Cornelis Hendrik Jan Bakker (1841-86) in South Africa

Cornelis Hendrik Jan Bakker was born on March 25, 1841 in Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe in Noord-Brabant in The Netherlands. His brother Hendrik Bakker was born on February 8, 1843. Their parents were Franciscus Pieter Bakker (1804-1860) and Johanna Bernardina van de Laar (1802-1846) who had been married on June 19, 1828 in Rotterdam. 

Hendrik moved to Rotterdam, married and fathered a large brood of children. Cornelis Hendrik Jan, however, was a soldier in South Africa. At Cape Hope, aged 40, he married Johanna Frederika Juliana Gericke, aged 31, with a special license on July 18, 1881. 

Het Nieuws van de Dag, August 18, 1881

After 5 years of marriage Cornelis Hendrik Jan Bakker died on September 11, 1886 in Kernhardt, aged 45. 

The Van Dusens of New Amsterdam

In 2011 The New York Times featured an article on the Van Dusen family. It started with one of Manhattan’s first few hundred settlers, an operator of a windmill where the Dutch ground grain. Known in official documents as “Abraham the Miller” or “Abraham Pieterszen” - as in “son of Peter” - he landed on the island of “Manatus” some time before February 1627. Abraham’s forebears were from the the town of Deursen

in Northern Brabant in The Netherlands. 
The 1880 census counted 3,000 heads of household with the name Van Dusen — or Van Deusen, Van Deursen, Van Duzer and other common variants — all, the experts say, traceable back to Abraham the Miller.

Two of Abraham’s progeny — Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) — served as presidents of the United States. A third, Eliza Kortright (Generation 7), married one, James Monroe (1758–1831). You can read much more about the Van Dusen family in this interesting The New York Times article.

John Klootwijk (1833-1914) of Grand Rapids

John Klootwijk of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, was born as Johannes on 16-3-1833 in Numansdorp, The Netherlands. His parents are Jacob Klootwijk (1807-1884) and Pleuntje Huijzers (±1808-1856).

Johannes married (1) on 29-2-1856 in Numansdorp a local girl, Johanna Laurina Liefting (1820-1858). She was 12½ years his senior. Johanna Laurina already had an 8-year-old daughter Johanna Cornelia and - upon marrying her - Johannes claimed to be the child's father, although he had been a teenager at the time of her birth. In 3 years time Johanna Laurina gave birth to 3 more children, but they all died young. Johanna Laurina died 17 days after the birth of her youngest child on 29-10-1858.