horizon - SOMSEN · Jan Tooropstraat 2, 3817 PZ Amersfoort tel.: +31 33-461 96 43 E-MAIL: [email protected] Ada Somsen [75], treasurer Leusdenhof 298, 1108 DP Amsterdam Zuidoost

m Yankee in Paradise: A Dutch Diary

m Dennis Somsen, the hero of Aalten

m Pool superintendent, do you know what a fly is doing in the milk?

m Julia Somsen makes friends with Paula Crist-Somsen

Half-yearly family magazine

Volume 7 - number 14 - November 2004

Somsenhorizon

New Adventures:

m Hoopman-years of a boy from Eibergen

m The Apeldoorn Four-day-walking Tour

m Somsen Boattrip + Campingweekend

SOMSEN HORIZON Volume 7 - number 14 - November 2004

2

Board of the Somsen Foundation

Theo Somsen [227], chairmanHindenhoek 11, 8172 AC Vaassen tel.: +31 578-572 867E-MAIL: [email protected]

Gree van Daatselaar-Somsen [53]vice-chairmanEsstraat 22, 7131 CT Lichtenvoordetel.: +31 544-375 783E-MAIL: [email protected]

Margriet Iserief-Somsen [2878], secretaryJan Tooropstraat 2, 3817 PZ Amersfoort tel.: +31 33-461 96 43E-MAIL: [email protected]

Ada Somsen [75], treasurerLeusdenhof 298, 1108 DP Amsterdam Zuidoosttel.: +31 20-696 18 34E-MAIL: [email protected]

Wim Somsen [518], vice-secretaryHoge Heurnseweg 8, 7095 CJ De Heurnetel.: +31 315-652 115E-MAIL: [email protected]

Berto Somsen [423], vice-treasurerBurg. Wilhelmweg 27, 7151 AA Eibergentel.: +31 545-476 272E-MAIL: [email protected]

Helmut Somsen [1562], memberProvinzialstrasse 70, 46499 HamminkelnBundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD)tel.: +00 49-287 35 36E-MAIL: [email protected]

Johan Somsen [1089], member and translatorSomsen Horizon Schietbaanweg 11, 8162 GP Epetel.: +31 578-629 893 / 6 290 324 84E-MAIL: [email protected]

Advisors of the Somsen FoundationDick Somsen [130], genealogy and databasesMonteverdilaan 175, 8031 DL Zwolletel.: +31 38-454 23 60E-MAIL: [email protected]

John Somsen [2353], USA and Internet35 Springdale Avenue HolyokeMA. 01040-3421, USAtel.: 001 413 538 77 24E-MAIL: [email protected]

Ben Somsen [396], audio-visual supportLariksweg 1, 7151 XW Eibergen tel.: +31 545-472 546, fax.: +31 545-475 359E-MAIL: [email protected]

InternetSomsen website: http://www.somsen.org

Bankaffairs USAMrs Marieke Edwards-Jager Gerlings [725]920 East Bay Dr. NE# 3D301, Olympia,WA. 98506-1222, USAtel.: 001 360 786 15 83E-MAIL: [email protected]

Objective of the Foundation

The aim of the foundation is:To preserve and promote the solidarity between people bearing the family nameof Somsen, those who are/were related to them or those who are interested inthem.

The foundation will try to archieve this object for example by:w doing historical research into the family history and the history of the regionw collecting documentation and genealogical dataw keeping and taking charge of a family archive and data basesw publishing a periodicalw providing information to persons, institutions and official authoritiesw organising activities so as to realise the object of the foundation

Cover

Brad Olson [3891] and Darla Olson-Vandersluis [3942] in the Kröller-Müller museum

(Hoge Veluwe)

Contents Board and Advisors, Colophon, Objective of the Foundation, Contents 2Preface/Competition results 3Yankee in Paradise 4Dennis Somsen, the hero of Aalten 6Julia Somsen makes friends with Paula Crist-Somsen 7A wonderful time in Deephaven 8The Apeldoorn Four-day-walking Tour 9Hoopman-years of a boy from Eibergen 10Deventer-Zutphen-Doesburg 13Pool superintendent 15Campingweekeinde IJzerlo 18Family Announcements 19Boat Trip Collage 20

We gladly permit copying of articles on condition that the source is mentioned.

Lay-out: Bep BerkhoffPrinted by: Feluagroep, Apeldoorn

Colophon

Somsen Horizon is issued by the Somsen Foundation

Published: Twice a year in May and NovemberPrintings: Dutch: 200, English: 100

SupportersThe magazine is sent tot the supporters of the Somsen Foundation free of charge. The minimum annual contribution is $ 20,- which can be transferred to:Mrs Marieke Edwards, 920 East Bay Dr. NE#3D301Olympia, WA. 98506-1222, USA

CopyEditorial staff Somsen HorizonE-MAIL: [email protected]

SecretariatSomsen Foundation, Jan Tooropstraat 2, 3817 PZ Amersfoort, The Netherlandstel.: +31 33-461 96 43E-MAIL: [email protected]

Preface

Until the middle of the 19th centurythe Somsens hardly moved house.The word “travel” did not occur intheir vocabulary. They preferred tostay at home in Aalten and a few ofthe neighbouring hamlets, like IJzerlo, Lintelo and Barlo. Understandable, for it is a very beautiful region in the Achterhoek!If they travelled, it was only to visitrelatives who lived nearby or to havea good time with the boys and girls from neighbouring villages.This has changed dramatically! Nowthey live practically all over the worldand they have become real globe-trotters. It is a very pleasant aspectthat they do not only travel to visit thewell-known tourist countries andpopular attractions, but they also liketo visit each other. The “travellingdepartment” of the SomsenFoundation is sometimes consultedwith the result that, very often, anencounter is arranged.Are they just companionable people,these Somsens, or should we pitythem because they are clannish?We, as members of the board, think the first option is true!In order to convince you of this youwill find two stories about young glo-betrotters: Julia Somsen fromGermany and from the USA: Brad and Darla Olson-Vandersluis.Julia is a 100% DNA-Somsen andBrad Olson 20% at a rough estimate,but even then the Somsen genesplay an important role.

