Funeral Card Friday: Hendrik "Henry" Binnes DeVRIES

Funeral card of Hendrik DeVries, Kalamazoo, Michigan, citing services on 30 January 1968; DeVries Family Papers, digitized and privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington. This item was passed from the estate of Adrian and Ruth (Hoekstra) DeVries to their granddaughter, Miriam Robbins Midkiff in 2008.

This is the funeral card of my (step) great-granduncle, Hendrik "Henry" Binnes DeVRIES. He was born 4 January 1890 in the municipality of Smallingerland, Friesland, the Netherlands. The specific location of his birth was probably the city of Drachten, since I know his eldest brother (and my great-grandfather), Jarig "George" DeVRIES was born there.

On 29 March 1897, Hendrik arrived at Ellis Island on the ship Spaarndam with his widowed mother Adriaantje, his brother Jarig, and his younger sister, Kornelia. His mother was on the way to Grand Rapids, Michigan to marry John HOOGSTRA. Henry grew up at 502 (later renumbered to 1065) Caulfield Avenue with his two DeVRIES siblings and his three younger HOOGSTRA half-siblings, another Henry (nicknamed "Harry"), Walter, and Sybleinal ("Lena"). He married Tillie ELMAN (b. c. 1890) on 3 July 1913 in nearby Olive Township, Ottawa Co., Michigan and they lived for a while with his mother and step-father. Henry and Tillie had at least one child, a son named William (1914 - 2006).

I'm not certain at what point Henry and his family moved to Kalamazoo, but that is the city in which he passed on 27 January 1968. He was buried in Grand Prairie Cemetery, Kalamazoo.

Thanks to Dee Akard Welborn for this great Friday theme! Dee encourages others to highlight their funeral card collection on the first Friday of each month.