Investigation has determined that my ancestors, and possibly yours, come from Overijssel (Netherlands).
They were peat cutters.
The oldest date found is 1729, in which progenitor
Jacob Jans ,
marries with one Geesjen Barteles from Wanneperveen.
Thus, this Geesjen is our ancestress.
The marriage, which is Geesjen's second one, took place in the
village Beulake nearby Giethoorn.
You won't find the village Beulake one any contemporary
map. In two storms (1765 and 1775/1776) the village was submerged
in a great lake, which was to be named the Beulakerwiede afterwards.
The church tower of the village remained above water, however it
submerged too in a storm in 1825.
A lot of people avoid this lake. They thougt the lake was haunted and during
storms they could hear the church bells.
The pulpit of the church is saved and can be found in the village Vollenhove.
The name of the church is O.L. Vrouwenkerk.
The place of origin is a drowned village, therefore, a kind of ATLANTIS.
Later, many tools and materials are brought to the surface from
the Beulakerwiede and are displayed in a museum in Zwolle and
Giethoorn
today.
In the beginning of the Christian era, the lower part of
Northwest - Overijssel was a big moor. In the year 900 the grounds on the edge of the
Steenwijker Kamp and the Land of Vollenhove were likely uninhabited.
The story goes that monks from a monastery in Giethoorn discovered that peat was good fuel. However, it is never
proven that a monastery existed here.
There is a story that Sint Maartensmannen, a religious sect of the
Flagellant's, originally from Italy, France, Germany and
the Netherlands were the first to use dried clumps of peat for fuel.
The members of this sect wore crosses on their clothes and sang the word of God. In
reverence, they chastised themselves and
each other.
Back to the progenitor.
Jacob Jans had three children, to wit Bartelt Jacobs, Jan Jacobs and Wijcher Jacobs.
Bartelt Jacobs left Beulake to Oudehaske (Fr) in 1775.
Wijcher Jacobs dies as a child and Jan Jacobs remains in Overijssel.