For the prompt “Valentine,” I have decided to write about my 2nd great grandparents, Gerrit Vrieze Telder and Alberdina Elizabeth Brummeler who were “valentines” for 52 years.
Gerrit and Alberdina were both born in Kampen, Overijssel, Nederland in the year 1831. They married on 18 May 1856 in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands and started their family four years later with the birth of their first son, Peter. Their second son, Jan Derk, came along three years later. Their first two sons were both named after their grandfathers. Their third son (my great grandfather) was born in 1865 and was named after Gerrit’s younger brother, Marinus Johannes or Martin. Less than two years after Martin’s birth, Gerrit and Alberdina were headed to America. They settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both Gerrit and Alberdina’s parents and most of their siblings also settled in West Michigan.
Two more children were added to the family after arriving in Michigan, Gerrit born in 1872 and Katie born in 1877. The five children of Gerrit and Alberdina would give them 23 grandchildren.
Gerrit and Alberdina pictured with their five children left to right: Peter, Martin, Kate, Gerrit, and Derk
On May 18, 1906, Gerrit and Alberdina celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They had friends at their home in the afternoon. And the evening was spent with their children and grandchildren.
Gerrit and Alberdina Telder with their four sons and their spouses and eleven grandchildren on their Golden Anniversary in 1906. Daughter Katie and her husband were missionaries in India.
Gerrit and Alberdina Telder in front of their home on Dwight Street in Grand Rapids.
Ancestors Across the Ages 