The more I peer into the past, the more I feel like Pandora. In addition to discovering wonderful information about my ancestors, sometimes I discover sad, tragic, or even disturbing events.
For instance, I have found out more about the sentencing of my great-great-grandfather Johannes Zuijdweg (Zuidweg).
Unfortunately, what I discovered is not positive.
Here it is cropped a bit to make it easier (thanks for the idea, Amy!). His entry is the third down on both pages.
According to this document and the kind translators on Facebook, Johannes did serve two months in jail for theft, from July 15 to September 13, 1895. Imagine how Jennie felt. She had just lost her youngest child (of three) to a gruesome accident and now, a year later, her husband was serving time in jail. Everyone in their neighborhood and at their church must have known.
I don’t know if I will ever discover what was stolen or what the situation was, but I will always believe that the death of Lucas had something to do with it–given that death, the older age of Johannes, and his otherwise respectable history.
Remember for that last document when Johannes’ hair and eyebrows were translated as blond? The translation I received for this document for his looks is this way:
I can only read the enlarged part…. sex: male father: Adriaan mother: Johanna Maria Mulder nationality: Dutch civil status: married religion: reformed lower basic education: yes age (at inclusion) 52 behaviour (in institute (?) : good lenght: 1.64 m hair: greyish eyebrows: same (greyish) forehead : low eyes: grey nose: large mouth: ordinary chin: round beard: none face: oval complexion: healthy language spoken (literally: ordinary language) special features (?): none
“Greyish” hair and eyebrows!
I’ve sponsored Johannes’ memorial at Findagrave. You can find it here. I discovered that someone had posted an obituary for him on the site. Since the paper had apparently misspelled two names, I put a note explaining what the spelling should have been.
JOHANIUS ZUIDWEG. Following a long Illness, Johanius Zuidweg, aged 68, died at his home, 214 east Vine street, 9 o’clock last night. He came to this country from Holland nine years ago. He is survived by a widow, a daughter, Mrs. Marleilus Van Liere, and a son, Adrian Zuidweg, all of this city. The funeral will be held at the residence 1:30 o’clock Friday afternoon and from the Fourth Reformed church at 2 o’clock, the Rev. Mr. Frost officiating. The interment will be in Riverside cemetery. Kalamazoo Telegraph-Press May 17, 1911 (copied as written in paper)
Note:Johanius should be Johannes. Marleilus should be Marinus.
I was sorry to see that Johannes suffered a long illness before he passed away. 
However, when I look at the death certificate, his illness appears to have been 20 days. The cause of death was broncho pneumonia. I wonder if he had another illness that then turned into pneumonia.
The Family Kalamazoo 
Luanne, I understand the dilemma of finding unpleasant information. “sometimes I discover sad, tragic, or even disturbing events.” I’m sure you’ve heard about the Hatfields and McCoys. How would you like to fine both groups on your tree? I did.
Myra, wow! That is a famous family you have! And to have them both on your tree, what a sweet ending in a way to the tragic story of the feud. Have you ever read that section in Huck Finn about the feud that might have been based on that Hatfields and McCoys?
I do not remember that.
It’s an amazing section of the book. It seems to be a statement of sorts because it didn’t have to be in the book.
More like infamous! Interesting for certain.
Definitely infamous, but a real part of American history.
I can imagine!
Or maybe 20 days was considered long? Did it bother you that his widow was not named in the obit, just his children, as if she had no identify other than wife/widow? And I know how it feels to wonder about a criminal record and the underlying facts. So frustrating!
Survived by “a widow,” not even “his widow.” And, you’re right, no name. Very frustrating. I think Jennie might have been a strong lady, judging by my grandfather’s memories of her. She certainly should have been given an identity! Yes, it’s really frustrating not to know for sure what happened.
It’s like in the old (not that old) days when a wife would be known as Mrs. John Doe, not even her own first name. My mother always hated when someone referred to her as Mrs. John Cohen. I can’t blame her.
Yeah, that was awful! I can’t blame her either!
what frustrates me is finding a child listed without a name, among siblings.
Oh, that’s awful.
Re the 20 days. Maybe. I tend to think that if people think it’s a long illness, but less than a month, that the person must have been in awful pain.
That makes sense. Pain does make time feel heavier.
It does. To watch someone in pain like that makes it feel like forever.
I’m with you, Luanne. The crime was probably committed in a haze of grief. I have also discovered some disturbing things in my family tree and am still wrestling with how to.understand them.
Yes, that’s what I think. The death happened spring the year before and after the slow workings of the criminal system (even then) and that it was delayed because Johannes asked for clemency (in an earlier post), I think that it happened pretty close to the time of the death or maybe six months afterward. Sorry you’ve found things, too, Pancho!
If only we had a real physical time machine to go back and sit in on the past! I have a few of these stories too. They are the stories that make me want to dig deeper. Here’s to the sad, tragic but fascinating family stories that move us forward into the past with our research!
We are on the same wavelength. I’ve been planning my time machine in my head ;). Oh, you’re right that these stories do lead us on!!! Thanks for your positive take on it, Sharon!
This is a lovely article Luane. I discovered among many things, my Great Grandfather’s death had been extremely tragic, yet it has also taught me life had gone on and that the next generation, had nonethesless managed for the most part to come through. It has taught me, it is all very much bigger than me and who knows what the generations who follow us, will do out there in the world.
What a beautiful sentiment, that the future generations have the ability to do what they can with what the world has to offer. And there is no doubt that the two living children of Johannes did well and their children perhaps did even better!
Wasn’t the last thing which crawled out of Pandora’s box, hope?
I LOVE this!
it is hard to find information that is said and painful. We become so invested in our discoveries of our ancestors, we often grieve for them!
Well put. It really is a form of grieving.
I’ve discovered some “interesting” things in my family tree, but mostly it’s been a case of my mum embroidering the truth – or totally making up stuff.
Anyway, back in the days before antibiotics, pneumonia was the ultimate catch-all disease. Whatever you had, it usually turned into pneumonia at the end. Broken hip? Heart attack? Spend enough time in bed, and it turns to pneumonia. If your g-grandfather had some sort of lingering illness – kidney failure? – it would have gone to pneumonia. For some reason, cancer was often considered a disgrace, and was labeled something else. Again, pneumonia.
That was my thought about the pneumonia. That it was caused by another illness. Your mum must have been (is?) a great storyteller!
I don’t know if she made up this stuff, or if it was passed along to her. She told me some members of the family (chain migration, by gum!) were on a ship from Germany – The Ohm – that burned and sank in Baltimore’s harbor in the late 1800s. There were never any German ships by that name, and a search of old Baltimore newspaper didn’t show any reports of a ship burning, and sinking, with a good many lives lost. Back in the day, this would have been difficult or impossible to verify, but with computer searches, it was easy to debunk.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if somebody was to find information that confirmed at least part of that story?!
Sometimes we don’t find the story that we hope to find, yet somehow these flaws are a piece of what makes family history research compelling.
I’m glad that you found another piece of the story even if it brought more sorrow. I think your hunch that the theft was tied in some way to the death seems completely logical. I hope you get some answers!
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