The HOEKSTRA line is my maternal grandmother's line. The name is Frisian and means "from the corner." In English, it is pronounced "HOOK-struh." There are many, many people with this surname whose roots originated from the provinces of Friesland and Groningen in the Netherlands, and since it is a common descriptive location surname, these families are usually not related to each other.
Stories and History:
The HOEKSTRA Family History on my website.
Ahnentafel #224 - Liewe HOEKSTRA (b. c. 1750) - my earliest known ancestor of this line may not even have used the surname HOEKSTRA, since surnames were not required until 1811 in the Netherlands. The only reason I even know his first name is because of the use of patronymics: using the father's first name as an identifying surname, or middle name (once official surnames were used).
Ahnentfael #112 - Marten Liewes HOEKSTRA (c. 1775 - bef. 1847) - the only thing I really know about this ancestor is that he married a 43-year-old woman, Fokeltje Jans HAAN, on 14 November 1820 in the municipality (similar to American counties) of Westdongeradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands, and died before she did on 22 Jul 1847, because her death record states she is a widow. They apparently had only one child, my ancestor listed next, who was born eight months before they were married, a situation not at all as scandalous as it would have been if it had happened in New England at that time.
Ahnentafel #56 - Jan Martens HOEKSTRA (1820 - 1909) - Jan was my immigrant ancestor. His first marriage ended when his wife died young and although they had had many children together (including two sets of twins), all died except one child, Geertruida, who accompanied him at the age of 12 in 1867 from Ulrum, Groningen, the Netherlands, to Holland, Ottawa Co., Michigan. Here he immediately married a widow with two children, Grietje (JONKER) DEKKER. Jan and Grietje had several children together, but only two survived, one of which was my great-great-grandfather. After Grietje's death, Jan married yet another widow in his elder years.
Ahnentafel #28 - Martin HOEKSTRA (1868 - 1944) - Originally working as a teamster for a laundry company in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan, where he probably met his wife, Janna "Jennie" TON (a laundress), he later got into carpenty work, both for the railroad and as a private contractor building houses. His railroad carpentry work got him a job for a couple of years in Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington, a surprising discovery for me when I realized I wasn't the first of my family line to live in this state.
Ahnentafel #14 - John Martin HOEKSTRA (1892 - 1975) - I have a few faint memories of my great-grandfather, whom I last saw when I was five. They have been recorded in my AnceStory of him here.
Ahnentafel #7 - Ruth Lillian HOEKSTRA - (1919 - 2001) - my dear maternal grandmother. You can read her AnceStory here.
Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)
Ahnentafel #1 - myself
More about the HOEKSTRA family:
1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): HOEKSTRA ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available).
2. Some HOEKSTRA obituaries
3. Posts about HOEKSTRA ancestors and relatives on this blog
4. Some scanned HOEKSTRA documents (more here)
5. Some scanned HOEKSTRA photos
6. Baby Book of Ruth Lillian HOEKSTRA
7. HOEKSTRA - STRONG Family Record Book - not completely scanned and uploaded
8. My HOEKSTRA Virtual Cemetery on Find A Grave
My HOEKSTRA immigration trail:
Holwerd, Westdongeradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Ulrum, Groningen, the Netherlands > Ottawa Co., MI > Kent Co., MI > Pierce Co., WA > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA
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