Berent Jan Lemmen Jr.
By Bentheimers International Society
Some information for this biography is taken from "The Lemmen Family of Grafschaft Bentheim," by Lloyd J. Lemmen and Loren J. Lemmen.
A portion of General Major von Le Coq‘s Grafschaft Bentheim map (1805) depicting the settlement of Laar. Berent Jan Lemmen Jr. was born here in 1837.
Berent Jan Lemmen Jr. was born on February 10, 1837 to Berend Jan Lemmen Sr. and Hinderkien Prüüst. (His birth record has not been found. This date was taken from his headstone in the East Holland Cemetery.) When he was 20 years old, he left Grafschaft Bentheim and emigrated to America.
Emigrating T0 Michigan
On October 5, 1857, the Bark Laura sailed into New York Harbor, carrying 70 Altreformierte (Old Reformed) church members from the Emlichheim area. Berent Jan numbered among them, as well as his aunt Fenigje Lemmen, cousin Berend Jan Lemmen and his wife Fenne Schoemaker, and their four children: Fennegien, Geert (Gerrit), Hermannes, and Gerritdina.
After arriving in New York, Berent Jan and his relatives made their way to Graafschap, Michigan. On May 28, 1862, he bought a farm from Hendrik Lubbers in Fillmore Township. His grandchildren recalled that he loved horses and would take them out so that his boys could ride them.
The Berent Jan Lemmen Jr. Family
On August 27, 1865, Berent married Geertje Arens in the Graafschap church. She was the daughter of Hendrik Arens and Gesiena Tyink and emigrated from Grafschaft Bentheim in 1855 at the age of 9. Berent and Geertje had eleven children:
- Benjamin B.—born 1866;
- Gezina—born 1868;
- Hendrick—born 1870;
- Hanna—born 1872;
- Jantje—born 1875;
- Dena—born 1877;
- Hattie—born 1880;
- John—born 1882;
- Jantje (Jennie)—born 1885;
- Gerrit B.—born 1888; and,
- Bena—born 1890.
Berent Jan passed away on January 20, 1904 and was buried in the East Holland Cemetery. Geertje re–married two years later to Geert Kempker. After she died on July 10, 1927, she was buried alongside Berent.
Berent Jan and his wife, Geertje Arens Lemmen.
Berent Jan’s headstone in the East Holland Cemetery, Allegan County, Michigan.
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1 thought on “Berent Jan Lemmen Jr”
We should include the information about his house burning in the fire of 1871. We did not know this when the Lemmen genealogy was done.