Where in the World is Nellie VanOeveren LeynDyke?

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , ,

This first piece of information that I look for when researching an ancestor is the census data.  I am in the process of making tables for each ancestor's census data to see where any gaps may be.  I have not been able to locate Nellie VanOeveren in the 1910 Census.  I believe she was living at home, age 14, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I have tried looking for parents and siblings without finding them.  Where are you hiding, Nellie?  I think my trouble with finding the family may lie in the spelling of the last name.  If I have to go page by page to find them, I will.

Census Data for Nellie VanOeveren LeynDyke


FACT
DATE
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
ENUMERATION DISTRICT/PAGE ID./DWELLING
Birth
1896
Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, United States

Census
1900
Grand Rapids Township, Kent, Michigan, United States
62/24/516
Census
1910


Census
1920
Flint Ward 6, Genesee, Michigan, United States with Peter LeynDyke
55/6A/100
Census
1930
Flint, Genesee, Michigan, United States with Peter LeynDyke
25-44/27B/639
Census
1940
Flint Ward 6, Genesee, Michigan, United States with Peter LeynDyke
85-110/1A/Line 33
Death
1994
Bradenton, Manatee, Florida, United States





Nellie Kennedy: Tombstone Tuesday

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , , , , , , ,


The above card is in the possession of Kirk's Aunt Betty.  She was kind enough to send an envelope of genealogical related things to us and I scanned them and sent them back.  It wasn't until I saw this location card that I knew what cemetery Kirk's great grandmother was buried in.

Nellie Kennedy was Neeltje Cornelia 'Nellie' van den Bos.  She was born 29 July 1877 in St. Philipsland, Zeeland, Netherlands.  She was the daughter of Marinus 'Martin' van den Bos and Lena Nellie Quist. 

Nellie van den Bos married 1) Cornelius Luyendyk on 17 November 1893 in Dorr Center, Allegan, Michigan.  2) Addison B. Kennedy on 16 March 1903 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.


The family believed she was buried in Chicago, but never knew for sure.  One weekend while visiting my daughter, Kirsten, who lives in Chicago, Kirk and I decided to go to Mount Greenwood Cemetery.  It is located at 2900 W. 111th Street, Chicago, Illinois.  It is in the southwestern part of Chicago. 


Nellie's location card stated that she was buried in Lot 2, Section 15, Tier 19, Grave 1.  Finding Section 15 was easy with the use of the above map.  The tiers were well-marked with stone numbers at the edge of the road.  Kirk and I found Section 15-Tier 19, but no gravestone.  We did find a grassy area that we presumed was her grave.  Did her grave get covered with grass?  We didn't have anything to check for a buried tombstone and the office was closed, so we left disappointed.  I emailed Mount Greenwood and discovered there never was a gravestone purchased for Nellie Kennedy.  If I had a lot of disposable income I would love to purchase one for Nellie.

Nellie Kennedy died 22 August 1910, at the age of 33, from consumption(tuberculosis).  She had been sick for four months.  She left two children, Peter LeynDyke age 15, and Janie Haviland Kennedy age 3.  Another daughter, Lena Marie Luyendyk, died in March of 1910, just five months before her mother, of pneumonia.  Could her death have contributed to Nellie's sickness and eventual death? 
  

Mother and Daughter Share Same Anniversary Date

Author: Brenda Leyndyke /

James and Elizabeth (Corcoran) Leyndyke
24 June 1950


Kirk's parents were married 62 years ago, today.  James M. Leyndyke and Elizabeth L. Corcoran were married at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  James is the son of Peter LeynDyke and Nellie VanOeveren LeynDyke.  Elizabeth is the daughter of Bertrand F. Corcoran and Leona A. Dollaway Corcoran.

22 years later, Kirk's twin sister, Karen, married Curtis Thon.  They are celebrating their 40th Anniversary today.

Happy Anniversary, Jim and Betty, and Curt and Karen.

Grand Rapids City Cemeteries

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , ,

Kirk's ancestors settled in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan.  Many of his ancestors are buried within the city of Grand Rapids.  If you have ancestors buried in Grand Rapids City cemeteries then you will want to take a look at the Grand Rapids City Cemeteries website.  Here you can search by name and you will be taken to a separate page with information on the individual you searched for.  I found it helpful to search just by last name too.

