Van Rosendal's 148th Wedding Anniversary

Beert Berends van Rosendal and Maartje Hessels de Jong were my 3 Great Grandparents. They were married on, you guessed it, 5 May 1864 in probably St. Jacobiparochie, which is a town in Het Bildt, Friesland, The Netherlands.


Another interesting fact about these two is that they are related. They are 3rd cousins. They have the same Great Grandparents: Wop Kornelis & Tetje Klases. I wonder if they knew that they were that closely related.

During their marriage they had a total of 4 children:
Sytske "Sarah" b. 30 Jan 1865
Hessel b. 6 Jan 1867
Grietje "Maggie" b. ca 1873
Antje "Annie" b. 13 Feb 1876

I really wish that I had a picture of their family, but the only one that I have is of Beert and Maartje. I don't know when this was, but it must have been taken before 1887 since Beert died in 1887.

My Great Grandma, Grace (Wichers) Broersma, wrote down some of their family story.

The Van Rosendales
written by Grace Gertrude Broersma nee Wichers

I don't know just how to spell this name, but it's Barent, they called my Grandfather in Dutch. Barendt Rosendale. He dropped the Van after coming to Kansas (not officially). He also came to Kansas to homestead. He married Martje de Jong. They had 2 children before they came to America, but the son died at 2 years old in Holland. So they had 1 daughter when they came to America. The son's name was Hessel and the girl was Sarah, or Dutch Sietske. They moved to Mich. first from Holland, then to Kansas. Their second daughter was Maggie. I think she was born in Mich. And the third daughter was Antje, she was born in Kansas in a dugout also. That was my mother, born 1876 near Dispatch, Kansas.

Shortly after 1876, my Grandfather homesteaded a farm near Dispatch, Kansas. He farmed there til Dec 29, 1887, then he was kill in an accident hauling hay. The horses were very spirited. He couldn't hold them. There was a pole tied over the hay to hold it down, tied with ropes on each end but the ropes broke as the wagon tipped and the pole hit Grandpa on the head. He lived only 8 hrs. after that. 2 years later my parents were married so they wouldn't lose the farm. Grandma lived with my parents til her death. She was 69. That was Dec. 4, 1909. It was winter, very cold. I was 4 years old but can easily remember Grandma Rosendale as she took care of us little ones while mom was busy. We were with her so much.

Grandpa Rosendale, born Aug 30, 1838, died Dec 29, 1887. Grandma R., born Dec. 23*, 1840, died Dec. 4, 1909. I got these dates from the grave stones in Kansas in 1978 when we flew out there with Lloyd.

* according to her birth record, Maartje Hessels de Jong (Martha Rosendale) was born on Dec. 25, not Dec 23.