But Somsen Horizon contains more stories about the NEXT GENERATION.A generation that (hopefully) willcontinue the work of our family foun-dation. And a generation that we, asboard, would like to promote to themain issue and the main targetgroup of the third worldwide reunionin 2007, to be held in The Nether-lands. You can be very helpful now,by making the next generationenthusiastic for this event. You mightstimulate them, for instance, to pre-sent themselves for the organisation


3

ResultCompetitionDo you still remember? Our competi-tion in the previous issue with thequestion:Who was the Somsen who appearedon well over 700.000 covers of the Bookweek present 2004?

of that reunion and/or surprise themby giving them the membership ofour foundation. In this way they willbe informed of the plans for the nextreunion in 2007!

One phone-call to our secretariat(+31 (0)33 4619643) or an emailS O M S E N S T I C H T I N G @ C A S E M A .N L )will do.

We gave you two hints to give youa hand, for we cannot know everybody of course.The hints were: He was born in1949 and his P-number is 411.That, apparently, did the job, for 10readers found the correct answer:Steven (Joop) SomsenYou will find Joop, who lives inAmsterdam, on page 240 of our family book.

During the camping weekend anextremely honourable jury hasjudged the answers and drawn lots.This led to the following three winners:

1st prize :Mrs. W.E. Gerritsen-Somsen(born.1917) from Dinxperlo."Tante Zus" will get a huge bunch of flowers.2nd prize:Mrs. A.K. Rodenburg-Somsen(born.1937) from Maarn.Ariaan Rodenburg will get a book with walking tours.3rd prize:Frederiek Stadler (born.1994) from Didam.The bookweek for children has justended, so she will get a beautifuljuvenile book.

We thank all the participants andcongratulate the three winners andwe also thank the incorruptible juryfor the job they did disinterestedly.

n

Book-week present 2004with tango-dancer Steven (Joop)

Somsen

the magnificent organ reverberate offthe stone, something Darla and I willremember among the most movingexperiences of the trip. "Greatorgans have great organists'', Theotells us. We climb the stairs after-ward to meet the organist. Then tourthe church.

Walking down streetsWhere Spanish soldiers pursued

The defenders of Zutphen to their deathI can smell centuries

My cousin talks about the 1500'sLike you or I might reminisce

about the 1950'sAnd I feel the memory in my bones

All lands are old landsThis land's ages hold bison and plainsOld peoples with their own brilliance

and failures

But not my people nor their brilliancenor failures

This oldness is not my oldnessI am an afterthought in the millennia of

this land

What can it be likeWhat can it possibly be like to walkOn the land where one's Mother's

Mother's Mother'sFather's Mother's Father's Father's

Mother's FatherSowed and reaped

Such repetition sounds redundantOnly because we intelligent Yanks

Can name geological agesBut cannot comprehend a half-dozen

generations

May 1, 2004. The night has gone toofast and yet too slowly, lost some-where in the netherworld of timezone crossing. Cousin Theo Somsen(fourth cousin twice removed, to beexact) meets us at the airport andbuys us a coffee. Darla [3942], mywife, and I discover to our delightthat good coffee is as easy to find inthe Netherlands as bad coffee isback home. Even the gas stationswe visited doled out cups of fresh,steam-expressed java. Bad sleep,new land, a familiar face smiling, andsolid coffee: things are looking prettygood for these two Americans.

I tell Theo that Darla is 100% Dutch-more than I can boast- with Vander-Sluis, Pollema, Vermeer, and TeSlaa roots. Theo says we will visit Harderwijktonight, a likely town of origin for some of her ancestors.

We drive to Vaassen and meetJosette. We drop off the bags anddrive to Harderwijk, walk through thetown gate, see the church, sample some eel.

Could you live here? I ask my wife

Cousin interrupts Could you live here!Of course you could

Your ancestors lived here for years

Years beyond memoryYou have just been away Traveling for a short while

Welcome back

May 2, 2004. We travel to Zutphen toworship in the cathedral. We listen to


4

Yankee in Paradise: A Dutch Diary

by Bradley Richard (Brad) Olson [3891]

April 30, 2004. Jan Hendrik Somsen, my off-the-boat Great-Great Grandfather,I think of you now as I cross the Atlantic for the first time, the opposite way youdid. I have crossed the Andes, crossed the Equator, crossed the Great Divide,but this new crossing stirs me in new ways.

Eel stall in Harderwijk(Darla is not so fond of it)

„Uitsmijter“: slice of bread and ham withfried eggs on top

Sint Walburgischurch - organist Klaas Stok


5

After church we head to Aalten andlunch in what used to be Aunt Mina's(Heersink) restaurant. Darla and I trya Uitsmijter ("Thrower Outer", Dutchfor the person we call a "Bouncer"),bread topped with eggs and cheeseor meat. We see the church inAalten. I stand in the pulpit at Darla'sand Theo's cajoling. I want to askpermission of the tour guide, but heseems bent on ignoring us whileeducating a group of Germantourists. He turns his back, Theo andDarla coax me up, and give a silentbut heartfelt benediction for all thesouls that have wandered throughthese doors, whether for long orshort, all the while looking over myshoulder, sure the tour guide willreturn and curse us all.

Later on, we visit the Japikshuis andSomsenhuis. I see the lime tree somany of you planted back in 1997and read the inscription. I am movedby the sight of these buildings somany of us hail from.Further on we visit the Rensinkhuis,home of Jan Hendrik and Janna justbefore they came to Wisconsin. Wefind Mr. Rensink there. He shows usaround, inside and out. Then hehands us two tiles, now stacked upoutside since he replaced them withnew ones. He tells us they were theoriginal tiles from the entryway andthreshold to the house. I carry thesetreasures away gingerly. (Moreabout them in another article, I hope.)

I, Bradley, son of Marilyn,Daughter of Gezina called Celia,

Daughter of Harmina, daughter of you,

First born of a firstborn of a firstborn

Of a firstborn of you, a fourthbornHold in my hands

What your feet touchedLikely with klompen you

made yourselfAnd I wonder what you would

say to me nowAbout the shapes and paths

we all have takenI wish for a moment

That I could sit in your kitchen

Share a warm cup with you

And Great-great Grandmother

May 3, 2004. Darla and I borrow Theo's PT Cruiser to drive acrossThe Netherlands to Zeeland that Imight visit my new supervisor in theUnited Bible Societies. The milespass. We fill our eyes with the views of this country. Back in Vaassen we decide to sur-prise Theo by washing his Cruiser.Instead, we surprise him by snap-ping off his antenna having left it upin the wash (the antennas on our twocars don't retract and survive wash-ing). Theo tells me we are evenbecause I filled the tank, though he'llprobably have to import one fromDetroit and pay dear Euros for it.That night we all go to Deventer for alittle tour and some Greek food.

