Origins of our Tanis Family

Origins of our Tanis Family

By Dave Jordan
July 27, 2001
Cornelis Tanis Martha Tanis' ancestors came from Zuid-Holland. Her great-grandfather Cornelis Dirksz Tanis was born in Odeland, on the island of Flakkee in August 1763. Cornelis married twice. His first wife was Caatje Tijsdr Heerschap whom he married on April 29, 1787 at age 23. They had 6 children (Krientje, Jannetje, Dirk, Paulus, Maria, and Caatje) between May 1788 and April 1801 all born in Zuid-Holland, probably in Ouddorp. Unexpectedly, Caatje died on May 1, 1801 possibly as a result of childbirth complications with daughter Caatje born a month earlier on April 3, 1801. Five and a half months after Caatje died, Cornelis at age 38 married his 2nd wife, Geertruda Evertsdr van der Sluis, on October 19, 1801. They had four children between April 1802 and January 1810 all born in Zuid-Holland, probably Ouddorp. The first, Dirk Cornelis Tanis, was born April 27, 1802 in Ouddorp, Flakkee, in Zuid-Holland. Dirk is the grandfather of Martha Tanis. The other children were: Euwit (1805), Jan (1806) and Krijn (1810). Cornelis lived a long life and died in Ouddorp on June 21, 1833 at age 69. There is no information yet on Geertruda. Shirley Stich has an extensive set of web pages about the Tanis Family and her line links back to Paulus Tanis born April 28, 1793. See the Topic, Links to Other Sites to link to her site. Paulus was the second son of Cornelis and Caatje. The Martha Tanis line links to Dirk Cornelis Tanis born April 27, 1802 and the first son of Cornelis and his second wife, Geertruda. Dirk Cornelis and Paulus are half brothers and Paulus is about ten years older than Dirk Cornelis. The common ancestor between the Stich line and the Martha Tanis line is Cornelis Dirksz Tanis. By locating Cornelis Dirksz Tanis on the Stich Tanis Pages, it is possible to follow the Tanis line back to the 1500s. Most of the above genealogy information was obtained from Shirley's Tanis Pages. Dirk Cornelis Tanis In the 1820s, Dirk Cornelis Tanis married Cornelia Nieman, most likely in Ouddorp. The first five of their children were born in Ouddorp: Dirk Cornelis Tanis born 1825 Frederik Tanis born 1827 Aart Dirksz Tanis born 15 February 1832 Krijn Tanis born 12 April 1834 Geertje Tanis born 9 October 1836 Seven more children were born in Eierland, Texel after their move there. Krijntje Dirks Tanis born 9 February 1839 Petronella Tanis born 22 January 1841 Jan Tanis born 10 September 1842 Leentje Tanis born 8 December 1844l Jacob Tanis born 16 August 1846 Maartje Tanis born 25 March 1848 Dirk Dirksz Tanis born 18 August 1851 In the late 1830s, at about the same time that Adrianus and Maatje van der Kloot moved from the island of Flakkee to Texel, Dirk and Cornelia and family also left Flakkee and moved to the new Eijerland Polder in Texel. Dirk brought with him "rootstocks of madder". Madder is a plant with small yellowish flowers and red fleshy roots. At the time, it was an important source of red and reddish-orange dye. On Texel, Dirk became a farmer on the farm Siberië in Eierland. In 1840, there were twelve persons on the farm: Dirk, his wife Cornelia Nieman, six children, three farmhands and a maidservant. Dirk and Cornelia must have had more children than the three I know. In 1843, Dirk owned three horses, three cows and fifty sheep. He did not own Siberië, but before 1847 the farm was renamed Bland and Berg. Dirk did not own this farm, but in 1847 he bought the farm Vredelust in De Koog and his son Cornelis Tanis then lived there. In 1854, Vredelust was sold, because Cornelis and his wife Hermina Maria Jansen went in 1855 to the Haarlemmermeer with their four children. Interestingly this was about the same time as Adrianus and Maatje van der Kloot moved to the new polder in Haarlemmermeer. Dirk Cornelis Tanis stayed on Bland and Berg until 1866, when he and his wife Cornelia moved to a house. In 1873, Cornelia Nieman Tanis passed away. A few years later in 1876, their son Dirk Dirksz Tanis married Antje Klaas Mantje and was a tenant of the farm Bland and Berg in Eierland. With Cornelia gone, Dirk Cornelis joined this household in the same year. In 1887, at age 84, Dirk Cornelis passed away in his home village of Ouddorp. In 1889, Dirk Dirksz Tanis immigrated with his wife and their six children to the United States. His wife, Antje Klaas Mantje, died in 1919 in Passaic. Much of the information about Dirk and Cornelia Tanis was obtained from Miriam Klassen's Texel Pages. See the Topic, Links to Other Sites to link to her site. Exact quotes from her page are presented in the Recollections Section of Dave Jordan's Tanis Pages. Updates and additional information may be found by viewing her extensive pages that seek to document the history of all former Texel residents. Aart Tanis The third son of Dirk and Cornelia Tanis was Aart Dirksz Tanis. Aart was born February 15,1832 in Ouddorp on the Island of Goeree Overflakkee. He later moved in the mid-late 1830s with his mother and father, Dirk and Cornelia to Texel. Aart most likely met his wife, Dirkje Aletta Blaak, in Texel and they were married on April 19th, 1855 there. He was a landbouwer (farmer). Aart was 23 and Dirkje was 19. They had their first child in Texel, Kornelia (1855) before moving to Haarlemmermeer sometime before 1857. Dirkje Aletta Blaak was born September 27, 1836 in Stellendam, on the Island of Goeree Overflakkee. Her father was Adrianus Blaak and her mother was Martha van Driel. It appears the Blaaks may have also migrated along with the Tanis' and van der Kloots from Flakkee in the movement to the new Eijerland Polder in Texel. Haarlemmermeer (Harlem Lake) is a polder about 6 miles southeast of Harlem and about 10 miles from Amsterdam and is an agricultural area. A polder is a body of low-lying land that has been claimed from a body of water and is protected by dikes. Haarlemmermeer had been ruined by destructive floods in the 16th century and was finally reclaimed about 1852. The re-opening must have represented opportunity as Adrianus and Maatje moved there in March 1856 from Texel, as did Aart's brother Cornelis and his wife Hermina Maria Jansen in 1855 and Aart some time around 1856 or 1857. Aart's second daughter Martha Tanis, my great-grandmother, was born in Haarlemmermeer on March 28, 1857. Aart and Dirkje would have 5 more children, Dirkje Aletta (1858), Geertje (1859), Dirk (1861), Cornelius (1862), and Maatje (1864) for a total of seven. Unfortunately, Aart passed on too soon and died at the age of only 34 on November 17, 1866. The cause is unknown and at this time I do not have his actual death record which might provide some information. About a year later, Dirkje then 31 years old married Jacob Rietkerk, born in Nieuwerkerk, on September 26, 1867 in Haarlemmermeer. Jacob was 8 years younger than Dirkje. Jacob and Dirkje had 9 children in their marriage, for a total of 16 for Dirkje. I do not know the names of the Rietkerk children. Only two of Martha's siblings, Dirkje Aletta (1858) and Dirk (1861) are known to have come to America. Dirkje Aletta married and became Aletta Paris (nee Tanis) and lived in New Jersey. Dirk passed through Chicago and in the late 1890s or early 1900s on his way to Alaska to seek his fortune in the gold rush and was never heard from again.

