Beesd, The Dutch Hometown of VanderHoof

I try to visit locations whenever possible. My VanderHoof ancestors hailed from Beesd, which is now a village in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. I live across the pond, but my sister, Kim, was able to visit.

Kimberly Lutter visiting Beesd, Netherlands, June 2026.
In the background is the church tower, the only remaining part from the 1600s.

In 1661 two sisters, Adriaentje and Geertje, sailed aboard De Bever from Amsterdam to New Amsterdam, which we now call New York City. Their names were written using a patronymic. Their father was Cornelis vanFulpen or Vulpen. Geertje was the widow of Cornelius Gijsbertsen vanderHoeven. With her were six children who passed on the surname vanderHoeven or more common variant, vanderHoof or vanderHoef to the thousands of descendants they created in what became the United States.

Adriaentje was the widow of Mercus Leenaertsen Schuers. She immigrated with their daughter.

I wanted to post the original ship record, but I don't see it online. The late Terry Haslam-Jones Vanderhoof (1944-2021) may have posted it on his now defunct website Vanderhoof Project. You can read Terry's summary of the immigration as well as history in Beesd here.

The church bells rang as Kim arrived.

Signs are posted explaining the history of the church. Below their pictures are videos of translations from Dutch to English courtesy of Kim's husband, Alexander Rasker.

Sign on the church. Translation to English in the video below.
The current church building was built in 1825 out of materials and walls of the older church.
The clock on the tower bears the year 1468.

Another sign on the church. See video below for translation into English.
Excavations in 2000 revealed that a church existed here at least since the 12th century.
Dedicated to Saint Peter.
The church was expanded in the 1600s, then rebuilt in 1825.
The original outside walls and windows can be seen on the south side.

The nearby cemeteries were also visited and photographed.

Informational sign with map
Old Cemetery, Beesd

Kim in the old cemetery

This memorial is probably very old.

More recent grave
Wimmie van der Hooft (1934-1938)

Dutch war graves

These are graves of members of the British Bomber Command lost on May 24, 1943 in the Battle of Ruhr. They are listed on Find A Grave in the Beesd General Cemetery.

Sergeant Ronald Bell (1921-1943)
Sergeant Frederick John Leigh Joblin (1918-1943)
Sergeant Derrick George Amos Storey (1923-1943)
Sergeant Stephen Muir Tietjens (1917-1943)
Sergeant George Watson Turnbull (1919-1943)
Sergeant Stanley John Wayman (1922-1943)

Thank you, Kim and Alex, for visiting the ancestral hometown of our vanderHoof and vanFulpen ancestors. The pictures and translations are superb.

My last visit to Netherlands was in 2013!

New Jersey State Records Committee Meeting June 18, 2026

In an ongoing effort to engage in the lawmaking processes of New Jersey concerning genealogical and historical records, I attempted to virtually attend the public meeting of the State Records Committee of the Records Management Services on June 18, 2026.

Did this meeting not happen or was there a technical glitch with not admitting viewers?

Public notice of the meeting for June 18, 2026

Webpage of the State Records Committee showing meeting dates

Teams Meetings link not granting access

1776 Badge at Find A Grave

Find A Grave has created a special badge to indicate service in the American Revolution. 

1776 Badge at Find A Grave
for those who served in the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783

I checked on some ancestors.

Charles Marsh was my fifth great grandfather. He resided in Essex County, New Jersey in the area of Elizabethtown and Westfield. (These are now in Union County.) He lived long enough to apply for a pension. In his affidavit, Charles described participation in battles throughout his area. He first volunteered in June 1776 in the Infantry of the Militia of New Jersey. He fought at the Battle of Springfield and Connecticut Farms in June of 1780.

The memorial page of Charles Marsh already had the 1776 badge when I visited.

Memorial page of Charles Marsh (1755-1833)
Buried in the Presbyterian Church Burial Grounds
Westfield, Union County, New Jersey

Cover page
Pension papers of Charles Marsh

The memorial page of Conrad Hopler, my sixth great grandfather, was lacking the 1776 badge but now has one after my edit request. He lived in Morris County, New Jersey and fought with Arnold's Light Horse Troop.

Memorial page of Conrad Hopler (1730-1814)
buried at First Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey

Book mentioning members of the Morris County, New Jersey Light Horse Troop.
Does anyone know where I might find this "original enlistment paper"?

George Taylor, my sixth great grandfather, was also lacking the 1776 badge, but that was remedied. George lived in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He lived long enough to file for a pension. 

Memorial page of George Taylor (1756-1835)
Buried in Holmdel Cemetery
in Holmdel, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Suggest an Edit page Find A Grave
George Taylor (1756-1835)

Cover page of George's pension papers.
This paper is a tertiary source of his date of death.

Simeon Rockefeller was my seventh great grandfather. He served as a private in Colonel Henry Livingston's Regiment New York Militia. His memorial did not have the badge for a veteran "V" and did not have the 1776 badge. I requested that these be added, but as of this writing, they have not.

Memorial page for Simeon Rockefeller (1730-1795).
He was born in what is now Germany, not New York.

Index card for the service records
of Simeon Rockefeller or Rockenfeller,
Livingston's Regiment New York Militia.

You can find some Revolutionary War service records at Fold3.