Additions and corrections can be sent to ahofstee@sympatico.ca
Updated to January 29, 2013
The van der Duim Family
The van der Duim family is closely associated with the peat (turf) industry in Friesland. In any history of the peat industry of Friesland you are likely to find a reference to the van der Duim family. The family was probably Doopsgezind (Mennonite) in origin but by 1784 the earliest known forebear, Jan Hendriks, married in the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk in Drachten. On
29 February 1784 after three consecutive proclamations and with attestation from de Rottevalle, Jan Hendriks from de Rottevalle and Hiltje Jans in de Zuid Dragten were married. When Jan Hendriks van der Duim died on 25 July 1824 in Terwispel, he was 63 years of age and supposedly born in Drachten. I have not been able to find any sign of him in Drachten or in de Rottevalle. The names of his parents were unknown to the persons who declared his death. According to a recent source Jan Hendriks was the son of Hindrik Jelkes and Froukje Hinnes. Jan
was a labourer. His wife, Hiltje Jans Held, was christened on 21 October 1764 in Drachten, daughter of Jan Rutgers and Hendrikje Oenes (alias Annes). Hiltje died on 23 March 1848 in Ter Idzard, Weststellingwerf. In 1812 the family apparently took on the name Duimke in Zuid-Drachten. Why and when it changed to van der Duim I don't know. From Henny van der Duim I received the following story about the origin of the name Duimke. According to family legends Jan Hendriks Duimke (van der Duim) was a birdcatcher. The birds that he caught were
'winterkoninkjes' (wrens) and the Friesian word for 'winterkoninkjes' is 'tumke' (or Duimke). It is not known why he caught these birds. This story was passed from father to son, etc. Recent information has given a marriage date of 14 December 1760 in Drachten for Hindrik Jelkes and Froukje Hinnes.
children:
1. Metje, b. Noorderdrachten 3 March 1785. She was christened in Drachten on
3 April 1785. She married on 29 January 1820 with Bartle Wigles Terpstra from
Oldeboorn.
2. Hendrik, b. Noorderdrachten 15 November 1787. He was christened in Drachten
on 23 November 1787. He died 8 April 1851 in Oldeholtpade. He married on
10 October 1812 in Langezwaag with Tjitske Jippers Visser, b. Veenwouden
6 November 1793, d. Luxwoude 6 March 1866
children:
1. Hiltje, b. Langezwaag 3 September 1813, d. Opsterland 27 May 1884, m.
Steenwijkerwold 22 September 1836 Hendrik Alberts Veenstra. c. Wolvega
1 August 1802, d. Opsterland 5 January 1866
2. Jippe, b. Langezwaag 30 November 1815, d. 3 May 1821
3. Sytske, b. Langezwaag 10 July 1818, d. 7 March 1819
4. Jan, b. Langezwaag 10 September 1820, d. Weststellingwerf 23 March 1910,
m. 12 March 1851 Grietje Jans de Groot, b. 30 April 1812, d. 19 January
1890
children:
1. Tjitske, b. Weststellingwerf 24 November 1851, m. 11 March 1871 Koop
Smink
2. Jantje, b. Weststellingwerf 30 March 1854
3. Jan, b. Weststellingwerf 3 September 1860
5. Sytske, b. Langezwaag 30 August 1823, d. Opsterland 11 February 1892,
m. Weststellingwerf 28 December 1844 Sibbele Jans de Groot, b.
Weststellingwerf 12 April 1821
6. Jippe, b. Steenwijkerwold 4 May 1826
7. Metje, b. Steenwijkerwold 14 September 1828, d. Leeuwarden 17 April 1864,
m. Weststellingwerf 2 October 1851 Sjoerd Jans Akkerman, b. Luxwolde
1 February 1824
8. Dirkje, b. Steenwijkerwold 12 August 1832, d. there 25 October 1833
9. Dirkje, b. Steenwijkerwold 29 November 1834, d. Tijnje 20 December 1914,
m. Weststellingwerf 20 May 1859 Hendrik Fredriks Simons, b. Aengwirden
27 January 1825, d. Opsterland 9 June 1902
3. Klaaske, b. Noorderdrachten 7 August 1790. She was christened in Drachten
on 17 October 1790. She died 14 May 1838 in Opsterland. She married on
22 November 1820 with Tjeerd Harmens de Jong.
4. Jan, b. Noorderdrachten 11 May 1795.
5. Jelke. According to his military registration he
was born 10 September 1798 in Weststellingwerf.
