Notable July Fourth Events in Our Family History

Free photo image by Kaboompics.com
Found at Pexels.com

Today is Independence Day in the United States, the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by our founding fathers. On this day, Americans celebrate the birthday of our nation.

I thought it would be interesting to look through my RootsMagic family tree databases and see what significant events happened on July 4th in our family's history. I ran queries in my own database, my children's paternal lines database, and my grandchildren's paternal lines database.

There were many July 4th births, marriages, and deaths of individuals, mostly distant relatives. There were no July 4th burials, which makes sense. A burial is a sad occasion and Independence Day is for celebrations.

I won't list every July 4th birth, marriage, or death below, but I will list ones for direct ancestors or those which may have had an effect on a direct ancestor.

Births

Oddly enough, only one of the three July 4th ancestor births was on American soil.

My paternal great-great-grandfather, James W. Barber, was supposedly born on this date in 1841, somewhere in England. He is a brick wall ancestor, which means I know nothing about his family of origin: parents, siblings, etc. I also don't know where in England he was born or lived. The first record in which I can positively identify him is the 1871 Canada Census, although I did find an 1862 marriage record for a couple with somewhat wrong names in the correct location (that's a blog post for another day!).

Another July 4th birth belongs to John D. Concidine, my adoptive 3rd-great-grandfather, who was born to Dennis Concidine and Honora "Nora" Gilligan in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. John's granddaughter Nellie May Concidine and her husband Alfred Henry Holst adopted my paternal grandmother, Jane Marie York, who became Jeanne Marie Holst.

Polly Emeline Dennis, my grandchildren's paternal 3rd-great-grandmother, was born on July 4th in 1840 in Tennessee. It probably was in Overton County, where her father James Thaxton Dennis was found in the censuses from 1820 through 1840, before moving on to Dent Co., Missouri. 

Polly's mother was Lucinda Catherine Hunter, which I find interesting because my grandchildren's surname is Hunter; their father's direct paternal line. But Polly and her mother Lucinda are found in their paternal grandmother's line. This means my grandchildren have Hunters on both sides of their dad's family tree. These lines don't seem to be related: on their dad's paternal side, the Hunters can be traced into early New Jersey, while Lucinda's line is found in South Carolina. But Hunter, after all, is a common occupational surname.

Marriages

My children's paternal great-great-grandparents, George Rice Westaby III and Rena Lerfald, were married on this day in 1915 in Glendive, Dawson Co., Montana. I've been spending a lot of time lately researching the Westaby family and am in the middle of a series about George's youngest brother Lynn.

In my own family, the only ancestor who had a July 4th marriage was Filippus Willems Jonker. He married his first wife, Grietje Eisses, on this date in 1812 in Kloosterburen, Groningen, the Netherlands. His second wife, Catharina Klaassens van der Laan, was my ancestor. They married 4 April 1831 after Grietje's death, and were my 4th-great-grandparents.

Deaths

No July 4th ancestral deaths were located in any of the three family trees. However, on this date my great-great-grandparents Tjamme Wiegers "James" Valk and Berber Tjeerds "Barbara" de Jong tragically lost two children, two years apart, in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan.

In 1895, their youngest daughter Chaterina died at age 5 months, 9 nine days of "summer complaint." This was an old medical term describing severe diarrhea and dehydration, usually in infants, typically caused by spoiled milk. Remember that pasteurization was not common until the 1920s and people in the 1890s relied on ice boxes or cellars to keep their food cool, but it was not reliable. What's especially sad is that Chaterina was the third and last daughter James and Barbara had named for James's mother in an attempt to carry on her name in the family.

In 1897, little Tjamme died from measles at one year old. The family had just celebrated his first birthday four days earlier. His name was recorded as Thomas on the death record; another anglicization variation. Pneumonia and encephalitis complications are the most common causes of death from measles. It would have been horrible for Tjamme's parents to watch him burn up with a fever they couldn't bring down and watch him struggle to breathe. We are so fortunate to have a measle vaccine available for our children today.

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What July 4th significant events have you found in your family tree?

Sister Trip to Michigan: Part III

Monday, May 6, 2019:  Our third day of our trip and second full day in Michigan.  And what a day it was!