Darla takes a swig of clear Ouzo(Greek anise liquor), thinking it'swater, and gets a big surprise. She gives the rest to Theo.

USA-clergyman in the Aalten pulpit Dutch cigars

Vincent Somsen at work

Dennis Somsen, the hero of AaltenHe is only twelve years old and yet he has put up an impressive per-formance. Thanks to Dennis Somsen [1113] two children of three and five yearsold live to tell about their involuntary bath in the Keizersbeek.Especially for the younger of the two the situation would have beenquite desperate without Dennis’ resolute intervention. With the littleboy on his shoulder and the girl hanging on her brother, Dennisreached safely the shore of the Keizersbeek in Aalten on June 12.

According to a pupil from grade seven of the Broekhofschool in Aaltenanother boy had told the toddler, thathe could stand on a certain piece ofgrass near the brook. Well, that didnot work and the result was that thelittle boy fell into the water. His eldersister saw that and hastened to helphim. The unfortunate result was thatat a certain moment there were twochildren in the deep water of theKeizersbeek. Very dangerous!That happened on Saturday, June12, around half past four in the afternoon.

With a splash in the creekDennis saw the children, as did afriend of his. The latter howeverwanted to take off his shoes first.That took too long for Dennis. Without thinking he ran to the place, whereboth children had fallen into the water, and he jumped into the creek without thinking. The result is well-known. Dennis’ mother, Henny Somsen-Lammers [706] married to Arent JanSomsen [705], took a look at the spot in question, close to the flood-controldam in the Keizersbeek, the next day. She was very impressed by what shesaw. She was terror stricken when she realized what could have gone wrong the day before. The water on the spot was so deep, that her sonDennis could not stand there, and certainly not the two children who weresaved. At the moment that Dennis grabbed him; the boy had already dis-appeared under water many times. Dennis, who has swimming certificatesA and B, said that the water in the creek was very cold. A hot shower at home worked as a miracle.

HeroicBy now, he has already told his story many times, also at theBroekhofschool. Everybody praised him for his act. Henny Somsen saidlaughingly: ‘He is ready for the certificate Rescue Swimming’. And seriously: „We think he did really well and find him very brave.“The parents of the saved children at first didn’t realize from what dangertheir children had escaped. A bell started ringing, especially after that theyounger of the two found difficulty in taking a bath. By way of thanks for hisheroic action they brought Dennis a bunch of flowers and an envelope with money in it.

With permission taken from :Achterhoek Nieuws, June 2004(with a few supplements by the Somsen Horizon editors)


6

May 4, 2004. Theo takes us to theKröller-Müller museum to see,among other things, the Van Goghpaintings. They let us sketch andphotograph all we wanted (no flash,no markers, no paint, though).Amazing! Unheard of! I have longloved the colors and strokes ofVincent, felt a certain kindred heartwith him. But now, so close, havingdriven and walked through his land,so near the canvas I can imagine Ihear him breathing, talking to himselfperhaps as he lays down color uponcolor. A music stirs in me as grand as the great organ of Zutphen.We tour outside and I am disap-pointed that Kenneth Snelson'sNeedletower is under repair afterwind damage. My son, Isaac, stud-ied Tensigrity, a means of no-torqueconstruction using rods and cables,and had seen pictures of the Needletower.

Back in the Cruiser, we head toAmsterdam. After a lovely tour of the canals, Theo drops us off at the Hotel De Herbergh , owned by another Somsen: René [429].

Anne Frank image in Amsterdam

Dennis Somsen

Dear Johan and Theo,

As the two of you were joining otherSomsens, including Helmut andLiesel, at the camping weekend inIJzerlo, Julia was attending anotherfamily gathering in Deephaven,Minnesota, with my family: Bruce,Melissa and Adrienne, and my sib-lings Mary Somsen-Gilbert and herhusband Michael, Cindy Somsen-Zignego, her husband Ron and theirson Darin and our brother Bill and hisfriend Julie. We had a nice familypicnic at Mary’s home; we fed Juliagood American food: chicken andbeef on the grill, baked beans, coleslaw, veggies and dip, cucumbersalad, nachos and some sinfullygood sweet bars. (Julia especially liked those!!!)

Julia and I travelled, also spent a daytravelling to Winona, Minnesota tosee the Somsen Hall on the campusof Winona State University. As youknow, the Somsen Hall is namedafter Stephen Somsen, uncle toHenry Northrop Somsen and great-uncle to Stephen Duncan Somsen.We were treated like royalty whenwe told a gentleman, who happenedto be the President of the College, that we were Somsens.We were given gifts that made usvery proud.We stopped in Rochester, Minnesotato visit with Henry Northrop Somsen.He celebrated his 95th birthday onAugust 12, and we all three enjoyeda nice visit at his apartment. Wehave since talked with his sonStephen in Mukilteo, Washington.

This was especially nice for Juliasince Stephen and his family stayedwith Julia and her parents during the 1997 Family Reunion.

It is September 2 and Julia has beenwith us six weeks already. The timehas gone quickly and her visit hasbeen so very pleasant. She has to goback home in two days, and I don’tthink any of us is ready for her departure. We went out tonight for a farewell dinner in downtownMinneapolis. We couldn’t resist tak-ing a few more pictures of Julia withour family. We have sincerelyenjoyed having her join our familythis summer. We have renamed one of the bedrooms Julia’s room.

We thought you may enjoy picturesof our good times. I am hoping thefour pictures transferred easily andtimely onto your computers.

We are now looking forward to thenext family reunion on your side ofthe Atlantic with a new interest. Wehave more family to whom we havebecome very close. I hope you andthe Foundation realize what a won-derful thing you have done by joiningall the Somsens together. As Julialooks over my shoulder, I know we both thank you greatly.

Love,

Julia and PaulaSeptember 3, 2004


7

Julia Somsen (Germany) makesfriends with Paula Crist-Somsen (USA)

We only seldom receive Fan-mail. But a letter like this ones compen-sates for everything!Even without permission of Paula Crist-Somsen [816] and JuliaSomsen [1571] we dare to publish their letter to us. We feel very muchflattered indeed.

