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.

Funeral Card Friday: Margaret "Peggy" (NEVE) DeVRIES

Funeral card of Margaret DeVries, Ellwood City,Pennsylvania; 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 beautiful funeral card of the wife of my granduncle, Calvin J. DeVRIES, is an unusual one in my collection. The reason is that as far back as I can research in my biological, adoptive and step-family lines, our family has been Protestant pretty much since the Reformation, and this is a Catholic funeral card.

Margaret "Peggy" NEVE was a lovely woman of Italian heritage who may have met my granduncle "Cal" during his service in World War II. I don't know if Aunt Peggy was born in Italy or if she was an American with Italian roots. In fact, I don't know a whole lot about Aunt Peggy except that she was Italian, Catholic, and died tragically young from cancer. I don't even know if I ever had a chance to meet her; I'll have to check my mother's letters to see if we ever visited Cal and Peggy during one of our trips to the "Lower 48" when I was a baby.

I have been in touch with Cal and Peggy's children and grandchildren over the years, sending them information on the DeVRIES family which I have researched. This post reminds me that I should get back in touch and obtain some more information to fill out the family tree a little better on Aunt Peggy's side.

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.

Funeral Card Friday: Clarence GEBBEN

Funeral card of Clarence Gebben, Grandville, Michigan, citing services on 23 June 1990; 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.

Clarence GEBBEN was married to the sister (Catherine) of my maternal (step) grandfather, Adrian DeVRIES. While I know I met Uncle Clarence on a couple of occasions as a child, I really don't remember him well. I suppose he was a quiet man, and my memories, although still somewhat vague, are more of Aunt Catherine. In my last Funeral Card Friday post, I mentioned that Aunt Catherine made a knitted sweater, cap, and bootie set for my daughter when she was a baby. This would have been in 1990. When I looked at the date of Uncle Clarence's death, I realized that that set was probably made around the time he died. I like to think that knitting the baby things was a comfort to Aunt Catherine during the hard and lonely time when she first was a widow, to help her pass the time.

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. Since I have so many, I've decided to highlight mine every Friday.

Funeral Card Friday: Catherine Josephine (DeVRIES) GEBBEN

Funeral program of Catherine Gebben, Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing death on 12 February 2002; DeVries Family Papers, digitized and privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington. 2010.

Catherine Josephine (DeVRIES) GEBBEN was the only sister of my maternal (step) grandfather, Adrian DeVRIES. I've been highlighting the DeVRIES family's funeral cards every Friday for some time, now. Her card is, like her brother Adrian's, more of a mini-biography. I have two special memories of my Grand-aunt Catherine. One was visiting her and Uncle Clarence during the Christmas season of 1978 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While at Aunt Catherine's house, I enjoyed looking at her many books of Norman Rockwell paintings and magazine covers. The other special memory is that she knitted a beautiful baby sweater, cap, and bootie set and sent it to me when I was pregnant with my first child (20 years ago!).

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. Since I have so many, I've decided to highlight mine every Friday.

Funeral Card Friday: Adrian DeVRIES

Funeral program (with inserts) of Adrian DeVries, Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing death on 6 January 2007; DeVries Family Papers, digitized and privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington. 2010.

The funeral card--or should I say funeral program--of my maternal (step) grandfather Adrian DeVRIES differs greatly from those of his family members featured the last month. His is a mini-biography, complete with photographs from his childhood to his elder years. The size of it is much larger as well. Included in the program was a lined sheet in which extended family members and friends could write their favorite memories of Adrian to leave with the family. Also included for the mourner's convenience were three copies of hymns which were sung at Adrian's funeral, one of which, In the Garden, is my favorite.

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. Since I have so many, I've decided to highlight mine every Friday.

Funeral Card Friday: Millard DeVRIES

Funeral card of Millard DeVries, Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing services on 14 February 1957; 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.

Millard "Uncle Mel" DeVRIES died in a tragic auto accident while vacationing in Vera Cruz, Mexico. He was the second of the five children of George and Josephine (BUSH) DeVRIES, and the sibling just older than my (step) grandfather, Adrian DeVRIES. He was the only DeVRIES child in this family group to have never married or have children, and worked as a jeweler and watchmaker in Denver, Colorado for 20 years prior to his death. His body was returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan to be buried in the family plot in Garfield Park Cemetery in nearby Paris Township.

Thanks to Dee Akard Welborn for this great Friday theme!

Funeral Card Friday: Ruth June (GOOD) DeVRIES ANDERSON

Funeral card of Ruth June Anderson, Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing death on 27 February 1998; 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.

Ruth June (GOOD) DeVRIES ANDERSON was married to Benjamin J. DeVRIES, whose funeral card was highlighted last week. They married in 18 January 1936 in Mattoon, Cole Co., Illinois. After Uncle Ben died in 1966, Aunt Ruth married Lester ANDERSON, who also preceded her in death. Although not cited in the card itself, the funeral took place 3 March 1998, according to Ruth's obituary. Because my maternal grandmother, Ruth Lillian (HOEKSTRA) VALK DeVRIES was married to Ben's brother Adrian, it meant there were at two Ruth DeVRIESes living in Grand Rapids, Michigan!

Thanks to Dee Akard Welborn for this great Friday theme!

Funeral Card Friday: Benjamin J. DeVRIES

Funeral card of Benjamin J. DeVries, Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing services on 26 February 1966; 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.

Benjamin J. "Uncle Ben" DeVRIES was my mother's paternal (step) uncle, oldest sibling of my (step) grandfather, Adrian DeVRIES. The yellowing on the interior of the funeral card is from the obituary having been stored within the card for over 40 years; a serious reminder to all of us to store newspaper away from other documents and photos and to spray clippings with a stabilizing agent, such as Bookkeeper deacidification spray.

Thanks to Dee Akard Welborn for this great Friday theme!

Funeral Card Friday: George Edward Benjamin DeVRIES

Funeral card of George Edward Benjamin (a.k.a. Jarig Egbert Binnes) DeVries, Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing services on 26 February 1959; 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-grandfather, George Edward Benjamin DeVRIES. He was born in the Netherlands and his original Dutch name was Jarig Egbert Binnes DeVRIES. He came to the United States in 1897 with his widowed mother and two younger siblings, and they are the only family I have that came through Ellis Island (all my other immigrant ancestors came much earlier and most passed through Castle Garden).  You can read more about George/Jarig in the AnceStory I have written on my website here.

Thanks to Dee Akard Welborn for this great Friday theme!