De Boekhoud-familiewebsite/ The Boekhoud family website

the family Kuipers

              Grandfather and grandmother Kuipers.

     

     Though my sun and I made my website actually only for the family Boekhoud I want all the same tell a little bit about the family of my mother and what I remember of them. I did not investigate the previous in's and out's of the family Kuipers but limited myself to my grandfather and grandmother Kuipers and their children and, as far as I remember, their antecedents.
     I found the official data's of these familyrelations back in a notarial document of 31 Dec. 1982  drawed up after the death of my greataunt Geerdine Dijk, (28 Dec. 1884 - 17 Nov. 1982) a sister of my grandmother Trui (Geertruida) and witch data's I used greatfully. 
     Underneath I write what I remember about my grandfather and grandmother Kuipers. It is not so very much because it so long ago and I had not much contact with my grandparents Kuipers and my uncles and aunts, with exception of my uncle Jan Bruinsma and his wife Geesien Kuipers.
     My grandparents had 9 children (see below) and that was in that time, let's say around 1900, not exceptionel.
     A few years ago I received the photo from one of my relatives. I don't know when this photo is made but considering the pose, the cloth and the environment it is possible a wedding-photo on occasion of there 40th or 50-years wedding anniversary.      

About grandfather Jan. 

     I don't know nothing anymore about the character of grandfather Jan and, because all my uncles and aunts since then passed away, I cannot recover that anymore. I still know some other things that I will gladly tell you.
     At any time grandfather Jan has been a shepherd. Shepherds knit in those times during shephing, to get some extra income, mittens, soks and that kind of things. He knitted for me also mittens and knee stockings.
     Grandfather Jan lived in a time where many children received in their youth no education. That must have been the reason that Grandpa couldn't read. The news from the newspaper was read  by Granny Trui. Because grandma was farsighted and had no reading glasses she used a large magnifying glass.
     Grandfather had a big bump on his left wrist, a socalled ganglion cyst. My brother Henk had two times a ganglion on his left wrist and years ago I had a ganglion - yes - on my left wrist. My nephew Hans told me that he had also a ganglion on his - of course - left wrist. And - this tops it all - my cousin Lucie Kuipers had a ganglion on here left wrist, this time however on the lower side. Difference there must be of course , but talking about genetics!
     Grandfather Jan smoked pipe. On one of the walls he had a piperack containing 6 or more pipes. I remember that he smoked gurgeling his pipe and that I could hardly stand the smell of the smoke, just like nowadays. The following is no joke. During the 2nd Worldwar when there was no tabacco available he smoked dried  kail-leaves; and stinking!
     Inside and outside the house he always beared a cap and if he was angry or did not agree with something he shreatend to slap with his cap. If he ever did so, I don't know.
     The big cracking chair, made of reed, was his of course. In the house I remember him only sitting in that chair, smoking his pipe and always with that cap on his head.
     As you can see on the photograph grandfather Jan had rather sharp eyes. Where did i see them before? I found them back on a photo when I was one year of age. The same eyes and that is of course why I am named Jan.       

 And about grandmother Trui.

     About her character and things like that I don't know anything anymore. Yet there are a few things that I want to let you know.
     Grandmother Trui had much and long hair as you can see on here photo. In the morning she brushed it, little bit bending, for a long time. When she was ready she plait it and tied it as a tuft somewhere on her head. A pity of course, nowadays hairdressers sure will know what to do with that hair of her.
     In my youth my grandmother always weard dark, often black, clothes and the "sundaydress" with white dots. Her apron was a very little bit more colorfull.
     In the early mornings she fried froises for the family, especially for my uncles who had to do hard labour in the horti- and agriculture. As dessert my grandma gave them oatsporridge with a consistency that a spoon almost could stay upright. Of course I don't know why but Grandmother Trui put a heap of salt in that porridge. Visiting with my mother my grandparents when I was a boy of about 5 years of age, she allowed me not to tough it because I did not like the porridge. With your permission, it was even not fit for pigs.
     I always thought that my cousin Grietje Bruisma (grandaughter of grandma Kuipers) looked very much after her father, but when I saw grandmother on the fotograph I thaught inmediately; that is my cousin Grietje - exactly!              