Julia (front row, secondleft) among her

USA-family

l-r: Julia, Henry Northrop and Paula


88

I have been studying the subjectsGerman and English at the universi-ty in Dortmund to become a teachersince October 2002. As a stay in anEnglish-speaking country is requiredI wondered if the great and interna-tional Somsen- Family could help meto organize my stay abroad. Twotelephone calls, one with TheoSomsen and one with JohanSomsen, took me to Paula Crist-Somsen and her husband BruceCrist. They were willing to accommo-date me and even asked me “Whenare you going to visit us, Julia?”when we were talking to each other for the first time…

A wonderful time in Deephaven

by Julia Somsen [1571]

Through mediation of the Somsen Family Foundation Julia Somsen, aSomsen from the German branch of our family, found a trainee post inthe hospitable home of Bruce and Paula Crist-Somsen in Deephaven,MN, USA. Julia studies English and German and she has had a greattraineeship in the USA. Apart from having had a very useful time shehas also tightened family-ties in a very special way. In another articlein this issue you wil find a letter, written by Paula Crist-Somsen about the same event.

I could hardly wait until July 25 thisyear when my journey started in toMinneapolis. After my arrival at theairport in Minneapolis the customsofficers asked me for the exactaddress of my host-family but Icouldn’t think of the street-name.That turned out to be a huge problemand the officer asked me if I wantedto take the next plane to fly backhome. I was so excited and flusteredthat I started trying to convince himthat I was honest and that this familyreally existed. Getting more nervousI pointed at my Somsen T-shirt untila different officer came who wasvery friendly and helped to enter the

USA. I told him my story and askedhim to look for Paula who was wait-ing at the entrance hall at the airport.We were both wearing the Somsen-shirts so it was very easy for him tofind her.He came back to me with a brightsmile and said that had found her atthe entrance hall and that she hadgiven him the exact address. After alittle while I was allowed to leavecustoms and I met Paula and Brucefor the first time. Paula was wearingher Somsen-shirt and was holding abig poster with my name and a fewSomsen-stickers on it as well.

We all laughed about my experienceat the airport and it was the begin -ning of a great time with Paula andBruce and their daughters Adrienne,Mellissa, Jennifer and her husband Matt.

We made a lot of interesting trips,had fun at a family-picnic, visitedSomsen Hall at Winona StateUniversity, met Henry NorthropSomsen in Rochester and did manymore nice things. They made it pos-sible for me to spend six weeks withtheir great family which I love dearly!I thank them with all my heart and Imiss them all. I hope that we will seeeach other again soon in Europe!

n

l-r: Paula and Julia in front of Somsen Hall

The Somsen T-shirt opens borders!

SOMSEN HORIZON Jaargang 7 nr. 14 - November 2004

9

Tuesday, July 13 First walking day: direction Lieren,Loenen and Beekbergen, with musicat the waterfall near Loenen.Wednesday, July 14Second walking day: directionBeekbergen, to the BruggelenEstate, Lierderbos, Woeste Hoeveand the hamlet of Groenendaal.Thursday, JuIy 15Third walking day: direction Assel,Hoog-Buurlo, Radio Kootwijk,Kootwijk, Assel and Hoog Soeren,with music at the fire station in Hoog Soeren.Friday, July 16Fourth walking day: direction Ug-chelen, Woeste Hoeve, Hoenderloo,Ugchelen and … Apeldoorn!Here we also pass through villagesand towns, but these are situated inthe middle of the woods of theVeluwe. Most of the time you arewalking on forest paths that aresometimes so narrow that you have to walk in single file.

After having walked the 40-kilometertour in Nijmegen four times I had toflee to the Apeldoorn Four-day-walk-ing Tour this year. I registered toolate for Nijmegen and was rather dis-appointed, like so many others.Actually these two walking eventscannot be compared as I have expe-rienced. In Nijmegen there are about40,000 participants whereasApeldoorn is already fully booked at10% of that number. Apart from this,in Nijmegen it is only possible,because of the large number of par-ticipants, to walk on wide and well-paved roads. Only on the third daythe track leads through the woods:the much feared “Seven-Hill-Road”.In Apeldoorn this is all different; justhave a look at the programme below.In Apeldoorn the start and finish arein the sports complex of the footballclub “Victoria Boys”.

The Apeldoorn Four-day-walking Tourby Ben Somsen [438]

Walking is the oldest sport in the world and it was already practiced byAdam Somsen (see page 14 and 15 of our family book). Small wonderthat his distant descendants still enjoy pedestrianism. In fact it doesn’tmake much difference where they walk. Just read this and who knows,it may inspire you too!

Brochure Apeldoorn Four-day-walkingtour 2004

When summarizing the differences:the Apeldoorn Four-day-walking ismore beautiful but also heavier,whereas Nijmegen is a lot pleasan-ter. Not only because it is much moremassive but also because in everytown you pass through there is a bigparty going on! In the towns and villages around Apeldoorn peopledon’t even look at you.For a matter of fact I must admit thatthey tried to do their utmost to createa nice atmosphere on the final day:in the bandstand in Hoenderloothere was a concert by the brassband “Music Friends” from Boekeland on arrival in Apeldoorn therewas a barrel organ playing very cheerful music.

The arrival of the participants wascheered up by a performance ofbrass bands and the band of theRoyal Military Police, which played inthe sport complex. The finish-partytook place in the party-tent at thesport complex of the “Victoria Boys”.Unfortunately the weather was notso cooperative on that final morning:in the morning it rained, just like inthe afternoon and evening becauseof which quite a few parts of the programme fell to the ground.

Finally a request!Are there Somsen walkers whowould like to meet in Nijmegen orApeldoorn next year so as to walk together?Please contact me: +31 (0)75 6168523 or send an email: CORRY - B E N . S O M S E N @ P L A N E T. N Lright: Ben Somsen

Medal for the 4 x 30 km. tour


10

Dick tells:

In Omnes Generationes, the bigSomsenbook, you can find myname, Dick Somsen, on page 200,son of Dirk Johan Somsen [361] andWillemina Hendrika Somsen-Smits[362]. To be perfectly clear I will sum-marize the history of the Hoopman-years, in chronological order.

My grandfather, Berend HendrikSomsen [344] died on January 18,1918, when he was 35 years old. Mygrandmother Gesina Joh. Th. Navis[345] was left with four young chil-dren, which was very hard in thosedays, without all present social ser-vices. As was common at that time insimilar cases, members of the familytook care of one or more children.That’s how my father ended up withUncle Jan Hoopman [351] and AuntAnna Hoopman-Somsen [350] in1915. Aunt Anna was a sister of mydeceased grandfather. At that timethey had one daughter, Lien [376],there would follow more daughtersand one son called Bram [381].

