One of the places I always wanted to visit is Schiermonnikoog, an island off the Dutch north coast. Conceptually, it resembles Nantucket, off the Massachusetts coast. It is an upscale tourist trap, famous for beaches and good restaurants, and it can only be reached by ferry. They make it difficult to impossible to take your car, and there are lots of bicycle rental places.
Relaxed Atmosphere on Schiermonnikoog
On August 5, we were enjoying the hospitality of the Huizinga family in Groningen, and since the ferry to the island is close to where they live, I suggested we all make a day trip of it. The reason I wanted to visit the island was not so much to compare it to Nantucket, but because my maternal grandfather, a sea captain, was born there. My mother had always wanted to visit but never made it.
This turned out to be an astoundingly fortuitous trip. It was a beautiful day on Schiermonnikoog. We started with a pleasant lunch at an iconic hotel.
Cousins Marijke and Fokko on Schiermonnikoog
Then we went to a church graveyard to look for the name Teensma, the family name of my mother’s father. There were lots of them.
Churchyard Plaque, Unrecovered Dead from Schiermonnikoog during World War II
After wandering past the gravestones and P.J photographing them for the record, I found the church door open and someone sitting inside. I asked whether it was possible to find out more about those buried there. She hesitated a little, but then advised me to knock on someone’s door in the village.
In turn, that person sent me to a 94-year-old gentleman, the last surviving member of the Teensma family on Schiermonnikoog, who happened to have finished the family tree going back to the 17th century that very afternoon! He had pinned it on a big board.
His grandparents had been best friends with my great grandparents. He knew about my grandfather and grandmother off the top of his head, how they met in Antwerp, plus other details I did not know. He let me photograph the family tree he had just finished, plus supporting archive info.
I could not have collected so much information in such a short time from the Internet! We exchanged personal contact info. He was almost as surprised and happy to meet as I was.
Arjan Post and Cousin Pieter Teensma Examining the Teensma Family Tree
Pieter Teensma’s House
The island was very, very, crowded, though. My newly found cousin recommended I come back sometime in the off-season.
Crowded Ferry to Schiermonnikoog
Sailing Back from Schiermonnikoog
Photos © 2014 P.J. Gardner. All rights reserved.