News Notes
Founded 1970
National Association of the Van Valkenburg Family, Inc.
Spring 2016
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Lee Lammert (Br 4)
Reunions
help! We're working on a NAVVF
Family Online Environment, and
a Cloud Storage Site for NAVVF
archive data.
The 2016 NAVVF Reunion
will be very special – Gerald
VV has put together two
whole days of immersion in
Dutch Heritage!
If anyone would like to assist and
learn about such technology, or
has a child or grandchild that
might be interested (resume
reference provided for the work!)
please contact pres@navvf.org.
Scholarship
The Lambert and Annetje Van Valkenburg
Memorial Scholarship for 2016 was awarded to
Emma Pence of Provo, UT – Congratulations
Emma!
Her essay is available on the NAVVF web site!
National Parks 100th Anniversary
Lost Souls
Now that News Notes issues are being
delivered by email for Regular Members, send
us a note if there is any possibility that we don't
have a current email address for you (or a
relative) (data@navvf.org)!
2016 is the 100th Anniversary of the National
Park System and also the 75th anniversary of
the bombing of Pearl Harbor. On Dec 7, 2016
there will be a ceremony at Perl Harbor, and as
family descendants of Captn. Franklin VV we
receive VIP status - this would be a great year
for that bucket list trip!
Mailing Labels
Genealogy
NAVVF Shopping
Thanks to Sandra, there is always a current
PAF (Personal Ancestry File) in the Archives,
which is the best resource for VV Genealogical
information on our ancestors, so be sure to
send Sandra any data or corrections:
(genealogy@navvf.org).
There are many new items in the NAVVF Store:
Help Wanted
We would like to continue progress on our
transition to an organization that is interesting to
our children and grandchildren, and we need
Due to a number of bad email addresses, we
are now sending a paper News Notes issue
with a Membership Renewal, so labels will now
show a “Yes” or “No” on the label if you are also
subscribed to the printed News Notes.
http://cafepress.com/NAVVF
Items can even be ordered with an Amazon
account! We can also add any CafePress Item
to the Store, so let us know if there is something
else that you would like (pres@navvf.org).
Current Archives Access
URL: http://www.navvf.org/Archives
User: navvf16 Password: VVDutchHeritage
2016 Van Valkenburg
Scholarship Winner
moved west because their families did not
approve of their marriage. She married
when she was only 19 years old to a blacksmith who later became an alcoholic. She
was the mother of 6 children, two of whom
died in infancy. Despite being ostracized by
her extended family in New York and Missouri, the difficulties of raising a family and
of losing two of her precious children, and
keeping a home together through weather,
financial, and marriage problems, she remained positive and worked hard. She
loved to sew, sing, play the piano and cook.
She was a real person who loved to sing,
just like I do! She made her yogurt and butter and raised lettuce on their Colorado
farm.
They Have Been There Before
By Emma Pence
Immediately what comes to
my mind when I think of my
Van Valkenburg heritage is
my Grandpa Van. He is the
most selfless person I
know. Howard Ray Van
Valkenburg has always
demonstrated to me what it
means to be a Van Valkenburg— someone who works
hard, stays positive, and
who demonstrates love for
his family at every turn. "I'm going to whip
your socks off!", He would often shout when
we played checkers over and over and over
again. Although he threatened to "whip my
socks off," I always won. Later, I received a
letter which said that the reason he always
let me win was because he loved – more
than anything—to see me happy. He cared
more about me than himself.
Reading about, learning about, and coming
to know my ancestors is very empowering
because I receive added strength and
courage to do what is right. When things
are getting hard, I can look back to my
heritage and see that they did hard things,
so I can too. I can look back and remember
that the reason I can live the way I do today,
is because of my Van Valkenburg heritage. I
hope to continue their legacy of selfless
service.
His parents were also examples of selflessness. Galen Briggs Van Valkenburg was a
coal miner who sacrificed everything for his
family. By working and dying in the coal
mines, he made it possible for me to live the
life that I live. What my Van Valkenburg
heritage means to me is being selfless. I
have a better life because of all those that
have paved the way for me. Seeing this
selflessness has made me want to learn
more about my ancestry. I decided to learn
more about my great aunt Martha Jane,
who my Grandpa knew and loved.
Martha Jane is a Van Valkenburg, who,
though I never met her, had an impact on
my life because of how she lived and the
heritage she has given to me.
