This article documents our branch of the Beernink family starting in about 1729. At that time, and for the next 150 years, the family lived in the town of Hesepe, not far from Nordhorn, the capital of Bentheim. Bentheim is an isolated county within Germany that had been under independent rule by the Counts of Bentheim for about 1000 years. It sits on the eastern edge of Holland, protruding several miles into the border of Holland between the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Overijssel, and extending southward along the edge of Gelderland.

Detail from an old map of Bentheim (about 1650). Nordhorn is near the center, and Hesepe is above it. North is to the left.

Bentheim area in 1773.

The history and character of Bentheim is an interesting topic, which I'll address in a separate article. For now let me just say that the people of Bentheim spoke (and some speak today) a Dutch-like langage (plattdeutsch) that is also spoken in the nearby Dutch Provinces. They also followed the Calvinist teachings of the Reformed Church that were also practiced in Holland, and which used a Dutch Bible. These two regions have many similarities, although they're in separate countries.

The information for the first four generations come from the baptism, marriage, and death records kept at the Reformed Church in Nordhorn. These records have been carefully transcribed and transferred into a database where they can be examined in their original language (which is a strange combination of Dutch and German). You can browse the family tree starting with the link to Herman in that database.

Reformed Church in Nordhorn

You'll notice that our last name is spelled as "Beerning" in the database, but as "Beernink" in most, but not all, of the actual church records. There is also at least one "Beerninck" spelling. Here is an article that talks more about the Beernink name.

It is also interesting to understand something about the feudal system under which they lived. These articles describe how property was passed from one generation to the next: What is a "Heuermann" or "Heuerling"? and The Heuerling System.

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Evert Beernink was born in Hesepe in approximately 1758. He died on 18 Jul 1811, at age 53. His father was Harm Beernink, of Hesepe, and his mother was Gese Aalderink of Bimolten.

Evert married Aale Ahuis (1762-1839) on 23 November 1787 in Nordhorn. She was the daughter of Berend Ahuis, also of Hesepe. They had five children:

• Geesjen BEERNINK born 1788 in Hesepe, died 1868 in Frensdorf at age 79 of "senility" (Altersschwäche). She married Hindrik HOEGEN (1789-1868) who was a school teacher (schullehrer), and later a schoolmaster (Schoolmeester). They had several children. The oldest, Evert HOEGEN, became a school teacher like his father. There are probably HOEGEN descendents alive today.
• Janna BEERNINK born 1790 in Hesepe, died 1797 in Hesepe at age 7.
• Harm BEERNINK born 1792 in Hesepe, died 1842 in Hesepe. He married Berendjen Hilderink in 1824. As the oldest son, Harm inherited the family farm. His life is described in detail in the next section.
• Berend BEERNINK born 1795 in Hesepe, died 1844 in Hesepe. After his brother Harm died in 1843, Berend married Berendjen and took over the farm. He died a year and half later.
• Janna BEERNINK born 1797 in Hesepe, died 1867 in Altendorf. In 1831 she married Geerd BUSSIS, a weaver. They had three children: Hindrik, Evert, and Geerd BUSSIS who all were born in t' Oude Dorp (the old village). There are probably BUSSIS descendents alive today.
• Geerdjen BEERNINK born 1801 in Hesepe, died 1874 in Bakelde. She married Harm STELINK, a Colon and farmer, in 1834. They had three children: Fenne, Frederik, and Aale STELINK. There are no STELINK descendents, but Aale may have descendents named KAMPROUWEN.

Evert has the title Colon, which means that he was the "owner" of a small piece of property under the feudal system that could be passed down to one of his children. His job is given as Landbouwer and Akkerman, which both mean farmer.

Harm Beernink was born in Hesepe on 30 April 1792. He was christened in Nordhorn on May 6th of that year. He died of liver disease (Leverziekte) at age 50, and was buried on 16 August. His father was Evert Beernink, of Hesepe, and his mother was Aale Ahuis (1762-1839), also of Hesepe.

When Napoleon was ruling the Netherlands (1795-1813), Herman Beernink was conscripted into the French Army that was going to conquer Russia. In Poland he deserted and hid in a haystack. All the others in his company perished when crossing the Berezina river in 1812. Herman made it back to Holland and was nursed back to health in the hospital in Denekamp.