We checked out of our hotel in Grand Rapids and headed to the public library.  As we were leaving the hotel, I walked across the street to photograph this historic site marker, as Grand Rapids was once known as the "Furniture Capital of America."  Several of our ancestors worked in furniture factories in Grand Rapids.

(Click photo to enlarge)

The downtown branch of the Grand Rapids Public Library is a beautiful building. It was built in 1904 as a gift to the city by Martin A. Ryerson.  The library has been in existence since 1871.  In 1967, a wing was added to the back, and in 2001 it was completely renovated.  When I first approached the entrance, I wondered how many of our ancestors had entered this building and enjoyed the pleasure of reading.

Detail of the masonry above the main entrance of the GRPL
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My sister photographed me on the steps of the GRPL.
Photo courtesy of Katrinka Phillips.
(click to enlarge)

We headed to the Grand Rapids History & Special Collections department, which includes genealogical resources, on the fourth floor.  My goal was to locate some newspaper articles about our 3rd-great-grandfather, Charles H. Robbins, a Civil War veteran; an obituary of our 2nd-great-grandmother's sister, Nellie (Ton) Houseman; and some school census records featuring our adoptive great-grandmother Nellie M. Concidine, a school teacher, and our great-grandfather William James Valk and his sisters, Jennie and Gertrude.  While I obviously could spend days or weeks in Special Collections with all our Western Michigan ancestral records, these were a list of items I knew were reasonable to research with the little time we had to spend there.  I had found references to many of these items in the online databases of the Western Michigan Genealogical Society ahead of time.

We had located two of the articles and the obituary by the time my genealogy friend, Chris Korstange, arrived.  This was the first opportunity to meet in real life after being online friends for about 10 years.  Chris and I had connected through the old Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness website when he asked for a lookup to resources I had at my disposal.  In turn, he has done lookups for me at GRPL and local cemeteries. Chris is also a genealogy blogger, and with similar Dutch immigrant ancestry in Grand Rapids, it is pretty likely we will someday find an ancestral connection, either by being related to each other, or discovering our ancestors lived near, worked with, or worshiped with each other.  After a welcoming hug and introducing him to my sister, he helped us by looking up and making scans of the Kent County School Censuses while we finished looking for the rest of the articles.

Chris and I at the entrance of the Special Collections room
Photo courtesy of Katrinka Phillips
(click to enlarge)

Chris then drove us through the Heritage Hill Historic District with its grand homes (see what I did there?!) to what had once been the Delos A. Blodgett Home for Children, an orphanage where our paternal grandmother, Jane Marie York/Jeanne Marie Holst and her brother, and our maternal grandfather, William Valk, and his siblings, had once lived for short periods, at different times.

I had done some research in the past year, contacting the D.A. Blodgett - St. Johns non-profit organization to try to obtain records on our York and Valk families.  Although the full records have since been destroyed, I was able to receive scans of the index cards listing our families, with just enough information to confirm some of the theories I had made regarding their stays, as well as new information.  I will be blogging about this at a later time.  My inquiries to ICCF, the organization that currently occupies the Blodgett building, were never answered.  I had hoped to be able to tour the building's interior while we were in Grand Rapids. However, were able to get some good exterior photos.  As we wandered the front courtyard, I thought about the sad circumstances that had brought two of our grandparents and their siblings to this building.  Every family story I have ever heard on both the York and the Valk sides about Blodgett Home had the same theme:  it was not a nice place to be.  Whether it was because of the situations that led to their placement or their treatment while there, or a combination, I could feel the sadness of this place.  And yet, I felt personal gratitude, as well, because despite whatever occurred within these four walls, it was a place that filled a gap in family care that otherwise may have brought on worse trauma than what was already experienced.

The former D.A Blogett Home for Children, built 1908
920 Cherry St., NE
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Detail of the three-story pillars and balconies
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My sister and I in front of an ancestral home, of sorts
Photo courtesy of Katrinka Phillips
Taken by Chris Korstange
(click to enlarge)

Next stop, was Oakhill Cemetery, where our 3rd-great-grandmother, Maria Marina (Van Klinken) Ton Bijl, and very likely her husband Pieter Ton, are buried in unmarked graves in the Potter's Field. Chris helped us to locate the unmarked plot where Maria's brother Johannes "John" Van Klinken was buried. By then, it was starting to rain pretty hard.