______________________________________________________________________
Civil War Soldier James Dunbar Van
Valkenburg
by LTJG Van
Valkenburg
USS Laboon (DDG-58)
My Great-Great-GreatGrandfather
was Lieutenant Colonel
James Dunbar Van Valkenburg.
http://tinyurl.com/jvyyorm
He was born in 1829 in Lexington, NY and
moved to Macon, GA in 1850. His father
moved the family south to find a better
climate for his ailing wife, who succumbed
to her illness in 1851. While living in
Macon, he volunteered with the Young
American Fire Company No. 3.
My great aunt Martha Jane Van Valkenburg-- "Mattie", as her loved ones called her
— has shown me what it means to work
hard and love her family, even in the midst
of difficulty. Mattie was born in the winter of
1886 in Lafayette, Colorado to parents who
NAVVF NEW NOTES
p.2
2016 Spring
The Young American movement was a prosmall government, pro-states' rights faction
of the Democratic Party that endeavored to
serve the public. His father built the first
steam-powered mill in Macon and began a
modest business in the 1850s. He faced
financial hardship because he was "an
industrialist in an agricultural society."
task of raising a company from the city.
James established the Thompson Guards
and recruited some 150 men. His entire fire
company followed him into the Army.
The Thompson Guards were formally
attached to Company I to the 61st Georgia
Infantry Regiment, Lawton's Georgia
Brigade, Ewell's Division, Jackson's Corps,
in the Army of Northern Virginia.
In 1852, James married
Molly Morgan, daughter
of a middle-class family
whose father had left
for the gold rush and
left a $20,000
inheritance to his
daughter. Mrs. Morgan,
Molly's mother didn't
take kindly to James,
claiming he was after her daughter's money.
James went as far as to draw up an official
statement at the courthouse proclaiming he
didn't care about the money, just Molly's
heart. Apparently it got so bad that Mrs.
Morgan forged a letter to James claiming to
be Molly and told him "she didn't love him
anymore." James saw through this and
continued to call on her daughter. Mrs.
Morgan posted friends of the family on the
porch with guns. One night, Molly left to
see her cousin across town. Mrs. Morgan
fell for the ruse, and she rode fifteen miles
in the rain at night to meet James on a back
road, where he waited with a preacher.
They were married and had four children
through the 1850s. When Molly inherited
the $20,000, the Van Valkenburgs built a
quaint home just outside of Macon and
freed the nine slaves her father had owned.
Both were against the institution and drew
fire for their views.
http://tinyurl.com/hptdrb3
Their baptism by fire was at the Battle of
Gaine's Mill on 27 June 1862. From there
on, the 61st Georgia followed the exploits
typical of most units. They were on the
right flank of Stonewall Jackson's line at
Fredericksburg. During that battle, Captain
Van Valkenburg was captured while tending
to a wounded colonel by the 7th
Pennsylvania Reserves.
He was later included in a prisoner
exchange, perhaps due to the efforts of US
Congressman Robert B. Van Valkenburgh
(he spelled his surname with an"h"). He
made Major on 01 July 1863, at Gettysburg
(filling a vacancy made by a bullet), where
the 61st was positioned on the south side of
town opposite the top of the Federal line's
"fish hook."
My ancestor's most intriguing exploit was at
the Battle of the Wilderness. Major Van
Valkenburg volunteered to go on a
reconnoiter mission to find Federal
stragglers sighted nearby and took them
prisoner. He took forty men and rode out
into the woods to maintain cover. His men
sighted Union soldiers, then realized that
they were looking at what could be up to a
regiment of men. When informed of the
undoubtedly larger force's presence, James
declared that they had gone to take Federal
prisoners, so that's what they were going to
do. In a daring move, Major Van
Valkenburg rode out of the trees alone and
approached the unit with his sword drawn.
He introduced himself and declared them
prisoners of war, which the Federal Colonel
found amusing and rejected. James then
bluffed and informed him that if he wanted
to fight an entire Brigade waiting in the tree
As the 1850s drew towards the 1860s, both
James and Molly became avid
secessionists. James drilled with the local
militia and was one of the first in line to call
for Georgia's secession after President
Lincoln's election. On 24 September 1861,
James resigned his position as fire chief
and moved to enlist in the Army of Georgia.
Mayor Thompson of Macon refused and
commissioned him as a captain with the
NAVVF NEW NOTES
p.3
2016 Spring
line, he was welcome to send his men to
their deaths. The Colonel reconsidered
Major Van Valkenburg's declaration and
acquiesced. After the Union troops laid
down their weapons and turned over their
flags, Major Van Valkenburg signaled and
his forty men escorted the Federal unit back
to camp.
