US census search

[ozgirl]

Dirk Adrianus Schuurman, b 1878 in Bleiswijk, Netherlands went to US in 1914. I have his travel details, and WWI and WWII registration cards, but cannot find him on any census, or any death reg. Can anyone find this elusive man?

Thanks

[stevefraseruk]

WW2 registration card has his address as Falmouth, Virginia

[stevefraseruk]

Also found this

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=angs-c&gsfn=Dirk+Adrianus&gsln=Schuurman&msbdy=1878&msbpn__ftp=Bleiswijk%2c+Netherlands&cpxt=1&uidh=ii2&cp=0&pcat=40&h=7075515&recoff=3+5&db=USnatindex_awap&indiv=1&ml_rpos=5

U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1919.jpg

[susan h]

Is this him ozgirl? http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...iv=1&ml_rpos=2

*edited to add: probably not as that chap was born Wisconsin. I'll try again. Do you have any further info - wife's name or children?

[susan h]

This could be him arrived in NY 23 Jan 1920, born 1879 bleiswijk. http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/74...l=ReturnRecord

[ozgirl]

Hi Steve and thanks- Yes, that is him in both counts, but I can't find any more trace of him in Falmouth, Virginia. The second image you have found, I think is from Washington State. The person underneath him is his younger brother, who settled in King, Washington. (I have A P Schuurman in the 1930 and 1940 censuses, with wife and family, but Dirk is not with them). On the WWII reg. card he gives a contact name of L Verberg in Falmouth, but he is not with them in 1940.

Thanks also Susan - his wife died in 1905, and his only child, a daughter had already married so she stayed in Holland. I think he went back to visit her at least once (in 1920). According to the 1920 immigration record he says he lives in Thomas, Washington. So far I can't find him in the 1920 census there! I don't think he remarried once in the US.

[Karamazov]

This could be him arrived in NY 23 Jan 1920, born 1879 bleiswijk. http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/74...l=ReturnRecord

If this is him, which looks likely, it would account for you not being able to find him in the 1920 US census, which started on 5 Jan 1920.
Christine

[ozgirl]

Silly me - I meant to check when the 1920 US census took place. I knew the 1910, 1930 and 1940 had been in April and thought that it would be roughly the same time. Thanks Christine.

[Karamazov]

Silly me - I meant to check when the 1920 US census took place. I knew the 1910, 1930 and 1940 had been in April and thought that it would be roughly the same time. Thanks Christine.

I always forget which US Censuses didn't take place around April too and always have to double check. it doesn't minimise the frustration at not being able to find him in 1930 or 1940 though.
Incidentally, did you look at the 2nd page of his WW2 draft record (image 2718 of 6444) - poor chap, 64 years old, gray, with no teeth and he's still eligible for the draft...

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1002/VA-2370523-2723/1460033?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dWWIIdraft%26h%3d1460033%26indiv%3dtry%26o_vc%3dRecord%253aOtherRecord%26rhSource%3d1629&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord#?imageId=VA-2370523-2724

Christine

[ozgirl]

No, I missed that 2nd page - he does sound a bit underloved doesn't he. I have managed to find that his daughter and her husband emigrated to South Africa in 1936. I wonder now whether after the war he joined them, but can't find any evidence of that yet.

I'm quite often surprised at the age of men in the WW2 draft.

[susan h]

Do you know who the Verberg's are and if so know what initial L stands for, also have you searched for them on census returns?

[ozgirl]

I think the Verbergs are on this census page in Falmouth, virginia, transcribed as Vinbury.

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/24...l=ReturnRecord

Have no idea who they are, the only link I can see at the moment is that they are also Dutch. Can't see them on any other census at the moment

[Karamazov]

Do you know who the Verberg's are and if so know what initial L stands for, also have you searched for them on census returns?