Somewhere in this corner of Oakhill Cemetery, our 3rd-great-grandmother, Maria Marina (Van Klinken) Ton Bijl is buried.  Her husband Pieter Adriannse Ton is also likely buried here.
(Click to enlarge)

While these tombstones do not belong to our ancestors, I photographed them to show the condition of the few marked graves in Potter's Field (Permit Grounds) of Oakhill Cemetery: broken, dilapidated, uncared for.  These graves aren't even listed on the cemetery's map. You can see that they are inscribed in Dutch.
(click to enlarge)

We were able to identify this spot as the resting place of Maria's brother, Johannes "John" Van Klinken (1840 - 1913) using Oakhill Cemetery's grave mapping website.  We used some sticks to dig down to see if there was a gravestone covered by dirt, but were unsuccessful. It likely was never marked.
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This grave of Peternella de Jongh just south of Johannes Van Klinken's grave helped us to locate his grave, as the Oakhill Cemetery's grave mapping site listed hers as being in the same lot.
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This marker was in Potter's Field, next to the cemetery road.
It made me very sad to look at, as there is no information as to how many Blodgett Home children there were buried here, or who they were.
Photo courtesy of Katrinka Phillips.
(click to enlarge)

Chris returned us to the library parking lot where our rental car had been parked.  There we discovered that we had lost our rental car keys!  At this point, the rain was absolutely pouring down, so after quickly searching Chris' vehicle, the parking lot, the steps of the library, and the courtyard in front of it where we snapped photos, we reentered the library, dripping wet, to see if they had been turned in to the front desk.  They had not.  Our next search was the elevator, Special Collections room, and restrooms.  We quickly determined that they probably had been dropped at the cemetery.  Chris was kind enough to not only take us back out there, but tromp around in the downpour to help us find them.  After about 10 minutes, they were located, and he returned us to our rental car.  Thankfully, he did not need to drive us out to the airport to the rental car office get another set of keys!

After parting ways with Chris, we headed to west of the river to a cafe to dry off and grab a cup of coffee.  After the cloudburst ended, we headed over to the John D. Widdicomb Furniture Factory where our step-great-grandfather, George DeVries, had worked. It's business complex now, but we got some great photos of the four beautiful yellow brick buildings located on both the west and east sides of Seward Avenue, parallel to the railroad tracks.  I could just imagine how noisy and busy it was in its heyday, with the busy railroad bringing in lumber and shipping out completed furniture.

The southwest building, from the south
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The southwest and northwest buildings, from the southeast
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The southwest building, from the east
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The southwest building, from the northeast
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The northwest building, from the southeast
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South end of the southeast (original) building, from the west
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Detail of the old doors of the southeast (original) building, from the west
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Detail of the corner stone, east building"Widdicomb Furniture Co. 1877"
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North end of the southeast (original) building and south end of the northeast building
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North end of the southeast (original) building and south end of the northeast building
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North end of the northeast building, from the northwest
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North end of the northeast building, from the west
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Then we headed west to Coopersville in Ottawa County, where our dad and his siblings grew up. After checking in at our hotel, we met our dad's brother and youngest sister at her place, which just happens to be across the street from the home our grandfather built and where they all grew up.

The house and auto body shop our Grandfather Robbins built
Coopersville, Michigan
Photo courtesy of Katrinka Phillips
(click to enlarge)

Our dad's brother and youngest sister
Photo courtesy of Katrinka Pillips
(click to enlarge)

While visiting with them, sharing photos with each other of our of children and grandchildren and looking at old family photos, I held my own little Scanfest on my Flip-Pal scanner, scanning our Robbins great-grandparents' little memo book from 1938.  I also took this photo of Aunt Jo's artwork.  Josephine Rebecca (Huff) Robbins was married to our Great-grandfather Robbins' brother Lloyd.  She was the Robbins family genealogist for many years before she passed away in 1987.  I had forgotten that she was also interested in art.

