The decendants of Hendrik from Schoterland (in Friesland) were not particularly rich people. In fact, in the 19th century they lived in pretty poor conditions. Some of our family members left their home country, to seek better luck. Around 1795, Lieuwe Brugs (de Vries) left Friesland from Amsterdam. This you might call some sort of emigration. Friesland and Amsterdam were a world apart at that time. Others took an even bigger step and moved to America, like many others did at that time. On this page you can read two stories of emigrants in our family, which I received from their descendants, who still live in the USA. If you are too related to these people, write me an e-mail.
Family Idsinga to Utah in 1901
The family Idsinga lived in Oudeschoot, a small village in the South of the Dutch province, Friesland. (Read about the Idsinga genealogy). They must have had a hard time. Hendrik Brugts Idsinga (26-12-1841 - 5-4-1893) lost his first two children (a twin) when they were still very young. His first wife, Margje Brak, died giving birth to her son Markus. Hendrik remarried in 1880 with Iebeltje de Haan. She had also lost her previous partner. She was married before with Hendrik Jans Meibos and had two children with him, called Jan (John) and Jansje (Janie). Iebeltje and Hendrik Idsinga got three childern, Brugt (Bert), Iebele (Emile) and Sietske (Saddy).
In 1893, however, Hendrik Idsinga died, leaving his wife, his children and stepchildren behind. The Idsinga had always been religious and they were members of the Dutch Reformed Church. At the end of the 19th century, the new Church of the Later Day Saints from Utah, was doing missionary work in Friesland. Many poor Frisians were attracted to this new religion and to the promish of a new and better life in America. Iebeltje Idsinga-De Haan, was converted, and together with her family, she moved to Utah in 1901.
Also joined The sister of Iebeltje, and her husband Kerst Jans Meibos and Hendriks cousin Trijntje Idzinga en Johannes Wagenmakers. Many people from Friesland settled in Ogden in Weber County, close to Salt Lake City founded by the Mormons. Hendrik Idsingas oldest son, Markus, remained in Friesland, but Iebeltje took her five children with her Jan (John) and Jansje (Janie) Meibos and Brugt (Bert), Iebele (Emile) and Sietske (Saddy). In America many of the difficult Frisian names were changed to English equivalents. The name Idsinga was spelled as Edsinga. The first years in the US must have been hard too. Already in 1902, Brugt Bert Edsinga died, from the complications of a broken leg, which they tried to amputate. But the other children all married and had big families. The Edsinga and Meibos families are still living in the USA, not only in Utah, but also in California, Texas en Washington.
Hermanus de Vries to the US around 1870
Although they do not had the same familyname, Hermanus de Vries was related to Hendrik Brugt Idsinga. Their grandfathers were brothers. (Read about the De Vries family history).. ). Hermanus de Vries was born on 3-7-1848 in Amsterdam, as oldest son of Harmanus de Vries (Amsterdam 21-10-1819 - 10-6-1882) and Hendrica Antonetta Rijkerwaard (Amsterdam 15-8-1820 - 21-5-1879). His father was a day labourer and not very rich, his mother worked in a shop. He had two brothers and a sister, but only his brother Christiaan survived the hard live in Amsterdam and married, the others died young. Hermanus was not found in any town registration, except for his birth record in Amsterdam. He vanished and it was always expected he left the country.
Recently I obtained the story of Hermanus de Vries, born in Amsterdam in 1848 who came to the USA around 1880. According to one of his descendants, Hermanus de Vries was a Dutch sailor who 'jumped ship' in Connecticut in around 1870. It means he did not came as an emigrant but worked on a ship and decided to stay. The story goes in the family that he was in some sort of trouble in Amsterdam and he left as a sailor and never returned to his home country again.
His life in the US was not without any problems. After his arrival in America, he worked for the railroad company in Connecticut (and Rode Island). He married Rosanna O'Brien in New Haven, Connecticut on November 9th 1874. But Hermanus died, in a train accident on October 26th 1882.
According to one of his descendants their is a newspaper article about this accidents, which reports that he left his wife and two children, called: Catherine and Annetta Anika Rosanna DeVries.
His second daughter Annetta was born July 9th 1879 in New Haven, no record is know about his first daughter and their is some confusion if their might be more children.
Sometime after her father's death she was placed in an orphanage and finally was taken in by a minister's family as a domestic helper. Her mother, Rosanna O`Brein died when she was about 12 or 13, supposedly from a fire (in 1892 or so). It is told that my she was in the hospital having her eye removed due to some disease when her mother was brought into the hospital from the fire. She saw her and spoke with her before she died and apparently was told that she had a younger brother Harry.
It was assumed that her mother must have been pregnant at the time the father died but it has since been found that the child was apparently by another woman who apparently lived in the same apartment building. Hence, Hermanus de Vries had a son, with another woman. His name was Harry (DeVries, or did he have the name of his mother). Anetta De Vries married, but not much is know about the descendants of Harry and his.
Pieter (Peter) de Vries was a cousin of the above Hermanus de Vries. He also has the same name as ME!. Peter was born in Amsterdam as son of Willem de Vries en Henrietta Neuhaus. In 1901 he decided to move to the United States, he was 17 years old at that time! His parents were not too poor and the reason for his emigration might have been just for excitement. He lived the rest of his live in New York, first on Staten Island, later in Brooklin where he died in 1948. Peter de Vries married in 1905 with a woman named Loretta and they got three childeren: George, Peter and Henrietta. When his first wife died he send his childern to Holland to live with his parents for a while. Later he married a second time (name unknown) and got a daughter called Grace. After the early death of his second wife he married with Catherine Sheridan and they got three daughters: Katharine, Anna Barabara and Wilhelmina (too sons died at a very young age)
The sister of Peter de Vries: Susanna Henrietta de Vries came also to the US and lived with her brother, she got married too but returned later to Holland. Around 1930 it is said that she came back to New York agian.