Strict, but fairMy father lived in IJzerlo for aboutten years. He spent his childhoodthere and it was also there that hewent to elementary school. After hehad finished that school they put himto work at the blacksmith and bicyclerepair shop of Uncle Jan Hoopman.At the same time he learned thetrade of electrician. From later sto-ries I understand that uncle Jan wasstrict but fair; this attitude to lifeshaped my father and that was alsohis attitude later at home.Son Bram has always consideredmy father as an older brother, he told me later.

When my father moved to Eibergen,he always looked upon the HoopmanFamily as his second home. By thenmy grandmother was remarried withNijman and lived there too. It wastherefore not so amazing that, whenI was a child, I liked to spend my hol-idays in IJzerlo, because of my father’s stories.

That started in 1953. Bram, at thattime still Uncle Bram to me, had mar-ried Thea Kaemingk [382] in themeantime.. Bram’s other sisterswere all married and had left home.Uncle Jan Hoopman had passedaway in 1950. Aunt Anna, Bram andThea lived under one roof at thesmithy, but all in separate apart-ments. Thea and Bram got five chil-dren, one of whom passed away unfortunately.

Exciting thingsWhat was so special in IJzerlo?For a boy my age, I was about thir-teen years old, exciting and unex-pected things happened. Besidescontinuing the smithy of his father,Uncle Bram had started a wholesalebusiness and he imported agricultur-al machines. So I went along withUncle Bram to Germany by truck. Ididn’t have a passport, so at someborders they refused to let methrough. But Uncle Bram was adiehard and kept on talking, so thatthey let us through after all. I hadnever been in Germany before!

I quite well remember that UncleBram had tickets for a circus inBocholt (Germany). We would go there in a company offive: Jan Geven, Theo Bolwerk,Johan Kruisselbrink, Uncle Bram andI. Uncle Bram fell ill, though, and areplacement, Gerrit Brunsveld from

Hoopman-years of a boy fromEibergenby Dick Somsen [408]

On our request Dick Somsen (born 1940) from Eibergen has writtendown some memories of a colourful and instructive period of his life,which he spent in IJzerlo, the origin of many Somsen-stories. When hewas still young he ended up in the Hoopman Family, later the Hoopmanfirm, related to the Somsen Family.

Dick Somsen

Hoopman-familyca. 1980standing l-r : Peter,Mirjam, Thea andBramsitting l-r: JanWillem and Eva

the “mölle” (the mill) joined us.After the show in the circus the sec-ond part of the evening programme sstarted.First we went to a pub, CaféWesselbaas in the Spork (Germany),where they had a one-armed-banditin those days in which you had to put10 cents. There we met one of theBruntink boys – they were very pop-ular in IJzerlo, Suderwick and thewhole area. He wanted us to staylonger but that was impossible for inthose days the barrier at the borderwas closed at 12 p.m. and after thatit was no longer possible to cross theborder by car. But we found a solu-tion. We drove our car across theborder in Suderwick/Dinxperlo justbehind the barrier and walked backto the pub Gasthof Jägeringshof,better known as Katrientje. There westayed until very late at night tellingeach other the most fantastic stories.By dawn we were back in IJzerlo.Afterwards I learnt that JohanKruisselbrink, who was the oldest ofthe company, was rebuked quiteseriously by Bram for taking afifteen-year-old to the pub…


11

Eagle-eyeGuess who I also met in IJzerlo?Theo Somsen [227], son of UncleJohan [226] and Aunt Marie [354]from Arnhem. (See Somsen Horizon,page 2, our chairman). Theo did notparticularly come to IJzerlo to work,but more for pleasure and also tosatisfy his literary needs: he hasdevoured al my books about Eagle-eye!

Hoopman Machines CompanyI always liked the holidays in IJzerlovery much. When, after primary

Border crossing Heurne-Hemden

Eagle’s Eye: The Treasure of Medusa

school, I had to choose a specialdepartment at technical school thechoice was easy: metalwork. And inaddition, at my father’s advice, alsoelectrical engineering. By doing so Ihoped to get a steady job from Bram,Hoopman Machines by then, after having left school.In 1957 I got this steady job. I left myparental home with the warningwords of my father: Mind you, it is notalways partying over there; now it istime to work! And that is what I havealways done as best as I could.

Accommodation had been takencare of: I was accommodated atBram and Thea’s home. In thebeginning I went home to Eibergenevery weekend, but this graduallydecreased. I felt really at home inIJzerlo, got many friends there,became a member of many clubs inHet Gebouw, took part in the Oranjecelebrations and so on. Bram andThea also thought it wise to takecare of my spiritual well-being andsent me to catechization in Aalten.

Another recommendation was tobecome a member of the YoungMen’s Association. But when I saidthat this had not been such a greatsuccess in Eibergen, because Iplayed truant quite frequently, Theaand Bram understood and I did not have to go.

Bram very soon understood thatworking in the production depart-ment was not my strongest point, butthat I was more interested in trade. In a company like the Hoopman

Hoopman-company ca. 1960


12

Company, it was of vital importanceto be flexible and employable inevery department and therefore Iworked in every department of thecompany. So I worked in the chemi-cal department, in the productiondepartment but I also delivered anddemonstrated the machines

Dick on the truckThere is a story about the delivery ofmachines: Johan Kruisselbrink, whonormally delivered the goods, wason holiday. The deliveries had to becontinued and Bram asked me totake care of them. There was a slightproblem: I did have a driver’s licencebut no licence for trucks. There wasa fast and efficient solution for this: Iwould drive the truck and Brampromised to pay all the fines.I drove along the roads of Holland forone week without a single fine. Imust admit that Bram inquired veryinterestedly every night how thingshad been that day. Very often I camehome very late, but there were nospecial rules in those days and wedid not know tachometers yet. Itstands to reason that I was thrilledand proud that he trusted me on theroad with a truck.It was also a great experience to goon a business-trip abroad. Variousagricultural machines were importedbut we also exported machines builtby us. First we went to a car exhibi-tion in Frankfurt (Germany); then toMunich to a show for agriculturalmachines and also to the famousOctober Celebrations . We also wentto Austria and Switzerland, wherewe had a business relationship on the Zürich lake.For a 19-year-old boy this was agreat experience. The trip lasted about a week.

