Fighting in church

It is rare to find sources that show us the how our ancestors behaved in their every-day lives. Church council minutes can sometimes give us a glimpse. The church council minutes of Aalten are a good example. Church seats In Dutch Reformed Churches, most members had their own seats in the church. They would have benches built at their own cost, and had a reserved spot in the church for their use. Often, they had to pay for the privilege of having a bench in church, which provided the … [Read more...]

Q&A about ‘From Winterswijk to Wisconsin’

I've just finished answering a series of questions by people attending the Dutch in Wisconsin conference. I gave a speech about the emigration from Winterswijk to Wisconsin in the nineteenth century. Here are the questions that I got and the answers I gave. I have expended some of the answers because I was able to do a little research. … [Read more...]

Debbink, Hendrik Jan and Berendina Dunnewold

Hendrik Jan Debbink and Berendina Dunnewold were a part of the second emigration wave to hit Winterswijk in the 1860s. They emigrated when he was already 69 years old, together with their family of four children. They joined Berendina Dunnewold's brother, Jan Willem Dunnewold, who was a minister in Sheboygan County, WI. … [Read more...]

Huinink, Derk Willem X Catharina Jentink

Derk Willem Huinink and Catharina Jentink were part of the second emigration wave in the nineteenth century. They emigrated from their Aalten home in 1869 together with their extended family. They settled in Town of Holland, Sheboygan County, WI. … [Read more...]

Haartman, Evert and Janna Berendina Beskers

Evert Haartman was one of the pioneers who settled in Sheboygan County. He came to the country as a young man and later married a wife who had come straight from Holland. … [Read more...]

Nijenhuis, Gerharda Aleida (Dorcas)

This article is about Dorcas A. Newhouse, originally Gerharda Aleida Nijenhuis, who came to America in 1847 on a sailboat that was shipwrecked. Dorcas survived and wrote a short memoir about her life when she was about 80 years old. … [Read more...]

Casualties and survivors

During the disaster, over 200 people lost their lives while less than 25 people survived. This page lists the names of the people who were or board or who might have been on board. … [Read more...]

Gelderland

Gelderland is a province in the east of the Netherlands. It borders on Germany to the east, Overijssel, Flevoland and Utrecht to the north, Noord-Brabant to the south and Zuid-Holland and Utrecht to the west. The capital city of Gelderland is Arnhem. Other large towns are: Nijmegen Apeldoorn Zutphen Doetinchem Tiel … [Read more...]

Hesselink, Gerrit and Willemina Mennink

Gerrit Hesselink and Willemina Mennink emigrated from their farm in Aalten to Wisconsin. They were relatively well-to-do and established a thriving farm that still exists today. … [Read more...]

Aalten emigrants

Compiled list of emigrants from Aalten. This list is far from complete. … [Read more...]