Cornelis Tanis
Martha Tanis' ancestors came from Zuid-Holland. Her great-grandfather Cornelis Dirksz Tanis was born in Odeland, on the island of Flakkee in August 1763. Cornelis married twice. His first wife was Caatje Tijsdr Heerschap whom he married on April 29, 1787 at age 23. They had 6 children (Krientje, Jannetje, Dirk, Paulus, Maria, and Caatje) between May 1788 and April 1801 all born in Zuid-Holland, probably in Ouddorp. Unexpectedly, Caatje died on May 1, 1801 possibly as a result of childbirth complications with daughter Caatje born a month earlier on April 3, 1801.

Five and a half months after Caatje died, Cornelis at age 38 married his 2nd wife, Geertruda Evertsdr van der Sluis, on October 19, 1801. They had four children between April 1802 and January 1810 all born in Zuid-Holland, probably Ouddorp. The first, Dirk Cornelis Tanis, was born April 27, 1802 in Ouddorp, Flakkee, in Zuid-Holland. Dirk is the grandfather of Martha Tanis. The other children were: Euwit (1805), Jan (1806) and Krijn (1810). Cornelis lived a long life and died in Ouddorp on June 21, 1833 at age 69. There is no information yet on Geertruda.

Shirley Stich has an extensive set of web pages about the Tanis Family and her line links back to Paulus Tanis born April 28, 1793. See the Topic, Links to Other Sites to link to her site. Paulus was the second son of Cornelis and Caatje. The Martha Tanis line links to Dirk Cornelis Tanis born April 27, 1802 and the first son of Cornelis and his second wife, Geertruda. Dirk Cornelis and Paulus are half brothers and Paulus is about ten years older than Dirk Cornelis. The common ancestor between the Stich line and the Martha Tanis line is Cornelis Dirksz Tanis. By locating Cornelis Dirksz Tanis on the Stich Tanis Pages, it is possible to follow the Tanis line back to the 1500s. Most of the above genealogy information was obtained from Shirley's Tanis Pages.