The 61st Georgia Infantry Regiment
continued on to the end of the war,
comprising part of General Lee's
bedraggled army at Appomattox
Courthouse. By the war's end, only 150 of
the 700 that marched in 1862 had survived.
Eighty were wounded and only forty were
armed.
In an ironic twist of fate, Major Van
Valkenburg had captured the entire 7th
Pennsylvania Reserves (who had taken him
prisoner at Fredericksburg), a force of over
five hundred men. From then on, he was
known throughout the 61st Georgia as the
"Hero of the Wilderness."
MapleTown Mysteries
Major Van Valkenburg was promoted to
Lieutenant Colonel and Adjutant of the
Regiment on May 12th, 1864. The 61st
Georgia marched up the Shenandoah
Valley, as General Gordon was moving his
brigade north towards Winchester to make
a push into Maryland and raid Washington,
DC. While en route to the Federal capital,
they were found and blocked by Union
troops at Monocacy, Maryland on July 9th,
1864. The fighting quickly intensified and
the 61st Georgia boldly advanced on the
Federal positions, which remained
steadfast. At the height of the battle, the
opposing sides were only forty yards apart.
In a gallant effort, Colonel Van Valkenburg
rallied the men for a charge, riding towards
the Union line. As the charge unfolded and
the Federal soldiers fired a volley, bullets
found their mark and killed him instantly.
by Rick van Valkenburg
I first learned about Mapletown, New York
by reading the genealogy about our branch
of the family based on research by Charles
Jewel Van Valkenburgh carried out over a
century ago. Charles' Grandfather, Lambert
Van Valkenburgh was born in Mapletown,
Montgomery County, New York Mapletown
in 1808.
Charles wrote that Lambert learned the
blacksmith trade from his father and in 1836
he left to seek his fortune with his wife,
Elizabeth Vosburgh and their three young
children. They packed up and took a barge
on the Erie Canal to Buffalo and from there
sailed to Toledo, Ohio. From there they
struggled overland into Southeastern
Michigan, settling down in a little town
called Franklin Center, now known as
Tipton. Lambert and Elizabeth had six more
children after moving to Michigan. Lambert
became restless, and hearing news about
gold discovered in California decided to
seek his fortune there. He caught smallpox
and died on the voyage in 1853, leaving
Elizabeth and their children to fend for
themselves in Michigan.
http://antietam.aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=768
After the Battle of Monocacy, a group of
wounded and captured men from the
Thompson Guards buried their beloved
commander, the Hero of the Wilderness.
They chose to lay him to rest at the foot of a
solitary tree next to the farmhouse that had
been at the epicenter of the battlefield. In
1866, his body was exhumed by the men of
his old fire company and buried in Rose Hill
Cemetery in Macon, Georgia.
Trying to do research over a century ago
was no easy task. Charles could not locate
Mapletown. It had no US Post Office. Zip
Codes hadn't been invented. There was no
http://historicrosehillcemetery.org/soldier.asp James D. Van Valkenburg
NAVVF NEW NOTES
p.4
2016 Spring
Internet or Google Maps. Charles also
could not find Flat Creek, the hometown of
Elizabeth Vosburgh. One town that was
located had the interesting name of Stone
Arabia. There were a couple of battles there
with marauding British troops during the
Revolutionary War.
IN MEMORIAM
“You will live on forever in our hearts.”
Robert W. Van Valkenburgh, 90, of
Charlotteville, NY
passed away
peacefully on
Thursday, February
4, 2016 at his home
surrounded by his
loving family.
Mr. VanValkenburgh
was born in January
1926, in Summit, NY
a son of Herbert and
Ruth (VanTyle) VanValkenburgh. He was a
1944 graduate of the former Richmondville
High School and later, enlisted in the US
Army where he served in France and
Germany in the Infantry manning an antitank gun. Robert returned to his native
Schoharie County and operated the family
dairy farm for the rest of his working career,
a job he truly enjoyed. Along with the farm,
Robert drove a school bus for Charlotte
Valley Central School for 31 years, served
on the Planning Board and as a councilman
for the town of Summit, served as Fire
Commissioner for Charlotteville and served
on the cemetery board in Charlotteville. He
was also a life member of the
VanValkenburgh Family Association.
Dutch Reformed Church at Stone Arabia NY
Thanks to Google Maps I was able to locate
and visit Mapletown. It's not far from the
Village of Canajoharie, south of the
Mohawk River in Montgomery County.
