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A photo of Jan Hofman taken shortly after arriving on the East Coast (aka "just de boat off"). He immigrated with his good friend Gerrit Vander Tuuk at the age of 22 years (note: Gerrit is recorded as Gerard Vander Tunk on the Ellis Island website). Also accompanying the two friends was acquaintance Willem Goudberg who later became a misssionary in the Southwest and translated parts of the Bible into the Indian language. All three boys are listed one after the other on the ship's manifest. Jan wrote to his younger brother Kees in a letter dated 28 May 1909, "now I'm here in America...We've been rather lucky because we heard of work directly upon coming. We were worked first on the coal ships for two days...and then our short-lived boss got us other work for two days and that was on the streets. Then we had to dig in the ground sometimes 8 feet deep. Now that wasn't much better work. Then it was Saturday evening and we were free...Then the following Monday we went along the row of factories. We went to 20 factories, but there was no where any work and so we walked until noon until we finally came to a pickle factory...and there we could work every day beginning at $1.50 per day and there we are still working." --translated by Joanie Rosema, from the original Dutch. (Coincidentally, two generations later, Ellen Van't Hof also worked in a pickle factory albeit in Holland, MI. It's a small, small Dutch world.) click here to read the entire letter and six more Jan Hofman At Work Jan Hofman's Meat Market The Hoorn Family Jennie and Fannie The Hofman Family Misc. Hofman Family Portrait The Hofman Brothers Jan Hoorn's Bookstore Mickie The Riveter |
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Jan left the city of Rotterdam, date unknown, with Gerrit Vander Tuuk on the SS Noordam. They arrived at Ellis Island on 7 April 1909. According to the ship's manifest, both boys declared they possessed $10 each, they were neither "polygamists", nor "anarchists" (phew!), they were "in good mental and physical condition with no discernable deformities", Jan was 5'6", Gerrit was 5'7", both had fair complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair, both had paid their own way, and both were joining the same friend, M. Kooistra at 230 South Diamond Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Additionally, they were both second cabin passengers (no steerage for Hofmans, thank you very much!). |
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