Import of horticultural machinesIn 1960 Bram started with a newactivity: I.T.M. Import Tuinbouw(Horticultural) Machines. This com-pany was accommodated in a newbuilding on the opposite side of theDinxperlosestraatweg. The adminis-tration was done by Wim Kämink. Iwas asked by Bram to start up andexpand this new business. Thismeant: selling machines, taking careof presentations at exhibitions and

agricultural fairs, giving demonstra-tions, delivery, spare parts supply,repairs etc. I drove 50,000 miles ayear, but with the greatest pleasure.

Passion for BMWFinally a nice story: it must havebeen around 1960-1961. OneSaturday Bram and I went to theBetuwe and the North of Limburg tovisit some business relationships.On the way back we drove past a cardealer in Malden near Nijmegen.Very enthusiastically I said to Bramthat I saw the car that would like tobuy some time: a BMW-Isetta! Bramreacted as you might expect fromhim: he stopped the car, drove to theparking lot and walked to the BMW inquestion. He looked at it and asked:“Is that the car you are looking for,the car you want?” Before I realisedhe had already bought the car. Thedealer got 300 guilders earnestmoney and we made a deal that Iwould collect the car the next week.On the way back I realised that I hadnot yet saved enough money for thecar. Bram reassured me that I neednot worry about the 300 guilders andthat there would be a very favourableterm of payment for the rest of themoney. With this BMW-Isetta mypassion for BMW had started. In thecourse of years many other BMW’s followed.In 1963 Rita Schuurman [409]became a new colleague at the office.

Hoopman-staff 1952standing l-r: Bram Hoopman [381], Willem Hengeveld, Johan Kruisselbrink, Henk

Heinen,Wim Navis [380], Jan Geven, Theo Bolwerk and Willem Westervelt.

sitting l-r: Thea Hoopman-Kaemingk [382], Anna Hoopman-Somsen [350]and Riek Westervelt with daughter

My first BMW

Since I was on the road for themajor part of the week I hardly got achance to get to know her. Thischanged dramatically when we hadto travel to the agricultural fair inAmsterdam in January 1964 everyday. This close cooperation resultedin our wedding on February 17, 1965.In January 1965 I exchanged my jobat Hoopman for a job in the compa-ny of my father in Eibergen

I have the finest memories of mytime in IJzerlo and especially ofBram, Thea and their children. Theirfamily was my second home. Till thepresent day we still have manyfriends and acquaintances inIJzerlo. If possible, we spend aweek on the campsite of Eddy andAlice Sticker every year and thenwe visit many relatives and friends,many Käminks and ex-colleagues.We really hope to be in a position todo this for many years to come.

n


13

Deventer-Zutphen-Doesburg, vice versa

by Wim Somsen [518]

On Saturday, May 15, 2004, The Eureka II transported a sizeable groupof Somsens on a river that is probably the most beautiful river in theNetherlands: the IJssel River. Wim Somsen from Dinxperlo alsoembarked and relates about this Somsen boat trip and about a visit tothe picturesque little town of Doesburg.

On our way to Deventer we hear onthe car radio that the Catshuis, theofficial residence of our prime minis-ter, was on fire. And they had just fin-ished a complete restoration. Whereshould the poor man receive allthose foreign guests now?Very soon afterwards I know theanswer. In the docks of Deventer! Inthe IJssel River there is beautifulexcursion steamer. It is spacious,easy to protect and there is food anddrinks; that should do the trick, I suppose.

The Somsen Foundation has organ-ised a boat trip for the second time.Theo, as chairman of theFoundation, welcomes the guests atthe gang board. We expected about75 people; twice that number wouldhave been better if you take the sizeof the ship into account. At 10 o’clock most guests are pre-sent. Only Emma Somsen fromDinxperlo is waving to us very ener-getically from the wrong side of theriver. She got lost in Deventerbecause of roadblocks and devia-tions. Of course we wait for her abdten minutes later she is on board.Emma has finished her first stageand it clear to see that it was a tough one.All the other guests have foundthemselves a place on the ship. Mostof them are outside on the deck inthe sun; at first more or lessarranged according to the branch ofthe family to which they belong. A number of little kids use the big dining-room as a playground.

Accompanied by a small breeze weleave for Zutphen at 10.20. It is real-ly nice to view the surroundings fromthe water, it looks so different then. Harmien Somsen from Amsterdamhas brought her binoculars for thispurpose and those who are sittingnear her are told what she discoverswith her binoculars. Marco Somsenfrom Aalten is taking pictures all the time: this is going to be a very complete report!When sailing between the holms ofthe Ijssel River we are automatically

The ‘Eureka’ and Deventer

Inside the joy of playing and outside aslight breeze

Taking pictures and relish


14

carefully and listen well you shouldfind the answers. Knowing theSomsens, listening might be a bit ofa problem, though. I also thought Ihad all the right answers but at thedistribution of prizes afterwards I donot hear my name to my great sor-row. The winners are EmmaSomsen, who has overcome herfright of the morning, Sien Overduin-Somsen from Soest and JokeSomsen from Lelystad (the sister ofDick Somsen from Zwolle). Gree andof course also Jan: many thanks andcompliments for the interesting touralong the many historic buildingsand the assignments, even thoughthey were a bit difficult. It is also veryinteresting to see how, mainlyfemale, volunteers are doing restora-tion work. With original peat fromGermany they are restoring fencesin an old city garden. Johan Somsenfrom Epe is so enthusiast about thisthat he immediately offers to assist.This offer is not at once rated at itstrue value and later on he muttersthat the ladies were not attractiveenough after all… Thus one group isexploring Doesburg but at the sametime the others have settled down atan outdoor cafe to fortify the innerman. Almost on the appointed timewe begin our home voyage. That is

very important, indeed, for thebridge near Zutphen only opens atparticular times and if you are not intime you have to wait a full hour.

