Zwenne Teusink
By Patricia Gemmen
A portion of General Major von Le Coq‘s Grafschaft Bentheim map (1805) depicting Ratzel/Itterbeck. Zwenne Teusink was born here in 1824.
Zwenne Teusink (Theusing) was born on March 13, 1824 in Itterbeck. Her parents were Jan Hendrik Theusing and Gese De Weerd.
On August 13, 1847, she married Arend Keddeman (Kedding, Keddink) in Uelsen. His parents were Berend Keddink and Harmina Warrink, both of Itterbeck. Zwenne and Arend lived in Itterbeck after their marriage. Here they had three daughters:
- Gesina—born on October 4 1847, baptized on November 14 in Uelsen;
- Berendena—born February 25, 1851, baptized on March 7, 1851 in Uelsen; and,
- Miena—born on August 25, 1855, baptized on September 9 in Uelsen.
Arend died in Ratzel on October 26, 1866 and was buried in Uelsen on October 31. Five months later, Zwenne and her three daughters left for America and settled in Graafschap, Michigan. Miena married Berend Hendrik Brink, and Berendina married Albert Dyke—both immigrants from Grafschaft Bentheim.
Zwenne appears to have died soon after coming to the United States. As for her daughter Gesina, we do not know for certain, but she may have died at sea.
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