After a long, full, busy day, we crashed in our hotel room.  More adventures awaited us the next day!


Sister Trip to Michigan: Part I
Sister Trip to Michigan: Part II

Sister Trip to Michigan: Part II

Our first full day in Michigan, Sunday, March 5, was a beautiful one.  Since the forecast was predicting rain for much of our trip, we decided it would be a good day to visit the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park while we were in Grand Rapids.  There are many gardens and exhibits, and we easily could have spent several days exploring everything; but since we had only one day planned for it, we chose the indoor art gallery, the Japanese garden, and the Sculpture Park.

"Gilded Champagne Gardens Chandelier"
by Dale Chihuly
Gallery foyer

Detail of "New World Map"
by El Anatsui
Gallery
Sculptural tapestry made of thousands of recycled aluminum bottle tops

"Blue Phrygian Cap"
by Alexander Calder
Gallery

Detail of  "Fighting Lions"
by Nina Akamu
Gallery

"Long Island Buddha"
by Zhang Huan
Japanese garden

The pond at the Japanese garden

"American Horse"
by Nina Akamu
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
Sculpture Park

The Grand Rapids Arch
by Andy Goldsworth
Made with native Scotland stone
Sculpture Park

"I, you, she or he..."
by Jaume Plensa
Sculpture Park
These sculptures are made of thousands of stainless steel letters of the alphabet.

"Listening to History"
by Bill Woodrow
Sculpture Park
A favorite of mine!

After several hours at the Gardens, we met up for a late lunch with my mom's paternal half siblings and their family, the Valks, at Golden Corral.  All four of the children of Grandpa Valk and his wife Elaine were there, three uncles and an aunt.  While we had met them all on one of the trips we made when I was 11 1/2 - 12 years old, I really only remember playing with their children, my younger Valk cousins, in the family room in the basement of Grandpa Valk's house.  And of course, my sister was a baby, so she had no memories from that time.  Our mom's youngest Valk brother and his wife came to Spokane last summer for a visit, so we had gotten acquainted with them, but this lunch gave us an opportunity to meet the other uncles and aunt, along with their spouses, and some of their children and grandchildren, our cousins.  There were about a dozen and a half of us, total, and we had an enjoyable lunch visiting for several hours, getting to know each other better, and sharing with them all the family news from our side of the country.

During lunch, as we were talking about Grandpa Valk and Grandma Elaine, I mentioned that I wanted to visit their graves, as I had never been to the cemetery where they were laid to rest.  My youngest uncle and his wife offered to accompany us, and also told us that Uncle Jimmy's grave was there as well.  Jimmy was Grandpa's first child, from his first marriage.

James "Jimmy" Frederick Valk was born 25 February 1939 in Grand Rapids to William Valk and Elfriede Joan Lomker.  He was either developmentally disabled or deaf, or both.  He was institutionalized and died at the age of 19, from pneumonia, as I understand it.

After paying our respects to Jimmy, we turned to leave when I spotted two Lomker graves nearby.  I recognized them as Elfriede's parents, Anna (Kirchdyke) and Herman Fritz Lomker.  It was comforting to me that Jimmy was buried near family, as my grandfather's grave was in a different area of the cemetery.

I have written previously about Jimmy, his mother Elfriede, her marriage to and divorce from my grandfather, as well as her subsequent marriage to my grandfather's brother Chet, who died in the Battle of the Bulge.  You can read that post here.

Next, we spent some time at my Grandpa Valk's and Grandma Elaine's graves.  My uncle and aunt shared fond memories of them, many of which were new to my sister and me.  I especially enjoyed hearing how Grandpa and his three sons would play games of baseball together when they were kids.

Our maternal grandfather, William Valk, was born 30 October 1912 in Grand Rapids to William James and Agnes (Tuinstra) Valk, the third child and son of eight children.  He first married Elfriede Joan Lomker on 13 May 1937 in South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana.  They had one son, James Frederick Valk.  After their divorce in 1941, he married our maternal grandmother, Ruth Lillian DeVries, on 11 September 1943 in Junction City, Geary County, Kansas near where he was stationed in the U.S. Army during World War II at Fort Riley. They had one daughter, our mother.  After their divorce in 1946, he married Elaine Estelle Bennett on 22 April 1950 in Grand Rapids.  They had three sons and a daughter.  Grandpa died 10 October 1989 at his home in Caledonia Township, Kent County, Michigan.