Though there's not much town; a cemetery
where we found tombstones of old kin and
a Grange Hall.
He married Wanda Shirley (Johnson) on
November 20, 1949. She predeceased him
on October 8, 1996, and was also
predeceased by his siblings, Leo, Edith,
Helen, and Walter.
Survivors include his children, Linda L.
(Joseph) Dembowski, of Green Acres, FL;
Joan E. (Roger) Ives, of Charlotteville;
Lydia F. VanValkenburgh, of Jefferson and
Stacy D. VanValkenburgh, of Charlotteville;
4 grandchildren, Lisa Graham, Julie
(Roger)Soard, Amy (Vinnie) Wilson and Jon
Ives; 8 great-grandchildren, A.J., Kristen,
Allison, Alex, Brandon, Adam, Danny, and
Tyler, his brother Richard (Janet)
VanValkenburgh of Summit and his sister
Sylvia (late Harry) Rifenburg, of
Germantown along with several nieces and
nephews. http://tinyurl.com/j3ym58j
Mapletown Cemetery and Grange Hall
A local farmer did point out to us the ruins
of an old blacksmith shed that had
Ruins of Blacksmith Shed
collapsed and was overgrown. Could this
have been the site of the old Van
Valkenburg blacksmith shop? Who knows?
NAVVF NEW NOTES
p.5
2016 Spring
NAVVF 46th Reunion, August 7-11 in Grand Rapids, MI
The 2016 Reunion will be held in the booming
manufacturing and cultural city of Grand
Rapids, Michigan. Our hotel will be tThe
Holiday Inn GR, located in the heart of the city
within one block of the Gerald R Ford
Presidential Museum and across the street
from the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
MONDAY
We will take a bus trip to Holland, located on the shore of Lake Michigan for an immersion in our
Dutch heritage. On this tour we will visit:
NEILS’S DUTCH VILLAGE,
which features canals,
gardens, windmills, a 1924
carousel, a Ferris wheel built
to look like a Dutch windmill,
and Klompen Dancers.
WINDMILL ISLAND, which is an unusual 36 acre park
with canals, a drawbridge, a miniature Dutch village
and a 1780 operating windmill brought from the
Netherlands.
DE KLOMP
WOODEN SHOE
AND DELFTWARE
FACTORY, where we can see craftspeople demonstrating
wooden shoe carving and the making of blue and white
Delftware.
TUESDAY
We will take a short bus ride to visit the
Frederic Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park,
which is a 140 acre park with nature trails, a
five-story tropical conservatory , a 30 acre
outdoor sculpture park, and an 8 acre Japanese
Garden. The visit will start with a tram tour of
the grounds.
NAVVF News Notes
p6
Spring 2016
New Members
Ron Chrisman, Arcanum, OH
Rachael VV Overweg, Holland, MI
Travis Stevens Draper, Draper, UT
Kristen Destigter, Charlotte, VT
Elizabeth (Tillman) Burdick, Lakewood, CO
Eva Broksas, Arlington, VA
Alexander Broksas, Arlington, VA
Debra Bruno, Washington, DC
Welcome to NAVVF, hope to see you in Grand Rapids!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2015-2016
2016
Lee Lammert, President
e-mail: pres@navvf.org
Branch 4
2017
Carol Ann Van Valkenburgh Vice-President e-mail: vp@navvf.org
Branch 5
2018
Paul Van Valkenburg,Secretary
e-mail: secretary@navvf.org
Branch 1
2016
Carol Van Valkenburgh, Membership East
e-mail: membership@navvf.org
Branch 1
2018
Rick Van Valkenburg, Online Presence
e-mail: onlinepresence@navvf.org Branch 5
2017
Sandra Van Valkenburg*, Genealogist
e-mail: genealogy@navvf.org
Branch 1
2016
Barry Van Valkenburgh , Publications
e-mail: publications@navvf.org
Branch 7
Treasurer – Skip Van Valkenburgh
e-mail: treasurer@navvf.org
Branch 4
Questions concerning NAVVF News Notes labels should be directed to:
database@navvf.org
NAVVF News Notes:
News Notes Editor:
News Notes Archives:
Website:
Newsletter dates:
Spring issue
Fall issue
Winter issue
NAVVF News Notes
Regular Publication of the NAVVF
Barry Van Valkenburgh (Br 7) publications@navvf.org
USMail:
Barry Van Valkenburgh
30001 Briggs Road
Agua Dulce, CA 91390
Holly Van Valkenburgh (Br 4) archives@navvf.org
Lee Lammert (Br 4): webmaster@navvf.org
April 25 to Editor
August 25 to Editor
December 26 to Editor
May 1 to Publisher
September 1 to Publisher
January 1 to Publisher
p7
May 10 to Members
September 10 to Members
January 10 to Members
Spring 2016
National Association of the
Van Valkenburg Family, Inc.
