Tweet
Hi People, I’m hoping someone could push me in the right direction. Please bear with me, as its a very long post.
I keep visiting this line, my paternal grandfather's line, every few months, but still not getting anywhere. I’m wondering, has anyone done their Dutch Ancestry?
Back in 2002, 19 years ago now, my dad gave me an old family bible. He said it belonged to his Dutch granddad. Inside the front cover is a list of all the births and death’s of his children. This is what made me start researching, as I found it fascinating.
As you know back then, not a lot was online, so I joined ‘Friends Connected’ (now Friends Reunited) and spent a lot of time in LDS churches and Record Offices, going though fishe and film. Even the 1891 census was only on microfishe then. Friends Connected changed its name to Friends Reunited, there was a lot of squabbling, so I ‘came over to the other side’ and joined this wonderful forum about 2006ish?
Fast forward, and I have still got no further with my Dutch family, so looking for some advise/help etc.
My g-granddad was called Johannes Hendricus Jacobs. According to the bible page, he was born on the 14th August 1837 in Rotterdam. Died 28th July 1921 in ‘The Dutch House’ Charlton, Greenwich.
I know a lot about him. He lived in Dean Street, Soho. He was a Cabinet Maker. My dad had a beautiful grandfather clock that he made.
He married Annie Searles on 22nd December 1872 in St Anne’s, Soho. She died young of TB.
On the certificate Johannes father is down as Frederick Jacobs – Occupation Butcher.
My grandfather Albert Henry Jacobs (1883-1957) used to go back and forth to Rotterdam. I have a photo of him with the photographers name on it taken in Rotterdam, and a photo of him on a sailing ship on one of his many trips over there. This has convinced me that he had family living there.
Johannes remarried, changed his name to John Henry Jacobs and became a publican....as I said, I know all about his life in England.
What I would like to know, is when did he come over? He’s not in the 1871 census. 1st mention of him is his marriage to Annie.
There was a lovely lady on here called ‘Cloggy’ quite a few years back, who tried to help me find out who Johannes parents were. I don’t know if she’s still a member on here.
She came up with two names Johannes Jacobs & Maria Godfroij as his parents.
As the Internet has progressed and there are more sites to visit, I have been trying to confirm that these are the right parents. I have even done an Ancestry tree with them just in case people recognise the names and get in contact. But as yet can not confirm, they are.
I have been on various Dutch genealogy sites including
https://www.openarch.nl/?lang=en
https://www.wiewaswie.nl/
https://www.archieven.nl/en/
and a few others. But I still can’t find my g-grandfathers birth.
I have seen the names Johannes Jacobs, his wife Maria Godfroij, (the names that ’Cloggy’ gave me) and their children. None of whom match up with Johannes Hendricus (I have tried various spellings of Hendricus without a D, with a K etc) who has a father called Frederick or Johannes Frederick, again, I have tried all sort of combinations over the years.
Johannes (my -g-granddad) doesn’t help, by keep changing his birth year on the census’s. I also can’t find him in the 1911 census.
During lockdown, I did my DNA via Ancestry.
There are no matches on my granddad Albert (who was born in London) or my g-granddad Johannes on Ancestry.... but I uploaded my raw DNA to My Heritage, and got a distant match.
It doesn’t say how distant though. I immediately messaged this person, who’s surname is Jacobs, the same as my maiden name. But have had no reply. It looks like he hasn’t been on My Heritage for years.
My DNA ethnicity shows I’m mainly South East England, but I have a lot of Northwestern Europe, and Germanic Europe.
The most frustrating thing, is the Dutch have certain naming patterns, surnames, family names & patronymic names. I have been going round in circles trying to work what name is what, I still have no idea what a patronymic name is!
I would love to know more about my Dutch side, and if they travelled to the Netherlands from Germany or Prussia..... and would love to get in contact with any Dutch cousins, 3rd cousins or further. As I must have some out there.