Harm married Berendjen Hilderink (1802-1869) on 3 November 1824. She was the daughter of Hindrik Hilderink, a farmer in Hesepe, and Geerdjen Döppen. They had six children:

• Evert BEERNINK born 1825 in Hesepe, died 1900 in Amsterdam? His life is described in detail below.
• Jan Hindrik BEERNINK born 1826 in Hesepe, died 1866 in Hesepe of an "internal illness" (an einer inneren Krankheit). Jan Hindrik was never married.
• Berend BEERNINK born 1828 in Hesepe, died 1863 in Hesepe. Berend was never married. He worked as a farmhand (knecht), and died at age 35 of colic (durch Kolik).
• Geerd BEERNINK born 1833 in Hesepe, died 1871 in Nordhorn. He married Hanna Friederika Adriaans (1840-1888) in 1868. He and his only son Hermann both worked as carriage drivers (fuhrmann) in Nordhorn. Hermann was born in 1870, and died at age 16 in 1886. Geerd and his son both died of "an einem Herzleiden" which must be a heart attack.
• Hindrik BEERNINK born 1837 in Hesepe, died 1860 in Hesepe. He worked in Altendorf, just outside of Nordhorn, as a teacher (schullehrer) before dying at age 23 of "nerve fever" (Nervenfieber).
• Geerdjen BEERNINK born 1839 in Hesepe, died 1860 in Hesepe. She died within a month of her brother Hindrik, at age 21, of the same disease (Nervenfieber).

Harm has the title Colon, which means that he was the "owner" of a small piece of property under the feudal system that could be passed down to one of his children. His job is given as Landbouwer and Akkerman, which both mean farmer.

After Harm died in 1842, Berendjen married Harm's brother Berend Beernink on 15 February 1843 in Nordhorn. Berend passed away a year and a half later in August of 1844. They did not have any children.

Herman's son Evert was born in Hesepe and was baptized in the church at Nordhorn just across the German border, north of Denekamp and Oldenzaal. He became an innkeeper. Possibly Herman, having learned a lesson when he was conscripted by Napoleon, thought it was safer to live in Germany, which was a loose combination of many smaller entities. These entities did not have a well organized civil administration like Holland, thus it would be much harder for a conqueror to track down young men to serve in their Army.

Evert Beernink, Aale, and Janna Mulstegen

Evert married Janna Mulstegen and they had five children. They were:

1. Herman Harm BEERNINK (1857-1928). Herman, the oldest child, was born in Hesepe and baptized in Nordhorn, like his father. He later moved to Amsterdam. Hesepe is about 3 miles east of Nordhorn.
2. Jan Hindrik BEERNINK (1860-1912), the second son, was born in Hesepe and migrated to Muskegon, Michigan, where he died at age 52 of a ruptured appendix. This inspired his son Ernest Henry to become a physician. Ernest Henry settled in Grand Haven where he was a general practioner. He and his wife Gladys raised four children. The youngest and only son is also a doctor and practices in Grand Rapids. According to my Aunt, "in 1937 Ernest Henry and Gladys visited the European relatives. With Ferdinand Beernink they went to visit the old family territory and met Aale (the youngest sibling), in Hesepe". Aale had already died by this time, but perhaps they met her son Berend. Ernest Henry died in 1970.
3. Berend BEERNINK (1863-1896) Born in Hesepe and died in Bakelde at age 32. He had no wife or children. He is listed both as a "heuerling" and a "haussohn". I think these both mean that he lived in a small house on another farmer's property.
4. Albert BEERNINK (1867-1940) was the fourth child. He also moved to Amsterdam, probably in 1909, where he had seven children who were collaborators with the Germans (N.S.B. members) during the second World War. The youngest of the seven children apparently moved to California after the war.
5. Aale BEERNINK (1874-1924). According to my aunt: "Evert and Janna's youngest son became the father of a son, Berend, in 1924, when he was almost fifty years old." But Aale is a girl's name, and the picture shown above is of a girl, and there were no other girls in the family. According to Hendrika Beernink-Bekker, wife of Hein Beernink, "she died while giving birth to her first child at the age of 50."

Janna's last name was not passed down throught the family histories. However, I found an emigration record that documented Jan Hendrik Beernink's settlement in Michigan, with his wife Jenne Lubben, which listed both his parents' names. This is confirmed by the German database. Janna Mulstegen is the daughter of Jan Hendrik GIESEN (1799-1844) of Bimolten, after whom their son Jan Hindrik was named. Janna's mother's first husband was named Mulstegen.

