Adriaan Van Doorn Family History

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Most researchers of family history focus on the family tree. I, on the other hand, find the immigration story far more interesting than a list of names and birth dates. The immigration story is also undoubtedly more difficult to research. But once discovered and told, yields a greater sense of satisfaction both to the researcher and the reader.

The key to researching and telling the story is finding family members able and willing to donate the few anecdotes and artifacts they have to offer. The answers will not be found in one momentous single act of discovery. They will be found by linking together bits and pieces of data, much like constructing the solution to a complex puzzle. 

If you have something to contribute, please contact me via the website, or you can reach me at:

Address: 4910 Greenwood Drive 

Douglasville, GA 30135

E-mail: mark.dejong@mindspring.com

Phone: 770-843-5503

Mark A. De Jong

This material took over three years to produce. In that time I’ve had the pleasure of corresponding with, speaking with, or meeting face-to-face, a lot of wonderful people. Most of these folks I did not know. Yet they all contributed what they could. Without their efforts, this book would not have been possible.

There are so many members of the family to thank. Here are but a few: Julie L. De Jong, Joyce A. De Jong, John and Alvina Van Doorn, Joanne Bengelink, Jean Van Doorn, Kathy Lothschutz, Laura Heyn, Merita Stormzand, Vicki Brovont, Julie Kronemeyer, Gene Isenga, Phyllis Dood, Kathryn Kornoelje, Skip Van Doorn, Pieter Van Driel and Theo Van Driel. A special thanks to Jacoba (Aunt Koos) Van Driel, who hosted a lunch for Julie and me, and arranged for a guided tour of the village of Oud-Vossemeer, during our visit in August of 2005. 

Thanks also go out to Marie Davis at the Douglasville Family History Center branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Anneke Landheer-Roelants, a genealogist in The Netherlands, Mr. Vroege, our guide through the village of Oud-Vossemeer, Deb Ter Meer of Third Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Fred Sisser III, a genealogy researcher for the RCA Archives, Janice Sluka of the Grand Haven Genealogical Society, Frank Gillespie of the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery, Susan Barillas of the Kent County Clerk’s Office, Violet McPherson, Janice Ringgold, Christina Scheidel and Jackie Johnson of the Park Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, Jeanne Venturino of the Kootenai County (Idaho) Genealogy Society, Sara Thull of Orchard Hill Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mark Telder, and Loren Lemmon. 

Special thanks go to Cees Boogaart, a genealogy enthusiast, local historian, and resident of Oud-Vossemeer.

Cees provided all of the old pictures and maps of Oud-Vossemeer. In addition, it was Cees, who through hours of research, determined the precise location of the Van Doorn ancestral home on Achterstraat. 

There is one other person who deserves special mention; the late Jeannette Isenga. She was our link to the past. It was Jeannette who shared the story of Adriaan Van Doorn’s journey from Oud-Vossemeer to Rochester. She had originally heard it from her uncle, Martin Van Doorn. Jeannette also recalled the stories about John Van Doorn’s colorful life out west, the tragic death of Katherine Van Doorn, the personalities of her great aunts and uncles, and her mother’s unique position within the Van Doorn family. We were fortunate that she shared her memories with us before she passed away.

Mark A. De Jong