GENERATION 7 – HANS MENNES DE JONG AND ANTJE BEERNTS KROL
Hans Mennes de Jong, my third great grandfather was born on 14 Aug 1835 in Lichtaard, Ferwerderadeel, Netherlands. He died on 26 Sep 1922 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He married Antje Beernts Krol. They were married on 07 May 1859 in Ferwerderadeel, Netherlands. Antje the child of Beernts Jans Krol and Tietje Eelkes Bouma. She was born on September 25, 1838 in Raard, The Netherlands and died on December 2, 1911 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had three children: Minne, Berend, and Hiltje (Helen).
The second period of substantial emigration from the Netherlands started in 1880 and had to do with the fact that cheap grain was imported on a large scale from …. North America! Because of this the agricultural areas in the Netherlands, and elsewhere, encountered hard times with a lot of unemployment and poor living conditions which made many laborers and farmhands decide to immigrate to a better life in America. During 1880 – 1893 tens of thousands departed for the “New World” from both Antwerp as Rotterdam. Whether it was these economic conditions or poor management,
During this period Hans couldn’t make it as a farmer in Friesland. Ymke de Jong wrote to her nephew Pier de Jong “Now about uncle Hans; he was a farmer on Britsumer-Stienser Overzet (a little ferryboat over the Dokkumer Ee). So he lived along this canal. He did well as a farmer, but his management failed. Grandfather gave him some money and ( sic) payed the voyage to America.” In April 1882 Minne was living with his uncle and aunt Sijmen Sipkes Jansma and Grietje de Jong in Wanswerd. Minne left from there for America because in 1882 he borrowed 6,000 guilders from his father and he and his family left for America – Minne and Berend on the Amsterdam in March, 1882 and Hans, Antje and Hiltje the following month on the P. Caland. They arrived in New York and went straight to Grand Rapids, Michigan. I think they went to Grand Rapids because Han’s uncle on his mother’s side – Roelof Kroodsma had a dairy farm outside the city. He had immigrated to the US in 1847.
Ellis Island was officially opened in 1892. Ten years after Hans and Antje arrived in the United States. The de Jong’s were the last of my families to arrive in this country.
The de Jong’s settled in the city and went to work in the furniture factories. I don’t know much about their life there.
Below is a picure of 4 generations of Mennes and Antje’s family. In the picture are Mennes (my 2nd great grandfather), daughter Helen (de Jong) Van Malsen, their grandson Richard van der Stel, and their oldest daughter Anne (Van Malsen) (van der Stel) Avink taken around 1920. (Her first husband Martin van der Stel was killed and she had remarried by the time this picture was taken.)
Hans and Anna lived in Grand Rapids until they died. In 1890 they lived at 197 W. Leonard, Grand Rapids, MI. Their religion was Dutch Reform Church (Ned. Herv.). Antje (Krol) de Jong died in 1911 and Hans Menno de Jong died in 1922. His cause of death was Chronic Parenchymatus Nephrites Exhaustion. They are buried in the Garfield Park Cemetery.
Since it refers to them as Grandparents the gravestones must have been put in by some of the Grandchildren – I would suspect some of the Van Malsen descendants which would account for hte name spelled De Jonge rather than De Jong.
DE JONG – Hans DeJong, aged 87 passed away Tuesday evening at the home of his daughter, Mr. and Mrs. William VanMalsen, 1053 Prince Street. , S.E. Surviving are two sons, one daughter, fourteen grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, four brothers and one sister. Funeral service at the residence, 1053 Prince Street S.E., Friday afternoon, 2 o’clock. Burial in Garfield Park cemetery.