As I shared in my last post Intriguing Coincidence or An “Of Course” Moment?, Yvette Hoitink, a Dutch genealogist, quickly and easily found a wealth of information about the Zuidweg family–my grandfather’s Dutch ancestors. Dutch Genealogy is a site which describes Yvette’s amazing services.
I knew that the father of my grandfather, Adrian Zuidweg, born 1908 in Kalamazoo, was Adrian Zuidweg, born in The Netherlands. Adrian Sr. owned a fish market when Grandpa was young. In this photo he stands with an unidentified young employee.
Fish Market on Eleanor Street
My grandfather, Adrian Jr. told me he used to clean fish at the fish market when he was 8 or 9.
Adrian Zuidweg, Jr.
Eventually, the man who was my great-grandfather opened an ice cream parlor and candy store, and according to a story Grandpa told me, during the height of the Great Depression, he was able to buy a $1,000 marble countertop for his business.
Ice cream parlor and candy store
All I knew of this man was of his life in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I knew that he died at approximately age 50 of what might have been Bright’s (kidney) disease. My grandmother told me that he didn’t eat all day long at work and would come home and eat a steak the size of a plate.
What I discovered from Yvette is an idea of who he was before he emigrated from Holland. He was born Adriaan Zuijdweg on 3 January 1871 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands. He was a “letterzetter,” compositor or typesetter–possibly for a newspaper. This fits with a photo I published on an earlier post of Adrian Sr. and another relative working on a newspaper in Kalamazoo.
Printshop at Holland American newspaper, 1899
Adrian Zuidweg 3rd from left; Lou Leeuwenhoek 5th from left
So it seems that Adrian took his typesetter skills to the United States, but decided to become an American “entrepreneur” by opening the fish market.
According to Yvette, it was in the United States that he lost the other “a” in his first name and the j in Zuijdweg–becoming Adrian Zuidweg. The son he eventually had in 1980 was also named Adrian Zuidweg (no middle name, which is according to Yvette the Dutch tradition) and it was young Adrian who eventually changed the ice cream parlor into a Sunoco gas station.
One of the photos I have yet to know more about is one of him in what Grandpa said was his Dutch army uniform.
Adriaan Zuijdweg
Four years after emigrating from the Netherlands for “amelioration of existence,” Adriaan/Adrian married my great-grandmother Cora Wilhelmina DeKorn. The date was 18 May 1897 and the place was Kalamazoo (of course).
Adrian Zuidweg (Adriaan Zuijdweg) 1897
The Family Kalamazoo 
How wonderful to read how the ‘new’ (old?) information I found ties in with what you already knew! It doesn’t surprise me that Adrian owned a fish market as fishing was a big industry in Zeeland. Adriaan’s great-grandfather Cornelis Zuidweg was in the fishing business too, inspecting fish as an official appraiser (‘vischkeurder’).
That’s a great point about the fishing. No wonder he only ate steak haha. Seriously, my grandmother said that’s about all he ate! And I think he put lots of horseradish on it, as did my grandfather.
About the photograph of Adrian in uniform: the photo was taken in Bergen op Zoom, which was a fortified town with a garrison. Given the young age of Adrian, I think he was fulfilling his military duty there. There should be a record of his military service at the Nationaal Archief, the National Archives of the Netherlands.
Oh, that’s so cool! We need to put that on our list :).
Fascinating the way this all knits together.
Thanks, Wilma. I love having the info that gives more insight to the photos!
I love all of the photos you were able to add to this story. It really brings the people to life.
Sonja, I’m glad you enjoyed them. I know. Each picture tells me so much when I take the time to examine them carefully. Thanks for reading! I love your blog.
I hate to be the editor but: …The son he eventually had in 1980 was also named Adrian Zuidweg… I catch all these little errors because I am putting together a tree from the information you provide so that other tree owners with your branch on them will come to this blog and perhaps give you new information.
I like the pictures and the notes you provide because it gives life to the family.
Thanks.
Jose
Hi Jose, I’m not sure what you mean about Adrian here. My grandfather was born in 1908, and he was named Adrian Zuidweg for his father. That’s what I meant above. Thanks so much for your feedback and your comment and the pix and notes. I’m so thrilled that I have all these photos.
I found a tree that is following Adrian:
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Misiewicz/Holmes Family Tree
Owner: Elizabeth Misiewicz
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Thanks, that’s great! You are really good at searching these out!
[…] e. That my great-grandfather Adrian Zuidweg owned a fish market in downtown Kalamazoo. When I searched the name Zuidweg in the newspaper archives I discovered ads, but I also saw a notice that you could get fresh halibut at Zuidwegs. I also found a photograph of the store, which can be found in this blog post. […]
Such wonderful memories of a distinguished family.
Thank you so much. I value your opinion very much!
[…] written before about Grandpa’s father’s fish market in the post “My Great-Grandfather Reinvented Himself as a Business Owner in the U.S.” I share photos in that post of the interior of the fish market and the interior of the ice […]
[…] mentioned in a post called “My Great-Grandfather Reinvented Himself as a Business Owner in the U.S.” that […]
[…] Zuidweg in the United States. I’ve written about him many times, but the best posts would be My Great-Grandfather Reinvented Himself as a Business Owner in the U.S. and My Grandfather’s Story, Part V and Back to the Dutch-American […]