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My Dutch great-great-grandparents all emigrated to the town of Oconto, Oconto County, Wisconsin in the 1860's and 70's. Their children met, married, and became my great-grandparents with the birth of my grandfather in 1891. |
| Ancestor Surnames: | Bongers ~ Ceelen ~ Claessens ~ De France ~ Geelkens ~ Gerardu ~ Menting ~ Raaijmakers ~ Schumacher ~ Schuurmans ~ Smits ~ Van Ussen ~ Welling ~ Zegers |
| Sibling Surnames: | Bettine ~ Boerboom ~ Campshure ~ Holland ~ Van Able |
| The Bongers Family | Elizabeth Bongers emigrated from Arnhem with her husband, Anton. |
| The De France Family | Anton De France emigrated from Arnhem, Gelderland in 1875. |
| The Schuurmans Family | Hermina Schuurmans emigrated from Oss with her husband, Cornelis. |
| The Van Essen Family | Cornelis Van Ussen emigrated from Oss, Noord-Brabant, in 1864. |
| Connecting in Oconto | John Van Essen and Helena De France got married in Oconto in 1889. |
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Matthew Bongers 
was
born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands, on December 27, 1832, the first of
at least 9 children born to Joannes BONGERS and Jacoba SCHOENMAKER. He was
ordained a Catholic priest and served as a missionary in the West Indies
until his retirement from missionary work in 1885, when he came to Oconto
and then to Green Bay.
Elizabeth Bongers (my
great-great-grandmother) was born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands, on May
9, 1838 - She married Anton DE FRANCE in Arnhem in 1864 and had several
children by 1875, when the family emigrated to America. See the De France and Oconto sections,
below, for details of her marriage, children, emigration and life in the New
World.
Geertruida Bongers ("Gertrude")
was born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands, on March 23, 1846 and married
Rut CAMPSCHREUR there on June 18, 1873. They emigrated to the U.S. in 1874,
shortly after the birth of their first child, Johannes. See the Oconto section,
below, for details of her life after arriving in America.
Hendrina Bongers ("Henrietta")
was born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands, on May 3, 1852. She married
Franciscus ("Frank") BOERBOOM in Arnhem in 1873 and their first son was born
there in 1874. The family emigrated to Oconto in 1875 on the same ship as
the De France family. See the Oconto section,
below, for details of her life after arriving in America.
There were at least 5 other siblings who did not come to America.
Their father, Joannes Bongers ,
was born in Wehl, Gelderland, Netherlands, around 1804, and their mother, Jacoba
Schumacher ,
was born in Wehl around 1808. The record of their August 18, 1830 marriage
in Arnhem has their ages and also the names of their parents, all from Wehl.
They were Joannes Bongers and Hendrina
Welling ,
and Jan Schumacher and Aleida
Mentinck (Jacoba
used the Schumacher spelling when she signed the record, but the birth
records for her children all used Schoe(n)maker). Jacoba died April 4, 1876,
in Arnhem. At age 74, Joannes came to America aboard the W A
Scholten, arriving in New York on August 16, 1878. He died in Oconto
June 25, 1881, according to his mortuary card.
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Anton Lambert De France (my
great-great-grandfather) was born in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands, on
June 9, 1835 - one of at least three children born to Charles DE FRANCE and
Helena GEELKENS. The family moved to Arnhem, where Anton met and married
Elizabeth BONGERS. They had at least six children in Arnhem, two of whom
died as infants or young children. In 1875, Anton and Elizabeth emigrated to
Oconto with their children and began their life in the New World. Their
story continues in the Oconto section,
below.
There were at least 2 other siblings who did not come to America.
His father, Jean Charles De France ,
was born in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands, on April 1, 1810, and his
mother, Maria Catharina Helena
Geelkens ,
was also born in Maastricht, on January 4, 1811. Helena died in Wijhe,
Overijssel, Netherlands, June 6, 1886, and Charles died in Zwolle,
Overijssel, Netherlands, January 21, 1894 (here is a web-page
reproduction of his mortuary card). There are pictures of them in the Paternal
Section of my Image Gallery.
His paternal grandfather, Charles
Joseph De France ,
was baptized in Auxerre, Yonne, France on August 22, 1772, and died in
Givet, Ardennes, France in 1832 (here is a web-page
reproduction of his 1832 death record). He was married to Marie
Catherine Gerardu .
No info, yet, on any children besides Jean Charles.
Their maternal grandfather, Frederick
Geelkens ,
died in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands, in 1827. He was married to Anna
Mechtildis Claessens .
No info, yet, on any children besides Maria Catherina Helena.
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Hermina (Wilhelmina) Schuurmans (my
great-great-grandmother) was born in Oss, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands on
December 4, 1832. Her death record had no parent info, but by a stroke of
good fortune for me, she had a sister, Nicolasina, who lived and died in
Oconto, and her parents were listed as John SCHUURMANS and Mary JAEGER.
Wilhelmina emigrated to Oconto in 1864 with her husband Cornelis VAN USSEN.
Her story continues in the Oconto section,
below.
