Both sides of my family are huge. My husband’s family is not so big. So when I tell you that many of the important dates (like birthdays and weddings) seem to fall on almost the same date for both his and mine, you will wonder like I do if our union was not pre-planned. Remember, I do not believe in coincidences.😬
Yesterday was my maternal grandmother’s birthdate. Today is my Dutch husband’s maternal grandfather’s birthdate, August 16, 1871. Grandfather Gerrit Jan Assink lived to be 73 years, which happens to be the exact age of my husband at the moment. But just as my husband, Opa Assink was in fine health. He passed away in October 1944 (almost exactly a year before my husband was born) in the Allied (Martin B-26 Marauder—USAAF) bombing of the train station of Hengelo, The Netherlands.
Although we never met Opa Assink, we do have a few lovely photos of him and lots of stories of how he grew up from being an orphan with his sister and then later on owning a fruit and vegetable shop with a hard-working wife. If you read Dutch or know how to use Google Translate, you might enjoy reading cousin Gerrit Jan’s http://www.assinks.
Opa Assink is the stately gentleman at the foot of the stairs (center) at my in-laws’ wedding in 1942.
😉Linda
3 comments:
What an interesting bit of ancestry and some history too!
Don't you love family history. I am fascinated by those that came before me. The grandfather does look like a very stately man. He reminds me of my dad's father. xo Diana
Thank you for sharing a bit of your family history! I love seeing photos of people's forebears - the clothes, the facial expressions, wondering what was going through their minds. Opa Assink does look stately, but also like someone with a sense of humor.
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