We were originally Ritsema's, Jakobus
Jakob Heerema van Ritsema van Sauwerd (Nov 22, 1750 - March 23, 1808) was the
first Heerema of our branch. His children dropped the Ritsema name. His father
was Jacob Jans Ritsema van Pieterburen who moved from Noordhorn (gem.
Zuidhorn) and bought a farm in Pieterburen the year after he (Jakobus) was
born. From there you need to go in to the Ritzema family tree
ie:
"Een stamreeks leidt naar Jacob Jans
Ritzema, die uit Zuidhorn afkomsig was en in 1751 een boerderij kocht in
Pieterburen. Een verband met de Ritsemastede in Noordhorn (gem. Zuidhorn) kan
door het ontbreken van familienamen in de lokale schriftelijke bronnen van
die periode niet worden aangetoond. Toch workd rekening gehouden met de
mogelijkheid dat de Jan Jacobs die in 1625 op Ritsemastede woonde zijn voorouder
is".
I believe there was both a
Ritsemastede and a Heeremastede in the region of Zuidhorn. The owners
of both had intermarried but the Heerema name died and went to
a nephew, he in turn, to keep the family name going changed it to Jakobus
Jakob Heerema van Ritsema. It wouldn't
have hurt to have an inheritance with it and a split shield. Hyphenating names
in Holland following this procedure was done on more than one
occasion.
I would
like to clarify and speculate why the name for our branch starts at Zuidhorn.
Jacobus Jacobs Heerema van Ritzema (1750-1808) was the last of ten children of
Jacob Jans Ritzema and Grietje Nannes Fijlant, the only one to be baptised in
stadt Groningen and already using the name Heerema Ritsema in 1779 (see
Hammingh). I blelieve he added the name Heerema from an inheritance from a
branch of the Heerema's located at Heereburen just outside
Zuidhorn.
"Heereburen is een gehucht in de
gemeente Zuidhorn in de provincie Groningen (Nederland). Het light iets zuiden
van Nievhove aan weg van Kommerzijl naar Frytum. De name verwisjt naar het
geslacht Herema die of de gelijknamige heerd boerde".
I have read Eric's letter and am not
sure if we een spoor kunnen vormen.
Jacobus Jacobs Heerema
(Herema) Ritzema van Sauwerd (1750-1808) was the son of Jacob Jans
Ritzema (1712?-1767) and Grietje Nannes Fijlant (1710-1765). Jacob Jans moved
from the "Ritsemastede" at Zuidhorn (Noordhorn) before he was married in
1734 and bought farm at Pieterburen in 1751 a year after Jacobus Jacobs was
born. Jacobus later moved to a farm between Adorp and Sauwerd and took the
name Heerema Ritsema. Jacob Jans and Grietje were married in 1734, and
had their first daughter, Jantien, was born in 1735 a year after Sara Maria
Heerema was born in Amsterdam. Its difficult to tie the Heerema's
in Amsterdam to Jacobus Jacobs Heerema.
If you look at a map you find
that the Ritsemastede at Noordhorn, Jacob Jans Ritsema's place of origin,
you find it is very close to Heereburen, which got its name from the family
Heerema (Heeremastede) that farmed there. I believe the children from
Ritsemastede and those of "Heeremastede" were intermarried and that the Heerema
male line died out and the closest relatives were the Ritsema's. At
this point the youngest son of Jacob Jans and Grietje became heir designate
for Heerenburen, by an uncle, and his name was changed to Jacobus
Heerema Ritsema to keep the Heerema name going. Jacobus Jacobs Heerema
Ritsema was baptized in stadt Groningen (Noordenkerk) and I think
there is something significant in this as all the other children were baptized
at Pieterburen. The sons and daughters of Jacobus Jacobs
Heerema Ritzema dropped the surname Ritsema and kept the name
Heerema. Thereafter their sons and daughters became Heerema's only. My
grandfather, Jacobus Heerema, who was born in 1892 in Winsum did not know
the name Ritsema as part of his history.
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