On the way back our chairmanTheo thanks everybody for theirparticipation and mentions theexposition of many Somsenattributes in the dining-room of theship. Everybody is in the mood forone or two drinks now. Teun Hunsefrom Canada (!) is surprised thatthere is no whiskey on offer, so thathe has to make do with a beer.Without being aware of it we reachour starting-point: the Hanseatictown of Deventer. After taking leavethe sailors spread all over TheNetherlands. Still enjoying a very nice day!

n

overwhelmed by peaceful and quietfeelings. And there is a lot to beseen! Huge, strong workhorses aregrazing peacefully among the manyred and white and black and whitecows, we see all kinds of birds withtheir young – Joep Iserief fromAmersfoort has even spotted a stork– an old farmer is transporting grasson a donkey-cart and a painter res-cues his easel and keeps his feet dryby moving rapidly away, for thewaves of our ship are about to washover him. Almost unnoticed we arriveat Zutphen. The characteristicsteeple of the church strikes the eyeimmediately. We do not moor herefor we have to go on to that otherHanseatic town: Doesburg. I meetHenny, originally a native ofEibergen, who had settled down inLoenen and Ida from Bergen opZoom. Two cheerful ladies wholargely contribute to the atmosphereon the ship. Later we forgive them for being so late back on board onleaving Doesburg. Even their dearmother got a little bit worried then. Then we reach Doesburg, the oldcity where they produce mustard. Onthe quay there is a Somsen of theZelhem branch, who is waiting forus. Doesburg is also the place ofbirth of Gree van Daatselaar-Somsen. Therefore she takes careof a tour of the city at which the par-ticipants have to answer a number ofdifficult questions, but if you watch

Henny, Ina and more travelling companions

De Waag in Doesburg

Teun Hunse and Emma Somsen


15

Just a normal weekdayOutside it is almost 38 degreesCelsius. At the border of the swim-ming pool In de Dennen stands aman. Around him a group of boysand girls who listen with attention tothe instructions of their pool-atten-dant. Subsequently they jump in thewater after each other. Some chil-dren wear clothes, which is part ofthe swimming lesson. From the sideof the pool the voice of Ernst JanSomsen sounds loud and clear:„Come on, Thomas, move your legs.Stretch your arms forward Stijn, andheels against the buttocks. I see itguys, you do better than your mom.“

And that´s how he goes on, the chil-dren follow the directions of theirswimming instructor with muchenthusiasm, as much as they can.Then also Ernst Jan jumps in thewater. „I show the breaststroke,watch my arms and legs.“ And thenanother joke: „Did you know that I’mmuch stronger than your daddy?“

At the end of the swimming lessonErnst Jan goes to the starting pointat the deep side of the swimmingpool and he throws the boys andgirls into the water one by one, andremarks „Now you swim to the oppo-site side.“ And indeed the children

swim to the opposite side, some a little faster than others. Ready for today. Tomorrow there will be another swimming lesson.

Still the swimming lesson hasn’tcompletely come to an end. ErnstJan calls the parents together for ashort evaluation. „Yes dear fathersand mothers, you have seen it, yourchildren must still practice a lot. In afew weeks we will have the test for aswimming certificate. For a few chil-dren it will be very hard. They don’thave control over everything yet. Forthe fathers and mothers there ishomework too. You must practicewith your child every day, besidesthe lessons. Pay special attention tothe leg stroke. The children have todevelop more power in their legs.“The parents nod and understandthe importance of Ernst Jan’s words.Practice and practice once more. „Goodbye!“

‘Pool superintendent, do you knowwhat a fly is doing in the milk?’About Ernst Jan Somsen (born 1962), swimming instructor

Boys and girls feel like fishes in the water with swimming instructorErnst Jan Somsen [254] from Vorden in Gelderland!

Ernst Jan teaches swimming


16

ExpertErnst Jan Somsen, sitting under thesunshade on the terrace by the can-teen of the swimming pool andenjoying a cool drink, explains to usin a professional way, what kind ofswimming lesson we have beenwatching. „These children have start-ed their swimming lessons in May.Twelve children, some four, somefive years old. Some children of thisgroup will get the swimming certifi-cate A in two weeks. I think that 70 or80 percent is ready for it. Of coursethe children that aren’t that far willnot do the test. They will take more lessons. The ideal age for a child to start withswimming lessons is five. It takesabout fifty hours of swimminglessons to do the test. We teach thechildren thirty minutes four times aweek. It’s necessary to learn to swimwell and safely“, Ernst Jan says.

Ties of confidenceAccording to him a bond betweenthe swimming instructor and the chil-dren is very important, „Many chil-dren, who come for the first time,know me already a little bit through abrother, a sister or a friend. Within a week I know all the children byname“, he says. That means forexample that during this summerseason he has made himself familiarwith about three hundred firstnames! „Oh, you get used tot thatmore and more“, Ernst Jan says modestly.„A joke from time to time also givesthem confidence. Through that it’seasier to make contact“. The childrenalso keep their end up as far as jokes are concerned. „Pool superintendent, do you knowwhat a fly is doing in the milk?“, a lit-tle four year old boy asked. „I figurehe was drinking milk“, Ernst Jan says.„Oh no, he is doing the breaststroke“,the boy says yelling with laughter!A very important aspect of the swim-ming lessons is: make the childfamiliar with the water. Ernst Jan:„Here in Vorden we start the lessonsalways from different sides of thepool. Sometimes they go from the

An early start is the best there is!

All passed, thanks to Ernst Jan


17

wading pool into the water, or fromthe bridge, or from the side of thedeep pool. Every time it’s different.Another important thing is that thechildren get their instructions everytime from the same pool attendant.“

Girls are go-gettersAccording to Ernst Jan Somsenespecially with the swimminglessons there is a distinct differencebetween boys and girls. „The girlsare real go-getters, they also have abetter feeling of balance. The feelingof rhythm is also better developed inthe girls. Look at gymnastics, theexercises on the beam. They areusually girls that practice these sports.“

A few years ago the examinationrequirements were tightened up.This was a result of the fact that chil-dren were drowned quite regularly,even children who had their swim-ming certificate A. This happened inparticular with non-native children. Achild can be pushed into the water byaccident in a full swimming-pool andcan get all panic stricken. So it is justified that the requirements aremore stringent.

It is not so amazing that Ernst JanSomsen is a strong supporter ofswimming at school. As a gymteacher associated with the elemen-tary school De Kraanvogel, hechanges his gym lessons for swimming instructions in the summer months.

