In the days before the Civil Registration forced everyone to stick to a surname, people in the eastern part of the Netherlands were named after the farm they lived at. You can still see that in the surnames today: Derk te Kolste, Piet te Lintum, Gerrit Jan Hoitink, etc. Since the surname might change every time a person moved, this sometimes offers difficulties in tracing your ancestors. There are some strategies to help you solve those name puzzles. … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2005
Winterswijk Dutch reformed emigrants
31 March 2005 by 4 Comments
Most of the people who emigrated from Winterswijk in the middle of the nineteenth century belonged to the Dutch Reformed religion. This religion kept records of it's members. The records also contain a list of people who emigrated to America. Please keep in mind only part of the emigrants were officially unregistered. … [Read more...]
1997 sesquicentennial commemoration
31 March 2005 by Leave a Comment
In November, 1997, a group of Dutch genealogists attended the Phoenix sesquicentennial commemoration in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. We met lots of Phoenix survivor descendants there. This made me realize what an impact the Phoenix had on the community of Sheboygan, and how much larger this influence could have been if all of these people had settled there. … [Read more...]
The passengers
31 March 2005 by Leave a Comment
The passengers of the Phoenix consisted almost exclusively of Dutch emigrants. Most of them came from Afgescheiden (seceder) backgrounds, following in the footsteps of Van Raalte. They came mostly from the eastern part of the Netherlands. … [Read more...]
History of the Phoenix disaster
31 March 2005 by 12 Comments
In the middle of the nineteenth century a lot of people from the East of Holland emigrated to the US. One of the most popular destinations was Wisconsin. In 1847 a group of those emigrants were on the propellor Phoenix, which would bring them from Buffalo to Sheboygan and beyond. In the early hours of November 21, 1847 the propellor burnt. About 25 people rescued themselves using two lifeboats, while a few other were saved by another ship, the Delaware. … [Read more...]
