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The island of Texel consists of seven villages. The Vanderkloots
were from the village of Cocksdorp. They were blacksmiths and
ironworkers, the only firm of this kind in the village. Besides
wagon wheels and farm implements, they made cooking utensils,
locks and keys, etc.
The house and blacksmith shop were one, with just a gateway or hall between. Sitting well back from the road, the front yard was beautiful as a park with flowers, trees and lawn. The front of the house adjoining the shop was the living room. The back was kitchen, office and some sleeping rooms. Other bedrooms were upstairs. The oven was built in the kitchen. It was of iron lined with brick. It could hold over a dozen large loaves of bread. Grandfather [Adrianus] always took the bread out of the oven when baked with a sort of long rod. In the back of the House was the kitchen garden and orchard. Not much fruit, just a few apple, cherry and pear trees, but plenty for the family and vegetables of every kind. For a meal, a whole bed of spinach would be picked at once. Trijntje Smit Vanderkloot was born in the "Little Sluice" a village one day's journey from Cocksdorp. As a girl she was known as "Mooi Tryn" (Pretty Tryn). In spite of her large family she visited at her girlhood home for two weeks every year, always accompanied by the current baby and one or two of the next older children. Grandfather [Adrianus] and the older boys made ice boats and sailed over the frozen canals in winter at terrific speed. The whole family skated. On Sundays, the farmers came into the village with horses and buggies and wagons and all these vehicles were hitched up during church services at the Vanderkloot Smithery. After church, the farmers all came into the house for coffee or a "slokie" (drink) before returning to their homes. They were all customers of the Vanderkloots. There being no other blacksmith for miles around, there was no competition and trade was good. If the farmers had no cash they paid with farm produce, quarters of cattle, etc. The Vanderkloots could use almost anything. Vanderkloot Sidelights
The sons all worked in the blacksmith shop but when they grew up some of them became restless and left home to work in nearby villages. This made Matthias short of help and he was compelled to higher "knechts" (clerks) as they were called. In response to an ad he placed in the Friesland Courant, Rhinderd and William Kramer came to Cocksdorp and worked for him as "knechts". When the Vanderkloot family immigrated to America, the Kramers followed and were lifetime friends of the family. Bertha Moran is a daughter of William Kramer. All grew up a strong and big. Matthias, Jr. was almost a giant in stature and was known to have lifted a horse in the blacksmith shop. Despite seven brothers, most of them helping in the shop, the daughter Aagie, was often called from the house to lend a hand. She was adept in fitting an iron rim over a wagon wheel. On the other hand, Marinus was called on each day to give the women folk a hand in the kitchen. The huge iron pot full of potatoes that were cooked each day for dinner was too heavy for the women to lift from the fire. Marinus drained the potatoes and shook them up in the pot to reheat a minute or two. All the children were baptized in the village church and attended services there. When they were grown up, they gradually stopped going to church. One day the "Dominie" called at the house to see if the boys would not attend church regularly. Grandfather sent him out to the blacksmith shop to talk to the boys themselves about it. The "Dominie" failed to get their promise to attend, but Aagie who was present signed a pledge that she would go to church regularly. She later had a son who became a minister. |
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