The Jacobus Mystery
Posted By the Webmistress on January 28, 2006
When I first began researching the Sweere line back in 1998 I had a small file fom my brother, Mark, to follow leads on. He had this information from another Sweere in the Netherlands whom he made contact with. There were no sources included with this file.
I spent about a year dabbling with US-Sweere data before I joined a Dutch genealogy list and a generous spirit there pointed me in the direction of Genlias, a website for searching the Netherlands Civil Archives. In the years since, as more records have been transcribed and added to the Genlias databases, I’ve found a goldmine of information there.
But one thing always puzzled me.
Mark had listed a son, Jacobus, born 2 April 1871, for my gr-gr-grandfather, Gerardus Sweere and his first wife, Hendricka Arts. I had often wondered what became of this mysterious Jacobus, the step-brother of my great-grandfather, Hendrickus. I found no evidence of him over the years; no marriage record, no death record. Had he emigrated like his younger brothers? If so, where did he disappear to?
The mystery of Jacobus was solved this week when I discovered a marriage record for a daughter of Gerardus and Hendricka (Arts) Sweere whom I had not known of previously. Of course, I was delighted to find a record of Jacoba…
Further research revealed a birth record for Jacoba Sweere, born 2 April 1871 in Oploo-Sint Anthonis. There is no mention on the record of “tweeling” (twin) for Jacoba. It appears then, that ‘Jacobus’ was an error, and without solid evidence that he actually existed, his name has been deleted from my database.
One more note of importance concerning the birth of Jacoba: her mother, Hendricka Arts, died on 20 April, 1871, eighteen days after her birth. She left behind a newborn daughter, a one year-old son, Gerardus, and a five year-old daughter, Maria.
Less than a year later, her husband found a second wife to care for his young children, whom he married on 5 Jan 1872. She was my gr-gr-grandmother, Johanna Hopmans, who gave him two more sons and a daughter, and she outlived him by more than 25 years.
Interesting stuff, yes?
ex animo ~J
I am J.W.P. Sweere * 1939 from
G.J.A. Sweere * 1910 Kleve (G) and A.M. Ziemons * 1915 Cornelimünster (G)
G.J.A. born from Gerardus Sw. *1870 Vierlingsbeek (Nl.) x Hendrika Jacoba
de Groot *1885;
G.Sw. born from Gerardus Sweere *1832 Boxmeer (Nl.) x Hendrika Arts
*1838 St. Antonis (Nl.) children: Maria *1866, Gerardus *1870, Jacobus *1874
G.Sw. 2e x married with: Johanna Hopmans *1836 Groesbeek (Nl.) cildren:
Theodorus Johannes *1873, Hendrikus Hubertus *±1874, Jacoba *±1875.
I have had 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
If you want to know about this family please wright me on e-mail-
K.gr. J. Sweere.