Zuiderkerk, Enkhuizen, The Netherlands for Weathervane Wednesday

 

The Zuiderkerk (Southern Church) is a protestant church in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.  The church was originally Sint Pancraskerk (St. Pancratius) built in 1458.  The tower with the weathercock is owned by the town, and was restored in 1992. The first musical clock in this tower was installed in 1524. There are two bells in the tower which were installed in 1653. There is also a carillon of 52 bells connected to the keyboard of the organ inside the church.   The interior was rennovated in 2013 and 2014. 

We could see the weathercock on the church tower from the main square of Enkhuizen while we were touring the town a few months ago.  We even heard the church bells while we were having a tea break in a local cafe.  This old weathercock is a very old Christian symbol, dating back to Pope Gregory I (between 590 and 604 AD) who declared that every church should install the rooster as a symbol of Christianity.  Pope Nicolas made the decree official in the 9th century.  Many early churches took advantage of this decree to install weathercocks.  The rooster stayed as a popular weathervane over the centuries, still seen on churches and farms in Europe and in America. The oldest weathervane known to exist is the Gallo di Ramperto, in the Museo di Santa Guilia in Brescia, Italy (thought to date between 820 and 830 AD).  

For the truly curious:

Zuiderkerk website (in Dutch):   https://www.pgenkhuizen.nl/ons-gebouw/  

Southern Church, Enkhuizen at Wikipedia (in English):    https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuiderkerk_(Enkhuizen)   

Another weathervane seen in Enkhuizen:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/05/enkhuizen-gatehouse-netherlands-for.html  

Click here to see over 550 more Weathervane Wednesday posts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Zuiderkerk, Enkhuizen, The Netherlands for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 18, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/06/zuiderkerk-enkhuisen-netherlands-for.html:  accessed [access date]). 

The Schreierstoren, Amsterdam, The Netherlands for Weathervane Wednesday

The 15th century Schreierstoren is a tower that was originally part of the city wall of Amsterdam.  I twas built in 1487. The ship on the weathervane is very appropriate because in 1595 Cornelis Houtman left here for the East Indies in 1595.  And this is where Henry Hudson set sail for North America in 1609 on his third voyage and founded New Amsterdam (Manhattan).  

The name Schreierstoren has many stories.  One is that women would go there to cry over lost husbands, those who were gone to sea for war, fishing, or exploration like Henry Hudson. The English translation is incorrectly told to be "Weeper's Tower" or "Tower of Tears".  However the name in Old Dutch translates to "Sharp Angle Tower" because the now extinct wall once made a sharp turn at this tower.  

The weathervane is a two dimensional gilded ship.  It cannot represent Henry Hudson's ship De Halve Maen  (The Half Moon) because he left Amsterdam in 1609, and this tower was built in 1487. 

This tower is now a cafe and bookshop, located at Prins Hendrikkade 94. 

For the truly curious:

Schreierstoren at Wikipedia:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schreierstoren  

"The true story behind Amsterdam's Schreierstoren": 

   https://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/279-schreierstoren-amsterdam   

Click here to see over 550 other Weathervane Wednesday posts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Schreierstoren, Amsterdam, The Netherlands for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 28, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-schreierstoren-amsterdam.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Westerkerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands for Weathervane Wednesday

While we were in Amsterdam in April, our hotel was located a block from this impressive church, with a gilded weathercock above a fantastic domed steeple.  This is the Westerkerk, a Reformed church built between 1620 and 1631 in Renaissance style.  There are older churches in Amsterdam that were built before the Reformation.  This is one of the first Protestant churches built in The Netherlands, and at the time it was built it was the biggest Protestant church in the world.  This church is also very close to the Anne Frank House. 

The impressive spire is 286 feet tall.  The blue dome is actually the Imperial Crown of Austria worn by the Emperor Maximilian I.  The weathercock is a traditional symbol of Christianity, ever since the decree by Pope Nicholas in the 9th century.  His papal edict said that a cockerel, the symbol of St. Peter's betrayal, should be installed on top of churches.  It is also a symbol of hope, vigilance, the dawn, and human fallibility.  By chance, most of these roosters were installed as weathervanes. Early weathervanes did not include the cardinal letters, like this one, because early churches were always laid out east to west. 

The Westerkerk is still a working church, and it is open to visitors Monday to Friday.  Many famous people, including the artist Rembrandt, are buried here.  The entrance is Prinsengracht 279.  The tower is owned by the City of Amsterdam and has a separate entrance.  It is not open to the public at this time. 

