Jan Hendrik te Selle (1838-1921) was born on the “De Selle” farm, near Winterswijk, Netherlands. Jan Hendrik, his wife Hannah Onnink (1841-1929), and Jan Hendrik’s younger brother, Harmen Jan te Selle (1844-1919), emigrated to the United States in 1865. At first, they lived with their aunt and uncle, Gerrit and Janna te Selle Bloemers, near Sheboygan,… Read more »
Hanna Berendina Onnink married Jan Hendrik te Selle in Winterswijk, Netherlands, on September 28, 1865, and they departed the next day, along with Jan Hendrik’s younger brother, Harmen Jan te Selle, on an epic journey to America. Read more about the two brothers and their families, who had much to do with the growth and prosperity of Lancaster County, Nebraska during the late 1800’s.
The Farmstead “de Selle” In Saxon regions in the eastern parts of the Netherlands, among which, of course, are the Achterhoek and Winterswijk, many family names usually have the following characteristics: they end in ‘-ing’ or ‘-ink’ ; names derived from place names are preceded by te, ten or ter; many of them are specified… Read more »
Why did so many Dutch farmers decide to emigrate to America in the mid-1800’s? What would inspire two young farm boys in 1865 to leave their friends and family in rural Winterswijk, Netherlands, in order to undertake an uncertain venture across the Atlantic Ocean to an unknown future in America? Read about the powerful cultural and economic forces that motivated our ancestors to seek their future prosperity in a far away land across the sea.
These brief notes were written on the back of Letter 12-a. The first note was written from Derk Willem te Selle to the Grutters family, and forwarded along with Letter 12-a, as originally requested by G.W. Bloemers in Letter 12-a. The second note was written back to Derk Willem te Selle by G.Z. Bloemers and C.A. Grutters, thanking Derk Willem for forwarding the letter, and returning the original Letter 12-a to Derk Willem as he had requested.