6. Jitske (Tjitske), b. Terwispel 14 October 1801. She married Gerrit Martens
Mulder in Aengwirden on 5 June 1825.
7. Durk, b. Zuiderdrachten 2 February 1806. He was
christened in Drachten on 9 April 1806
Jippe(Jeppe) was born in Steenwijkerwold on 4 May 1826 and died in Beets, Opsterland on 28 December 1912. On 23 October 1852 he married in Wolvega with Akke Sytzes de Valk, b. Luxwoude 8 January 1831, died Beets
1 February 1913.
children:
1. Hendrik, b. Oldeholtwolde, Weststellingwerf 29 September 1853, he died in
Beets on 2 March 1931. He married in Beetsterzwaag 9 March 1877 with Antje
Zwart. Antje was born on 19 August 1855 in Ter Idzard, Weststellingwerf
and died Nij Beets on 13 December 1940
children:
1. Jippe, b. Beets 11 December 1877, d. Emmen, Drenthe 5 July 1959. He
married in Opsterland 27 April 1900 with Sjouke Hoen
children:
1. Hendrik, b. Beets 7 April 1901, d. Beets 4 September 1917
2. Geesje, b. Beets 3 August 1903, d. 27 May 1931, m. Gerrit Postma
3. Antje, b. Opsterland 25 May 1906
4. Luite, b. Opsterland 24 May 1908
5. Hendrika, b. Opsterland 22 August 1918, m. Borger, Groningen 15 May
1942 Albert Huizing
2. Auke, b. Beets 2 August 1880, d. 12 March 1888
3. Sietse, b. Beets 27 May 1883, d. Beets 16 Jul 1901
4. Hessel, b. Beets 19 November 1886, d. Joure 12 January 1975, buried
Oldeboorn 16 January 1975. He married in Beetsterzwaag on 28 November
1913 with Maria Meijer, b. Terwispel 3 April 1890, d. Oldeboorn
30 October 1969, buried there 3 November 1969
children:
1. Hendrik, b. Oldeboorn 17 October 1914, d. Strathroy, Ontario
9 December 2006. He married in Assen on 4 May 1939 with Grietje
Hazeveld, b. Wyster Beilen 27 April 1915, d. Strathroy 12 December
2012.
children:
1. Hessel, b. Noordwolde 9 December 1939, d. there 13 February 1940
2. Ida, b. Oldeboorn 22 June 1921, m. Chatham, Ontario 23 June 1962
Larry Gene Traxler, b. Dresden 7 February 1942
3. Hessel Hendrick, b. Oldeboorn 27 August 1946, m. 23 December 1967
Barbera Vardy. He married in Kitchener, Ontario on 28 March 1987
with Judith Karen Zappe, b. Toronto 3 March 1956
children with Barbera:
1. Aaron Chadwick, b. Owen Sound, Ontario 1 February 1976
2. Adam Krispijn, b. Owen Sound 1 February 1978
children with Judy:
1. Karin Elizabeth, b. Owen Sound 20 May 1990
2. Erik Matthew, b. Owen Sound 12 August 1993
2. Hinke, b. Oldeboorn 24 December 1916, d. St. Thomas 12 October 2011.
She married in Wolvega on 22 June 1940 with Douwe Neef, b. Mildam
22 May 1915, d. St. Thomas 14 September 1999.
children:
1. Hans, b. Oldeboorn 26 July 1941
2. Maria Hinke, b. Oldeboorn 28 October 1942
3. Aaltje (Alice), b. Oldeboorn 24 February 1945
4. Anna Maria, b. Oldeboorn 11 June 1951
3. Binnert, b. Oldeboorn 28 February 1919, d. Waterloo, Ontario
15 August 2002. He married in Amsterdam on 30 May 1951 with
Cornelia Popta, b. Oudega, Wymbritseradeel 14 November 1917, d.