Our maternal step-grandmother, Elaine Estelle Seif, was born to Robert Olive Bennett (a.k.a. Seif) and Treasure Baldwin on 27 January 1927 in Grand Rapids (Elaine's father chose to go by his stepfather Andrew Seif's surname).  Elaine was the second of two daughters.  She died 11 January 2016.

After parting with our family, we went to Meijer,a grocery and department store, not unlike Fred Meyer in the Pacific Northwest, and got a few supplies and groceries for the next few days. We then settled in at our hotel room to watch the current episode of Game of Thrones and enjoy our Cinco de Mayo "dinner" of margaritas and quesadillas ordered from room service.


Sister Trip to Michigan: Part I
Sister Trip to Michigan: Part III

My Top 8 Brick Wall Ancestors - Mom's Side

Image courtesy of GenealogyInTime Magazine www.genealogyintime.com

Last week, I posted My Top 10 Brick Walls - Dad's Side. This week, I was going to post the top ten brick walls from my mom's side, but I could only find eight. Mom is three-quarters Dutch-Frisian, and there are amazingly good resources from the Netherlands online. She is one-quarter English, with  many well-researched New England Puritan and Pilgrim lines. I've posted seven brick walls from her ancestry, and one from her step-father's. And I won't complain that I don't have a full set of ten brick walls!

Do YOU have the answers to my brick walls?

1. When did Trijntje Gerrits "Katherine" (DOLSTRA) VALK immigrate to the United States? The 1900 Federal Census says 1888 and I find her in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan in 1889, but can't find her on passenger lists. In 1880, she was living in Westernijkerk, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, the Netherlands.

2. Was my ancestor, Berber Sjoerds DeJONG (1858 - 1934), the same individual known as Berber Tjeerds de JONG (b. 1856), daughter of Tjeerd Thijzes de JONG and Jitske Douwes SOEPBOER of Groningen and Friesland, the Netherlands? My research plan is listed in a document file here.

3. When did Wijbren Joukes WIERSMA of Wonseradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands immigrate to the United States? I have a range of 1882 to 1884, but have yet to find him on a passenger list.

4. Who were the parents of Amelia CURTIS? She was b. 11 March 1772 in Spencertown, Connecticut; married Joel STRONG 14 January 1787 in Kent, Litchfield Co., Connecticut; and d. 6 July 1842 in Candor, Tioga Co., New York.

5. Who were the parents of Henry JACOBS (1797 - 1876) of Westchester and Tioga Counties, New York?

6. Was FRISBIE the maiden name of Huldah (1793 - 1875), wife of Henry JACOBS? Her grandson was Charles Frisbie STRONG, and we've often wondered where that middle name (a New England family surname) came from.

7. Who were William Parker WRIGHT's parents? He was b. 19 February 1830 in Minisink, Orange Co., New York; m. c. 1850 to Ann Elizabeth ROCKWELL; and d. 6 November 1915 in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan. Family records state his parents were Peter WRIGHT and Mary CLARK, but I've also found a David WRIGHT with a Mary CLARK. And how does that Parker middle name fit in? Is it a family surname?

8. This man is a step-ancestor on my mom's side: when and where did Melle "Millard" BOS (BUSH) die? He emigrated from Bierum, Groningen, the Netherlands in 1879. In 1887, his last child was born in Ottawa Co., Michigan; and in 1889, his widow remarried in Lamont, Ottawa Co., Michigan.

Grandparents Day 2010

Robbins-Valk Wedding, Bride and Groom and Their Parents. Photograph. 25 Jun 1965. Original photograph in the possession of Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2008.

Today is Grandparents Day in the United States. Above is shown one of my favorite photos in my possession, because it depicts all three sets of my grandparents at the wedding of my parents.  My mother is the only child of the marriage of her parents, and after their divorce, each remarried; thus I was blessed with three--rather than the traditional two--sets of grandparents

On the left are my paternal grandparents, Robert Lewis and Jeanne Marie (HOLST) ROBBINS. My grandfather passed in 2003; my grandmother is still living, but has Alzheimer's. I have not seen her in about four years when she last visited Washington State.

