Netherlands). Several members emigrated to the USA during the mid to late 1800s. An unrelated Cuvelje family also lived in the West Indies, St Eustatius.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
Our Troost family date to the mid 1500s-1600s, living at Stavenisse, Zeeland. Just did a bit of checking: it is an unusual name, meaning something like 'consolation'. I suspect it to be the name of a house or property where the ancestors lived.
I'm always on the look-out for the name Troost so will let you know of any new developments. You will need to find out where Margaretha was born and write to the local registrar or archive (often at the Town Hall).. same goes for Steenbergen. Both are unusual names so you may be lucky (though it's always time consuming writing letters and arranging payments for official fees etc). We may find a connection once you get back in time a bit.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
I am descended from two (or three?) separate Meurs families, so that doubles the possibility of finding a future connection. The problem is that one lot came from Maastricht and were Catholic and the other lot from Gouda and also Catholic. Also, they appear fairly early in the family tree (1700s) and I have not fully researched them yet.
Maastricht, Netherlands Limburg------Meurs, Meurissen
Maria Meurs (also Meurissen--church clerks and officials often interpreted a name as they chose. Meurs and Muerissen mean exactly the same--came from the name Mauritz originally. So when you research further don't be put off by spelling variations). Born 1690s at Geilenkircken (Geelkerken) Germany and moved to Maastricht by 1718. Parents not yet known. Seems to have had a sister Catherijne. Maria Meurs died July 7, 1773 (St Cath). She married Laurentius Nijpels (1689-1762) on November 27, 1718 (St Cath). I am descended from their daughter Maria Elizabeth Nijpels (1726-1797).
Gouda: Meurs------van Meurs
Joanna Meurs (also van Meurs).
born ca 1706, Gouda?. Parents not yet found. married Joannis Dircsz Endeman, April 29, 1729.
I am descended through their daughter Geertruij Endeman born Dec 23, 1733 RC church 'de Brasem'at Gouda. She married Jan Jansen on May 14, 1758, civil marriage.
Den Bosch ('s Hertogenbosch)------van Meurs
Joannes van Meurs married Elizabeth Verkammen on October 30, 1746. Den Bosch.
I am descended from their daughter Susanna van Meurs, born February 19, 1755, Den Bosch. She married Lambert Bovee, June 20, 1773 at Den Bosch.
I will keep your e-mail number and let you know when I come across any more information. You might try writing to the Register of Population of Schagen c/o the Town Hall (the records might be elsewhere but they will more than likely pass your letter on). If you can get copies of birth entries....these often list witnesses or god-parents providing clues (if lucky) as to grandparents or uncles and aunts.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
I am not surnamed Caris but am certainly a descendant on my father's side. My lot all come from the ancient city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. The earliest ancestor is:
Renerous Caris (ca 1580s-1633, died of the Plague). He had a brother or, less likely, father called Wynandus Caris. Note: in the ordinary life of these men they would have been called René and Wynand (it is a bit like your formal name being James but generally being addressed as Jim).
He had a son
Joannes (Jan = John as in English) Caris . Born 4 Dec 1611, St Nic., died ?.
He had a son
Guilielmus (Willem) Caris 1634-1707
he had a son
Petrus Caris, 1677-17??
he had a son
Joannes Christianus Caris 1710-1772
he had a daughter
Anna Barbara Caris 1743-1793
from her descent to me.
I recently found out that there are references to the family in the "oldest registers" relating to the towns of Nuth and Weert (not too far from Maastricht).
I am putting my info on the computer at last (Reunion for Mac) so if you think that there might be a connection worth persuing, send me what info you have. I am in the process of filling in the brothers and sisters of Caris ancestors (not so easy) so should have something more substantial to send soon.
The name is very uncommon so there is a good chance of some sort of a connection. It can also be spelt with a 'K'. The name seems to be derived from the old Christian name "Marcarius" (the happy/fortunate-the blessed).
The Caris family of Maastricht were fairly well-to-do. One was a prominent notaris and he drew up many of the wills, property transfers etc., in the City (now so useful in tracing family history).
I have always felt proud of my Caris ancestors. If you review your research, don't forget to check the spelling variation 'Karis'. Generally speaking, spelling changes were of no consequence before the 1800s.