Mr L Verberg was his employer at Brown's Auto Court, Falmouth, Stafford, Virginia, according to his ww2 draft record

http://interactive.ancestry.com/1002/VA-2370523-2723/1460033?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dWWIIdraft%26h%3d1460033%26indiv%3dtry%26o_vc%3dRecord%253aOtherRecord%26rhSource%3d6482&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

Christine

[ozgirl]

Ooh - look at this

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/62...l=ReturnRecord

Lambertus Verberg and family in California in 1930, and boarding with them is Richard Schumman! I think Dirk was made into Richard (Dirk - Dick - Richard)) and Schuurman obviously mistranscribed. Age and occupation match with previous records!

[susan h]

Oh yes, has to be him all info matches including arrival in US 1914. Well done, ozgirl. I had looked for him under Dick but never thought to look for Richard!

[ozgirl]

Found a lot for Lambertus Verburg in Fredericksville, Virginia. There was I thinking that Brown's Auto Court was a car dealership and it was a hotel!

[nicoh]

Hi Steve and thanks- Yes, that is him in both counts, but I can't find any more trace of him in Falmouth, Virginia. The second image you have found, I think is from Washington State. The person underneath him is his younger brother, who settled in King, Washington. (I have A P Schuurman in the 1930 and 1940 censuses, with wife and family, but Dirk is not with them). On the WWII reg. card he gives a contact name of L Verberg in Falmouth, but he is not with them in 1940.

Thanks also Susan - his wife died in 1905, and his only child, a daughter had already married so she stayed in Holland. I think he went back to visit her at least once (in 1920). According to the 1920 immigration record he says he lives in Thomas, Washington. So far I can't find him in the 1920 census there! I don't think he remarried once in the US.

Hallo

The wife of Dirk Adrianus Schuurman, died on september 3, 1913 in the Village of Bleiswijk, In the farm she had been bon into, and later inherited from her father. After her first husband died in 1904, she married Dirk Adrianus Schuurman in 1905, and had one daughter with him. In her first marriage she had 5 children.
She was a farmer's daughter and Dirk Adrianus Schuurman was a farmer's son, also from Bleiswijk. Actually they were born roughly 2 miles apart in this village. In a large research project on the agricultural history of Bleiswijk, we (i.e the local history society) are always looking for information on farmers of any kind( documents, photographs etc) and also on information on the eventual fate of the farmers and their family. So could you point us to information regarding the live (and death) of DA Schuurman in the US?

best regards

Nico

[ozgirl]

Hi Nico, welcome to the forum.

From the previous posts, Dirk arrived in US in 1920. I don't know if he knew the Verburg (or Verberg) family before moving to the States, but in 1930 Mr Verburg was running a dairy, and Dirk was employed there as a milker. Interestingly on the census they all state their mother tongue is Frisian, not Dutch.

I still haven't found him on the 1940 census, though he was probably in the Stafford Virginia area according to his WWII registration papers.

Sadly in 1955, at the age of 76, he killed himself. Here is a link to his death cert : http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/92...l=ReturnRecord

I don't have any more than this as Dirk was not on the main part of my tree. I'll have another look for him in the 1940, see if I can find him there.

Linda

[nicoh]

Hi Linda

Many Thanks for the welcoming words and the Information on Dirk Adrianus Schuurman.
As I could gather from the passengers lists (Ellis Island) it appears that DA Schuurman first arrived in the US in May 1914 and stayed there until 1919. Then he apparetnly went back to the Netherlands and came again to the USA in 1920.

1914 would tie in beautifully with the information we have on him as farmer in Bleiswijk. After the death of his wife (WIlhelmina Maria Post) on september 3 1913 an inventory was made of the household, listing all the items in posession of the couple. These included 1 farm, a one-third portion in another farm, (both with lands ) and all the other things you normally associate with a farm and it's inhabitant.
In december 1913 the one-third part in the other farm was sold and in february 1914 a sale was held at the farm (without doubt to finance the payment to the children of WM Post (from both marriages) of their part of the inheritance. On May 6, 1914 the original farm was assigned to the eldest son of WM Post (from her first Marriage) and DA Schuurman left the farm, shortly before that and arrived on may 23 1914 in the USA.

It is sad he killed himself in 1955, at the fairly high age of 76.

Many Thanks from me and us

Nico