So sorry for the long post, thanks for staying with it.
Sandra
I keep visiting this line, my paternal grandfather's line, every few months, but still not getting anywhere. I’m wondering, has anyone done their Dutch Ancestry?
Back in 2002, 19 years ago now, my dad gave me an old family bible. He said it belonged to his Dutch granddad. Inside the front cover is a list of all the births and death’s of his children. This is what made me start researching, as I found it fascinating.
As you know back then, not a lot was online, so I joined ‘Friends Connected’ (now Friends Reunited) and spent a lot of time in LDS churches and Record Offices, going though fishe and film. Even the 1891 census was only on microfishe then. Friends Connected changed its name to Friends Reunited, there was a lot of squabbling, so I ‘came over to the other side’ and joined this wonderful forum about 2006ish?
Fast forward, and I have still got no further with my Dutch family, so looking for some advise/help etc.
My g-granddad was called Johannes Hendricus Jacobs. According to the bible page, he was born on the 14th August 1837 in Rotterdam. Died 28th July 1921 in ‘The Dutch House’ Charlton, Greenwich.
I know a lot about him. He lived in Dean Street, Soho. He was a Cabinet Maker. My dad had a beautiful grandfather clock that he made.
He married Annie Searles on 22nd December 1872 in St Anne’s, Soho. She died young of TB.
On the certificate Johannes father is down as Frederick Jacobs – Occupation Butcher.
My grandfather Albert Henry Jacobs (1883-1957) used to go back and forth to Rotterdam. I have a photo of him with the photographers name on it taken in Rotterdam, and a photo of him on a sailing ship on one of his many trips over there. This has convinced me that he had family living there.
Johannes remarried, changed his name to John Henry Jacobs and became a publican....as I said, I know all about his life in England.
What I would like to know, is when did he come over? He’s not in the 1871 census. 1st mention of him is his marriage to Annie.
There was a lovely lady on here called ‘Cloggy’ quite a few years back, who tried to help me find out who Johannes parents were. I don’t know if she’s still a member on here.
She came up with two names Johannes Jacobs & Maria Godfroij as his parents.
As the Internet has progressed and there are more sites to visit, I have been trying to confirm that these are the right parents. I have even done an Ancestry tree with them just in case people recognise the names and get in contact. But as yet can not confirm, they are.
I have been on various Dutch genealogy sites including
https://www.openarch.nl/?lang=en
https://www.wiewaswie.nl/
https://www.archieven.nl/en/
and a few others. But I still can’t find my g-grandfathers birth.
I have seen the names Johannes Jacobs, his wife Maria Godfroij, (the names that ’Cloggy’ gave me) and their children. None of whom match up with Johannes Hendricus (I have tried various spellings of Hendricus without a D, with a K etc) who has a father called Frederick or Johannes Frederick, again, I have tried all sort of combinations over the years.
Johannes (my -g-granddad) doesn’t help, by keep changing his birth year on the census’s. I also can’t find him in the 1911 census.
During lockdown, I did my DNA via Ancestry.
There are no matches on my granddad Albert (who was born in London) or my g-granddad Johannes on Ancestry.... but I uploaded my raw DNA to My Heritage, and got a distant match.
It doesn’t say how distant though. I immediately messaged this person, who’s surname is Jacobs, the same as my maiden name. But have had no reply. It looks like he hasn’t been on My Heritage for years.
My DNA ethnicity shows I’m mainly South East England, but I have a lot of Northwestern Europe, and Germanic Europe.
The most frustrating thing, is the Dutch have certain naming patterns, surnames, family names & patronymic names. I have been going round in circles trying to work what name is what, I still have no idea what a patronymic name is!
I would love to know more about my Dutch side, and if they travelled to the Netherlands from Germany or Prussia..... and would love to get in contact with any Dutch cousins, 3rd cousins or further. As I must have some out there.
So sorry for the long post, thanks for staying with it.
Sandra
Comment