I have been scanning the photographs and tintypes from a beautiful family album. Even if I already have the image, I am scanning because my scanner is set in .tif and my old images were scanned in .jpg. I much prefer to keep a copy in .tif (for quality preservation) and then also in .jpg (for ease of use).
An image I already had really bugged me as I scanned it. Where had I seen a face like hers before?
Remember the Ancestry tree with the photos of Jeanette Bosman Harter (from Part III)? The ones I wasn’t sure if I could post? I went to the tree those photos were on. Was it a hunch or a bit of memory or something more tangible? Maybe all three. The tangible part is that this photo says Goshen, Indiana, and the only photos I have from Goshen are Bosman photos.
And when I got to the tree, sure enough: I found an image of the lady from when she was sixteen-years-old.
Johanna REMINE Bosman, the mother of Jeanette Bosman Harter (and John, Gerritt, and Cornelius, as well as others who died in childhood) and sister of Richard Remine and Jennie Remine. Richard is the father of Therese Remine who owned Ramona Park and Ramona Palace. He is also the father of Genevieve Tazelaar and Harold Remine (I’ve written posts about these people).
According to the information I had there were three Remine children: Adriana born 1855 (Johanna can be a nickname for Adriana), Richard born 1857, and Jennie born 1860. It’s been confusing, and Jennie can also be a nickname for Adriana. Johanna’s paternal grandmother’s name was Adriana, so this fits the Dutch naming tradition. Adriana was born in Kapelle, but Richard and Jennie in Kalamazoo.
But the owner of the other tree pointed out to me that Johanna had an entry on Findagrave, and that her birthdate was listed as 1857, not 1855. In fact, when I looked more carefully at the headstone I saw the whole birthdate.
10 May 1857. WHOA!!! That’s Richard Remine’s birthdate!
Now it seems that it’s likely that Adriana actually died sometime between the family leaving the Netherlands and a somewhat later date. And, instead, Johanna might be Richard’s twin! That could be why they share a birthday. And Johanna was probably named for her maternal grandmother, Janna (or Johanna).
Although I have not been able to find a death record for Adriana or a birth record for Johanna and Richard, there is one clue I have been holding without realizing it, a clue that indicates Adriana must have died.
When my grandfather identified the photo of Johanna and Richard’s younger sister, Jennie Remine (who became Mrs. Carlo Meyer), he called her ADRIANA (JENNIE) REMINE!!! Since Jennie was born in 1860, the first Adriana must have died beween their immigration and 1860.
I will be happy when I find an actual formal document of either Adriana #1’s death or Johanna’s birth,* but I feel fairly confident that she was Richard’s twin. So far there is no proof that twins run in these families, and fraternal twins are considered to be hereditary. However, my father was a fraternal twin, and I have not seen it in his family.
Many thanks to Adri Van Gessel and Nancy Rupp for the work behind this blog post.
*Not sure how to find these records from the 1850s as the Kalamazoo records don’t seem to go back that far online. Maybe it has to be done in person!
The Family Kalamazoo 
Really enjoyed your post! It made me think about twins and what it might have been like back then….years ago…to be a twin. Must research the folk lore behind twins or triplets even and more multiples. I am wondering how it was viewed. I love the pictures – they truly are wonderfully preserved!
Thank you, Sharon! I do wonder what it was like for twins in those days, maybe in particular fraternal twins where one is female and one male as in this case. The differences in upbringing for the genders must have been particularly poignant when the children were twins. And of course they wouldn’t have been dressed alike, but would 2 girls or 2 boys? I hope you post your findings! Thank you re the photos. I’ve been finding some real treasures in that album, but of course each photo requires a lot of analysis. I wanted to tell you that I am holding off on really beginning the Ukrainian search until I get photos of hubby’s grandparents’ headstones from Montefiore Cemetery in NYC. Findagrave has not been helpful, but a cousin is going to go there this fall and take photos (apparently that cemetery is always busy as Rabbi Menachem Schneerson is there). After we see those (hopefully the writing will still be easy to read since they will be in Hebrew) we will slowly get started.
Hi Luanne- I have had no problem at all in getting pictures from Montefiore, in fact I just sent away for 2 photos from them a few days ago. They charge $10 a photo. If you call they will look up the block and row number for you if you can’t find it on their search look up thingy on the net. I have the address to send to if you need it. Don’t know when your cousin is going but this could be faster. Hope that helps 🙂
Oh WOW! Thank you! I will try this! Yes, much faster and easier.
Now for those two photos, I have no doubt that they are the same person. Wow! But Johanna as a nickname for Adriana—that is news to me. Since it sounds like they were not the same person, however, I am glad you don’t have to rely on that nickname theory. Good luck finding the missing clues!
There was no question in my mind if they were the same person. I felt that I knew her face and that that was the same person! Adri Van Gessel explained to me at one time the Dutch system of nicknames and these are some of the most astonishing, but there are others. So I guess it’s not a theory, but a Dutch custom. But if I had taken into account that when we know the # of children, we never REALLY know the # of children, I would have stayed more open to a new interpretation!
Like I said, that was new to me. Always something new and quirky in the naming customs!
I know! When I was a kid I was mystified why some people named Margaret were called Peg.
You should be a detective. Hey, wait! You ARE.
How exciting Luanne! I hope you find more to help you prove (or disprove) your theories. 🙂