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| Ruth's Great grandfather's grave in Langbroek, Netherlands. |
Yes, it was a big day for Ruth, especially, as it was an unlooked for meeting.
But, more on that later. In the morning I took an hour walk with the binoculars and found the birds were singing at the top of the little lungs. Our total at this point is 51 bird species identified. The surrounding acreage has pasture, hay piles, trees of all sizes, and hedgerows along two different drainage ditches (ever present in the Netherlands as they must move the water). One identifying feature here are the long rows of both Lombardy Poplar and the tall, thin willow trees. They draw the water out of the soil and help keep the drainage moving.
We took a short trip into town as this was laundry day. We needed detergent and did get some at "Jumbo" of course. A trip to the pharmacy (Apotheek) to secure more tape for Ruth's ankle was unsuccessful but perhaps we will find some in Utrecht when we attend the Genealogical library tomorrow. The Big city has to have some.
Then after stopping at home, for a light lunch, we drove to the nearby (7miles) town of Langbroek, where Ruth's grandfather was born, to see if we could "scare up" some relatives. She has the name of the street where he once lived (Thanks to Renate) and we did locate that street and talked to two folks there who added to the story. There were still Imminkhuizens in the town so after seeing the apartment(s) one of the three on the road was where he lived, we drove just a few blocks to the town to see what we could find.
In scouring the town we saw a sign that said "Vakgarage Imminkhuizen". ZOWIE! Could this be it? At the end of a long drive hidden behind a number of house , past a pasture land was an auto dealership with that name over the top. We engaged two women in "conversation" one about 50 (a worker) the other in her late 70's Who lived in the adjoining house. . Trying to make the point about your family in two languages only one of which either party could understand was very slow and repetitive. As a last resort the woman went inside and brought out a man (evidently her husband) , and he took us to his office (very clean and austere) across the small street (straat).
After along discussion in which we were getting bits snd pieces in Dutch, he saw his son drive in.(Translator, yes?). That was a saving grace as between the older gentleman (Dirk Imminkhuizen) and the son (Jan Imminkhuizen) we were able to piece together the lineage of his father (Dirk) and his ancestral line. It was a great time. The elder man served me two cappachino out of one of those automatic machines that are in all the grocery stores here and we had a 2 hour exchange, Ruth getting all the information she could handle on her family, while Dirk, the father, was also the same generation as Ruth so three generations removed but a first cousin three times removed... I believe.
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| TheI mminkhuizen car dealership and garage in Langbroek, NL |
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| Dirk (father) and Jan (son) Imminkhuizen |
In the discussion he mentioned the small town about 3 Km away (Colhen) in which Ruth's great great grandfather and Dirk's (GGG) lived .He took us there and showed us the house and the land around it that they farmed for many years. It has changed some of course but you could see where they lived and worked the fields. It was a great afternoon and worth the effort to take the time to "explore"the old home areas. Thanks to the generosity of Dirk and his son Jan for there time and input. Dirk also took us to the church cemetery , which we had already walked through to no avail. He pointed out about a dozen Imminkhuizen graves. He was happy to do that. Ruth, great grandfather was included. (see
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| Ruth and Dirk admiring the place where their great grandfathers were raised. |
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| The "Rodaen" Tapas and Bites eatery. In Bunnik, NL |
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The town 'Kerk' in Langbroek behind which many
Imminkhuizens were buried. |
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| A Castle near where Jan Imminkhuizen lived with his second wife. |
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| Two of the three houses near where Ruth's great grandfather lived. |
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The Dutch have lanes on ALL highways (except freeways) for bicycles.
This stand was in a rural area for a bus transfer. |
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| The main street in Langbroek is very typical of small towns here |
It was time to freshen up, and get ready for supper so after we took our leave we did that. We couldn't find a local restaurant open (Mondays many close) so went to the town of Bunnik, just 8 miles north and had supper with anew experience. We ate at a Tapas bistro called "Rodaen Tapas and Bites" . It was a new experience for us and I must say the menu was lengthy. For me the 'Souvlaki met tsazikisuas' was the best. The most tender beef I have had in a while and a very large piece.. I also had the Schnitzeltje Rodaen, and the Garnelen kroketjes topped by cheese cake. Ruth settled for the Hamburgertje and creme broule. Excellent. It was a great way to celebrate..
Tomorrow we head for Utrecht and if all goes well, we may find a certificate of Ruth's grandfather's proof that he was a ward of a family after his parents died. Enjoy the photos
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