The city of Grand Rapids owns six cemeteries in the city.  Clicking on the names below will take you to a map for each cemetery.  Once you have searched and located the name you can go here to find the exact location.  They are:

  1. Fairplains  2056 Diamond, NE
  2. Fulton Street  801 Fulton, NE
  3. Greenwood  1401 Leonard, NW
  4. Oakgrove  1401 28th Street, SE
  5. Oakhill North and Oakhill South  647 Hall Street, SE
  6. Woodlawn East and  Woodlawn West  2530 Kalamazoo SE
Screenshot of Grand Rapids Cemetery Search for Kosten
Jennie Kosten highlighted:  (Name:  Kosten, Jennie  Date of Death:  05/08/1919)

Screenshot of Information for Jennie Kosten


Jennie Kosten


Grand Rapids City Cemeteries


Name:Jennie Kosten
Date of Birth:00/00/0000
Location:Grand Rapids City Cemeteries
FAIRPLAINS CEMETERY
BLOCK R
Lot :161
Space :3
Age:
Place of birth:
Gender: F
Veteran: N
Place of death:
Date of death: 05/08/1919
Spouse name:
Father name:
Mother name:
Funeral director: Funeral Home, Keukelaar
Service date: 05/12/1919
Cremated: N
Relation to owner:



You can see, above, the type of information you can find on this website.  I had her date of death so that helped me identify the right Jennie Kosten.  I learned the cemetery, location of gravesite, and funeral home.  This was all new information to me.

Jennie Kosten is Kirk's great, great grandmother.  She was born Jennie Jansen, the daughter of  Pieter Jansen and Johanna Maat.  She married Adrian Kosten in Wolphaartsdijk, Zeeland, Netherlands, in 1856.  They immigrated to the United States in 1873.  Jennie Kosten died in the Holland Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I was unable to find a burial record for her husband, Adrian Kosten.

Happy Birthday, Abraham VanOeveren (1865-1943)

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , , ,

Abraham VanOeveren (Center) and his children.

Kirk's great grandfather, Abraham VanOeveren was born 147 years ago today (20 June 1865) in Sint Philipsland, Zeeland, Netherlands to Abraham van Oeveren and Neeltje de Bruin.  He came to the United States as a young boy and lived in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan the rest of his life.

He married Janna 'Jennie' Kosten on 23 July 1885, in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  They were the parents of eight children; six who lived to adulthood (Ada, Nellie, Jeannie, Abraham, Jr. 'Bud', Lois, and Edward Russell 'Russ'.

Abraham VanOeveren died 22 October 1943 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  He is buried at Fairplains Cemetery, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.

Adelia DeGan Denny Born 182 Years Ago

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , ,

Adelia Mary DeGan Denny was born 18 June 1830 to Amable Seraphim DeGanne and Adelaide Ducharme Tetreau.  They were of French Canadian Descent.  I haven't researched this side of my husband's family much.  (Recently, Kirk attended a Family History Day with me and took a two hour session on French Canadian ancestry, maybe he will get the genealogy bug and do the research.  Hint-Hint)

Adelia DeGan married Joseph W. Denny in Split Rock, Onondaga, New York (source needed).  They were the parents of 15 children.  Eventually, they settled in the Lowell, Kent, Michigan area.

Adelia Denny died 5 March 1905 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  She is buried in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Lowell, Kent, Michigan. 

The picture above is of Joseph W. Denny and Adelia DeGan Denny.  The photographer was Milo Hiler, Lowell, Michigan.  Photo date unknown; anyone have a guess to when it might have been taken?  Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Grandma Dollaway's (Francis) Cookbook-Family Recipe Friday

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , , , ,

Cover Page of Grandma Dollaway's (Francis) Cookbook

My husband and I were visiting his parents on Mother's Day weekend and I decided to take my flip-pal scanner with me.  My mother-in-law had mentioned that she had her Grandma Dollaway's cookie recipe and I thought it would be a good idea to scan the recipe and use it for a blog post. 
I asked my mother-in-law, Betty, if I could make a scan of her Grandma's recipes and she said she didn't have them, her daughter did.  They were going to be seeing her daughter the next day and she would ask her to bring them and then I could scan them the next time I visited.  I didn't think much of it, I could wait.

Later that same week, I took my niece, Betty's granddaughter, for a visit.  When I got there Betty said she had the recipes.  She handed me two black books.  I was surprised, I had only expected a recipe card or two.  I didn't even know the recipe books existed.  As a lover of recipe collections I was thrilled.  So what I thought would be a cookie recipe or two turned into a whole lot more.