PO Box 411010
St. Louis, MO 63141
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
First Class
www.navvf.org
www.vanvalkenburg.org
www.vanvalkenburgh.org
News Notes
Winter 2016
National Association of the Van Valkenburg Family, Inc.
Contents:
President’s Letter
2016 Van Valkenburg Scholarship Winner
Civil War Soldier James Dunbar Van Valkenburg
MapleTown Mysteries
IN MEMORIAM
Robert W. Van Valkenburg
New Members & BOD
1
2
2
3
5
7
NAVVF 2016 Reunion, Grand Rapids, MI
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE VAN VALKENBURG FAMILY, INC.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Grand Rapids, MI AUGUST 10, 2016
If NOT attending this meeting, please complete this ballot and mail to:
NAVVF Ballot
PO Box 313
Carson City, NV 89702-0313
To be received no later than July 16, 2016. If you WILL BE ATTENDING the meeting,
please bring THIS ballot to cast a vote.
NOTE: If your News Notes was emailed to you, please print this form,
write your NAVVF# here (__________), and deliver as above.
BALLOTS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AT THE MEETING
Blank lines are provided should you care to write in the name and vote for a member or members other
than those proposed by the Nominating Committee. Please remember that nominees must be
members in good standing, having paid dues for 2015, and be willing to serve in any office to which
elected by the Board and any appointive office selected by the President.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TERM: 2016 THROUGH 2019
VOTE FOR THREE
_________
Lee VV Lammert, of St. Louis, MO (Br 4)
or
________
___________________________________ of __________________________
AND
__________ Anne Barry Van Valkenburg, of Agua Dulce, CA (Br 7)
or
________
___________________________________ of __________________________
AND
__________
or
_________
Robert J Van Valkenburg, of Lincoln, NB (Br 6)
___________________________________ of __________________________
NAVVF News Notes
Insert
Spring 2016
2016 NAVVF REUNION REGISTRATION – Grand Rapids, MI
Name: _________________________________________________ Branch _________ # Attending ________
Address:____________________________________________________ City __________________________
State: ___________ Zip: ____________ Tel # ______________________ Cell #________________________
Email:______________________________________________
Names of others in party: (for name tags)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Registration Fees:
Until June 30, 2016
July 1 or later
$ 35.00/adult ______
$ 10.00/child (<18)___
$ 45.00/adult _____ $ 15.00/child (<18)___
x __________ = ____________
x __________ = ____________
x __________ = ____________
x __________ = ____________
Events:
Monday Aug. 8, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Bus Trip to Holland, (Entrance Fees Separate )
$34.00/adult _____ x __________ = ____________
Tuesday Aug.9, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Bus trip including entrance fees
to Frederik Meijer Garden
and Sculpture Park
$38.00/adult _____ x __________ = ____________
$32.00/child _____ x __________ = ____________
Wednesday Aug. 10
Genealogy Meeting (9:00 – 11:30 am)
Lunch (12:00 – 1 pm) on own
Annual Meeting (2 – 4 pm)
Banquet (6:30 – 9:00 pm)
$70.00/person ____x __________ = ____________
Buffet with Salad, Rolls, Vegetables,
Coffee, Tea, Potato Salad, Wild Rice,
Cheesecakes and three entries:
Grilled Chicken Breast with apple cherry chutney
Broiled Salmon with dill accented lemon-wine-butter
Prime /rib with au jus
Total Enclosed $ ___________________
Host: Gerald VV, gvanvalk@me.com, 517 669 3708 or 231 894 4226
Make cheques payable to: NAVVF 2016 Reunion
Mail to:
NAVVF Grand Rapids 2016
PO Box 224
DeWitt, MI 48820
Hotel: Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown
310 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 ▪ (616) 235-7611 ▪ Fax (616) 235-1995
Reservations: 616.235.7611, our group “VANVALKENBURG FAMILY INC.” rate is
$135 (king/double), or $145 for an upgraded room. Deadline for group reservations is July 10
th.
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St. Louis, MO 63141
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St. Louis, MO 63141
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Subtract your age .............................................. - ____
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