Minnie #1

Minnie Van Hierden is our great-grandmother. She is our paternal grandfather William Carl's mother. She was born 10 March 1871 in Amsterdam, Holland. She immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1872 (she was just a baby). Her mother died shortly after. Big family mystery #2: what was the name of Minnie's mother? Her father, John Van Hierden remarried. His second wife, Mary Vanden Hook, never spoke English, which indicates that Minnie was raised in a home where Dutch was the primary language. Minnie was raised and lived with her family "out on M" outside of Waupun, Wisconsin.

Minnie's given name was Wilhelmina. Her daughter, Viola, remembers that she herself was named for Minnie's mother or grandmother. Some family members felt that Minnie had some French heritage because of her features and a darker complexion.

In adulthood Minnie was 5 feet, 3 inches tall and had really dark brown hair, which grayed in her later years. Her eyes were "lighter".

Won't it be fun to meet this ancestor?