Abbotsford, British Columbia 30 May 1988. He married for the second
time in Vernon, B.C. on 20 October 1990 with Saakje (sandra) van der
Zee
child with Cornelia:
1. Johanna Maria, b. Amsterdam 18 October 1952. She married in
Edmonton, Alberta on 29 December 1977 with Klaas Mirandus
Kooistra, b. Hengelo 17 October 1949.
children:
1. Remkes Bernard, b. Prince George, B.C. 9 October 1980
2. Rhys Jonathan, b. Prince George 30 October 1982
4. Anna Maria, b. Oldeboorn 27 May 1922, d. Capelle aan den Ijssel
1 February 2010. She married in Steenwijk on 26 August 1948 with
Jan Visscher, b. Capelle a/d Ijssel 31 August 1919, d. there
10 February 1968
children:
1. Hendrik, b. Steenwijk 17 April 1949
2. Maria Anna, b. Steenwijk 22 July 1953
3. Hessel, b. Steenwijk 17 November 1955
5. Auke, b. Beets 31 May 1890, d. there 27 August 1910
6. Willem, b. Beets 26 December 26 December 1892, d. 25 September 1961,
m. Sneek 27 November 1915 Wilhelmina Verbeek, b. Heeg 5 December 1891,
m. (2) Nunspeet 3 August 1939 with Johanna Carolina van den Brink,
b. 4 April 1896
children with Wilhelmina:
1. Hendrik, b. Sneek 4 April 1917, d. 9 June 2000, m. H. Hattem
child:
1. Vincent Rene, b. 15 December 1953
2. Rinske, b. 's-Gravenhage 22 December 1918, d. 13 December 1931
3. Pieter, b. 's-Gravenhage 14 August 1920, m. 17 February 1948 A.M.
Rink (lives Bowmanville, Ontario)
4. Sietze Auke, b. Ambt Vollenhoven 5 October 1930
7. Foekje, b. Beets 15 December 1895, d. Opsterland 23 February 1982, m.
Opsterland 3 April 1919 with Ate Jeeninga, b. Opsterland 28 July 1889,
d. Opsterland 22 August 1961
2. Gaaitske, b. Oldeholtwolde 6 December 1855, d. Schoonoord, Sleen 14 July
1942, m. Sleen 21 October 1876 Jan Luites Krikke, b. Aengwirden
4 December 1853
3. Sytze, b. Oldeholtwolde 16 August 1858, d. Leeuwarden 27 January 1951,
m. Leeuwarden 14 April 1888 Minke Ploeg, b. Smallingerland 11 March 1869
children:
1. Jippe, b. Leeuwarden 5 October 1888, d. 13 April 1956
2. Aaltje, b. Leeuwarden 4 December 1890, m. Opsterland 6 May 1920 Jelke
Bijstra
3. Wobbina, b. Leeuwarden 26 April 1896, d. 26 May 1969, m. Leeuwarden
26 July 1921 Willem Frederik Jilderda, b. Leeuwarden 2 October 1892
4. Hendrik, b. Leeuwarden 21 December 1898, d. 10 March 1954
5. Sietske, b. Leeuwarden 11 June 1901
6. Wimke, b. Leeuwarden 23 September 1904
7. Charlotte Elisabeth, b. Leeuwarden 16 January 1907, m. 21 August 1929
D. Stobbe
8. Balthasar, b. Leeuwarden 2 November 1915, d. 4 September 2001, m.
29 March 1952 D. Poorte
children:
1. Sytze
2. Simon
4. Jan, b. Ter Idzard 31 August 1860, d. there 5 June 1861
5. Tjitske, b. Terwispel 13 May 1862
6. Hendrikje, b. Terwispel 8 March 1865, d. Bloemendaal (NH) 1 January 1939,
m. Leeuwarden 30 April 1887 Klaas Ales Meester, b. Luijnjeberd 30 November
1860
7. Jan, b. Katlijk 4 April 1868, d. Opsterland 25 February 1870
8. Hiltje, b. Beets 9 February 1870, d. 21 October 1945, m. Amsterdam
14 February 1894 with Gerrit de Jong, b. Lemsterland 21 February 1871,
d. Amsterdam 29 June 1931
9. Wimke, b. Beets 19 December 1872, d. 2 August 1945, m. Opsterland
14 March 1912 with Harmen Drost