The two books were recipes that had been written in daily calendar books.  The 1939 Calendar book of recipes is written in Grandma Dollaway's handwriting and this is her recipe book.  It contained cakes, coffee cakes, quick breads, hash, biscuits, cookies, pies, and more.  There is even a dandelion blossom wine recipe.  One recipe I have been tempted to try is the home remedy for rheumatism and arthritis.  Credit was given to the recipe's owner.  Some of the names include Agnes (Francis Dollaway's son's, Roy, wife), Betty's, Lottie Smith, Mrs. Martin, Florence Baily, Alice D., Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Earnst, Josie (Francis Dollaway's sister, Josephine), Cecil (Francis Dollaway's daughter), Mrs. Jessup (Francis Dollaway's daughter's, Cecil, mother-in-law), and Leona (Francis Dollaway's daughter and my mother-in-law's mother).  Some of the women above were women that Francis worked for.  She worked as a housekeeper.  I was so excited to get my husband's great grandmothers recipe, but that wasn't the only recipe I got.  There was one of Grandma Denny's recipes for Molasses included.  Grandma Denny was Francis Dollaway's mother, my husband's 2x great grandmother! 
Ice Box Cookies Recipe from Grandma Dollaway's (Francis) Cookbook
This is the cookbook that contains the recipe for Grandma Dollaway's Ice Box Cookies, the original recipe I thought I would scan.  I haven't made them yet, but one thing I noticed is the lack of instructions for mixing and baking.  I am a little surprised the measurements are included.  Cooking and baking was such a routine in those days that they didn't need measurements or instructions, they just knew. 
Ice Box Cookies
3/4 cup lard
3/4 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup White Sugar
1 tsp. cinnamons
1 cup nutmeats
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon soda 
Press in tin or roll put in ice box until next day.
What was in the second cookbook?  You will have to check back to find the answer to that.
Who is Grandma Dollaway?

L-R Cecil Dollaway Jessup with her mother, Francis Denny Dollaway
Grandma Dollaway is Francis Denny Dollaway.  She was born in Lowell, Kent, Michigan on 13 April 1866 to Joseph W. Denny and Adelia Degan Denny.  She lived near Lowell, Michigan most of her life, along the river and near what they called Dollaway hills.  She died on 22 February 1955 at the age of 88.  Kirk has a few memories of going to her house, she always had lemon drops in a jar with a lid on them, which would be a treat for a four year old.
Other names mentioned:
Betty-Francis Dollaway's granddaughter, Kirk's mother
Leona- Leona Dollaway Corcoran; Francis Dollaway's daughter, Betty's mother, Kirk's grandmother
Cecil-Cecil Dollaway Jessup, pictured above; Francis Dollaway's daughter, Leona's sister
Grandma Denny-Adelia DeGan Denny; Francis Dollaway's mother who lived from 1830-1905 and Kirk's 2x great grandmother.

Nellie VanOeveren LeynDyke

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , ,

Nellie (VanOeveren) LeynDyke and Peter LeynDyke, June 24 1950,
at their son James' wedding

Can you imagine being named the same name as your two deceased siblings?  Nellie VanOeveren was the third 'Nellie' in her family.  It's common for Dutch families to use the name again after someone dies.

Nellie VanOeveren was the fourth of eight children born to Abraham VanOeveren and Janna 'Jennie' Kosten VanOeveren.  She was born on 11 June 1896 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  Her siblings were:
  • Nellie (1886-)
  • Nellie (1888-1889)
  • Ada (1890-
  • Jeannie (1902-)
  • Abraham Jr. 'Bud' (1905-1987)
  • Lois (1911-1999)
  • Edward Russell 'Russ' (1915-1999)

Source:  Peter Lijndyk (LeynDyke) and Nellie VanOeveren Marriage Certificate, Citing marriage services on 1 January 1917; Family Papers; privately held by Brenda Leyndyke, [address for private use], Battle Creek, Michigan 49015, 2011. photocopy of original marriage certificate. Peter Leyndyke to his daughter, Betty Clark, to Brenda Leyndyke.

Nellie lived in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan until her marriage.  Nellie VanOeveren married Peter LeynDyke on 1 January 1917 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  Pete and Nellie lived in Flint, Genessee, Michigan until they retired to Florida. 



Nellie died 31 May 1994 in Bradenton, Manatee, Florida at the age of 97 years.  She is buried in Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton, Florida.

Denny:Surname Saturday

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , , ,

Joseph W. Denny and Adelia DeGan Denny


The Denny surname in Kirk's ancestry can be traced back to 1820's, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  I need to do more research on this line of the family.  Other spellings include:  Dennis, Denis, Dennie.

The Denny's in Kirk's family include:
.
Kirk
His mother, Elizabeth
Leona Dolloway Corcoran
Francis A. Denny Dolloway
Joseph W. Denny, who married Adelia DeGan
?

If you have any more information on this Denny family, please leave a comment or feel free to contact me.

Timothy Francis Corcoran and Helen Smith Marriage License

Author: Brenda Leyndyke / Labels: , , , ,

Source:  Cook County, Illinois, marriage no. 309781 (5 June 1900), Timothy Corcoran and Helen Smith; Cook County Clerks Office, Chicago, Illinois.


Timothy Corcoran, age 25, and Helen Smith (Schmitt), age 19, were married on 5 June 1900 in Pullman, Cook, Illinois.  Jos. A. Dunn, Catholic priest, signed the license.

They were married for 49 years and had two children, Bertrand Corcoran and Howard Corcoran.  They lived most of their lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.