A Sister and Her Family: How Can I Find Out More?

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A Sister and Her Family: How Can I Find Out More?

January 17, 2014 by Luanne

Maybe you can help me with a brick wall. I’m looking for ways to research my great-great-grandfather, Richard DeKorn’s, little sister Jennie. I mentioned her and the mystery of her in a post called Uncertainty about Boudewijn’s Kids

Let me back up a bit. Boudewijn DeKorn and Johanna Remijnse had three children in the United States:

My great-great-grandfather Richard: born Dirk de Korne, born 21 Aug 1851, Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands; died 26 Jan 1930, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States.
A sister Geertruit de Korne was born on 28 Aug 1848 in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands. She died on 6 May 1849 at the age of 0 (just a baby) in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands.
Then another sister, Maria Catharina de Korne, was born on 4 Jan 1855 in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands. Maria became Mary DeKorn DeSmit when she married John DeSmit in Kalamazoo. They had seven or eight children.

The family immigrated to the United States in 1856, right after the birth of Maria. After locating in Holland, Michigan, they had one or two other girls. I found record of a daughter Adriana, born around 1859, and a daughter Jennie, born around 1861. Dutch genealogist Yvette Hoitink thinks they may be the same girl. She says, “Jennie is a common English version of Adriana. The nickname for Adriana in the Netherlands could have been ‘Sjaan’ or ‘Jaantje’, which sounds similar to Jennie. My own great-aunt Adriana has been called Jeanny since she moved to the US in 1948. So chances are that Jennie and Adriana are indeed the same person.” I suppose it is also possible that the first Adriana died and then Jennie was born and that her name could have been either Adriana or Geertruit or something else.

What I do know was told to me by my grandfather, Adrian Zuidweg. He said that Jennie DeKorn married John Culver, had children, and moved to Seattle.

Jennie DeKorn Culver

In the photo I think she does look a lot like Richard DeKorn, her brother, and like Boudewijn her father.

Richard (Dirk) DeKorn (brother of Jennie)

Boudewijn de Korne (father of Jennie)

I found the following information about her death in the Washington State Death Records.


Name:	Jennie Culver [Jennie DeKorn] [Jennie Dekoris]
Gender:	Female
Birth Date:	abt 1861
Death Date:	7 Apr 1947
Age at Death:	86
Death Location:	Fort Steilacoom, Pierce, Washington
Father:	Richard Dekoris
Mother:	Remyure
Record Source:	Washington State Death Records

These records are kind of a mess. Her maiden name was not Dekoris. And her father wasn’t Richard. And her mother’s maiden name wasn’t Remyure.

The Culver Children

I haven’t been able to find these people in the censuses or other documents, other than Jennie’s death certificate.

What websites should I check out? How can I find out more about Jennie and her family?

Posted in Genealogy | 35 Comments

35 Responses

on January 17, 2014 at 8:05 am | Reply Laura Aanenson

Your photos are positively gorgeous! How lucky you are to have them in your collection. But I digress… :o)

Is it possible to get a copy of Jennie’s death certificate? Have you checked newspapers for an obituary? Three errors in the index, hmm, I’d want to be certain I was following the right person.

Any idea what happened to her husband or children? They may lead you to more information about Jennie. A George Culver who died the same year is on Find A Grave in Pierce County.

Those FANS (friends, associates and neighbors) may help solve the mystery of Jennie.
- on January 17, 2014 at 11:23 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Thanks so much, Laura! Good ideas!
on January 17, 2014 at 8:52 am | Reply thegenealogygirl

Have you looked for an obit for Jennie? Love the photos. How did you get a photo of the Culver children?
- on January 17, 2014 at 11:24 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  My grandfather gave me these photos and told me who they were. He also told me that they moved to “Seattle.”
on January 17, 2014 at 9:02 am | Reply thegenealogygirl

Is this your Jennie:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQ8H-K1M
and here:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHFP-X9R
?
If so, maybe you could track down a record of the divorce proceeding.
- on January 17, 2014 at 11:25 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Yes, it is! Wow, a divorce! Thanks, GG!
on January 17, 2014 at 9:05 am | Reply thegenealogygirl

And this one:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSMP-SFK
this one:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K93Q-CPW
?
I didn’t look super closely because my crazy toddler is destroying my house. Good luck!
- on January 17, 2014 at 11:26 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  The plot thickens! This is exciting!
on January 17, 2014 at 9:32 am | Reply thegenealogygirl

Toddler is now playing with play-doh. 🙂
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XC3W-BQM
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQDB-C9Z
http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/BD1503C238A248D1B1B363595A77A30F
a stretch here:
http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/F923811D7CEEA46D494C4EDCA202DC1C
http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/9A7AEBAA92F41214AAB19AE71E31CE54
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZ3G-BQ7

