Dingeman Hendrikse Legacy » Matthijs van der Kloot (1866-????)

Personal data Matthijs van der Kloot 

• He was born in the year 1866 in De Cocksdorp.
• A child of Matthijs later Mathys or Mathias van der Kloot and Trijntje Smit

Household of Matthijs van der Kloot

He is married to Mathilde of Mathilda Catharina Geertruida Deuzeman.

They got married on May 29, 1913 at Alkmaar, he was 47 years old.

Child(ren):

1. (Not public)

Notes about Matthijs van der Kloot

Op de foto uiterst rechts zit Matthijs met op zijn schouder de hand van Mathilda, zijn vrouw.

Matthijs and Trijntje Vanderkloot Family in America (ouders van deze Matthijs, die Mathilda, zus van opa Deuzeman, trouwde en mee emigreerde naar Chicago)

By Dave Jordan

November 27, 2000

Updated November 18, 2007

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The early history of Matthijs and Trijntje van der Kloot is related in the Origins of our 19th Century Vanderkloots. This chapter continues their story with their move to Chicago.

By 1886, the three Matthijs van der Kloot boys, Adrianus, Marinus, and Pieter had been in Chicago for several years working at their Uncle Marinus' South Halsted Street Iron Works. Both Marinus and Adrianus were married and had young families. The family was now split between Cocksdorp and Chicago. And by 1886, Matthijs and Trijntje were discussing whether to move to Chicago.

Perhaps what prompted the discussion was Matthijs' brother Marinus need for more workers for the rapidly expanding South Halsted Street Iron Work. They may have weighed the opportunity for regular work in Chicago and being with the part of their family that had left, along with the excitement of the big city against leaving family and friends behind.

Whatever the reasons, Matthijs, age 59 and Trijntje, 53 decided to leave their home of over thirty years in De Cocksdorp with their four youngest children: Matthijs Jr., age 22; Jannetje, age 17; Cornelius, age 15 and John, age 12. That would leave only Klass and Maatje in the Netherlands. Klass took over the blacksmith shop and home in Cocksdorp and daughter Maatje married Pieter Zylemaker. Daughter Aagje had married Hendrik Kooger in Texel in 1882 and may have been in Chicago already.

Son Pieter made the journey back to guide then to their new home. Adrianus and Marinus were married with families so it was logical that Pieter would make the journey back. Pieter might also have wanted to get to know Bertha Dros better, since Martha, Adrianus' wife was working on a match.

Finally the day had come and the group of six said their goodbye's to family and friends, loaded their11 traveling trunks and began their journey from De Cocksdorp. Their first leg was to Marsdiep, Texel, most likely via horse and wagon. From Marsdiep they crossed by ferry to Den Helder. Once in Den Helder, they traveled to Rotterdam, probably by rail.

In Rotterdam, they boarded the P. Caland with their luggage and steamed to New York. They arrived on Monday, March 22, 1866. As they entered New York harbor, the family would see the final construction of the base of the Statue of Liberty; however, the statue assembly had not begun though it was completed just a few months later in October. The P. Caland docked at Castle Garden at the southern tip of Manhattan along with all the other immigrant ships. After processing they took a ferry to New Jersey and then a train to Chicago. Here they were reunited with Adrianus and family, Marinus and family, and Matthijs' brother Marinus and family who had left Holland in 1868, 18 years before.

The earliest Chicago address I have for Matthijs and Trijntje is at 2612 South Emerald in 1887, which is just across the street from his son Adrianus and his wife Martha who lived at 2623 S. Emerald. A complete list of addresses can be found in the Address Section. Matthijs lived at 2612 Emerald until 1899 when he moved one block east and rented a new home at 2629 S. Union. For the addresses checked through 1905, Matthijs Jr. who was as a blacksmith and John who was as pattern and model maker continued to live with their parents. John never married and died at age 36 in 1910. Matthijs Jr. later married Matilda Duesemann.

Throughout the period from when he arrived in Chicago until his retirement at about age 70 in 1897, Matthijs was employed at the South Halsted Street Iron Works as a machinist. A machinist was a pretty high skilled job, and commanded a good salary.

Matthijs decided to become a citizen, but he didn't do it as soon as he could. This was a multi-step process of which the first step was to declare intent to become a citizen. Matthijs' Declaration of Intent was made on April 24th 1893, a little over seven years after his arrival. In the intent, the duties of a citizen are reviewed with the applicant and he is given time to ponder the action about to be taken; he also needs to find a sponsor who will vouch for his character. Citizenship then also meant that a man's wife and children would also become citizens. Matthijs took his Oath for Citizenship on August 22nd1896 at the age of 69. John Eelman, who had married Matthijs daughter Jannetje, was Matthijs' sponsor. As a result of Matthijs' citizenship, Trijntje also became a citizen. It is unlikely that sons, Matthijs and John, who were living with them, also became citizens as a result since they were both over 21 at the time.

According to the 1900 Census Matthijs, at age 73, had not mastered spoken English, but he could read and write. Trijntje, at age 68, did speak English but she could not read or write. My Grandmother Grace did not remember too much about her grandparents but she did recall Grandpa Matthijs spoke very little English and that he was always sitting in his chair, and not moving too much. He died when she was ten so most likely her remembrances were from his later years.

Matthijs Vanderkloot died at age of 78 on July 1, 1905 at about 6:00 a.m. from chronic nephritis. Nephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys. His funeral was held two days later on the afternoon of July 3rd. A caravan of carriages accompanied him to his family plot in the Oakwoods Cemetery at 67th and Cottage Grove in Chicago.

After his death, Trijntje lived continued to live at their home at 2629 Union for another seven to eight years. Her sons Mathias and John continued to live with her. In April 1910 her son John died of an accident, probably at work. At the end of her life, she moved in with her daughter Jannetje Eelman at 7733 S. Morgan. Trijntje died on Christmas Day 1915 at about 3: 30 p.m. She was 83. Her immediate cause of death was pneumonia, but the contributory cause was myocarditis, an inflammation of the muscle tissue of the heart.

The funeral was held at her daughter Jannetje Eelman's home at 7733 S. Morgan and she was buried in their Vanderkloot family plot beside her husband and her son John. The Matthijs Vanderkloot family plot was purchased by their sons Matthijs and Peter and is fairly large at16 feet by 12 feet. Years later, Peter and his wife Bertha were buried in the same Vanderkloot plot. There is a very nice granite marker on the grave naming Matthijs, Trijntje and their son John. Nearby is a marker for Peter and Bertha. There are also three children buried in the Matthijs' and Trijntje's plot: Mary Kooger, Aagtje's daughter, Trijntje Vanderkloot and an infant named Taylor. Except for Mary Kooger, it is unknown whose children these are.

 

Initial Web Publication Date: 11/27/2000

Intermediate Additions: 4/18/2007, 11/18/2007

 

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Timeline Matthijs van der Kloot

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