Author Haike Jonkhoff, 1927 (Sicke branch of the Family Jonkhoff)
The family tree of the family Jonkhoffs is hard to trace, because for at least
one and a half-century, the whole family had been part of the nomads of the west. It is certain that from 1650 till at least
1800, the Jonkhoffs have been skippers on the inland waterways of Groningen and Friesland
In these years there was no connection between the waterways of the north and
the south, except for the Zuiderzee. There were no canals yet through the province of Drenthe.
As far as we can trace, the early Jonkhoffs always stayed in the north. Due to
the fact that they were skippers, it occurs that the Jonkhoffs met their wives in different places, and children were born
in several villages and towns. They didn't keep any records and it's impossible to go through all the church books of all
churches in the northern provinces, therefore it's virtually impossible to trace the first ancestors.
The first person we know about was called SIKKE, usually written SICKE JONKHOF.
He plied his ship in the north of the Ommelanden. We know he wasn't born in Loppersum, Groningen, Slochteren or several other
towns in the province of Groningen, we can't trace where he was born. We also don't know where or when he died or where and
with whom he got married. We don't know if he had his family on his ship or if they lived somewhere on land. The only thing
we do know about him, is the fact that he had a son called ROELOF, who was well known and was generally known as ROELF SICKES.
It is possible that SIKKE had his family with him on his ship, and
that he was in Loppersum just by chance when ROELF was born, because this birth was not mentioned in the parish register of
Loppersum.
Author Johannes Hendrikes Jonkhoff, 1985 (Hindrik Jan branch of the
Family Jonkhoff)
The ancestors from this family tree were "turfs chippers" (peat moss skippers)
as well and I thought: than we must fit somehow in one of these branches.
That was however not the case, thus we must originate from a branch prior to 1750.
What makes it real difficult to search for material prior to 1830 (Napoleon) is
that one has to search church records of often small townships, where they didn't deem it necessary to use surnames, because
everyone knew each other as son or daughter of John or Pete. Also the name Jonkhoff was written as Jonkhoff or Jonkhof.
What is interesting is the first name Warntje. This name is not found in any other family am is also spelled as Warntje, Waarntje
or Wardner (de teacher), while we also had, in 1950, a Warrie in Amsterdam and about 1900 Haarlem, a Warrie.
It irritates me still, not being able to find the origin of the name Warntje
circa 1770 (or the parents must have been very original), however it is more likely that the name (specially Wardner)
is derived form a town called Warnsveld, close to Zutphen.
As you all understand there is still a lot to be done. Veendam, Haarlem, Rotterdam,
Doetinchem Groningen and the village of Warnsveld are still in my program, but if it all will be carried out... ????
Most input derived from the Rijksarchief, St. Jan straat 2, Groningen 9712JN.