 About the children and grandchildren.

     About the 9 children I only wrote a few remarks. Of the grandchildren I mentioned  only theire names.

     Reina Kuipers (14-11-1898/8-6-1960) + Jan Dik (11-8-1901/26-2-1987).
               Trui (Geertruida) Kuipers (previous child) ( ? / ? )
               Wiebe Dik (23-9-1928/ ? )
     My aunt Reina (her callingname was Rein) was motherly and rather sweet, but also a  bit sharp. She was very tidy (every now and then a little bit absurd) and was mainly bussy with the  housekeeping but she cleaned also the milk-churns used by uncle Jan.
     Uncle Jan was a very nice fellow. Very careful and friendly. His job was milkman and he delivered milk, eggs, butter, cheese and that kind of things to his clientele with a carrierbike. That was in those times, say up to about 1960, the common way of trading. 

     Geesien Kuipers (18-11-1906/21-12-1951 ) + Jan Bruinsma (5-3-1899/ ? )
               Grietje Bruinsma (19-9-1912/ ? ).
                Jan Bruinsma (9-10-1913/ ? ). 
               Albert Bruinsma (13-5-1927/ ? ).
               Rienko Bruinsma (13-4-1929/ ? ).
               Truida (Geertruida) Bruinsma (13-9-1930/ ? ).
               Tinie (Jantina Hendrika) Bruinsma (3-10-1935/ ? ).
     My aunt Geesien (callingname Gees) was a very sweet woman and unmistakable the key figure in the family without claiming that role and far, far away from being dictatorial. She was very considerate. Nevertheless she could set her children (en fosterchild Jan), to work in order to take part in the houshold. End 1945 and in 1946 when they took care of me, my aunt Gees really was my second mother.
     Uncle Jan was in a way a cheap-jack. The family had a groser's-shop but beside that they traded in all kind of things (such as wooden-shoes), had to operate a bascule-bridge, etc. etc. If all these tradings could stand up a scrutiny of the law: we don't talk about that. He didn't hardly bother about the houshold; that was the task of his wife Gees.     

     Rienko Kuipers (13-9-1903/ ? ) + Kinie (Greta Beer?) ( ? / ? ).
               They had no children.
     Uncle Rienko was a nice man. Every now and then he adored a glas of "jenever" (Dutch gin) and when he had taken enough "jenever" he started to sing a certain tear jerker and became very cheerful. Aunt Kinie then warned: "No more liquor!"
     In the family the wife of uncle Rienko was know as (aunt) Kinie though in a notarial deed she was named as Greta. Aunt Kinie was a sweet but somewhat modest woman.        

     Willem Kuipers (8-7-1906/ ? ) + Luiktje Feiken (22-9-1906/ ? ).
               Jan Kuipers (17-10-1935/ ? )
     Uncle Willem was a problem-drinker. He liked to tease his cousins.
     About aunt Luiktje I only remember that she was rather domineering. 

     Klare Kuipers (26-11-1908/12-12-1979) + Jacob Boekhoud (17-11-1908/9-11-1990)
               Henk (Hendrik Lourens) Boekhoud (8-9-1931/ ? )
               Jan Boekhoud (so the owner of this website) (28-9-1934/ * )
               Karl (Jacob Karl) Boekhoud (1-7-1941/20-4-2012)
     My mother Klare was a considerate woman. Usualy she was compliant but every now and then if she found she was right, she sticked to her point.
     My father Jacob was an opportunist. He rather was proud of himself. In his family he found himself the patriarch. He took good care of his family. He believed regular in signs and telling fortunes. 

