Hendrik Jan Walkotte
By Bentheimers International Society
A portion of General Major von Le Coq‘s Grafschaft Bentheim map (1805) depicting Neue Piccardie. Hendrik Jan Walkotte was born here in 1792.
According to the Veldhausen church records, Hendrik Jan Walkotte was born on July 28, 1792 in Neue Piccardie (now Georgsdorf) and was baptized on August 1 in Veldhausen. His parents were Hendrik Walkotte and Aale Freriks, who ran a farm in Neue Piccardie. According to the Emlichheim church records, Hendrik Jan worked as a farmer and also as a schoolmaster in Tinholt from 1832.
Hendrik Jan Walkotte’s Family in Grafschaft Bentheim
On July 6, 1819, Hendrik Jan Walkotte married Wilhelmina Meyer (Meijer) in Veldhausen. They had nine children (the Uelsen, Veldhausen, and Emlichheim church books in Grafschaft Bentheim differ on some of the dates):
1. Hendrik—born in 1819 in Veldhausen, died in 1881 in Gölenkamp;
2. Harmen—born in 1821 in Tinholt;
3. Albert—born in 1823;
4. Hindrik Jan—born in 1827 in Tinholt;
5. Jan Harm—born in 1832 in Uelsen;
6. Aleida—born 1834 in Uelsen;
7. Adolf—born 1836 in Hilten;
8. Jan—born in 1839 in Hilten; and
9. Gerrit Jan—born 1842 in Hilten.
Leaving Grafschaft Bentheim for Michigan
The Hendrik Jan Walkotte family was part of the Seceder emigrants who left Grafschaft Bentheim for America in 1847–48. On December 16, 1847, the family (except for sons Hendrik and Harmen) left Uelsen for Rotterdam in the company of Berend Frerichs, his wife, and their four children. Here they boarded the sailing ship F.J. Wichelhausen. Due to the weather and the ship needing repairs, however, they did not leave port until March 5, 1848.
On May 5, 1848, Hendrik Jan Walkotte died aboard the F.J. Wichelhausen after a long illness. His son Gerrit Jan died two days later. Both were buried at sea. By 1853, his widow and some of their children had settled in Michigan.
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1 thought on “Hendrik Jan Walkotte”
Hendrik Jan Walkotte was my 3G grandfather. I am descended from his son Albert. I have copy of a narrative that Albert wrote in 1902, about the journey that the family took to America in 1848, and their experiences here. It was transcribed in 1958. I would be happy to send you a digital copy. I would be very interested in copies of the church records, if available. My list of his children also differs somewhat, so I’d be very interested in your sources. Please feel free to contact me. Thank you!