I have got to stop now. I don’t want to but those dishes are calling…
on January 17, 2014 at 9:41 am | Reply thegenealogygirl

I found obits for Lela and Rhea. It looks like they had a half-sister as well. Do you have a Genealogy Bank Subscription?
- on January 17, 2014 at 11:29 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  My goodness, GG, this is exactly what I needed to get me around the wall! So maybe John died and then Jennie remarried and then had another child? I will be ON this trail. And, yes, I have one, and I thought I looked in there, but having the daughter’s names and these sources you’ve given me will help and I will do another search!
  - on January 17, 2014 at 11:35 am | Reply thegenealogygirl
    
    Glad to help, good luck!
on January 17, 2014 at 2:49 pm | Reply Genealogy Lady

Good luck on following your new leads from GG! Keep us posted. The picture of the children is precious. And I do see the resemblance between the other pictures. Their mouths look similar.
- on January 17, 2014 at 5:31 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Thanks, Deborah! I’m glad you said that so I know it’s not just my imagination!
on January 17, 2014 at 5:36 pm | Reply Genealogy Lady

The children also look like they could just walk out of that picture.
- on January 17, 2014 at 5:39 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  They are cuties!
on January 18, 2014 at 7:54 am | Reply KC Reid

I second all of what Laura said. In addition, you should check out city directories for the time period you think she was living in Seattle. Depending on the year and the publisher, they inluded the husband and his wife together in one entry, and when the children turned 18, they were included as their own entry, too. It’s a great way to fill in the in-between census years, and also to identify who was living in the same/different households. I’ve been able to identify separations even when there was no formal divorce with those. Since Seattle is a major city (assuming they were actually there), you may be in luck!

Also, do you know what religion they were or where they were buried? Contact the cemetery, and if you can find it, the funeral home to see if they have records for the family members. If they were buried in a church cemetery, then you can contact the church to see if they have records of your people.
on January 19, 2014 at 8:17 am | Reply Laura Hedgecock

Have you tried joining any of the LinkedIn genealogy groups. I do remember seeing several that specialized in USA/Dutch genealogy.

Great blog
Laura Hedgecock (fellow Michigander)
http://TreasureChestofMemories.com
on January 19, 2014 at 7:52 pm | Reply Sheryl

This may not be the best course to take, but when I hit a roadblock I tend ti set it aside–and more times than not I’ll happen across additional information within a month or two
- on January 20, 2014 at 3:24 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  I have done that myself, too. Isn’t it amazing?
on January 23, 2014 at 4:47 am | Reply gpcox

How about churches in the area?
- on January 23, 2014 at 8:31 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  That is one area of research that I haven’t even begun to touch, in part because i no longer live in the area and am not sure how to go about it. And then I don’t know much about it. You would think I would. Just before I went through all the family stories and photos with my grandparents many many years ago I had collected some records on the local Jewish history and had gotten records that were almost 100 years ago even then from a synagogue that had not been around for decades. So why wouldn’t I be able to get church records that might be easier to find? I always think that Catholic records are easier than Protestant, but maybe not. Thinking out loud here, gp, thanks for the idea!
  - on January 24, 2014 at 3:42 am | Reply gpcox
    
    Church records are considered as legal as government documents, so if you write to one church in the area, they might be able to tell you where archives are kept. Just a thought.
    - on January 26, 2014 at 12:27 pm currentdescendent
      
      Ah, I didn’t realize that! Thanks for the info!
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on April 27, 2014 at 8:22 am | Reply Joyce

I don’t have any information about the family, but I do happen to have a photo album with quite a few pictures. One is a picture with the wording “starting for Seattle” dated 1918. Most of the pics are 1917-1918. I’m telling you this because there are a few postcards addressed to Miss Rhea Culver-Kalamazoo and Mrs. Jennie Culver-Kalamazoo.

I’ve been wanting to find the family this album belongs to so I can give it to them. It does sound like your family and I think you would like to see them and maybe even know who they are.

I’ve had the album for many years, thank goodness for the internet I found these names.

If you would like the photos, please reply here and I will make arrangements to send it to you.
- on April 28, 2014 at 2:38 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Joyce,
  I emailed you as soon as I read this. I hope you received it? I would LOVE this album and will certainly reimburse you for your costs! I am so excited about it!!! Let me know if you got my email?
  Best,
  Luanne
  - on May 28, 2014 at 3:33 pm | Reply thegenealogygirl
    
    Did you get the album? So exciting!
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