For the truly curious:

Westerkerk at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerkerk      

The official Westerkerk website:   https://westerkerk.nl/tourist-information-westerkerk-amsterdam/   

Click here to see over 550 other Weathervane Wednesday posts from around the world:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Westerkerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 21, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-westerkerk-amsterdam-netherlands.html: accessed [access date]). 

Three Weathervanes over the Magna Plaza, Amsterdam,The Netherlands, for Weathervane Wednesday

 These three weathervanes were photogaphed near Dam Square, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

This huge building in Amsterdam, located near the Royal Palace in Dam Square, is the former main post office, which was rennovated and turned into a huge shopping mall with over 40 stores and shops.  There are three towers, and each has it's own weathervane.  

1. The main tower on Raadhuisstraat has an onion dome with a gilded, two dimensional weathervane of a postal rider (complete with a post horn).  The post horn is the symbol for the mail service in many countries, including Spain and Germany. 

2. The entrance with two smaller towers each have a gilded banner, one with the letter "W" for Queen Wilhelmina, who was the monarch when this building was being built between 1895 and 1899.  

3. The second banner has a lion rampant, which is a common heraldic symbol seen on coats of arms. The lion rampant is associated with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the former Dutch Republic, and is part of the royal coat of arms. 

This building housed the central post office, the telegraph company, and the telephone company until 1987 when it was sold to a developer to renovate it into a shopping mall.  The exterior was cleaned and repaired, and the interior completely rebuilt. It reopened as a shopping center in 1992.  

For the truly curious:

Magna Plaza at Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Plaza  

The official Magna Plaza website:   https://www.magnaplaza.nl/   

The Dutch Republic Lion at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic_Lion   

The Post Horn article at Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_horn   

Click here to see over 550 more weathervanes from around the world!   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Three Weathervanes over the Magna Plaza, Amsterdam,The Netherlands, for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 14, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/05/three-weathervanes-over-magna-plaza.html: accessed [access date]). 

Enkhuizen Gatehouse, The Netherlands- for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.

This gilded ship weathervane is located above the Drommedaris or the Enkhuisan Town Gate.  Enkhuizen was a walled city, but now only several gates remain.  This gate was established about 1540 at the entrance to the Old Harbor. There is a 44 bell carillon in the tower, and a drawbridge over the canal. 

The weathervane is a gilded, two dimensional image of a typical Dutch sailing ship.  The Enkhuizen harbor leads out to the Ijsselmeer, which is a huge, fresh water lake that used to be part of the sea before a large dike was built. Before the harbor silted over, and before the Ijsselmeer was formed, Enkhuizen was a major seaport like Amsterdam, and a base for the Dutch East India Trade Company.  

For the truly curious:

Enkhuizen at Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enkhuizen   

Drommedaris at Wikipedia (with lots of new and old photos):   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drommedaris  

To see over 550 Weathervane Wednesday posts, click here:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Enkhuizen Gatehouse, The Netherlands- for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 7, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/05/enkhuizen-gatehouse-netherlands-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Captain Peter Adolph, buried 1702/3 in Sandwich, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the Old Town Cemetery in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

HERE LYETH Ye BODY OF CAPt.

PETER ADOLPH, OF NEW YORKE

AGED 48 YEARS, WHO DYED

SHIPWRACK IN THIS BAY

16th OF MARCH, 1702/3 &

WAS WASHED ON SHOARE

3 MILES BELOW THIS TOWNE. 

I found this interesting gravestone whilst wandering around looking for ancestors in this ancient burial ground in Sandwich, Massachusetts.  Located on Cape Cod, there were many tombstone for drowings and accidents at sea.  Who was Captain Peter Adolph?

Pieter Adolfz Van der Grost was baptized 8 July 1657 at the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam (now New York City), son of Adolph Pieterszen and Aefje Dircks.  He married Janneken Van Brosum at the same church on 1 January 1679, and they had eight children.  His will was proved on 29 May 1704. 

His 8 June 1696 will reads " Peter Adolph De Groot, being of perfect memory, do make this my last will and testament. First, I have nominated and appointed for my heir my beloved wife, Janeke Adolph, for one half of my estate of houses, lands and goods. And the other half to the four children which I have procured with her, named Adolph, Egbert, Agie, and Peter De Groot. I give to my son Adolph £10 for his birthright, and to my son Peter £5 for the sake of his name. My wife is not to be obliged to make any inventory or to give any account. Witnesses: Abraham Abrahamsen, Andries Abrahamsen. Timon Van Borsum and Cornelius Vielie are made executors. Proved 29 May 1704, and Cornelius Vielie is confirmed as executor"  [New York (County) Surrogates Court Abstract of Wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume 1, 1665 - 1707). Collections of the New York Historical Society (New York: Printed for the Society, 1892) pages 388-389.]

Captain Adolph was lost at sea in a shipwreck while sailing from Boston to New York.  The crew washed up on Scorton Beach in East Sandwich, and they all were buried in nearby cemeteries.  Adoph's widow gave a bell to the meetinghouse at Sandwich in gratitude for giving her husband's body a Christian burial.  It is known as the Captain Adolf Bell, and the meetinghouse is known now as the First Church of Sandwich, Massachusetts.  The bell is now on display inside the church. 

For the truly curious:

Find A Grave memorial for Capt. Peter Adolph:    https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86541132/peter-adolph    

 More about this family from Rootsweb:    https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~brouwergenealogydata/genealogy/p655.htm  

Wikipedia article on the First Church of Sandwich, Massachusets:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church,_Sandwich_Massachusetts    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Captain Peter Adolph, buried 1702/3 in Sandwich, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 3, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/06/captain-peter-adolph-buried-17023-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Albert Hoogerzeil (1845 - 1920) rescues a drowning man - 1896 Newsclipping

 

Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 14 January 1896, page 7. 

BEVERLY MAN'S BRAVE ACT

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Albert Hoogerzeil Risks His Own Life to 

Rescue a drowning Neighbor.

Beverly, January 14- A narrow escape from drowning of a Beverly man and a heroic rescue by another is reported this morning.

It seems that William Bennett, while spearing for eels through the ice in the harbor, broke through and was in great danger of drowning, as, on account of his heavy clothes, he was unable to swim. His cries for assistance were heard by Albert Hoogerzeil, who was fishing from a dory about a half a mile away from the drowning man.  Mr. Hoogerzeil rowed with all possible speed to the scene.  At the risk of his own life, he forced his boat through the broken ice and reached Bennett, just as he was sinking for the last time.

He dragged him into the boat and devoted some little time in resuscitating him.  Mr. Bennett was thoroughly chilled and was in great danger of succumbing, but Mr. Hoogerzeil took the clothing off his own back to aid in restoring warmth to the chilled man until he reached the shore and secured assistance.

It is understood that steps will be taken to bring the brave rescue to the attention of the Humane Society with a view that a medal may be secured for Mr. Hoogerzeil in recognition of his courageous act.

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One of my ancestral family names is Hoogerzeil.  I'm lucky because my 7th great grandfather, Ocker Bruins Hoogerseijl (1663 - 1749) of Krimpen aan de Lek, near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, made up his own surname when patronyms started going out of fashion in his home country.  He was a commander of a whaling ship, and his name "Hoogerzeil" translates to "High Sails".  Every person ever named Hoogerzeil or Hogerzeil has turned out to be one of his descendants.  

Ocker Bruins Hoogersijl's great great grandson, Peter Hoogerzil (1803 - 1889) was a stowawy from Rotterdam to Salem, Massachusetts in the 1820s.  He settled in Beverly, across the harbor from Salem, where he married Eunice Stone in 1828.  She was supposedly the daughter of the sea captain of the ship in which Peter was a stowawy.  I know that Eunice's father, Josiah Stone (1763 - 1848) was a commander of ships in Salem, so there may be some truth to this family myth!

Peter Hoogerzeil and Eunice Stone had six children: Lucy Ann, born 1832; Simeon, born 1839; Peter, born 1841; William, born 1843; Albert Stone, born 1845; and Edmund, born 1847.  Peter, Jr, is my great great grandfather.  Albert, his brother, and the hero of the story in the 1896 Boston Globe article, is my 3rd great uncle.  

Albert Hoogerzeil was a mariner in the United States Navy 1862 through 1864 during the Civil War.  He served aboard the USS Vermont, the USS Western World, and with the Potomac Flotilla.  Back home in Beverly he was a shoemaker and a fisherman.  At age 53 he married Mary Gaffney, born about 1859 in Ireland, on 15 December 1898 in Beverly.  It was his first and only marriage.  They had no children. 

For the truly curious:

A 2014 blog post about the Hoogerzeil Family plot in the Central Cemetery in Beverly:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/11/tombstone-tuesday-hoogerzeil-in-beverly.html  

A 2018 blog post for Surname Saturday on my Hoogerzeil lineage:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-hoogerzeil-of-holland.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Albert Hoogerzeil (1845 - 1920) rescues a drowning man - 1896 Newsclipping", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 11, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/03/albert-hoogerzeil-1845-1920-rescues.html: accessed [access date]).  

The Gunnister Purse

 

Replicas of the 1600s "Gunnister Purse" found in Scotland
knit by Laurel Wilkinson 2022

In 1951 in Gunnister, Shetland, Scotland a bog body was found dating from the 1600s.  The remarkable thing about this discovery was the clothing found on the body, including many examples of knitted items including a purse, stockings, gloves, two caps and several knitted patches on his woolen clothing.  Knitters around the world and historians have been examining the stitching and patterns to reproduce some of the items.

The purse and other items have decorative stitches now known as “Fair Isle” patterns.  This type of knitting is well known in Scotland and Scandinavian countries, and the discovery of the body proves that this type of knitting dates from at least the 1600s.  The original objects found in the bog are on display at the National Museum of Scotland, and replicas can now be found around the world.  Re-enactors of the 17^th century enjoy making “Gunnister Purses” for their costumes.

Knit purse from Beth Veazie Lambright
worn at the Pilgrims Progress 2021

I first learned about the knit pouches while I was participating in the Pilgrims Progress march during the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Board of Assistants meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts last September.  Beth Veazie Lambright from the Oregon society sat next to me during the meetings, and she was wearing a similar knitted purse tied to her waist during the Pilgrims Progress.  I Googled the story of the Gunnister purse that same night.  My husband was particularly interested since neither of our Pilgrim outfits have pockets, and we had no place to store keys, phones, ID cards, etc.

A participant at the 2021 Pilgrims Progress
wearing a knitted pouch similar to the Gunnister purse

It is amazing that fragile knitted objects and garments survived being buried in a Scottish bog, and even more amazing that these little pieces of clothing have captured the imaginations of historians and re-enactors.  During the Mayflower 400^th anniversary commemoration, many people became interested in recreating authentic costumes instead of “cartoon Pilgrim” outfits of black and white decorated with buckles (which are not historically accurate at all).  These little Gunnister purses are not only practical (a place to carry a phone and an inhaler), but also completely authentic to the time period!

Not only were the Gunnister man’s artifacts from the correct time period for Pilgrim re-enactors, but there is much evidence to suggest that he might have been from Holland.  The coins in his purse were from Holland and Sweden (although the knitting suggests Scotland).  His cap was a Dutch style. Some other objects (a quill and ink horn) were also Dutch.  The Pilgrims lived for one generation in Leiden, Holland, and picked up lots of clothing and lifestyle customs from their Dutch neighbors.

I told my sister about the Gunnister purse, thinking that perhaps I could learn how to knit one as a beginner project.  My sister is an avid knitter, and she surprised Vincent and I with these purses for Christmas.  The patterns for Gunnister purses (as well as the cap, gloves, and stockings) are available online, see my links below. Do you think my little pocket will last another 400 years?

For the truly curious:

Gunnister Man Wikipedia article:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnister_Man 

A photo of the actual Gunnister purse with bands of Fair Isle knitting from the National Museums of Scotland:  https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/purse/19665  

Free patterns for a Gunnister Purse Replica from Ravelry:   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gunnister-purse-replica  and this one from Plimoth Patuxet Museum:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gunnister-purse 

A nice blog post describing all the Gunnister Man’s clothing, especially the knitted pieces:  http://costumehistorian.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-gunnister-man-project.html

Would you like to buy a book with 12 patterns for 17^th century knitted garb, including the Gunnister purse, the Gunnister Cap, and some Gunnister gloves?  This book was published in 2010 from the Plimoth Platuxet Knitter’s Club:  https://www.plimoth.com/products/copy-of-knitted-garb-inspired-by-originals-designs-for-plimoth-plantation-and-beyond 

You can Google “Gunnister Man” or “Gunnister Purse” for many more websites with information on these interesting artifacts from the 1600s.

Also - In the British National Archives there are lists of gifts given to Queen Elizabeth 1561 – 1562, including 28 different knitted purses filled with coins: http://www.larsdatter.com/gifts/1561-2.htm   None of these purses survive, but the archives describe the purses including the colors and materials (mostly silk threads).  This blog post shows photos of someone recreating these purses, which are close to the 1620 time frame of the Mayflower Pilgrims: https://shannon.paradise.gen.nz/Knitting  but probably much more opulent than what they would have been carrying daily.

Photo credit to Beth Veazie Lambright of the Oregon Mayflower Society for the photo of the yellow knit purse above. 

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Gunnister Purse”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 1, 2022 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-gunnister-purse.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Faces of Margraten ~ A Photo Project of World War II American Soldiers

The Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten

Are you looking for an easy yet patriotic genealogy project?

2020 will be the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War II.  There are many projects and events going on in commemoration of this anniversary, but “The Faces of Margraten” was brought to my attention by a young American couple living in Luxembourg.  They had visited the American Cemetery and were moved by this project to collect photographs of all the Americans buried here. 

The people of Europe are remembering their US liberators who are buried in The Netherlands American Cemetery in the town of Margraten.  Below I have the links to the websites for the project to collect the photos of the 7,500 faces of American soldiers. According to the website “Join us in our quest and help to put a face to those who sacrificed their all for our freedom.” They have found photos for over 6,000 soldiers but they are still looking for 4,000 more photographs.  The graves and Walls of the Missing will be decorated with the photos May 2 – 6, 2020. 

I looked up on the website to see what names were still missing photographs.  There is a map of the United States, and you can zoom in to see names in your area, or where your ancestors may have lived during World War II.  I found six names still needing photographs in New Hampshire, all buried at Margraten with the plots and rows given:

     1.       Henry S. Tremblay, Private, Hillsborough County, died 28 December 1944

     2.       William T. Penny, Technician Fourth Class, Rockingham County, died 19 December 1944

     3.       Raymond J. Dionne, Private, Strafford County, died 21 September 1944

     4.       Willam E. Caddick, Jr., Private First Class, Caroll County, died 16 November 1944

     5.       Raymond H. Aremburg, Staff Sargeant, Grafton County, died 29 November 1944

     6.       Joseph J. Theriault, Private, Coos County, died 31 March 1945

There were six names for Maine, five for Vermont, ten for Massachusetts, four for Rhode Island, and seven for Connecticut.  If you live outside of New England, you can easily search this map for a soldier who might have lived near you, or for a relative or ancestor from outside of your area.

The website suggests using newspapers and libraries to find relatives in obituaries or death notices.  There is also a memorial page “Fields of Honor – Database” in English at this link, that lists the 28,000 American soldiers interred at Ardennes, Epinal, Henri-Chappelle, Loraine, Luxembourg, and Margraten: https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/

The Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten is over 65 acres.  The Walls of the Missing list 1,722 Americans, and there are graves of 8,291 American soldiers.

For the Truly Curious:

The Faces of Margraten Project:

https://www.thefacesofmargraten.com/index.php/en-US/

Under the Faces of Margraten Project, here is the page to submit a face:

https://www.thefacesofmargraten.com/index.php/en-US/submit-photo/foxcontact

For more information use this email  info@fieldsofhonor-database.com

American Battle Monuments Commission, Netherlands American Cemetery:  https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/netherlands-american-cemetery

Wikipedia:  Netherlands American Cemetery:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_American_Cemetery

Thank you to Samantha Furbush Traskiewicz for bringing this project to my attention.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Faces of Margraten ~ A Photo Project of World War II American Soldiers", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 13, 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-faces-of-margraten-photo-project-of.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ SIMMONS of Duxbury, Massachusetts

SIMMONS / SYMONS / SIMONSON / SYMONDS

Moses Simmons or Moyses Simonson, my 9^th great grandfather, came to the Plymouth Colony as a young teenager on November 19, 1621 from Leyden, Holland in the second boat of Pilgrims on the ship Fortune.  He received a grant of land along with Philip Delano, who also arrived with him from Leyden.  He was made a freeman in 1633.  Sometime about 1635 he married his wife Sarah.  Her maiden name is still unknown.  They had seven children.

Moses signed his name with a mark, meaning he was functionally illiterate. He was made the Duxbury town surveyor of highways in 1657 and 1662, and surveyor of highways for Scituate in 1675. He was described as a yeoman, which means he was a farmer.  He has many land transactions in the Plymouth County records, and he deeded all his lands to his children before his death.  In his will he left only money to his children.  The inventory of his estate included no land [Plymouth Probate Records Volume 1, 107]

Moses’s oldest child, Rebecca, is my 8^th great grandmother. She married John Soule, son of Mayflower passenger George Soule.  Her daughter, Rebecca Soule, married Edmund Weston, and had a son, Nathan Weston who married Desire Standish, the granddaughter of two Mayflower passengers – Capt. Myles Standish and Edward Doty.

John Simmons, founder of Simmons Female College in 1899, where my daughter received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Some Simmons resources:

History of the Simmons Family from Moses Simmons, by Lorenzo Albert Simmons, 1930 (available at Ancestry.com)

The Ancestry of John Simmons Founder of Simmons College, by Henry Sherburne Rowe, 1933

Records of the Colony of New Plymouth In New England, edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, 1855

My Simmons Genealogy:

Generation 1:  Moses Simmons, born about 1605 in Leyden, Holland and died 15 September 1691 in Duxbury, Massachusetts; married about 1632 to Sarah Unknown.  Seven children.

Generation 2:  Rebecca Simmons, died before 1678 in Duxbury; married about 1654 in Duxbury to John Soule, son of George Soule and Mary Beckett.  He was born about 1632 in Plymouth and died before 14 November 1707 in Duxbury. Nine children.

Generation 3:  Rebecca Soule m. Edmund Weston

Generation 4:  Nathan Weston m. Desire Standish

Generation 5:  Nathan Weston m. Hannah Everson

Generation 6:  Zadoc Weston m. Mary Clements

Generation 7:  Matilda Weston m. Joseph Edwin Healy

Generation 8:  Mary Etta Healey m. Peter Hoogerzeil

Generation 9: Florence Etta Hoogerzeil m. Arthur Treadwell Hitchings

Generation 10: Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ SIMMONS of Duxbury, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 13, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/10/surname-saturday-simmons-of-duxbury.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ STANDISH of the Mayflower

Myles Standish's burial ground in Duxbury, Massachusetts

STANDISH

Myles Standish (1584 – 1656), my 8^th great grandfather, was not only a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620, but he was also the Captain and leader of the Plymouth Colony military forces until his death.  He served in several civic leadership positions in the colony, such as an Assistant to the Governor on 1 January 1632/3, treasurer in 1644 and many years after, and on May 1653 he was made the Deputy Governor.   Myles Standish is also recognized as the first person to settle in the town of Duxbury, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Although you might read on the internet that Myles Standish was from Lancashire, or even that he was from the Isle of Man, his origins are still unknown.  I know that genealogists and historians are working on proving his origins now, and maybe we will have an answer or a good clue by the 2020 anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower in New England?

Standish was a soldier in the war with Spain, and he was in Leyden, Holland when the Scrooby Separatists were there with Pastor John Robinson.  He was hired by the separatists and arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 with his wife Rose, who died that first winter when half the passengers succumbed to some mysterious illness.  His second wife Barbara arrived on the ship Anne in 1623.  They had seven children, including Alexander Standish (about 1626 – 1702), my 7^th great grandfather.

Alexander Standish married twice, both times to daughters of Mayflower passengers.  His first wife was Sarah Alden, the daughter of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens.  His second wife was Desire Doty, my ancestress, who was the daughter of Mayflower passenger Edward Doty and his wife Faith Clark.  She was the widow of both William Sherman and Israel Holmes.   Alexander was the constable in Duxbury, and a farmer. 

In the next generation I descend from Desire Standish (1689 – 1766), my 6^th great grandmother, wife of Nathan Weston.  She had four children. 

Famous Descendants:
Actor Dick Van Dyke, Vice President Dan Quayle, Revolutionary War Patriot Deborah Sampson, 

For more STANDISH information:

Mayflower Families Through Five Generations (Silver book), Volume 14, published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 2007.

The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620 - 1633, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume III, pages 1741-1747.

Myles Standish Society (Standish descendants)   https://www.mylesstandishsociety.org/

My STANDISH genealogy:

Generation 1:  Myles Standish, born about 1584, died 3 October 1656 at Duxbury, Massachusetts; married first to Rose Unknown; married second to Barbara Unknown, mother of seven children.  She died after 6 October 1659.

Generation 2:  Alexander Standish, born about 1626 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, died 6 July 1702 in Duxbury; married first to Sarah Alden; married second to Desire Doty, widow of William Sherman and of Israel Holmes, daughter of Edward Doty and Faith Clark.  She was born about 1645 in Plymouth, and died 22 January 1731 in Marshfield, Massachusetts.  Three Standish children.

Generation 3: Desire Standish, born 5 May 1689 in Marshfield, and died 20 June 1766 in Plympton, Massachusetts; married on 21 February 1716 in Plympton to Nathan Weston, son of Edmund Weston and Rebecca Soule (the granddaughter of Mayflower passenger Edward Soule).  Four children.

Generation 4: Nathan Weston m. Hannah Everson

Generation 5:  Zadoc Weston m. Mary Clements

Generation 6:  Matilda Weston m. Joseph Edwin Healy

Generation 7:  Mary Etta Healey m. Peter Hoogerzeil

Generation 8:  Florence Etta Hoogerzeil m. Arthur Treadwell Hitchings

Generation 9:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ STANDISH of the Mayflower”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 8, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/09/surname-saturday-standish-of-mayflower.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Weathervanes of Amsterdam

I post another in a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's eight weather vanes were all photographed in Amsterdam in The Netherlands while I was on my recent tour with the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  Since life in Holland is dependent on the weather, and since there are so many boats (many were formerly sailboats) on the rivers, canals and harbors, Amsterdam was full of great weathervanes.  Here are only a few of the ones we saw on our tour by foot, bus, and canal boat.

 Weathervane post #366

A merman with a shield, see on the church below

The Dutch Republic Lion weathervane on the
Amsterdam "Centraal" train station downtown

Another view of the same
weathervane in the rain

Amsterdam "Centraal" Train station, the weathervane is barely visible!

This ship weathervane is above a visitor center downtown on a canal

The birds were enjoying this banner weathervane on a church

A weathercock on a Protestant chuch

Another banner weathervane seen from the canal boat

The weathervane above is atop that turret on the right side of the photo

An interesting old banner weathervane
with a counterweight on the right

The weathervane above is atop that
church steeple high above the crowds
in downtown Amsterdam

This gilded ship weathervane is very detailed!
I love the crow's nest, and the planking on the hull

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~  Weathervanes of Amsterdam", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 6, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/06/weathervane-wednesday-weathervanes-of.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ HOOGERZEIL of Holland and Beverly, Massachusetts

Grote Kerk "Great Church" in Dordrecht
where Peter Hoogerzeil was baptized

Peter Hoogerzeil, my immigrant 3^rd great grandfather, was born in Dordrecht, in Holland, on 28 October 1803 under the name Pieter Hoogerseijl.  He was the son of a whaling sea captain, Simon Hogerseijl (1776 – 1829) and his wife, Lissa Van Epenhuizen.  Dordrecht is an island on the banks of several rivers that flow into the Rhine delta.  It is near Rotterdam, which was a big whaling seaport where the ships sailed for the rich whaling in Greenland.   

Family stories say that Peter Hoogerzeil, the youngest son, stowed away on a ship loaded with hemp, which was headed for the ropeworks in Salem, Massachusetts.  He married Eunice Stone, the daughter of the ship captain, Josiah Stone.  I don’t think a sea captain would have been happy if his daughter married a stowaway, but perhaps the captain knew Peter as a mariner before taking him to Massachusetts?  There are family letters which repeat the stowaway tale, dating back to the 1800s. Perhaps there is a grain of truth to the story?

There are records of Peter Hoogerzeil in ship’s registers out of Salem and Beverly in 1826, 1827, and 1828.  He married Eunice Stone on 30 December 1828 in Beverly.  I found Peter listed in other ships registries until 1835,  when he was listed as a carpenter.  In the 1850 census in Beverly his occupation is listed as a caulker, and in the 1860 census he is listed as a day laborer born in “Ireland?”  By the 1870 census Peter was working as an expressman, which was the family business until the 1930s. 

Peter and Eunice had six children, all named in his will.  He died on 12 May 1889 in Beverly. I descend from his son, Peter Hoogerzeil, Jr. (1841 – 1908).   Over the years Peter, Jr. worked as a fisherman, a quartermaster and then as a teamster.  He began the Hoogerzeil Express Company in 1867 and employed his father and brothers.  After his death he passed the Express business on to his brother-in-law, John Healey.  Peter was also an inventor and world traveler.  He had patents for many inventions, which he sold out of his home on 43 Bartlett Street in Beverly.  As a sailor he sailed the South China Sea several times, and one of his last voyages was to Holland to visit his relatives.

I descend from Peter’s daughter Florence Etta (1871 – 1941), my great grandmother, who married Arthur Treadwell Hitchings.  She had eight children, including my grandmother, Gertrude Matilda (1905 – 2001).   Florence was known by her middle name “Etta”, and she was not well. She had “consumption” or tuberculosis, and spent a lot of time in a sanitorium during my grandmother’s growing up years.  My mother remembers visiting her “Nana” at 43 Bartlett Street, which was later occupied by “Aunt Belle” (my great grandmother’s sister Isabelle Hoogerzeil Sorenson (1888 – 1960).  Aunt Belle continued to correspond with the cousins in Holland all her life, and my uncle visited with some Hogerzeil relatives in occupied Holland during World War II.

 My HOOGERZEIL genealogy:

(see the blog post link below for Peter’s ancestors in Holland)

Generation 1:  Peter Hoogerzeil, son of Simon Hogerseijl and Lissa Van Epenhuizen, born 28 October 1803 in Dordrecht, South Holland and died 12 May 1889 in Beverly, Massachusetts; married on 30 December 1828 in Beverly to Eunice Stone, daughter of Josiah Stone and Susanna Hix.  She was baptized in Beverly on 15 May 1807 and died in Beverly on 21 October 1886. Six children.

