Twins in the Koomans family in Canada

Hubert Coomans married Maaijke van Bezooijen (†1809) in 's-Gravendeel, Holland; they had several children of whom 5 survived. Their son Arij Koomans (±1771-1818) fathered 11 children, including 3 surviving sons.
One of his descendants is another Arie Koomans (1882-1920) who married 26-year-old Davina Willemina den Hartog on October 16, 1909, in 's-Gravendeel. Arie and Davina Willemina were the parents of series of 3 twins.
On September 2, 1911, their first twin was born. One son was stillborn, the other was named Jan. On January 7, 1914, the twins Dirk and Huigje were born. The third twin was born on February 4, 1916. Those children were named Cornelis and Piet.

Dirk Koomans, his wife Dien, and their 4 eldest children

In 1939 Dirk Koomans married my aunt Gerdien (Dien) de Jong (1919-1999). They had several children before they boarded the ship "Waterman" on June 24, 1952, and emigrated to Canada Their youngest children were born in Chatham, Ontario. Initially, Dien suffered terribly from homesickness. Meanwhile, Dirk started a company in demolition services, and became very successful at it. He died in 1989.

Passengers

Sources and further reading:

1. WieWasWie.nl.
2. W.H. Koomans, dr. mr. J.C. Maris: Het geslacht Koomans uit Klundert en Fijnaart, Nederlandse Leeuw, 1936.
3. Mr. J. Muller: De familie Koomans uit de Hoeksche Waard, Nederlandse Leeuw, 1942.
4. J. Moermond: De familie Coomans, Goers, Dingemans en Ardonne, Genealogisch Tijdschrift voor Midden- en West-Brabant, 1983.
5. J.W. Zondervan: Korrekties en aanvullingen op de families Coomans, Goers, Dingemans en Ardonne, Genealogisch Tijdschrift voor Midden- en West-Brabant, 1984.
6. StadsArchief.Rotterdam.nl.
   
7. Family lore.

Passenger lists of the Holland-America Line have been digitised

The Holland-America Line (HAL) was founded in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In the period 1873-1989, it operated as a Dutch passenger line, cargo line, and cruise line, operating primarily between the Netherlands and North America. The suffix indicated the ship’s primary function - “dam” for passenger service, “dijk” for cargo. The Holland America Line - with its yellow and white funnels ringed with green stripes - has transported more than 850,000 emigrants to the New World.

The first great wave of immigration ended with the advent of World War I, during which HAL would lose 6 ships and 13 employees. At the start of the Second World War, HAL had 25 ships; 9 remained at war's end. After the war, the shipping line was instrumental in transporting a massive wave of immigrants from the Netherlands to Canada and elsewhere.

All passenger lists of the Holland-America Line covering the period 1900-1969 have now been digitised. You can easily search for family members who travelled, or emigrated, with the Holland-America Line.
The information was made available due to a joint project of the CBG (Dutch Center for Family History) and the Rotterdam City Archives that lasted three years, and is now completed thanks to the help of many volunteers.

You can search here:
    https://stadsarchief.rotterdam.nl/zoek-en-ontdek/passagierslijsten/zoeken-op-passagiers/

An example

For more information on the Holland-America Line and its former fleet, see:
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_America_Line
     https://maritime-executive.com/article/holland-america-line-history-distinction-innovation-and-growth

Uiltje de Jong (1867-1950)

In some parts of The Netherlands some strange names were given to children. The main character of this story, for example, is Uiltje de Jong. His given name can be translated as “little owl”. He was born on 5 May 1867. His parents, Jan de Jong and Elizabeth Jansma (1835-) were living in Oudehorne, east of Heerenveen in Frisia. His grandparents are Jan de Jong, Annigjen Visser, Jan Jansma and Janke Westerterp. Janke’s father was named Uiltje, too. On 29 June 1888 in Schoterland Janke Westerterp died at the age of 90.

At the age of 39, Uiltje de Jong was married to 26-year-old Doetje Zuidersma on 24 May 1906 in Schoterland in Frisia. She was born on 4 October 1879 in Aengwirden, north of Heerenveen. Her parents are Meint Zuidersma and Antje de Jong. Amongst Doetje’s many siblings were clergyman Klaas Zuidersma (1875-1955) and carpenter Gijsbert Zuidersma (1882-1933).

Uiltje and Doetje had the following children:

1. Elisabeth was born on 7 May 1908 in Schoterland;
2. Meint was born on 1 August 1909 in Schoterland;
3. Jan.

Nieuwsblad van Friesland, Hepkema's courant, 18-7-1919

At the age of 39, Doetje Zuidersma died in July 1919 in Duurswoude, southeast of Drachten in Frisia. Her widower, Uiltje de Jong, emigrated to Canada with his sons. His daughter Eliabeth had married Hugo Koomans and was living in Hoogeveen in Drenthe in The Netherlands, and had at least two sons.
Uiltje de Jong died, aged 87, on March 12, 1954, in Sterling, Ontario, Canada, and was buried there on the 15th.

Provinciale Drentsche en Asser courant, 24-3-1954

Sources: WieWasWie.nl, Delpher.nl, GeneoFun.on.ca, Cemetery.CanadaGenWeb.org.

Willem Hendrik Kooijman of Vianen

In 1928, Willem Hendrik Kooijman (37), his wife Grietje (37) and their sons Frederick (14) and Albert (9) crossed the border from Canada to the United States.

Willem Hendrik Kooijman was born on 1 November 1890 in Vianen, Utrecht. His parents are Frederik Kooijman (1856-1924) of Vianen and Frederike Niemann of Hagen, Westphalia, Germany, who were married in Vianen on 28 October 1887. His paternal grandparents are Cornelis Kooijman (1825-1909) and Maria Adriana van de Koppel. His paternal great-grandparents are Aart Kooijman and Adriana de Bont (1802-1846).

20th Century Dutch migrants to Canada

The first Dutch people to travel to Canada were Dutch Americans. The largest migration wave was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when large numbers of Dutch helped settle the Canadian west. During this period significant numbers also settled in major cities like Toronto.

While interrupted by World War I, this migration returned in the 1920s, but again halted during the Great Depression and World War II. After that war, with a devastated Dutch economy, a large number of Dutch immigrants moved to Canada, including a number of war brides of the Canadian soldiers who liberated the Low Countries. One of my uncles moved to Canada after the flood of 1952 had destroyed his home. A majority of these newcomers settled in Ontario, including one of my aunts and her husband.

By 1958, emigration from the Netherlands declined significantly as the country’s economy began to recover, due in part to international assistance. There are now over 1 million Canadians of Dutch descent, including those of full or partial ancestry. While one of the largest minority groups in Canada, Dutch Canadians have tended to rapidly assimilate.

Emigrants to Canada wait until they can board the SS "Volendam". 

Rotterdam, Netherlands, May 15, 1951.

Links: 

• Canadians of Dutch descent  
• Ottawa County Cemeteries
• Canada Immigration Records
• Postwar Dutch Immigration through Pier 21
• Digital Resources of The Netherlands - Passenger Lists (link top left)
• Passengers of the Holland-America Line