On this page you find some
parts of the information
I received from Twilah de Boer
about Janna Frederika
Sleijster
+ Jan Willem Sleijster, who was her brother and Roelof's father
+ Roelof Sleijster, who was her cousin
From our emails I give you the next quotes
that might be important:
My great grandmother Engelina Gravenstein (Giabenstein) was Roelofs
neice.
She came to America, when she was quite
young, all by herself.
She spent a short time in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area.
( I can prove this as I have a copy of the Church Records that
list her as a member)
My understanding is that she then came to
Alto
and lived with her uncle Roeloef.
She met and married my great grandfather who came from Dinxperlo-Suderwick. His name was
John Kastein. My mother lived with
Engelina (who by that time was know as Ellen) and her second husband,
while my mother attended high school in Waupun. My great grandfather
cousin died when he was in his 50's.
By the way I do have pictures of Engelina, I have
not yet learned how to scan pictures to the internet.
Twilah DeBoer
Brandon, Wisconsin
5-1-2001
In my tree I did find an aunt of Roelof:
Janna Frederika, born in Zutphen 26-9-1813, died Zutphen 25-3-1868,
married (no date of the marriage) Hendrik Gravestein. She was the
12th child, Jan Willem (Roelofs father) was the 3th.
Harry
5-1-2001
Harry
I forgot to tell you that I know where Roelof homesteaded and it was way
off the beaten path and that might be why he wasn't listed in the
territorial census of 1847 and the state census of 1850. I think sometimes
the census takers were too lazy if it was out of their way to go and get
the information. I have the same problem with the Kasteins, Engelinas
husbands parents, they are not listed until 1855 but I have other proof
that they came in 1847. Sometimes I have to use many different sources.
Twilah
6-1-2001
Harry
I spent a little time at the courthouse today and found 3 births of
Sleysters Raymond James b June 1, 1892 Rose Hazel Dec 12, 1894 Ruby Marie
May 2, 1899 Parents Johanna (also listed as Anna and Hannah) Freriks and
Ralph Sleyster in the township of Alto Also a Male b June 14, 1879 to aa
Adda May Butts and William W. Sleyster
I also found one marriage of a G. Stelsel (male) married to a J.H.
Sleyster on Oct 2, 1874 That is the only marriage I found. I did not have
time to go through the death records. I always save this until last
because in the state of Wisconsin it was not mandatory to report deaths
until 1909 so before that time there are not too many entries.
Twilah
13-3-2001
Harry
While doing some research for someone I came across a Jan Willem Sleyster
born December 3 1792.
I also found my great grandmothers name Engelina Gravenstein.
Could this Jan Willem Sleyster be my gr grandmothers, mothers brother. I
was always told that she came to live with an uncle. We always assumed
that that was Roeloef. Now I beleive that it could have been Jan Willem. I
found these in old church records from a settlement near Milwaukee while
Roeloef always lived in Alto. Roeloef also married a young lady from the
Milwaukee area. Perhaps my gr grandmother came to visit Roeloef and that
is how she met my gr grandfather Kastein in Alto.
Thanks Twilah DeBoer
6-6-2001
Dear Twilah,
Jan Willem, born in 1792, was Roelof's father and Jan Willem was the
brother of Janna Frederika who married Hendrik Gravestein. I guess that
their daughter Ellen came indeed with her uncle Jan Willem, who probably
came on invitation of his son Roelof to America. That was about a year
after Roelof emigrated. So she came not with her cousin Roelof. Roelof
went in May 1846 to Alto and did let his bride Johanna Liesveld come over
from Holland to marry her on 26-7-1847 in Milwaukee.
Yes, it is very good possible that Jan Willem and his wife went in 1847,
with Ellen, to Milwaukee to be present at the wedding of their son,
Ellen's cousin.
Well, it is not fully sure, but this seems to be a good reconstruction.
Harry Sleijster
27-7-2001
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