The couple on the far right are my maternal grandfather, William VALK, and his wife Elaine Estelle (SEIF). My grandfather passed in 1989, but my step-grandmother is still living. I saw her on my last trip to Michigan in 2000. The woman to the right of my mother (the bride) is my maternal grandmother, Ruth Lillian (HOEKSTRA). Behind her is her husband, Adrian DeVRIES. My grandmother passed in 2001 and Grandpa DeVRIES passed in 2007.

Growing up, my grandparents were like superheroes or fairy godparents! They lived in Western Michigan, 3,000 miles away from my home in Southeast Alaska, and I rarely got a chance to visit them. When they did visit us or we got to visit them, it was always a Big Deal! There were presents and stories and lots of hugs and kisses. Even after we moved to Eastern Washington when I was 12, we rarely saw them, although traveling was a bit easier and cheaper for both parties than when we lived in Alaska. My ROBBINS grandparents came to my high school graduation and both they and my DeVRIES grandparents attended my wedding. My Grandfather VALK visited Washington State shortly before his death and got to meet my husband. Both my ROBBINS and my DeVRIES grandparents as well as my Grandma VALK got to meet my children at least once.

All of them encouraged my forays into genealogy by sharing stories of their ancestors and memories of their childhoods with me. I was fortunate to inherit many documents, photographs, and some artifacts from the estates of my Grandfather ROBBINS and my DeVRIES grandparents. Thanks to the photographs they took and writings they created, I have a rich family history from which to research.

I dearly miss all my departed grandparents as well as my living grandmothers who I am no longer in contact with because of their health issues. I hope that my life and my research honor their lives and make them proud.

Fearless Females Prompt 5

March 5 — How did they meet?  You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit.  Do you know the story of how your parents met?  Your grandparents?

In my mother's wedding book, there is a place to write about how her parents and my dad's parents met. She titled it "No Love at First Sight!"  It seems neither set of grandparents hit it off at first.

My mother's mother and stepfather, Ruth Lillian (HOEKSTRA) VALK and Adrian DeVRIES:

June 27, 1947 - They were each invited to a picnic on a Sunday afternoon given by mutual friends: 2 married couples. It was a blind date!! He was shy and mostly played with the one couple's small boy and ignored Mom. When he did speak that evening, and after he saw Mom's house and me, he started criticizing the way she did things. She vowed never again with him or fall in love with him. (They were married October 3, 1947). [Miriam's note: They were married for nearly 54 years!]

My mother didn't write about how her biological father and mother met. I do know that my grandfather's sister Barbara was my grandmother's very good friend, so that is likely how they met.

My father's parents, Robert Lewis ROBBINS and Jeanne Marie HOLST:

She was in a drugstore Sunday morning in April before church. He came in after a night on the town and sat down--the minister's son was in between them. Dad asked him to introduce Mom. PK [preacher's kid] did and they had a date that night. They were married in October--Columbus Day, same year--1940.

P.S. She though he was awful cocky and secretly, was amused at him.

[Miriam's note: Somehow my grandfather discovered that the pretty girl he was trying to impress was the daughter of the farmer who grew cantaloupes, his favorite fruit...AND the owner of the farm where he'd been swiping the melons! Eventually, my grandfather won over my grandmother. She was still in high school; after 10th grade, she no longer attended--something fairly usual in those days. They were married the following fall; it was to last 63 years.]

My own parents met while both were camping at Silver Lake State Park in Western Michigan. You can read more about it here.

For more on the Fearless Females Blogging Prompts, visit The Accidental Genealogist.

Declaration of Intent of Tjamme Wiegers VALK

Thanks to Brenda Wolfgram Moore who recently obtained this Declaration of Intent of my great-great-grandfather, Tjamme "James" Wiegers VALK!