In this database, it usually lists the names and professions of the parents of each child. Evert's title is given as Colon, which is the title of the "owner" of a hereditary piece of property under the feudal system. Up through the birth of Albert, in 1867 he was always referred to as Colon Evert Beernink. But in 1871 they had a son Hindrik, who only lived a year. When Hindrik was born, the birth record says that Evert is a carriage driver (fuhrmann), previously a Colon, now living in Altendorf. So it sounds like they lost the farm in around 1871, and had moved into the outskirts of Nordhorn. By the time Hindrik dies in 1872, Evert's profession is given as "toll collector" (Chausseegeldeinnehmer). My aunt's history describes him as an innkeeper, so this must have been his profession later in life.

I still haven't established when Herman and Jan Hindrik left Hesepe, but it was probably around 1885.

The dates for Albert's birth and emigration are from naturalization records. See Credits.

Herman Harm BEERNINK, the oldest child of Evert and Janna, was born in Hesepe and baptized in Nordhorn, like his father. He also moved to Amsterdam. He married Hendrika Giesen in 1888, and together they had five children. The oldest son Hein wanted to study theology. He could not do this in Amsterdam but in Utrecht, so the whole family moved in 1907 to Zeist, not far from Utrecht.

1. Heinrich Evert BEERNINK (Hein) (1889-1926) He became a minister, but died in Rotterdam at age 36 from stomach cancer. Married to Hendrika Bekker (Riek) in 1917, and had three children: Wiemeria Suzanna (Wietje), Hermina Theodora (Pien), and Tunettus Hendrik Lucas (Henk). A wonderful example of the Dutch naming pattern: maternal grandfather (Wiemer -> Wiemeria), paternal grandfather (Herman -> Hermina), paternal grandmother (Tunetta Hendrika Locke -> Tunettus Hendrik Lucas).
2. Ferdinand Jan BEERNINK (1891-1975). Became an opthalmologist. Married to Marie and had three children: Jacoba Francisca, Heinrich Evert, and Ferdinand Jan. Ferdinand was named after his grandmother, Fenna Dina.
3. Susanna Hendrika BEERNINK (Suus) (1893-1984). Married to Nico Nap and had two children: Mieke and Hein Ernst. Died in 1984 in Zeist.
4. Ernst Heinrich BEERNINK (1899-?) Born in Amsterdam and died Driebergen(?). He never married or had children. He held some type of position with the anthroposophical movement in the Netherlands and was not very much involved with the family.
5. Menno BEERNINK (1909-1909) Born in Zeist. He died shortly after birth.

Coos, the daughter of Ferdinand, tells the following story:

Herman Beernink and Hendrika Giesen (1885?)

Herman Beernink, son Hein, and father Evert (1890?)

At the beginning of World War I, Ferdinand Beernink joined the Army as a lieutenant in the infantry, to remain on active duty for almost five years. He served most of this time as lieutenant of the guard at the border between Holland and Belgium, the latter country having been invaded by Germany in 1914. The Dutch received the fleeing Belgian troops and my father was given a trumpet by one of them with which he had signalled the retreat from the city of Liege.

After the war was over he finished medical school at the Army's expense by signing up to become a regular Army medical officer. They also allowed him to specialize in ophthalmology following graduation. Sometime during the last part of his medical school he met my mother, Marie Trip, and in order to get their specialty training at the same University they had to move to Groningen, in the very northern part of Holland. They were married in 1923 and moved to the Hague about that time. He was assigned to the military hospital in the Hague and they both opened a private practice at home, as was customary in those days.

Ferdinand Jan Beernink and Marie Trip Beernink at their wedding in 1923

The majority of this story was from the Beernink History written by Jacoba Francisca Beernink in 1993 at The Hague, Holland. Some details provided by her brother Heinrich Beernink.

The following entry for Jan Hindrik Beernink was found in a list of people who have emigrated from Grafschaft Bentheim to the New World.

Beernink, Jan Hindrik
	Born: 24.06.1860 Nordhorn, + 07.07.1912, 
	Parents: Evert B., Janna Mulstegen, Partner: Jenne Lubben, 
	Lived in: Nordhorn, 
	Settled: in Missaukee County, MI, [Korresp]

The following information about Albert Beernink was found in these dutch naturalization records:

	Beernink Albert 06-12-1909 koopman Hesepe Pruisen 28-11-1867 Amsterdam

Details for the children of Heinrich Giesen were found on the FamilySearch web site.