Post Scriptum
It is possible that the original Caris came from Nuth or even Weert (which is quite a bit further away from Maastricht) but to confuse things a little, a Frans Caris was permitted to become a citizen of Maastricht on August 5, 1600 but he came from Beek. Beek is not far from Nuth, both fairly close to Maastricht. However there are earlier references to the name at Maastricht.
An ancient spelling of the name Caris is Karys = Karijs. ij and y in old Dutch are interchangeable and often a substitute for i. For example, an early spelling of my surname (that is a long story)is Fermin but was sometimes spelt Fermijn. There are three early entries in the entry registers of Maastricht:
---Reinerous Huberti Karys; April 15, 1426. The name expressed otherwise would have been René Karys son of Hubert. The old registers were written in Latin. (Reinerous is the same as Renerous (René)---seems a promising antecedent considering known ancestor Renerous Caris born ca 1580s).
---Eli Johannes Karys; April 28, 1433 'from Borgharen' (which is now part of Maastricht but then a small farming village). So, Eli Karys, the son of Johannes.
---Henricus Karys; October 5, 1447 (Henri or Hendrik).
One of the early Nuth Caris-branch ancestors, Leonardus Caris, born 1590s/1600, his name was sometimes spelled as Carys.
I had forgotten about the 1400s names until just now. There were no church registers at the time and early ancestry can only be traced via land transactions, church dues-owing registers, the surviving records of the ancient guilds and the city transaction books. All hugely difficult to access and translate (Latin--more so because of the mediaeval writing scripts--I'm just getting the hang of the script).
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
You'll be very disappointed with this e-mail. My ancestor was Anna van Kampen and born in the late 1660s in the Hague, and married Reijnier de Moor. The trouble is I don't know who her parents were or if she had brothers or sisters. I will be doing more work on this family one day and will let you know if I come across anything. It is sometimes the case that the 'van' gets dropped off a name, hence, Kampen, van Kampen.......
A good line to take would be to find out Hendricus' exact place of birth from the immigration records (being indexed) and write to the Town or City Archives to locate his parents' parents and take it from there. Ostfriesland is a very, very interesting place, being an outpost of the ancient Friesians--there are still some 20,000 people there who speak Friesian. The rest of the Friesians are in the north Netherlands.
I am also quite interested in Kampen/van Kampen and always keep an eye out for them. I have printed your request and will keep it in case I find anything in the future.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
It sounds as if you have done a lot of work already. Our family line van de Velt comes into to the family tree in the 1500s in Maastricht, The Netherlands, when marrying into the family. Alas, we know little else of her family members and records become fairly sparse before that time. Have you been able to link your Velts to Europe yet because I may be able to help once you've done that. I wonder if your Velts originally had any prefix such as 'van' or 'van de'. The name is still to be found in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
I was quite delighted when you mentioned that Cornelius was surnamed Loosje. This definitely places them in The Netherlands (as de Zeeuw would). The ending 'je' of Loosje is a diminutive used in a number of specific areas in the Netherlands, mainly the west side, particularly the provinces of North and South Holland, Zeeland and?. If it were from Braband or Limburg, it would have been Looske. If Belgian it would have been Looske or Loosghe(n).
There are several possibilities:
A. Loosje could be a female ancestor. Often if the husband died the children would be surnamed after their mother's name (no hint of scandal, by the way). The same happened in England. I will check my records to see if I can find out what the formal version of the name would be. Remind me if I forget.
B. It's a long shot but Loozen (Looze) is an ancient Dutch word for cunning, even crafty. It would be similar in character as the surnames Hardy, Strong, Brave--descriptive of personality.
C. In the Netherlands of the 1500s-1700s surnames often became disused, as far as the registers are concerned, for generations. This scenario would have it that Loosje was the surname "but because he came from Zeeland" he was dubbed locally as 'the Zeelander' ie de Zeeuw.
D. In this scenario, Cornelius' mother was called Loosje and because his father had died at an early stage, he was surnamed Loosje. The family surname of his father was 'de Zeeuw' but wasn't used in official records until Cornelius' son. Hence Cornelius' full name was actually Cornelius Loosje de Zeeuw.
Hope that doesn't confuse you, feel free to ask me to clarify. I will visit your Web site later to see if there are any other clues.