There is some great information here, including a physical description of James, confirmation of his birthdate and birth place, address, and immigration information. Although none of this information is new to me, it is nice to have this document in hand and have another piece of evidence for these details. I do wish that Barbara's birthplace was listed, even if it listed Friesland or whichever province in which she was born. She is my brickwall, and I have been having difficulty confirming the birth date I have for her and finding a specific birth place. Until 1922, married women who immigrated to the United State did not have to apply for citizenship, so there will not be a Declaration of Intent for her.

I do find it very interesting that this declaration was made on 25 September 1918, since I mistakenly thought James stated on the 1920 Federal Census that he was naturalized in 1897. I took another look at the census and saw that his naturalization status is marked "Pa" meaning he had filed for his First Papers (which is this document, the Declaration of Intent). However, it does state he filed for them in 1897. One thing to consider is that this could be an error; after all, this same census document states he and Barbara immigrated in 1886, but both this Declaration and their passenger list prove they immigrated in 1882. Another thought is that originally James declared his intent in 1897, but didn't move forward to complete the naturalization process, a not uncommon occurrence in those days of laxer naturalization rules. When World War I broke out, many immigrants quickly rushed to complete this process so they would not be under suspicion. With a surname like VALK which could easily be misinterpreted as a German surname, the war might have spurred James on to reapply for citizenship.

This document does not give James citizenship status. Although he would have met the residency qualifications by this time, he still would have had to file a Petition for Naturalization, and once that was approved, sign an Oath of Allegiance, after which he would have been given a Certificate of Naturalization. I will have to investigate to see if I can find these documents for him. The latter document would be in family papers, if it still exists; the former two would be held with court records.

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P.S. Tim Agazio of Genealogy Reviews Online recently highlighted his grandfather's Petition for Naturalization, and I noticed that it asked for specific birth information on the petitioner's wife. Since this petition is around the same time period that my ancestor would have petitioned for his naturalization, I am motivated to obtain James's Petition for Naturalization if only to confirm Barbara's birthday and to see if her birthplace is listed on it and is more specific than just "the Netherlands."

Surname Saturday: VALK

The VALK line is my main maternal line. I've been able to trace this line back nine generations (not including my own) to my 7th-great-grandfather, named Geert, thanks to patronymics. VALK is a surname that appears in many countries in Western Europe, especially those in the Germanic language family; the name means "falcon."

Stories and History:

The VALK Family History on my website.

Ahnentafel #768 - Geert, b. c. 1695

Ahnentafel #384 - Jouke Geerts - b. c. 1724. His marriage record states he was married 23 Mar 1749 in Koudum, Hemelumer Oldeferd, Friesland, the Netherlands - my earliest documented VALK ancestor

Ahnentafel #192 - Jantje Joukes VALK (1753 - 1817) - first known VALK ancestor to actually use the surname; the Netherlands was under French control at this time, and in 1811, the French government ordered all the Dutch to choose a surname

Ahnentafel #96 - Tjemme Jantjes VALK (1786 - 1842) - moves from Hemelumer Oldeferd to Ferwerderadeel, the municipality (similar to a U.S. county) in which the VALK family remains until immigration to America

Ahnentafel #48 - Wieger Tjemmes VALK (1827 - 1888) - after his death, his wife, Trijntje Gerrits DOLSTRA, immigrates to America to live with their only child

Ahnentafel #24 - Tjamme ("James") Wiegers VALK (1860 - 1922) - immigrates to Illinois with his fiancée, Berber ("Barbara") J. DeJONG in 1882. After their marriage and living for approximately 5 years in Rock Island, they move to Western Michigan, where VALKs continue to live to this day.

Ahnentafel #12 - William James VALK - (1886 - 1950) - fathered 16 children between two marriages (only 12 survived infancy), plus raised a stepson

Ahnentafel #6 - William ("Bill") VALK - (1912 - 1989) - my paternal grandfather, WWII veteran

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself

More about the VALK family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): VALK ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Some VALK obituaries

3. Posts about VALK ancestors and relatives on this blog

4. Some scanned VALK documents

5. Some scanned VALK photos

6. My VALK Virtual Cemetery on Find A Grave


My VALK immigration trail:

Koudum, Hemelumer Oldeferd, Friesland, the Netherlands > Marrum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Rock Island Co., IL > Ottawa Co., MI > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA