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This is copied from a little booklet which I discovered in Hazel Hine’s possession: The Van Vuuren Clan, Created by the 1st Reformed Church of South Holland IL for their 100th anniversary, published by The Vanderbilt Press-1952

“The original booklet is a sketch of Roel Van Vuuren and family, which was copied from a book created by the 1st Reformed Church of South Holland, Illinois for their 100th anniversary. I have attempted to recopy this booklet as it was originally written, including the original spelling and grammar. It would be impossible to explain the excitement I felt as I read through this booklet for the first time! I am certain that the descendants of these pioneer families from Holland will regard this little history as a treasure!”

Elizabeth Hine Walker

2023 Update

I was able to find a digital copy of this booklet which I’m adding to this post. The transcribed text remains below the PDF.

2024 Update

A similar booklet with some new-to-us information has been found. See The Family of Peter de Vos.

The van Vuuren Clan

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Preface

The Van Vuuren clan are the descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Dirk VanVuuren.

Grandmother Van Vuuren was a member of the De Jong family so to trace our family back our ancestry involves these two families.

Roel Van Vuuren, the father of grandfather Dirk Van Vuuren, was born in 1793.

A historical sketch of Roel Van Vuuren and his family, in the 100th anniversary book of the South Holland Reformed Church, says that he purchased a whole section of land (one square inch or 640 acres) north of the Calumet river and to this day all titles trace back to his ownership.

A record of the De Jong family goes back as far as Jan De Jong a grandfather of grandmother Van Vuuren born Maartje De Jong.

In this booklet, the family is traced from these ancestors to the children of Mr. and Mrs. Dirk Van Vuuren with dates of their birth and death and whom they married.

It would be an endless job to trace all the way down to all the present descendants and quite a few would be missed.

Therefore a few blank pages are left in the back so that each individual can enter the record of their family from here on.

Roel Van Vuuren

Roel Van Vuuren (1793-1859) with his wife, Grietje Baardwijck (1800), set out from Uithuistermeede in 1848 and arrived in Low Prairie the same year after an ocean voyage of 6 weeks. According to one of the descendants, Van Vuuren had been instrumental in persuading the Rev. W. C. Wust to migrate to what was then, in the old country, considered the Indiana Wilds of America. As these pioneer families later learned, there was at that time not much of Indian life left in the Calumet area.

Here Van Vuuren purchased a section of land just north of the river. A log cabin situated somewhere between the present Arie T. Gouwens and Van Oosten brugge homes, served as the family’s first Low Prairie dwelling. Some of the logs of this cabin were later used in the construction of the Arie T. Gouwens barn. The titles of properties in this area go back as far as Roel Van Vuuren ownership. Roel Van Vuuren figures immediately in the activities of the church but his services were not of many years duration for he died in 1859, two years after the first cemetery had been purchased.

The graves of Mr. Van Vuuren and his wife are marked by horizontal flat slabs that have been fairly well preserved. This couple most likely were among the first adults buried in the new cemetery west of Thornton.

The Van Vuuren family was a rather large one. The sons and daughters intermarried with members of the local families of a decade later.

Accordingly many of the folks of the First Reformed Church of South Holland are descendants of these pioneers.

• Teuntje VanVuuren married Jan de Jong.
• Anna married Arie deJong.
• Gerrigje married Arie Gouwens.
• Mageltje married Cornelis deJong (later of Michigan.)
• Jansje married Arie T. Gouwens.
• Neeltje married Gouw Zwijnenberg.
• Lammert married Aaltje de Vries.
• Dirk married Maartje deJong of High Prairie.

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The foregoing sketch of Roel Van Vuuren and his family was copied from the 100 year anniversary book of the First Reformed Church of South Holland, Illinois.

Dirk Van Vuuren

Dirk Van Vuuren, son of Roel and Grietje VanVuuren was born in the Province of South Holland, Netherlands, on September 12, 1834. He migrated with his parents to a farm in what is now South Holland, Illinois but was then called Low Prairie. He married Maartje De Jong.She was the daughter of Jacob DeJong one of the first settlers, and also the first elder of the First Reformed Church in Roseland, Chicago, Illinois. The VanVuurens built their home at 100th Place and Michigan Avenue in Roseland, Chicago, Illinois.

During the construction of this home the window and door frames were delivered on the day of the great Chicago fire, October 9, 1871.

Dirk Van Vuuren died on February 21, 1906 at the age of 71 years and is buried in the family lot in Mount Greenwood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

Our Family

Father Jacob De Jong lost his father by death when he was not quite 5 years old. His name was Jan De Jong.

Father’s mothers name was Maartje(?).

Mother Geertje De Jong was born Eenigenburg. Her father’s name was Joris Hark Eenigenburg, born on Jan. 25, 1778 in Holland, Nederland, died Aug. 8, 1842 at the age of 64 years. Grandmother Triezntze Gerrits Eenigenburg was born in the year 1779, date unknown, died on Jan. 5, 1842 at the age of 63 years.

Father Jacob De Jong was born on Oct. 11, 1808 in Holland, Nederland, in a place called Schoorl. He died in Roseland on March 27, 1875 at the age of 66 years, 5 months and 16 days.

Mother Geertje DeJong was born on July 17, 1810 in Holland, Nederland; and died in Roseland, Chicago at the age of 68 years on October 3, 1896.

Our elders migrated from Nederland to America in the year 1849 on a sailing ship over the big Ocean. The trip took 42 days. It was very stormy and with an epidemic of cholera on board 32 passengers died. They landed in New York and went immediately by steamboat to Chicago where they landed on St Street on July 4, 1849. They traveled then 14 miles south and bought land for five dollars an acre. The place was called Hoogie Prairie (High Prairie). It was all wild land.

To our elders were born sixteen children as follows:

Family of Jacob De Jong

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The foregoing “Our Family” is an English translation of a document written in the Holland language by one of the children of Jacob De Jong.

Maartje De Jong

Maartje De Jong was born in the Netherlands on Aug. 25, 1835, the eldest child of Jacob and Geertje (nee Eenigenburg) De Jong.

Maartje married Dirk Van Vuuren and lived in Roseland from 1849 until she died on Aug. 1, 1911. she is buried in the Van Vuuren family lot in the Mount Greenwood Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

The Children of Mr. and Mrs. Dirk Van Vuuren

Grietje was born on January 26, 1856. Grietje married John Nomes. Grietje died on April 26, 1941, and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.

Geertje was born on January 25, 1860. Geertje married Paul Tanis. Geertje died on January 14, 1944, and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

Roel was born on May 30, 1862. Roel married Katie Heun. Roel died on January 10, 1945, in Clinton, Iowa, and is buried in the cemetery in Futon, Illinois.

Trientje was born on February 28, 1865. Trientje married Albert Hine. After the death of Albert Hine she married Myndert Knynsberg. Trientje died on November 7, 1949, and is buried in the Oak Glen Cemetery in Lansing, Illinois.

Maggeltje was born on April 13, 1867. Maggeltje married Peter DeVos. Maggeltje died on September 14, 1951, and is buried in Mount Greenwood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

Guurtje was born on August 8, 1869. Guurtje married John Van Erden. Guurtje died on December 24, 1927, and is buried in Mount Greenwood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

Anna was born on May 2, 1871. Anna married Richard DeKock. Anna died on November 18, 1900, and is buried beside her parents in the Van Vuuren family lot in Mount Greenwood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

Jakob died in infancy.

Jacob was born on August 11, 1874. Jacob married Kate DeKock. Jacob lives in Lansing, Illinois.

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Roel Van Vuuren died in Fulton, Illinois.

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Submitted by Elizabeth Hine Walker