Jan Derk "J. D." Walvoord
(1810-1878)
Jan Derk Walvoord was the oldest of three sons born to Anthony Walvoort and Wilhelmina Gertruid Konings. He was born on July 12, 1810 in the Gelderland Province of the Netherlands.
On May 15, 1834, J. D. Walvoord married Johanna Gesina Walvoord, his first cousin.
Johanna was born on November 9, 1814 in the town of Winterswijk also in the Gelderland Province of the Netherlands. Johanna was the only child of Jan Derk Walvoort and Catherina Frederika Konings. Her father, Jan Derk Walvoort, was the brother of Anthony Walvoort (her husband's father). Her mother, Catherina was the sister of her husband's mother Wilhelmina! This unique relationship made Johanna the double-cousin of her husband!
Johanna's mother died on August 25, 1822. Her father re-married Dela Johanna Lieferdink on April 30, 1823 in Winterswijk.
J.D. and Johanna had six children together. Anthony Christian "A. C." Walvoord was born in Winterswijk on December 14, 1835. Jan Willem Walvoord was born September 17, 1838. Christiaan "Chris" Jan Walvoord was born February 2, 1841 also in Winterswijk. Jan Hendrick "Henry" Walvoord was born September 5, 1844. Their daughter Johannes Walvoord was born April 13, 1848 either in Holland or perhaps on the ship during their voyage to the New World. Daughter Miena Walvoord was born in Wisconsin March 6, 1850.
These children had only one set of grandparents. Since their parents were first cousins (double-cousins), their maternal grandparents and their paternal grandparents were one and the same. The chart below shows this unique relationship in more detail.
J. D. and Johanna, three sons and a daughter sailed across the Atlantic to the new world in 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state. It is not known if their son Jan Willem, made the voyage later, stayed behind or had died before the voyage, but he apparently did not sail to Wisconsin with his parents.
For 600 dollars, they purchased 80 acres of good land from Gert Hendrik Kolste, another Dutchman who was one of the pioneers of the new Township of Holland in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Much of this land still belongs to Walvoord descendants to this day.
J. D. Walvoord's wife Johanna died November 28, 1867. He remained a widower until his death on March 19, 1878.
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