Molen Berg

Ancestral Homeland – Winschoten, Groningen, Netherlands

The Noteboom family moved to Winschoten, Groningen, Netherlands from Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany in 1843.1

Winschoten is located in the northeast of the Netherlands, near the River Eems and the border with Germany.

Winschoten, Netherlands

Winschoten, Netherlands, Map Data ©2016 Google

It became a city in 1825, being granted its city rights.  The town was once populated with 13 mills, earning it the nickname “Molenstad” or “Milltown”.  Three of those mills still remain today:

  • Molen Berg, built in 1854.  Originally designed to grind corn.
  • Dijkstra Molen, built in 1862.
  • Molen Edens, built in 1763.  It is the oldest mill in Groningen.

Molen Edens

Molens Edens. Michel Dellebeke [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Dutch Reformed church, which is the one my family most likely attended, is located on the Marketplein.

Dutch Reform Church, Marktplein

Dutch Reform Church, Marktplein, Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

Residents of Winschoten have a funny nickname – they are often called “tellerlikker”, which means one who licks their plate clean.  They have a reputation for eating their meals with great gusto.2

Tellerlikkers

Tellerlikkers, By Gerardus (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

  1.  Lamoraal Noteboom, “Genealogy of Sije Sjoukes,” p. 4; report to Larisa Thomas, [STREET ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Novato, California, 18 Dec 1908, rev. 1996-1998; photocopy held by Peggy McKnight Weymer, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE]. Rec. Date: 20 Sep 2015.  Cit. Date: 20 Sep 2015; Revised by Wouter Antoon Noteboom, Antoon Noteboom and Johanna Lodewijks-Dusseljee. ↩
  2. “Winschoten,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winschoten, Accessed: 5 Jan 2016. ↩