I was contacted by a French cousin through Find-a-Grave. She is related to me through my paternal grandfather. Our lines are not only in France (via Alsace), but the Bouverat line goes back to Switzerland. I’ll be coordinating her research with mine. Now that I realize some of the French lines veer off into Switzerland, it might explain why some of the records have been unfindable in the French (Alsace) archives. In the meantime . . . .
If you want to skip the catch-up section and skip to my new information about Marjorie, please go down to the three asterisks.
It’s been a long time since I worked on my maternal family history, so I felt the need to take a step back and look at a larger view. This is my maternal pedigree–at least four generations of the family: grandparents, great-grandparents, great-greats, and 3x greats. When you look at this pedigree, the people on the right column are my 3x great-grandparents, and the portraits in my Ancestry account for them are pulled from paintings of individuals from the same time period and region, except that the portrait of Boudewijn deKorne is actually a photo of him. When I see that I have an actual photograph of every single great-great-grandparent on my maternal side I realize how extremely lucky I am (middle or second to right column). I really sympathize with people who do not even have photos of their grandparents.
I am going to extract places of birth and death in order to have it all on one page, so to speak.
GRANDPARENTS
Adrian Zuidweg was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1908), and died just a few miles away in Portage, Michigan (2000).
Lucille Edna Mulder was born in Caledonia, Michigan (1912) and died just a few miles away in Portage, Michigan (2000).
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
Adrian Zuidweg was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1871) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1929).
Cora DeKorn was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1875) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1932).
Charles Peter Mulder was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1885) and died in Caledonia, Michigan (1967).
Clara Waldeck was born in Caledonia, Michigan (1884) and died in Caledonia, Michigan (1953).
Before I go on, please note that both my great-grandfathers on my mother’s side were born in Goes. Both great-grandmothers on my mother’s side were born in the United States. The only real difference is that whereas three of these people were of Dutch heritage, Clara was born to parents from what I now know is northern Pomerania (part of Prussia, on the Baltic Sea). Adrian was the oldest, born in 1871. Charles was the youngest, born in 1885.
GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
Johannes Zuidweg was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1842) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1911).
Jennegien Bomhoff was born in Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands (1838) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1924).
Richard DeKorn was born in Kapelle, Zeeland, Netherlands (1851) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1930).
Alice Paak was born in Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (1852) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1908).
Pieter P Mulder was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1865) and died in Grand Rapids, Michigan (1953).
Neeltje Gorsse was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1868) and died in Grand Rapids, Michigan (1932).
Gottfried Waldeck was born in Prussia (most likely northern Pomerania) (1841) and died in Caledonia, Michigan (1913).
Alwine Noffke was born in Schwetzkow, Pomerania, Prussia (1846) and died in Caledonia, Michigan (1912).
A few notes: The oldest was Jennie Bomhoff Zuidweg, born in 1838, but her husband Johannes and Gottfried Waldeck were close in age. Goes, where Johannes, Peter, and Nellie were born, is less than five miles from Kapelle, where Richard was born. Peter died the same year as his daughter-in-law Clara. Grandpa’s relatives settled in Kalamazoo and Grandma’s in Kent County.
3X GREAT GRANDPARENTS
Adriaan Zuijdweg was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1805) and died in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1851).
Johanna Mulder was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1807) and died in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1878).
Lukas Bomhof was born in Windesheim, Zwollerkerspel, Overijssel (1788) and died in Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands (1847).
Jeuntien Dansser was born in Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands (1806) and died in Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands (1842).
Boudewijn deKorne was born in Kapelle, Zeeland, Netherlands (1816) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1875).
Johanna Reminjse was born in Kapelle, Zeeland, Netherlands (1817) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1864).
Teunis Peek (Paak) was born in Everdingen, Vianen, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (1822) and died in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1893).
Jacoba Bassa was born in Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (1824) and died in Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (1865).
Karel Pieter Philippe Mulder was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1837) and died in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1881).
Johanna Maria Boes was born in IJzendijke, Oostburg, Zeeland, Netherlands (1835) and died in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1867).
Jan Gorsse was born in Goes,Zeeland, Netherlands (1840) and died in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1911).
Kornelia Hijman was born in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1840) and died in Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands (1909).
Adolf Waldeck BRICK WALL
Mrs. Waldeck BRICK WALL
Ludwig Noffke was born in approximately 1820 in Prussia, possibly Pomerania. In the United States he went by the name Louis. He died before 1897 in Caledonia, Kent County, Michigan. His grave is at the Lakeside Cemetery in Caledonia. He is very close to being a BRICK WALL.
Dora (Dorothea?) Kusch was born around 1825 in Prussia, possibly Pomerania. I cannot find record of her death OR her grave at the cemetery with her husband. Could she have gone back home and died there? I don’t know. She’s a BRICK WALL.
For everyone listed here except the brick walls, I have the majority of main documents. Therefore areas of future research include:
- father’s maternal lines
- father’s paternal lines
- mother’s brick walls–after Ancestry directed me to north Pomerania for these people I can focus in that area, but it’s a difficult area. I have been in contact with a genealogist who specializes in this area, and he told me that many of the Pomeranian records were destroyed after WWII. And what is left is not in a central location, but very spread out. It might not be possible to break through this brick wall.
- mother’s ancestor’s sibling info–to clarify, I already went through my grandmother’s siblings, and my grandfather had no siblings. So the next step would be to look more thoroughly at my great-grandparents siblings, which to a certain degree I have already done but could do more systematically. After that, I could do the same for great-greats, etc. However, I think items 1-3 would be more important.
I’ve really tried with the brick walls, but now that I have the Ancestry DNA confirming that these Prussian ancestors were from Pomerania, it seems that it should narrow things down a bit. I’ve tried some websites that were suggested to me, but I think I’m at a point I probably need help with these Pomeranians as I have found nothing. Unfortunately, Waldeck appears to be a very common name, so I might have more luck with the Noffke branch eventually.
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Several years ago I wrote about my great-great grandfather Richard DeKorn’s step-grandson, David Owens. Richard DeKorn’s Step-Grandson. I recently heard from someone who knew David later in life–as well as his mother, Marjorie/Marge Sootsman Owens, one of Richard’s two stepdaughters. She gave me this photograph of Marjorie with a mural she painted behind her, as well as an article about Marjorie.
This article, published in 1937, is a profile feature about Marjorie, Director of Occupational Therapy at Maybury Sanitorium, a TB hospital in Northville, Michigan. Clearly she loved reading, especially poetry, and animals. I’m sure I would have liked her a lot!!! I found an old photo of the place where she worked.
The Family Kalamazoo 