Nicolasina Schuurmans was
born in Oss on August 21, 1840. She came to Oconto in 1864, at the same time
as her sister. She was already married to Peter VAN ABEL, who was born in
Haps (not in Oss as his obituary stated). They lived right next door to the
Cornelis and Hermina VAN USSEN family in the 1870 census. Another stroke of
good fortune for me!
Gerard Schuurmans was
born in Oss around 1829, and Adrianus
(Adrean) Schuurmans was
born in Oss on December 29, 1830. They were living in the Van Abel home in
the 1870 census and that provided the first clue that the spelling was
Schuurmans instead of Sherman, that Mrs. Nicolasina VAN ABEL was very likely
their sister, and their neighbor, Wilhelmina, was probably also a sibling
(she's definitely a sister of Nicolasina). No further info, yet, on these
two fellas.
Their father, Johannes Schuurmans ,
and mother, Mary Zegers ,
were also born in Oss.
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Cornelis Van Ussen (my
great-great-grandfather) was born in Oss, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
September 25, 1839, the second of five children born to Giele VAN USSEN and
Anna Maria RAAIJMAKERS. He married Hermina SCHUURMANS in OSS on March 31,
1864, and they emigrated to Oconto shortly thereafter. His story continues
in the Oconto section,
below.
His father, Machiel "Giele" Van
Ussen ,
and mother, Anna Maria Raaijmakers ,
were also born in Oss.
Machiel's parents were Willem
Gerard Ceelen and Wilhelma
Smits .
Astute readers will notice the different surname. In 1811, some members of
the family, including Willem's father, Gerard
Guillaume Ceelen, changed their last name to van Ussen. I found a
partial transcription of the Oss document concerning Gerard's name change
and saved
it here.
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Cornelis VAN USSEN and Hermina SCHUURMANS arrived in Oconto in 1864 sometime after their marriage in Oss in the spring of that year.
Oconto was a booming lumbering community, and Cornelis found work in the local sawmills. They lived in a house in the East Ward had at least three children:
Anna Gertrude Van Ussen was
born in Oconto on April 5, 1865. Her baptismal record listed her godparents
as Gerard SCHUURMANS and Maria VAN USSEN (I haven't found anything further
on Maria, yet). Anna died at age 16 in 1881 and is buried in the Oconto
Catholic Cemetery. There is a picture of her in the Paternal
Section of my Image Gallery.
John Peter Van Ussen (my
great-grandfather) was born in Oconto on January 22, 1867. His godparents
were Mr. and Mrs. Peter VAN ABEL. More on him, below.
Peter Van Ussen was
born in Oconto around August 15, 1868. His godparents were Peter VAN LEISHOW
and Christina LOGAN. He died soon after, as he was not listed in the 1870
census.
In 1875, the family of Anton DE FRANCE emigrated from Arnhem to Oconto. Anton came over by himself, arriving in New York aboard the Maas on April 6, 1875. Elizabeth and the children arrived in New York aboard the W A Scholten on April 22, 1875, along with her sister, Hendrina, and her family.
The DE FRANCE family lived practically next door to the Cornelius VAN USSEN family (they were on the same page in the 1880 census). In Arnhem, Anton had worked as a lettergeiter (the guy who made the letters out of lead in a print shop), but in Oconto he worked in the sawmills like many others. Anton and Elizabeth had another child after setting in Oconto for a total of five living children:
Helena "Lena" De France (my
great-grandmother) was born in Arnhem on October 22, 1866. Her recorded
birthname was Jacoba Elisabeth Henrica - I don't know where the Helena came
from. More info below.
Hubertina Marie Bertha "Bertie" De France was
born in Arnhem on October 6, 1868. She took care of Fr. Matthew Bongers (her
uncle) in his declining years and then married William HOLLAND. They had no
children.
Carolus Johannes Lambertus "Charles" De France was
born in Arnhem on April 1, 1872. Charles married Janette BAENEN in 1895 and
died in Green Bay in 1929, survived by four sons and five daughters.
Antoinette Marie Wilhelmina "Nettie" De France was
born in Arnhem on June 19, 1874. She married Michael BETTINE and lived first
in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and later in Green Bay, raising their nine
children. She died in 1956.
John De France was
born in Oconto on April 6, 1877. He married Mary RENTMEESTER in 1904,
divorced in 1941, and then married Lydia STRUP. He died in Green Bay in
1942. He was survived by four sons and three daughters, all children with
Mary.
Gertrude Bongers and
her husband, Rut CAMPSCHREUR (spelled CAMPSHURE in America), arrived in the
U.S. on April 20, 1874, but without their infant son, Johannes, who died on
the voyage over and was buried at sea. They settled in Oconto and went on to
have 7 more children, 6 of whom survived to adulthood:
Beth Sorge is descended from Gertrude (through her son, John) and would like to hear from any 'cousins' or anyone researching this line (see the Net.Relatives section on the introductory page for contact information).
Henrietta Bongers and
her husband, Frank BOERBOOM, arrived in the U.S. in 1875 aboard the W
A Scholten along with her sister, Elizabeth, and her
children. They also settled in Oconto. These 6 children were still alive in
1900:
All surviving children spelled their last name Boerboon ('n' instead of 'm'), except for Henry, who used Boerbon (one fewer 'o').