Experimental project„A few years ago I started teachingswimming, at that time we had twen-ty children of asylum-seekers atschool. Children who could notswim. Swimming lessons in school isnowadays not an obligation anymore in Holland. Fortunately thegovernment is trying to introduce it again.Twenty cities in the Netherlands areworking on an experimental project.Hopefully everything will end posi-tively, although in some big citiesthere are already some logistic prob-lems to get the children to the swimming pool in time.“

SwimmingSwimmingdocumentdocument

AA

After summer the swimming seasonis over for Ernst Jan, then he will bea part-time gym teacher again.Besides that he works in Zelhem inthe management of the „Sport andRecreation Foundation“ one day aweek. The rest of the week he isactive at a sports- and advice centre.„Wonderful, this alternation in jobs“,says Ernst Jan, who can preparehimself the coming years to teach hischildren Daan [4055], five, and Evi[4868], three, how to swim. Definitelyin the presence of his wife Ellen[3944]. Meanwhile the number ofchildren that get swimming lessonsin Vorden is growing every year.When Ernst Jan Somsen started fouryears ago in the swimming pool In deDennen there were 45 children forthe lessons, the second year 180and now there are more than 300pupils! That’s a great success.

From: Contact Nieuws- enAdvertentieblad, edition Hengelo


18

Camping weekendIJzerlo

by Wim Somsen [518]

Culture and biking, feasting andgobbling, but also enjoying beau-tiful nature and also one another:it is all part of the camping weekend.Our board member Wim Somsenquite well remembers what it waslike on the campsite ‘t Hoftijzer from 13 – 15 August 2004.

It is for the first time that a weather-forecast in the invitation for thecamping weekend hasn’t completelycome true. We have always got niceweather, that is what is said in theinvitation, but this year it is very weton Thursday and that implies forthose with a tent that they have to bebrave. Fortunately the Board hasplanned a meeting at the house ofWim Somsen in Dinxperlo andeverybody can simply defy the heav-iest showers there; the members ofthe board do so by deliberating till very late at night.

The campsite has become rather fullon Friday with many of the regularguests; but there are also new faceslike the Horst-Somsen family fromDinxperlo, who have found a niceplace for themselves. Annie and Apare so enthusiast that they are thelatest to leave the campsite after theweekend! On Friday we spend thetime renewing and improving family-ties, going out for shopping, makingcycling-tours in the beautiful environ-ment of Aalten and Dinxperlo and inthe evening we sit together with adrink till late at night.

On Saturday morning we - a smallbut very interested group - visit thecastle of Anholt (Germany) withHelmut Somsen from Wertherbruch(Germany) as our guide. We areguided through the beautifully furnished rooms of the castle at afairly high speed. We admire thesplendid Blaeu atlases, the beautifulcollection of paintings with a realRembrandt. From the walls thedescendants of the Salm-Salm fami-

The Somsen-Somsen family visiting the Salm-Salm family

ly look down on us. It is nice to learnthat a real Salm-Salm has lived insome of the rooms of the castle forthe past couple of years. We finishthis visit to the “Wasserburcht”(water castle) in the gentle and warmsunshine in the outdoor café belong-ing to the castle, overlooking themoat and we enjoy our coffees orother drinks, while being served by alady who clearly has an off-day.

Saturday afternoon we pay our tradi-tional visit to the Japikshuis inIJzerlo. The Veerbeek family give usa hearty welcome, as always, and

we accompany our gratitude withflowers and the traditional bottle(s) oflemon-brandy. We have our toasts atthe Somsen lime tree that is doingvery well indeed. Suddenly Johanproduces a miraculous tool from hispocket and starts sawing one of thepoles near the tree. Has the brandy gone to his head?

Henk Somsen and his Golden Retrievers

But no, he only wants do demon-strate that he has a tool with whichhe can do anything. A little later heremoves the commemorative platenear the Somsen-tree with the samesuper tool, with a little bit of effort,though, for Henk Somsen fromDinxperlo is going to polish it and putit back as if it were new again. By theway, in the evening Johan’s supertool appears not even to include a corkscrew!

After having spent some time at theIJzerlo festival, where it was prettyhard to shoot down the “bird” (ashooting contest where a wooden“bird” has to be shot down from apole), we end the day with our well-known barbecue.Well over 35 people take part. Ourtraditional supplier, Rudolf Bruns-veld, has very well taken care ofeverything. There is enough foodand drinks, the weather is fine andwe are all in very good spirits. MarcoSomsen shows his pictures of theSomsen boat-trip. We sing for HenkSomsen, for it is his birthday. Whenthe last visitors go to bed it is very early in the morning.“See you next year”, you hear allaround you, expressed in subdued voices.

n


19

Family AnnouncementsIn this column we would like to draw your attention to the family announcements that have reached us. Weare very much pleased to present them to you and are grateful to everybody who took the trouble to informus about the merry and sad events in their and our family. This also enables our advisor Dick Somsen fromZwolle to keep our genealogical files up-to-date, so that we, in turn can inform you in Somsen Horizon.We really appreciate it very much that you send in your family announcements to our secretariat: Somsen Foundation, Jan Tooropstraat 2, 3817 PZ Amersfoort

Born

05-06-2002:Jona [5351] s.o. Robert MartinSomsen [1422] and HilegienMeilink [4381]

17-11-2003: Boudy Ferdi Simcha [5344] s.o.Robertus Theodorus Weneken-donk [3875] and Maruschka ElisaJeanette Somsen [2881]

17-04-2004: Robin Pieter Ivo [5350] s.o. PeterHenri Bancken [5347] and Elisabeth Corinne Rodenburg [600]

Deceased

01-05-2004:Catharina van Erp-de Korte [2918]

83 Haren

29-05-2004: Maria Johanna (Marietje) Visschers-Somsen [1853]

52 Borculo

12-06-2004:Johanna Wilhelmina Beek [662]

84

24-07-2004: Daniël Jasper (Niels) Somsen [677]

44 Wassenaar

A platium-wedding!97-year-old Frits Schuurman [1957] and 92-year-old Dien Schuurman-Somsen

from Dinxperlo had their 70th wedding celebration on May 23, 2004.Together with their nine grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren

and flowers from the Somsen Foundation.

Married

17-08-2004 : Johannes (Hans)Somsen [64] and Theodora Arnolda(Dorrith) Hillenbrink [5357]

Somsen BoattripMay 15, 2004

Deventer-Zutphen-Doesburgvice versa

Documents

horizon - SOMSEN · Jan Tooropstraat 2, 3817 PZ Amersfoort tel.: +31 33-461 96 43 E-MAIL: [email protected] Ada Somsen [75], treasurer Leusdenhof 298, 1108 DP Amsterdam Zuidoost