One of the many emigrants from Winterswijk was Garrit Hendrik MEERDINK. He emigrated when he was still a bachelor and settled in the United States. Here he was first married to Janna Hendrika NIJENHUIS and later to Janna Berendina LENSINK.

Garrit Hendrik MEERDINK was born in Winterswijk on 08 November 1824 as a son of Berend Jan MEERDINK and Janna Willemina KEVESKAMP.

In 1850, both Garrit Hendrik and his father Berend Jan emigrated to the United States. Garrit was living on the Rozenhuis farm in the hamlet of Ratum at that time. His father was living on the Hellekamp farm in Miste, another hamlet of Winterswijk. Although she's not listed in the Winterswijk emigration lists, his mother Janna Willemina must have emigrated too because a picture of her and three generations of her offspring still exists.

4 generations of Meerdink women.
The oldest woman is Janna Willemina Keveskamp, the mother of Garrit Hendrik.

Garrit Hendrik settled in Cedar Grove, WI where he married Janna Hendrika NIJENHUIS. Like her husband, she came from Winterswijk. She was born there on 30 June 1822 as a daughter of Jan Hendrik NIJENHUIS and Berendina RESINK.

From this first marriage:

1. Jan Hendrik MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI 22 July 1855.
2. Janna Wilhelmina MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI  28 January 1858
3. Berend Willem MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI 02 December 1859.
   

Janna Hendrika died in Cedar Grove on 02 November 1865 and was burried there. The following spring, Garrit Hendrik was remarried in Cedar Grove. On 05 May 1866 he exchanged his vows with Janna Berendina LENSINK. She was a native of Aalten, near Winterswijk, where she was born on 15 January 1847 as a daughter of Gerrit Willem LENSINK and Aaltjen SOERENS.

Wedding picture of Garrit Hendrik Meerdink and Janna Berendina Lensink

From the second marriage:

1. Garret W. MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 28-03-1867.
2. Hendrik Jan MEERDINK, born 27-01-1869, died 26-09-1870, buried Cedar Grove.
3. Hendrik Jan MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 11-01-1871.
4. Johannes MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 17-10-1873.
5. Arie MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 24-11-1876, died 1952, buried Cedar Grove. Married to Johanna, born 1881, died 1968, buried Cedar Grove.
6. Johanna MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 11-10-1877.
7. Evert MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 21-06-1881.
8. Janna H. MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 09-09-1884.
9. Mary MEERDINK, born Cedar Grove, WI, USA 23-06-1888.
   

Garrit Hendrik Meerdink died on 12 January 1911. Janna Berendina Lensink died on 17 December 1919. Both of them are burried in Cedar Grove, WI.

Last week, my friend Mary Risseeuw from Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and I gave a presentation at the International Congress for genealogical and heraldic Sciences in Maastricht. The title was "We're all fresh and healthy. Emigration from the Netherlands to the United States in the 19th century. The slides are now available online.

I've just added a Dutch genealogy store to the site. In this store, visitors can buy books, DVDs and prints about Dutch genealogy, history and culture. I've selected publications that I think would benefit somebody researching his Dutch roots. The store is powered by Amazon. This website receives a commission for all sales, enabling this website to remain free.

Different regions in the Netherlands have different customs. This applies to Dutch surnames as well as to many other traditions. Some areas use suffixes that are typical of that region.

Knowing about the suffixes in Dutch family names can help you in trying to find out in which province to look for your ancestors. More information about regional customs can also be found in the articles about the different provinces in the Geography section.

Personal information cards were used from 1938 to keep track of who lived where. It is a part of the population registration.

Personal index cards are a great source of information for recent research because they cover the period from 1938 onwards. Copies of personal index cards of deceased people can be ordered for a fee.

Utrecht is a province in the middle of the Netherlands. It borders on Gelderland in the east, Gelderland and Zuid-Holland in the south, Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland in the west and Noord-Holland and Flevoland in the north.

The capital city of Utrecht is called Utrecht as well. Other larger towns are:

• Amersfoort
• Zeist
• Soest
• Nieuwegein

Jan Antonie Boerrigter emigrated to the United States in 1910 from Overijssel. Almost half a century later, he wrote to his aunt and uncle in the Netherlands. He shares much information about his family and is curious about the Netherlands.

After World War II was over, many people wanted to start a new life across the ocean. Five years of war had destroyed the Dutch economy, and it would take years to recover. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, many Dutch people emigrated to Australia, Canada and the United States.