I can't find Kolft on my Dutch atlas but will check further. Another possibility is that the surname derives from a house or property called Kolf. In those days a sign would be hung out with a drawing (few could read)--kolf could be a very large bottle. People are just beginning to realize how many names started out this way both in Britain and northern Europe.
Anyway just some ideas to keep the brain ticking. It might take a while but I will look out for de Zeeuw, Loosjes and Colfs. By the way, in Dutch 'c' and 'k' are interchangeable without too much fuss.
I think that Zeeland, North and South Holland (provinces) are the places of origin for all your names, most of the American Dutch families come from these places and Friesland. I also have lots of ancestors from Zeeland and South Holland.
Very Best Wishes to your and to your family,
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
Several important or well-known Dutch families arose during the 1400s, 1500s and 1600s with the name de Witt (DeWitt etc) but research to date has not yet linked them together. Ours go back to the 1600s in the province of Zeeland but I suspect that they come from some other province originally.
It would be interesting to see how your de Witts fit into the Dutch de Witts. Don't be concerned by spelling variations because there are several spelling variations, most of no consequence. What you must do is exhaust the archives in the USA, including immigration records. Let me know how you go and I will be pleased to assist you in linking them into their Dutch context when you get that far.
Some de Witts moved to England during the reign of William and Mary of Orange, some may have gone to the USA from there. De Witts may also have settled initially from the Netherlands in New York, New Jersey etc., and spread out from there. I will also look out for any USA information.
Best Wishes,
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
Thank you for responding to my list. I would be interested in trying to find the link which may establish a common ancestry. I have ancestry from all over the district. Do you have any other ancestral surnames from the Maastricht district?
Heer is close to Hulsberg, so that sounds fairly promising. The following is our direct line:
Hyeronimus Lenssen married Catharina Botteliers born ca 1650 Hulsberg?
(probably)
son
Gerardus Lenssen (Linnsen--the name is written in several ways, depending on who was writing the registers at the various times). born 15 November 1673, Hulsberg. (prob)
died 19 December 1745, Hulsberg
married Catharina Massingh (connections with Hulsberg and Klimmen)
son
Joannes Lenssen (woolspinner)
born 13 August 1727, Hulsberg
died 26 June 1799, Hulsberg
married Catharina Philips (from Beek)
daughter
Anna Maria Lenssen (Linsen, Lenzen)
born 7 January 1759, Beek
died 8 March 1829, Schinnen
married Michiel Dieteren (from an old Schinnen family)
daughter
Anna Sibilla Dieteren married Matthias Crans, 1803-1864 from Maastricht 1799-1853
etcetera. to the present generation.
I will be happy to clarify or expand on any of the above. I am going over all my research and putting it on computer (Reunion program for Mac). I will check to see what other information I have about the Linnsen.
Best Wishes,
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
Maria MASSON born ca late 1650s province Liege? married Renerous Delfosse (Visé, Liege) 27 July 1681 St Nicolaas, Maastricht (Netherlands).
daughter: Maria Joanna Delfosse bapt 24 Feb 1690, St Nicolaas, Maastricht.
We have tried to find her origins but without successs so far. They did belong to the French-speaking portion of Maastricht but the family comes from elsewhere.
No dates?
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From: varman@ozemail.com.au (Dr Robert Victor Johannes Varman)
Thanks for the e-mail about your wife's g g grandfather Johann Abraham Derksen. I note that Herwen and Aerdt are just north-east of Nijmegen and where my ancestor came from (Gendt) is not too far from those towns (all in the province of Gelderland). My ancestor Willem Derksen must have been born about 1730s. He shifted to Rotterdam by the late 1760s and married a local but I don't know who his parents were--so next to nothing about his relatives from Gelderland.
I have been meaning to write to the local archives for about twenty years now to find out more about his parents. I will do that once my work load settles down, now that you have inspired me to. If you wished to write to the archives it wouldn't be difficult to find out about your wife's ancestor's parents because you have his date of birth.
Even though the surname is fairly common, I suspect that we have a good chance of finding a common ancestor because the towns involved are not too far apart.
I've printed out your message and will let you know how I get on.