     Zwaantje Kuipers (11-8-1911/ ? ) + Klaas Deen (23-3-1910/ ? )
               Geesje (Geesien Geertruida) Deen (15-8-1941/ * )
               Truusje (Geertruida) Deen ( ? / ? )
      I don't remember anything of my aunt Zwaantje; maybe that my cousins remember a few things.
     Uncle Klaas was a good looking fellow, "pepper and salt" crew cut hair and blooming cheeks.  His occupation was a budsriver at the GADO, at the time a  transport-commpany in the province Groningen.

     Lüdde (Luitje) Kuipers (31-10-1913/ ? ) + Trijntje Mooibroek (9-?-1912/ ? ).
               They had children but I don't remember theire names.
     About uncle Lüdde and aunt Trientje I can be short. I don't know anything anymore about them.

     Martha Kuipers (19-1-1916/ ? ) + Christian H. Haan (12-9-1912/ ? )
               Roelie (Roelfien) Haan (18-9-1940/ ? )
               Jan Haan (14-11-1946/ ? )
     Aunt Martha was, concerning here caracter, much like my mother Klare. She only was bussy with the houskeeping.
     I remember know after so many years nothing anymore about uncle Chris his caracter. First his occupation was carpenter. During those years he studied and got after some years his diploma and got a job as teacher on a technical school.     

     Herman Kuipers (8-2-1918/ ? ) + Aaltje Koers (16-8-1923/ ? )
               Lucie Kuipers ( ? / * )
               Jan Kuipers ( ? / * )
               Joop Kuipers (12-2-1952/ * )  
      Uncle Herman was a friendly man. For a long time he was working on farms but in those years he studied gardening and got after that a job as parks superintendent of the council Musselkanaal.
     Aunt Alie was a sweet but dominant women. For years she was a correspondent of the "Nieuwsblad van het Noorden", a regional newspaper in the province Groningen.

A few things in and around the house.

     My grandparents had in their livingroom a typical stove that was stoked with peat. I can't discribe the stove because it is a typical one. That is why I put a photo of on the rightside. It is not the stove my grandparents had in their house but it looks like it. On the railing, usually nikkel plated, the man put there feet in wintertime to warm them. On top of the stove were on two or three places fittid with a number of concentric cast iron rings who, dependend on the size of a pan, could be removed with a hook so that the fire direct heated the pots and pans. On the stove often stood a kettle with a well, as represented alongside, where the heat and the flames direct warmed the well. 
     Usually on the stove stood, on a somewhat cooler place, a green enamelled coffeepot with a long spout. In that pot my Granny made the socalled "kannetjeskoffie" (potcoffee). That was: moulded coffee in the pot, boiling water on the coffee, put it on the stove and when the coffeegrounds in the spout for the third time said "prut" (grumbel) the coffee was ready. (So I was told). With this type of coffee you had to use a sieve otherwise you got also a mouthfull of grounds. You did not get any sugar in the coffee but instead a piece of  candy. You put the candy in your mouth in order to rince the coffy along the sugar.
     I remeber that to make coffee, grandfather and grandmother had a socalled "kraantjeskan" (= a coffecan with a tap - see photo) with asseccories, such as a triangel dishstand and meth stove. I don't remember if there black coffeecan, decorated with a pattern of flowers, still was in use. When I think about that coffeecan I still become a little bit greedy, not because of the value but because it belonged to grandfather and grandmother an it is antique. The coffeecan on the photo is not de can of my grandparents but it resembles.  You may understand why I should like to have that coffycan.
      Granddad and grandma had a very long back garden, maybe up to some 50 or 60 meters in lenght. Maybe more. You can reed in "About.../the Peatcolonies" why they had such a long garden.  Behind the house was a small lawn surrounded by flowers ( some ten meters in lenght or so?) and behind that the big kitchen garden limites by a ditch.
Behind the lawn on the rightside was a pit surrounded by a low wall. The pit was used to dump all kind of waste. One day I fell in the pit; I had bad luck because the pit was emptied a few days before so I fell in a layer of dirty water. I think I smelled horrible.
     Above the lawn was a clothesline very low streched. When I was about 7  years I din't see the line and ran with full speed with my throat against the line. I fel backwards and remember that my throat was very painfull.