Page 7 - The story has it that Jan Hendrik was in the Dutch army. When he was home on leave he felt he could not go back. He fled to America early in 1881. His father mailed him money. He wrote his brother Jannes, asking him to come to America. Jannes emigrated unmarried on 14 May 1881 to Iowa, U.S.A.
Page 7 - On 27 February 1889, Johan, Arend Jan, Jenneken emigrated from Rijssen, NetherIands to Iowa, U.S.A. with their father and mother.
Page 10, 11, 11B and 12 of the book:
Hundreds of citizens left Holland in 1846 and later years of the 19th century. They went across the ocean to the United States in North America to make a new life for themselves.
In the beginning, groups of afgescheiden, under the leadership oftne Reverends Van Raalte,
Scholte, Van Der Meulen, Bolks etc. came across to America. These emigrations were the result
of difficulties that they endured.
Work was scarce. The first groups had a very difficult time of pioneering and many
disappointments.
When better tidings were heard from the emigrants, many followed.
At one time, 72 persons left Gelderland in 1856. Not many from Rijssen left. Those that we
knew of were the family of Niewenhuis and Van Der Berg in 1855. J.H. and J. Kreykes in 1881,
the rest ofthe Kreykes family came in 1889. John Willem Kreykes-born 3 October 1828, son of
Jan Hendrik Kreykes and Janna Borderwijk in 1889. There are now many by the name of
Kreykes in Rijssen, not many Borderwijk, only one old man. (I have the impression that Jan
Willem Kreykes parents lived on Kreykes kamp.) The parents of Jan WiIlem Kreykes were not of
the poorest of their class of people.
J.H. Kreykes was one of the few who had 2 houses. The whole of Rijssen had a total of 105
houses. J. W. Kreykes stayed in his parental home until his marriage to Jenneken Baan, whose
father went by the name the "Russian".
Jannes Baan born, 2 September 1797, died July 4, 1868. He was married to Fenniken Oolbrink
Van Hellendoorn, and later to Jenneken Meilink Van Holten. Jan Willem Kreykes made his
home in Rijssen.
Jan Wilem Kreykes was born on 3 October 1828. He married Jenniken Baan on 29 December
1855.
Six children were born to this marriage; Fenniken-married a Dannenberg and stayed in
Holland, Jan Hendrik who came to America in 1881. Janna - married a Scherphof and stayed in
Holland, Jannes who came to America in 1881. and Jan and Johan.
After his first wife Jennken Baan died Jan Willem Kreykes married Hendrika Smalbrugge.
Five children were born to this marriage: Johan-married to Ella Aardema, Arend
Jan-married to Mattie Rietsma, Gerrh Jan, Berend Jan, and Jenniken-married to Johan
Waanders.
After his second marriage Jan Willem Kreykes, with his wife and children, Johan, Arend and
Jenniken came to America in 1889. The family lived with his son Jan Hendrik of his first
marriage for some time. Jan Hendrik had married Lena Waanders and they had three children:
Jan Willem, Hanna (Anna Leemkuil and Janna (Jennie De Groot). He writes that his wife enjoys
playing with Janna who is two years old and just beginning to walk. While they were there Jan
Willem writes that Lena, Jan Hendriks wife gave birth to a healthy boy named Dirk (Dick
Kreykes).
Later they bought a small acreage and built a house on it. so now they are on their own. Johan,
Arend Jan and lenniken were helping to pay for this from their earnings. Their son Jannes of the
first marriage lived with them and paid $2.00 per week board. He rented land and had a team of
Dapple Greys. He earned $133.00 helping other farmers thresh. Later he writes that Jannes and
Jon Hendrik bought a threshing machine for 1750.00 guilder. They now had seven horses but
needed more as four of the seven were having colts. Mention is made of Jenniken (Jennie
Waanders) having a good place to work. She worked for Draayoms,
In a letter dated 2 June 1889, he mentions they milk 5 cows every day. They have it good as far as food is concerned. They never had it so good. Says they have 7 old hogs and 20 pigs, 1 large pig and 10 small pigs, 8 cows, 4 horses, 1 colt. A few days ago Hendrik Jan had sold six 300 hundred pound hogs for 8 cents per pound.
Jannes becomes very sick. the Doctor comes twice a day. The pastor in Hospers visited them
and Jannes who was very sick. He mentions that the pastor speaks good dutch and is Reformed.
(This was Rev. Mouw.)
His daughter Janna is still very ill in Holland. He writes he would like to come to Holland to
visit her. but Johan and Arend Jan say absolutely NOT. He mentions that it isn't
very thing to cross the ocean. The waves are so high.
He suggests that Janna drink cod liver oil. That is good for her. He mentions that Jenniken's
food does not agree with her. The doctor gave her medicine.
Jenniken is better. but he himself was very sick. Doctor came 3 times a day. He had lung fever
(pneumonia).
