- John Ver Hoef Sr. and Martje Karsten, 3rd great grandparents, 1st cousins: This is an interesting case. John was born in Doornspijk, Province of Gelderland in the Netherlands on March 8, 1858 to Albert Verhoef, a day laborer, and Lubbertje Veldhoen. In the late 1860s, Albert and Lubbertje immigrated to West Michigan and settled in Overisel, Allegan County. On September 8, 1881, likely at Drenthe Presbyterian Church, John married Martje Karsten, who was a new immigrant to West Michigan: her and her family had left Doornspijk in April! Both John and Martje had the same hometown, and they were 1st cousins through their mothers, who were sisters. John was the son of Lubbertje Veldhoen (1833-1875) and Martje was the daughter of Jannetje Veldhoen (1819-1901), who were both daughters of Jan Veldhoen (1784-1835) and Geertje Alberts Klein (1787-1856). A few observations: I wonder if this was an arranged marriage, due to both spouses sharing the same hometown, and their mothers being sisters, as well as the relative speed of the marriage after immigration. More likely, the families were just very close, and John and Martje probably hit it off fast.
- Jacob Sadler and Mary Crowell, 4th great grandparents, 1st cousins: Interestingly, this is my only documented cousin marriage on my father's side, and my father's ancestry is almost entirely Deep Southern and Appalachian! Jacob Sadler (1794-after 1870) was born in Frederick, Maryland to John Conrad Sadler and Seville Crowel; and Mary Crowell (circa 1800-unknown) was born in Virginia to Henry Crowel Sr. and his wife Rachel. They were 1st cousins through Jacob's mother and Mary's father, who were siblings. Seville and Henry were children of Johan Heinrich Grauel (1729-1784), an immigrant from Heuchelheim bei Frankenthal, Germany, and his wife Margaretha Bader, also likely of German descent. These families were part of the Pennsylvania Dutch communities in Maryland and Virginia, although likely had been assimilated into the American mainstream. I doubt either Henry or Seville spoke German, for example. By the time their son Henry Sadler, my 3rd great-grandfather, had moved to West Virginia, there was probably nothing left of their German identity.
- Beerd Alberts van Loo and Albertje Gerrits, 6th great grandparents, 1st cousins: This one I only recently discovered, and is just plain fascinating. Beerd Alberts van Loo was baptized on February 14, 1768 in the Veluwe town of Oldebroek to Albert Alberts van Loo and Driesjen Gerrits; while Albertje Gerrits was baptized on September 29, 1771 in Doornspijk to Gerrit Alberts van Loo and Dirkje Gerrits. The fun part? The couple shared all of the same grandparents, because both of their fathers were brothers, and both of their mothers were sisters! Albert Alberts van Loo and Gerrit Alberts van Loo were both sons of Albert Knelissen and Gerrigje Lubberts; while Driesjen Gerrits and Dirkje Gerrits were both daughters of Gerrit Brands and Beertijen Dries. So the couple were 1st cousins, twice over! Definitely a good example of pedigree collapse within my own tree.
- Jonathan Brigham and Mary Fay, 8th great grandparents, 1st cousins: This is my only cousin marriage in my New England ancestry. Ensign Jonathan Brigham was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts in 1674 to Thomas Brigham and Mary Rice, while Mary Fay was born in 1675 in Marlborough to John Fay and Mary Brigham. They were 1st cousins through Jonathan's father and Mary's mother, who were siblings. Thomas and Mary were the children of Thomas Brigham, a Puritan Great Migration immigrant from Yorkshire, and Mercy "Hurd", who later remarried to Edmund Rice, the grandfather of Thomas's wife Mary Rice. I'm honestly surprised that this is my only known cousin marriage on my New England side, since there were definitely a lot of them in the past.
While cousin marriages were common in the past, and can often be found within any well established family tree, it will sometimes amaze you where they can be found. For example, my father's Southern and Appalachian families only had one cousin marriage, on my Pennsylvania Dutch side, while my mother's devoutly religious Dutch family had three, two on the Veluwe side of my Dutch ancestry and one in Puritan New England. Go look over your tree again- maybe you'll find some cousin marriages in your tree!
FURTHER LINKS:
- https://thegenealogycorner.com/2016/10/05/explore-cousin-marriages-within-your-family-tree/ Explore cousin-marriages… within your family tree!
- https://blog.genealogybank.com/genealogy-investigation-married-cousins.html Genealogy Investigation: Married Cousins