Generation 2:  Peter Hoogerzeil, born 24 June 1841 in Beverly and died 10 May 1908 in Beverly; married on 14 March 1870 in Salem to Mary Etta Healey, daughter of Joseph Edwin Healey and Matilda Weston.  She was born 19 May 1852 in Beverly and died 23 July 1932 in Beverly.  Six children.

Generation 3:  Florence Etta Hoogerzeil, born 20 August 1871 in Beverly and died 10 February 1941 in Hamilton, Massachusetts; married on 25 December 1890 in Beverly to Arthur Treadwell Hitchings, son of Abijah Franklin Hitchings and Hannah Eliza Lewis. He was born 10 May 1868 in Salem and died 7 March 1937 in Hamilton.  Eight children.

Generation 4:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

For the truly curious:

A blog post about Krimpen aan de Lek, with my Hoogerzeil/Hogerzeil lineage back to 1631

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/in-footsteps-of-ancestors-touring.html 

A blog post about Dordrecht, where Peter Hoogerzeil was born:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/in-footsteps-of-ancestors-visit-to.html  

A blog post about my Uncle visiting the Hogerzeil family in occupied Holland after World War II:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/09/value-of-posting-brick-walls-on.html  

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ HOOGERZEIL of Holland and Beverly, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 31, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-hoogerzeil-of-holland.html: accessed [access date]).   

In the Footsteps of the Ancestors ~ A visit to Dordrecht, The Netherlands

Grote Kerk, Dordrecht, Netherlands

Part 3 of 3

My 3^rd great grandfather, Peter Hoogerzeil (1803 – 1889) stated on documents in Massachusetts that he was from “Dort” in the Netherlands.  I never found a city or village named Dort on any map.  I started to research his story in the 1970s, but it was until the 1990s, when I started using the internet for my genealogy, that I solved this little mystery. On a bulletin board for Dutch genealogy I asked about “Dort” and someone told me that this was the nickname for the city of Dordrecht in South Holland.  Solving this mystery led to my finding six generations of Peter Hoogerzeil’s ancestors!

A list of HOOGERZEIL births in the Beverly, Massachusetts Vital Records
Note the "Dort" for Peter Hoogerzeil's place of birth.  Also note all the different
versions of spelling for the Dutch surname HOOGERZEIL! 

I recently blogged about my trip to the Netherlands, and my distant Hogerzeil cousin who led me on a tour of my ancestral origins.  Visiting Dordrecht was a highlight of this trip, because it was the place where my immigrant ancestor was born.  Sometime in the 1820s Peter Hoogerzeil, who was a mariner descended from many generations of whaling sea captains, stowed away in a ship that left Rotterdam, nearby Dordrecht.  This ship was full of hemp from Indonesia, bound for the ropewalk in Salem, Massachusetts.  Peter settled in Beverly, across the harbor from Salem, where he married and left many descendants.  I was born in Beverly, and grew up not far from where he lived on Bartlett Street.

Dordrecht is one of the oldest cities in Holland, and it was built on several rivers that drain into the Rhine.  At one time Dordrecht was considered to be more important than Rotterdam, but that changed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  I’m guessing that at the time Peter left Dordrecht, it was an important commercial port, which made it easy for him to take the chance at running away to America. 

My distant cousin, Hans Hogerzeil, and Erik Kon, met us in Leiden and brought us to Dordrecht, where our first stop was the part of the harbor called “Kalkhaven” (chalk harbor), where Simon Hoogerzeijl (1743- 1802) lived when he removed from Nieuwpoort.   This little harbor can be seen in this map from 1868 (below).  We also visited the outside of the Grote Kerk (“The Great Church”) where many Hogerzeil ancestors were married, buried or baptized.  It was a Monday on the day of our visit, which is a day many buildings, stores and museums are closed in the Netherlands, so we never saw the inside of this church. 

Kalkhaven "Chalk Harbor", in Dordrecht, the Netherlands

Grote Kerk, the Great Church at Dordrecht

We also took a walk through the medieval center of Dordrecht, and saw the city hall, and the city archive (closed!).  When we return to visit Holland again, we will be sure it won’t be a Monday!

Dordrecht City Hall

We were comparing Hoogerzeil genealogy notes at a Dordrecht cafe!

The streets were a maze, but we had a good tour guide!

The Dordrecht Museum and archive is in this building

Part 1 of this series, where I visit the village Krimpen aan de Lek:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/in-footsteps-of-ancestors-touring.html   

Part 2 of this series, where I visit the tiny town of Nieuwpoort:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/in-footsteps-of-ancestors-touring_5.html 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “In the Footsteps of the Ancestors ~ A visit to Dordrecht, The Netherlands", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 8, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/in-footsteps-of-ancestors-visit-to.html: accessed [access date]).