In a letter dated April 21, 1891, he writes about prices. Fat cattle sell for 5 cents per lb., fat
hogs for 5 1/2 cents per lb., corn $1.00 per bu., potatoes $1.00 per bu. They pay 25 cents for a
pound of coffee, 10 cents for a pound of sugar. 15 cents for a pound of butter. eggs 11 cents per
dozen, and salt 1 cent a pound.
From reading the letters. we get the impression that Jan Willem Kreykes was indeed a very
strict and pious person.
He was very much concerned about the spiritual condition of his children. He mentioned that
he had been concerned about Jan Hendrik but that he has shown some marks of finding
salvation. As to Jan Hendrik's wife Lena he speaks of her as a "weeping Mary" who is truly
seeking Jesus.
He was very critical of the Presbyterian and Reformed pastors in Hospers. He apparently
attended their services and also occasionally attended a service in the Orange City Christian
Reformed Church where they had a pastor more to his liking.
In 1894 when the Hospers Christian Reformed Church was organized, Jan Willem Kreykes.
with his wife and three children, joined as charter members, also Jan Hendrik Kreykes with his
wife and five children. and Jannes Kreykes with his wife and Johan Waanders.
Jan Willem Kreykes was also rather critical of the pastors in his own church. He would
probably have felt more at home in the Netherlands Reformed church.
Our thanks to Doores and Grada Waanders tor translating these letters.
A note of interest: June 1977. there were 74 male persons living in the U.S.A. with Kreykes
name, ranging in age from four weeks to 80 yrs.
In late August, 1977, Dick Kreijkes. who lives in Holland. mailed me some letters written by
Jan Willem Kreijkes to his daughter Janna who stayed in Holland. Dick Kreijkes visited with the
Scherphof family. and they still had these letters. They were written during the first few months
after coming to America.
No date on one letter, but likely the first written after coming to America-
Dearest Daughter Janna.
Your dad. his wife. and the children arrived safely. The Lord made everything well that we
had hoped. The Lord is the Provider of all good things. We were 13 days on the sea. it was mostly
nice weather. but we were many times scared that it wouldn't go good. My wife was 10 days sea
sick, and 100 more people with her. I and the boys were real strong. but Jenneken was also a few
days sick. 1 was the strongest. and that surprised my wife. My wife left the sickness behind in the
boat. and now she feels real good. We were 3 days and 3 nights on the train. It wasn't so easy,
believe me! We got on the boat the second of March, and arrived here the nineteenth of March.
Ve were three hours from our destination, and the boys came for us with the horses. The boys
were very happy to see us. You can imagine that. They did not know lohan. because he had
grown so much. and at tirst I did not recognize Jan Hendrick because he was wearing a coat of
bear skins. It was very cold.
Your father, I.W. Kreijkes
In all of the letters he expressed a longing to see her and her children. He closed most of his
letter with - if we do not see each other again on this earth, may we meet in heaven. Many times
he expressed his faith in God.
If you will notice, janna died about a year after the family left for America. Her husband was
already dead. and her children were very small. There was an indication in one of the letters that
Janna's husband's brother and his wife took the children, and there was an expression of
gratitude for their kindness.
Dick Kreykes also visited the Dannenberg family. About ten years ago they destroyed all of the
letters that Jan Willem Kreykes had written to that family. If you will notice, Fenneken had died
two years before the family came to America. Her husband had died two years earlier. and there
were three small children, one an infant. After studying the history of the family, I can
understand the note of sadness in Jan Willem's letters, In one of the letters, he wrote how
Jenneken (Mrs. Waanders) wished Janna and the children were here in America.
I asked several of the older generation when the ij in Kreykes was changed to y, and none of
them knew. However, Kreykes is still spelled with the ij in Holland, and is pronounced the same
say we pronounce it. Then I asked several what the name Kreykes meant, and no one seemed to
know. Alyda
In my correspondence with Dick Kreykes in Holland, I asked him if he knew what Kreykes
meant. In a letter from him in August 1977. he sent me a photostatic copy of a letter he had
received from the Royal Netherlands University of Science at Amsterdam. He had written them
in November 1964, asking them what the name Kreykes meant. This is what Dick Kreykes had
translated for me -You read that the family·name Kreijkes is a patrimonial of "son of Kreijke".
They suppose that our for-forfather has been a sharp and dignified man and through this he got
he nickname "crow". In Dutch crow is in dialect "Kreeijke". The son of a little crow call we
'kreeijke (szoon)". At this way they suppose the name Kreijkes has been born. You see the
comparison "Kreeijkes Jan Wilm". If it is the truth nobody knows, but why we shall not believe
it. Dick
This picture (there are more in the book) was taken by Marvella Kreykes Woltjes and her husband John when they visited in Holland in 1972. This is the original farm where the Kreykes family was born and lived. This is the farm itself. The house is attached to the back of the barn, but you cannot really see that in this picture.