I mentioned in a post called “My Great-Grandfather Reinvented Himself as a Business Owner in the U.S.” that my grandfather was in the Dutch army.
Adriaan Zuijdweg
He was born in 1871 and immigrated from Goes to the United States in 1893, at the age of 22. According to Yvette Hoitink, it would appear that he fulfilled his military duties before he left the country.
Notice that the photo says “BERGEN OP ZOOM” on it. Yvette says that this was “a fortified town with a garrison.” So my relatives did get to other places in Holland besides Goes!
However, there might be more to the story.
Can I learn anything from the back of the photograph? Let’s see.
The first thing I learn is that when I was twenty I was a nitwit. Who writes on the back of an antique photograph? I did. What in the world. I can’t believe I was so stupid ignorant.
Sigh.
Notice what I wrote. That was dictated by Grandpa (Adrian Zuidweg), Adriaan’s son. So he says his father ran away from the Dutch army because the man (officer?) over him had a contagious disease! He went AWOL!
I suppose the disease could have been anything, but it was something that Adriaan was afraid to get. Maybe tuberculosis?
We still need to investigate my great-grandfather’s military records to see if they support this family story.
Finally, do you know what it says at the bottom of the back of the photo? De plaat blijft ter nabestelling bewaard. My Dutch friend Linda says that this means “the picture will be saved for order purposes.” Maybe it was a proof?
The Family Kalamazoo 
Wow, there’s a lot going on connected with that photo. I’d add, “He looks so young!” Even if you wrote on one photo, you did it at your grandfather’s behest. Moreover, you were honoring your ancestors by being interested in their stories. So maybe it wasn’t such a crime. What was the disease? TB is the usual suspect.
WJ, he had to be so young.Does he look 19 to you? 18? I remember seeing this photo for the first time and Grandpa telling me about his father. I didn’t realize that even then my great-grandfather was even younger than I was when I wrote on the back! I must have been 21 or 22?
Your great-grandfather looks SO young in this picture! Was he really old enough to be in the Army? I’m curious about the objects near his right hand. What is he holding? And what is the item under his wrist?
Your notation on the back is adorable, It shows your enthusiasm for the subject. Be kind to yourself, we all did silly things as newbies. :o)
Laura, how old does he look to you? I was thinking 18 or 19?
Great questions! What are those items?!!!
Thanks for your kind words. I was ridiculous. But he was firing information at me so fast about the photos, and I didn’t know how I would ever remember which one was which.
They also showed me the family Bible that had genealogy written in it, and I hope my uncle or my aunt has it and that it hasn’t been lost.
It is my view that it is better to write on the back of a photograph rather than having no record at all. I hope that you will be able to find more of his story.
That is very kind and understanding of you! I was very afraid I wouldn’t remember what notes went with what photos when I was being given the information! Today I might have at least used post-it notes! Thank you–I hope I find more, too!
I second the idea that it is better to write on the back than to have no information at all. You ask very insightful questions. Photos are so filled with information if we take the time to really see what is in them – and on the back.
Genealogy girl, whew, thank you! It’s so true about photos containing a lot of information. For instance, the questions Laura (above) asks about the objects in the photo are very very good!
I totally agree. Writing on the back with a pencil, is non-destructive and a very low-tech way to make sure the description is kept with the image. I have fond memories of sitting next to my grandfather as a teen, writing the names of people on the backs of photos that he kept in a shoe box, shortly after I started becoming interested in genealogy.
” De plaat blijft ter nabestelling bewaard.” means they will keep the negatives in case you want to order more prints. It’s just a way of the photographer to solicit repeat business.
Of course, they don’t keep them indefinitely. It’s very rare to find negative archives of 19th century photographers. So don’t do emailing their descendants and ask for a ‘nabestelling’ 🙂
The AWOL angle is intriguing. It makes sense though since 22 is too young to have fulfilled military duty, which lasted 5 years and only started at age 18. I’m sure that his unauthorized absence was noted in his military record. These records are available at the National Archives in The Hague.
As I said 1 might be as good as FOUR. (4). .??
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pictures at that time were taken on plates and “De plaat blijft ter nabestelling bewaard” means that the photographer kept the plate instead of re-using it for future orders, Hope that helps and growing up speaking lower German had to come in handy at least once 😉
Good morning… On your grandpas right hand looks like a military hat. But what is the metal in the hand?
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I am always glad to have information on the back of a photo–even though I know that it’s not considered a good practice. I have so many with nothing written on them–and I have not idea who the people are.
That’s exactly. It’s such a sad feeling to look at an old photo and realize you have zero clues to figure out who it is pictured.
I read all these blogs and found them to be highly interesting to me. Knowing my mother was Dutch and her relatives made me feel as if it needs to be in book form. Wow, what a thrill for me..I remember my mother’s cooking and so often was probably glanced over. Oh, how I wish i could push a button and retract all of these things.
Thanks so much for your nice comment, Ed. I’m so sorry you can’t push a button to retract! and I think that feeling might be something a lot of people share! I’m on a break from this blog for this month, but hope to be back posting, including about your mother, in the new year. Have a healthy Christmas with much peace and joy.