Dirk Cornelis Tanis
In the 1820s, Dirk Cornelis Tanis married Cornelia Nieman, most likely in Ouddorp. The first five of their children were born in Ouddorp:

In the late 1830s, at about the same time that Adrianus and Maatje van der Kloot moved from the island of Flakkee to Texel, Dirk and Cornelia and family also left Flakkee and moved to the new Eijerland Polder in Texel. Dirk brought with him "rootstocks of madder". Madder is a plant with small yellowish flowers and red fleshy roots. At the time, it was an important source of red and reddish-orange dye. On Texel, Dirk became a farmer on the farm Siberië in Eierland. In 1840, there were twelve persons on the farm: Dirk, his wife Cornelia Nieman, six children, three farmhands and a maidservant. Dirk and Cornelia must have had more children than the three I know.

In 1843, Dirk owned three horses, three cows and fifty sheep. He did not own Siberië, but before 1847 the farm was renamed Bland and Berg. Dirk did not own this farm, but in 1847 he bought the farm Vredelust in De Koog and his son Cornelis Tanis then lived there. In 1854, Vredelust was sold, because Cornelis and his wife Hermina Maria Jansen went in 1855 to the Haarlemmermeer with their four children. Interestingly this was about the same time as Adrianus and Maatje van der Kloot moved to the new polder in Haarlemmermeer.

Dirk Cornelis Tanis stayed on Bland and Berg until 1866, when he and his wife Cornelia moved to a house. In 1873, Cornelia Nieman Tanis passed away. A few years later in 1876, their son Dirk Dirksz Tanis married Antje Klaas Mantje and was a tenant of the farm Bland and Berg in Eierland. With Cornelia gone, Dirk Cornelis joined this household in the same year. In 1887, at age 84, Dirk Cornelis passed away in his home village of Ouddorp. In 1889, Dirk Dirksz Tanis immigrated with his wife and their six children to the United States. His wife, Antje Klaas Mantje, died in 1919 in Passaic.

Much of the information about Dirk and Cornelia Tanis was obtained from Miriam Klassen's Texel Pages. See the Topic, Links to Other Sites to link to her site. Exact quotes from her page are presented in the Recollections Section of Dave Jordan's Tanis Pages. Updates and additional information may be found by viewing her extensive pages that seek to document the history of all former Texel residents.

Aart Tanis
The third son of Dirk and Cornelia Tanis was Aart Dirksz Tanis. Aart was born February 15,1832 in Ouddorp on the Island of Goeree Overflakkee. He later moved in the mid-late 1830s with his mother and father, Dirk and Cornelia to Texel. Aart most likely met his wife, Dirkje Aletta Blaak, in Texel and they were married on April 19th, 1855 there. He was a landbouwer (farmer). Aart was 23 and Dirkje was 19. They had their first child in Texel, Kornelia (1855) before moving to Haarlemmermeer sometime before 1857. Dirkje Aletta Blaak was born September 27, 1836 in Stellendam, on the Island of Goeree Overflakkee. Her father was Adrianus Blaak and her mother was Martha van Driel. It appears the Blaaks may have also migrated along with the Tanis' and van der Kloots from Flakkee in the movement to the new Eijerland Polder in Texel.

Haarlemmermeer (Harlem Lake) is a polder about 6 miles southeast of Harlem and about 10 miles from Amsterdam and is an agricultural area. A polder is a body of low-lying land that has been claimed from a body of water and is protected by dikes. Haarlemmermeer had been ruined by destructive floods in the 16th century and was finally reclaimed about 1852. The re-opening must have represented opportunity as Adrianus and Maatje moved there in March 1856 from Texel, as did Aart's brother Cornelis and his wife Hermina Maria Jansen in 1855 and Aart some time around 1856 or 1857.

Aart's second daughter Martha Tanis, my great-grandmother, was born in Haarlemmermeer on March 28, 1857. Aart and Dirkje would have 5 more children, Dirkje Aletta (1858), Geertje (1859), Dirk (1861), Cornelius (1862), and Maatje (1864) for a total of seven.

Unfortunately, Aart passed on too soon and died at the age of only 34 on November 17, 1866. The cause is unknown and at this time I do not have his actual death record which might provide some information. About a year later, Dirkje then 31 years old married Jacob Rietkerk, born in Nieuwerkerk, on September 26, 1867 in Haarlemmermeer. Jacob was 8 years younger than Dirkje. Jacob and Dirkje had 9 children in their marriage, for a total of 16 for Dirkje. I do not know the names of the Rietkerk children.

Only two of Martha's siblings, Dirkje Aletta (1858) and Dirk (1861) are known to have come to America. Dirkje Aletta married and became Aletta Paris (nee Tanis) and lived in New Jersey. Dirk passed through Chicago and in the late 1890s or early 1900s on his way to Alaska to seek his fortune in the gold rush and was never heard from again.