Adriaan and Jannetje/Elizabeth Van Doorn

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Jannetje Quakkelaar moved to Oud-Vossemeer from Sint Annaland on May 3, 1846. She was employed as a dienstkeeper or maid. She was the daughter of Cornelis and Dingena Quakkelaar. Adriaan and Jannetje were married on October 27, 1849 in Oud-Vossemeer. 

They resided at 153 Achterstraat in the village of Old-Vossemeer. Adriaan, like his father Marinus, generally listed his occupation as a “winkelier” or shopkeeper. At times he also gave his occupation as “arbeider” or laborer. 

Catherina Quakkelaar, an aunt of Jannetje, came to live with them on May 1, 1862.

Adriaan Van Doorn, his wife and four children, left Oud-Vossemeer on April 19, 1866 bound for North America.  

In 1866, the Van Doorn family settled in Rochester, NY at 40 Tappan Street. Adriaan became a bricklayer. He likely learned the trade from his brother and neighbor John Van Doorn, an established mason in the area. 

Adriaan was a widower with four young children. Elizabeth Westveer was a single woman who worked as a live-in servant, keeping house and taking care of children. Elizabeth’s mother lived just down the street from Adriaan. Although I have no concrete evidence to prove it, I believe Elizabeth served as the chief caregiver for the Van Doorn family in their early days in Rochester. Adriaan subsequently married Elizabeth, and they started their own family.

Elizabeth’s sister, Helena, also lived with the family for a period of time.

The youngest daughter from Adriaan’s first marriage, Magdalena, died sometime between 1866 and 1870.

The Van Doorns attended The First Reformed Church of Rochester. The Church served as the religious and social center of life for the Dutch in the Rochester community.  Only Dutch was spoken at the Church.  There were 230 members in 1871.

The Van Doorn family moved once while in Rochester. In about 1870, they moved from 40 Tappan Street to 62 Hudson Park Avenue. The Hudson Park Avenue street name was later changed to Baden Street. 

The1870 census lists Adriaan’s home and personal property at an estimated value of $1000. 

Adriaan purchased the property and home at 62 Baden Street from his brother John on January 1, 1873. The purchase price was $800. The property fronted the north side of Baden Street and was known officially as lot 77 in Wilson and Emerson’s re-allotment of the east part of the A. G. Smith tract.

By 1875 his home and personal property were valued at $1400.

Adriaan declared his intention to become a US citizen on Oct 19, 1877.

As soon as he was old enough, Martin began work as a painter’s apprentice. In 1876, Martin moved to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. He wrote back that all the furniture factories were busy in Grand Rapids and that they needed workers.

Adriaan sold the property at 62 Baden Street back to his brother John for $900 on April 1, 1878. He and his family, except for Dina, moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in the spring of 1879.   Dina remained in Rochester and moved with the Albert Claver family to Grand Rapids later in the year.    

Adriaan and his family moved to Grand Rapids in 1879. He got a job as a laborer at Nelson, Matter, & Co., a furniture manufacturer. Martin also worked there as a varnisher. They lived at 70 Henry Street.  The street address today is 302 Henry Street. Dina worked as a domestic at the home of Wilder D. Stearns, a partner in Foster, Stevens, & Co., a retailer of general hardware and stoves. 

The Van Doorns were members of the Third Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. They presented an “attestation” as good Christians to the church’s consistory on August 1, 1879. Their membership was formally transferred from First Reformed Church in Rochester on December 7, 1880.

By 1882, Adriaan was working as a polisher. Martin had established his own residence on Dwight Avenue. Both continued to be employed at Nelson, Matter, & Co.

On March 12, 1883, Adriaan purchased Lot 16 (50ft X 144 ft) in block 2 of the Merrill and Nims addition to the City of Grand Rapids from Sewell S. Vaughn of Jackson, MI for the price of $275. The street address was 57 Congress Avenue.

However, the family did not live at this address. They lived at 21 Congress Ave.  They continued to live at this address until 1893. 

There is no record of Adriaan purchasing the 21 Congress property at the Kent County Clerk’s Office. Presumably he rented this property the ten years they lived there. Perhaps it took him this long to raise the funds necessary to build his own home.

Adriaan and Elizabeth Van Doorn adopted their grand daughter, Jennie Te Veldhuis, sometime after her mother’s death in 1886.

Adriaan’s wife, Elizabeth, died on January 8, 1892 of pneumonia. At the time, Adriaan was working for the Widdicomb Furniture Company. He held the position of "machine head.  Presumably he was in charge of one or more machines. His sons, John and William, also worked for the Widdicomb Furniture Company and were still living at home. John was a cabinet maker and William was a machine carver.  The Widdicomb factory was several miles from their home. It is likely they either walked or rode a streetcar to and from work.

Adriaan was an elder in the Third Reformed Church of Grand Rapids from 1888 - 1891.  The Church was located just a few blocks from his home.  Originally known as the Holland Brickyard Church, the far east side of town was known for the large number of brick factories.  Elders of the church, not the police or the courts, settled matters of dispute in the Dutch neighborhoods around the church. Such disputes ranged from local grocery debts, trespassing on a neighbor’s property, as well as accusations of child mistreatment. Elders also handled spiritual matters such as playing baseball on Sunday, selling milk on the Sabbath, and frequenting the local amusement park.

Church members sacrificed financially and personally for the survival of one another, and it was expected that the individual member would then be committed to the church. It was the duty of the elder to see to it that this commitment was kept.

In 1893, Adriaan and his family moved to 57 Congress Ave. This is the property Adriaan had owned for ten years.

He died on December 15, 1896 of Brights disease (kidney failure).

Adriaan willed his estate to his children and grandchildren. His will was dated October 19, 1892. His estate consisted of $109 in personal property and the real estate at 57 Congress Avenue. Martin Van Doorn was named the sole executor of the estate and was required to post a bond of $1,000. The amount of bond was normally set at the approximate value of an estate.

The will lists the benefactors as John Van Doorn, William Van Doorn, Elizabeth Van Doorn, Martin Van Doorn, Dingena Telder and her children, Adriana Jeannette (Jennie) Te Veldhuis Van Doorn, and Gertrude Te Veldhuis. 

All the heirs lived in Grand Rapids, except for John, who was living in Benton Harbor, MI.

The will states that Adriaan bequeathed his parlor organ to John, William, and Elizabeth. They also received two thirds share of the estate between them with ten percent of that going to Jennie. Martin and Dingena (and her children) received one third of the estate between them, with one third of that going to Jennie and Gertrude equally.

The distribution breaks down as follows:

• John      20%
• William      20%
• Elizabeth      20%
• Martin      11%
• Dingena      11%
• Jennie      11%
• Gertrude      6%

The percentages don’t add up to one hundred percent because I rounded off the decimals. The difference between Jennie and Gertrude was made clear by Adriaan in his will. He stated that Jennie was his adopted daughter, as well as his granddaughter.

All heirs sold their share of the 57 Congress Ave. property to Martin for $1.00. He in turn, sold the entire property to William. Presumably the heirs then split the money per their designated share, though court records only indicate the Probate Court judge was satisfied with the settlement of the estate. 

Martin was required by the Court to settle the estate in 18 months. He did it in about seven months.