TE SELLE

 

Gerritt Jan Te Selle (1841 - 1921)
Ship Manifest for Emigration to America

Manifest from the Ship SS Maas - August 12, 1873

Note:  This manifest was contributed to the website by Geert te Selle.  His comments were used to create the following description.

In 1873 Gerrit Jan te Selle decided to leave Winterswijk, Netherlands, to join his brothers Jan Hendrik and Harmen Jan te Selle, who had emigrated to America in 1865.  Gerrit Jan took his family from Winterswijk to Rotterdam, where they boarded the SS Maas for departure on July 21, 1873.  The ship arrived in New York City on August 12, 1873.

The attached manifest, dated August 12, 1873, from the SS Maas shows Gerrit Jan te Selle (listed as "H. te Selle"), as well as his wife Anna, son Jan (age 3), and daughter Willemina (age 1).  Gerrit is called "H. te Selle" on the manifest, because for some reason his birth certificate erroneously said "Harmen Jan te Selle", just like his younger brother who had emigrated previously.

Just below the names of the Gerrit te Selle family in the ship's manifest there is a listing for Christiaan Graaskamp (1807-1875) and Harmina te Selle (1813-1892).  Harmina was Gerrit's aunt, the half-sister of Gerrit's father Jan Albert te Selle (1800-1845).  Christiaan and Harmina eventually settled in the town of Holland, Lancaster County, Nebraska.  Christiaan made his living as a weaver.

Even though Christiaan and Harmina had been married in 1850, the manifest still lists Harmina with her maiden name "te Selle".  Apparently there was an article of Dutch law at that time which required women to record their last name in official documents. When a woman dies she is always mentioned with her maiden name, name of her parents (mother with her maiden name!) and her eventual husband's name. Apparently this is intended to clarify each person's identity in the governmental books.

However, notice that this law apparently was ignored by Gerrit Jan's wife, Anna Jonker.  She is simply listed as "Anna" in the ship's manifest.  Perhaps the wife's maiden name was not required in the manifest if the family had children!