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Mr Martin John Sharman
Thanks for the three e-mails you sent! The two references which you sent were new to me, so thanks very much. I will contact them and let you know if anything comes of them. You were surprised that I'd traced back to 1863 but it only involves four generations to my sister in law:
William Dearden married 1863 Maldon, Victoria, Australia, Jane Hedley
I
at least two children, including:
John Dearden born 1865 Maldon married 1894 Sydney, Annie Maria Baskerville
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five children including:
Bert Hedley Dearden born 1911 North Sydney married Ella Patricia Conway
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two girls, including:
Patricia Anne Dearden born 1943 North Sydney married 1964 Peter V M Varman
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three children born Sydney 1968-1972
Note: can provide more details of siblings and dates, if wanted. Peter Varman is my elder brother. We have a huge family history on our side and I always wanted to trace the Deardens so we could add them to the family tree. The Deardens as I knew them had a strong, just and proud sense somehow.
I'm going to apply for a copy of William Dearden and Jane Hedley's marriage certificate, that should give details of parents and birthplace. He was almost certainly from England, so alas no convict blood. Will let you know how it goes. I gather you've tried to track-down B D & M certificates because it was compulsory to register from the 1860s in Britain also.
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My ancestor Petrus (Pierre) Benoit was born about 1645 at Bezier (Beziers) France. He emigrated to the north and became a citizen of the city of Maastricht on June 15, 1695 at the age of 48. He was Master of the Taylor's Guild. He married Maria Harts (from ?).
They had children:
Petrus Simon Benoit, baptised 9 September 1676, St Catharina, Maastricht Maria Helena Benoit, born between 1677 and 1686, Maastricht Elisabeth Benoit, baptised 2 November 1689, St Catharina, Maastricht Joannes Benoit, baptised 5 April 1692, St Cath., M. (died before 1697?). Petrus Binoit, baptised, 3 July 1694, St Cath., M. twin with
Dominicus Binoit, baptised, 3 July 1694, St Cath., M. Joannes Benoit, baptised, 2 January 1697, St Catharina, Maastricht.
It is not known if the children stayed in the city or moved on in later years, perhaps back to France, except for my ancestor Maria Helena Benoit who later married Johannes van Erminghen in 1706.
One thing in common is the name Peter (although not an unusual name). The registers of Maastricht were written in Latin, hence Petrus, Joannes etc).
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My ancestors van der Meer lived in Scheveningen during the 1600s to the early 1700s at least.
Teunis (Antonis) van der Meer born circa 1630s.Probably from Scheveningen
one child at least:
Immetje Teunis van der Meer, born ca 1660s Scheveningen, died 20 Nov 1718, Scheveningen. She married Jillis Janse van der Lely.
I am descended from their children.
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Aleydis Porta who came from Liege, province Liege (modern Belgium). She married Renerus Caris of Maastricht, Netherlands Limburg. Aleydis was born around the 1570s. I am descended through her son Joannis Caris (bapt 4 Dec 1611, St Nicolaas, Maastricht).
I only found out this information recently (I am having primary research done in Maastricht and Liege) but will ask if there is any further information on this family.
I note that your research is for the years 1700-1840 and based on Neunkirchen (Saarbrucken) which is not hugely far away from Netherlands Limburg. Can the archives at Neunkirchen give you any idea if the family Porta was present in the district before 1700? As far as I can tell it is an unusual name for both of our ancestral districts.
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I'm afraid that my research on our Roos family is not very far advanced. We only know the name of one ancestor from Delfthaven, late 1600s early 1700s but I hope in not too distant a future to find out a bit more.
Hillegersberg isn't too far away from Delfthaven and the name is very distinct. From memory I believe that the Roos family is fairly widespread across that district.
In the meantime I would suggest that you write to the Municipal Archives at Rotterdam and ask them to look up the birth of Naomi Roos circa 1800-1810 if you think that she may have been born there or in the district.
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I'm still waiting for some further primary research but so far I have:
Hendricus Spoor
born circa 1706 at Arnhem or Nijmegen (Netherlands) buried 3 October 1795, St Cath. Maastricht. Married Catharina Thibout in 1728, St Jac. Maastricht.
One of their children was Elisabeth Spoor born 24 September 1735 St Jac. Maastricht. She married Philippus Maurits van Erminghen in 1754. I'm descended from them.
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