Around 1889, she married Charles HANEKAMP. In the 1900 census, they were married for 11 years and apparently had no children together. Charles died in St. Paul on September 11, 1906.
Around 1915, she married John MILLER, who died in 1921.
In 1921, she was living in the Minneapolis area when Gertrude died. In 1926, she was living in Los Angeles when Elizabeth visited her. She died there March 11, 1942.
A research note: Learning the name of her first husband turned out to be a bit of a challenge... The informant on the California death record for Henrietta MILLER was Mrs. Elizabeth MASHEK of Minneapolis (her daughter). The death of Elizabeth MASHEK was found in the Social Security Death Index. Her SS-5 form (application for Social Security Number) had the following:
Full Name: Elizabeth Marie Boerboon
Birth: 7-24-87 in Oconto, Wis
Father: Frank A. Boerboon
Mother: Henderena Bongars
There is a group picture of the three sisters in their later years in the Paternal Section of my Image Gallery.
Reverend Matthew Bongers retired
for health reasons from his missionary work in the West Indies and came to
Wisconsin in 1885. His retirement didn't last long, as he took a position in
a small church in Green Bay. He retired for good in 1901 and died in 1902.
On the 4th of September in 1889, the entire town turned out to witness the marriage of John VAN USSEN and Helena DE FRANCE. Or that's what I'd like to think, but since they were from two working-class families, they probably just had family and friends.
About the time of his marriage, John started using VAN ESSEN, with an 'E', instead of VAN USSEN. But Cornelis and Hermina continued using VAN USSEN, even as late as the 1900 and 1910 censuses.
John worked as a laborer, probably in the lumbering camps. Their first three children were born in Oconto, and by 1900, they were in the lumbering camps up by Quinnesec, Michigan. They moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin sometime between 1905 and 1909.
Seven children survived to adulthood:
Clarence Cornelius Van Essen (my
grandfather) was born in Oconto on November 13, 1891 and was registered with
a Van Essen surname (but no first name was given). He lived in Brainerd,
Minnesota, where he and his wife, Clare DE ROCHER (born Clara WEISHALLA -
see my Polish
Ancestors page), raised 3 children - Marcie, William (my father), and
Gloria.
Anna Van Essen was
born in Quinnesec, Michigan, on December 5, 1894. She lived in Green Bay,
Wisconsin, where she and her husband, Harris JACQMIN, raised 3 children -
Robert, Bernice, and Marian.
Ethel Van Essen was
born in Quinnesec, Michigan, on October 25, 1896. She married George TASKER,
a Naval Officer, and lived in various places around the world. They had no
children.
Harold Van Essen was
born in Quinnesec, Michigan, on October 7, 1898. He and his wife, Hazel
HANRAHAN, lived in Mason City, Iowa, where they raised 2 sons - Harold, Jr.
and George.
Mildred Van Essen was
born in Quinnesec, Michigan, on February 10, 1901 (a twin, Mabel, born at
the same time, died in infancy). She lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where
she married Al NEVILLE and helped raise his children. They had no children
together.
Raymond Van Essen was
born in Quinnesec, Michigan, on July 21, 1903. He lived in Green Bay,
Wisconsin, where he and his wife, Muriel BARTELME, adopted a son, James.
They had no other children.
Lucille Van Essen was
born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on June 13, 1912. She lived just outside Green
Bay, Wisconsin, where she and her husband, Louis GIBSON, raised 2 sons -
Donald and David.
Cornelis and Hermina stayed in Oconto, except for a couple of years spent with their son in Michigan. After Hermina's death in 1913, Cornelis went to live with his son in Howard Township in Brown County. He died in 1921 (the informant, John, gave his father's name as Van Essen, not Van Ussen). They are buried alongside their daughter, Anna, in the Oconto Catholic Cemetery in (previously) unmarked graves registered under Van Ussen. This page shows the monument that I put on their family plot to mark their passing.
Anton and Elizabeth joined their daughter's family up in Michigan for a few years before they all moved back to Green Bay. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there on May 4, 1914. There is a family picture taken at that time in the Paternal Section of my Image Gallery. Anton died in 1918, and Elizabeth died in 1932. They are buried in Allouez Cemetery in Green Bay.
John and Helena lived for a while in Howard Township, just north of Green Bay toward Oconto but then moved into Green Bay around 1940. John died in 1944, and Lena died in 1953. They are also buried in Allouez Cemetery, along with two children, Lambert and Marcella, that died young in Green Bay.
I'd like to thank my dad's relatives that gave me copies of some wonderful old pictures and helped me piece together much of this information - Don Gibson and his mother, Lucille; Bernice Jacqmin Andrews; George Van Essen; and Beth Campshure Sorge. I'd also like to thank Frances Freitag for her tireless efforts at locating my ancestors in various Wisconsin records. Many special thanks to my Dutch friends, Frans de Vries and Jan-Albert van Ree, and my distant cousin, Karel Bongers, for looking up records in the Netherlands.