|
The history and genealogy of
the Bosgra family has been extensively researched by different historians
and enthousiasts. All living Bosgra's and Bosgraaf's are as far as we know
related to each other and stem from mr. Freerck Bosgraaf.
On this website you can find
information about the history of the family, only a summary has been
translated into english. If you would like to help to make this family site
multi-lingual, please e-mail me. If you would like to see the whole family
tree on this website, you need a password for privacy reasons. The password
can be obtained by contacting me trough info@johannesbosgra.com
or the contactform.
It is our aim to collect as
much information about our family as possible. If you have information about
the Bosgra family, such as pictures, stories or information on the living
relatives which you would like to share, please contact me.
|
|
Genealogy
The
Bosgra family has its roots in Bergum, a town in the province of Friesland
in The Netherlands. The oldest forefather is mr. Freerck Bosgraaf. His
birthplace is not known, historians have argued that he may have come from
Amsterdam or from the north of Germany or Denmark.
Mr.
Freerck Bosgraaf has arrived in Bergum before 1696, where he lived in de
"Buurt in het West". He worked as a Bosgraaf at the estate Het
Hooghuis in Bergum. This estate was at the time owned by Hendrik
Casimir II van Nassau-Dietz, "stadhouder" of Friesland and a forefather of Queen Beatrix of
Orange-Nassau. Mr. Freerck Bosgraaf was a member of the higher personnel
on the estate. He was manager of the forest and the tree nurseries on the
estate.
Freerck
married Maria Eeckmans on the 18th
of november 1693, she was a maid at the noble Aylva family from Burgwerd. Her
parents were Jacob Davids Eeckmans, soldier in a Swiss army. He married
Lijsbeth Hanses van Rinsumageest on the 6th of july 1656 in Leeuwarden.
The father of Jacob Davids is David Eeckmans, married on the 24th of
october 1627 with Tet Jacobs of Rinsumageest. He was a soldier under count
Willem van Nassau.
Bosgraaf
Bosgraaf
means literally forest count, it is an occupational name. He was allowed
to use the title master (mr.) as a Bosgraaf, he signed as mr. Freerck
Bosgraaf on several occasions.
Several
sons of Tiete Janszn
Bosgraaf (1724-1784) use the name Bosgra in the 18th century. In 1811
Napoleon made it mandatory for everybody to have a last name. In Friesland
only ten percent of the people already had a last name, the Bosgraaf
family being one of them. But before 1811 the name was not registered, so
variations of the name were seen. For example: Boschgraaf, Bosgraa, and
Bosgra. The name Bosgra probably evolved under the influence of the many
last names in Friesland wich end with the letter A. (For example:
Hoekstra, Dijkstra, van Heemstra, Liauckema).
In 1811 a few sons of Tiete Janszn registered the name Bosgra instead of
Bosgraaf. They were: Jan Tietes Bosgra (1751-1835),
Okke Tietes Bosgra (1769-1842) and Hendrik Tietes Bosgra
(1771-1818). All current Bosgra's have their origins in one of these three
sons.
Tree
nursery
Mr.
Freerck Bosgraaf had his own tree nursery. This is confirmed in a document
which says that he supplied the fruit trees for the school in Bergum in 1714. He is
therefore the founder of the centuries old tree nursery of the family
Bosgra.
The tree nurseries of the family Bosgra have been of great importance for
the economy of Bergum. As a recognisition for this, a street was named
after Freerck Bosgraaf. And there is a bronze sculpture called "De Túnker"
by the artist Gosse Dam located in the centre of Bergum.
|
Wedding certificate of Freerck
and Maria
|
