The Wessel family from Amsterdam to Bergen

George J. Homs Sjors, hebben wij al WESSELTJEs in de albums geplakt? If you know some of these ancestors of Martin, we can start a cooperation-collaboration project in view of our investment in:
http://www.geni.com/projects/Ⓓutch-◦-Ⓓocumentation-◦-Ⓓepartment
Maybe we should make a start with a little English summery there, but that was not my first focus. Martin, do you understand German, Dutch or French too? we mail again, ok?

I started a project with the -temporarily- name:
http://www.geni.com/projects/ⓓ-◦-WESSEL
where we start putting all profiles found in the netherland -and Norway I hope- with this surname: WESSEL
and everyone with relative who share this surname are welcome too!

It will be a challenge, as the oldest traces on jan Wessels are BEFORE the keeping of baptism records became the rule. Yes, I come a lot of Wessels, very often used as a patronym. I'll see what I can find!

Jan Wessel had 17 children. Was his mission to re-populate Norway, or what? :-)

I think he wanted to sail to SPITSBERGEN and lost his warm sweater somewhere....

and many children: we have champions with that in holland too, you know? Once I lost the number for I thought: that women must be a Sarah to be able to get a medal for the most populated family, but yes, there where no pills then, so maybe we should just be proud of woman who were proud to have husbands like them...

Hi, thanks for the intrest.
I can read German, and using that combined with google translate I understand Dutch too, but it takes a long time.

There is several conflicting pices of information about Jan Wessel (born ca. 1580). As you see there is an even earlier source of a Peter Wessel from Germany, but there is no evidence he is the father of Jan. According to an old newspaper article (which I am not able to get hold of) the familyname Wessel originates from Wesel i Westphalen (which I believe was a part of Germany).
However Wessel is a common Duch name and Jan Wessel found a duch wife. So even the question of what country they come from is unsetteled.
About the many children I agree that it is a lot, hovever 12-15 children was rather common in Norway at that time. Henrik Jansen Wessel supposedly also had 12 sons and a couple of daughters. However the church records for that particular curch and time has been lost so we lack accurte information about his children.

Martin, thanks for your feedback. My feeling is that -jMu-'s idea about the Noordsche Compagnie was right. We have to get a better grip on anyone involved in that Compagnie's activity (specifically to Bergen, I think). Over the past two days, I added two new profiles of people involved in the Noordsche Compagnie - Petrus Plancius and Jacques Niquet. Here's the link to the project page: http://www.geni.com/projects/Noordse-Compagnie-%E2%80%A7-1614-1642-...
I think we need more research into the Noordsche Compagnie. With focus, we might get a better grip on the merchants involved in it, including the employees and adventurers that stayed in Bergen (and elsewhere and built families.
I see that the Wessel tree is currently managed mostly by Scandinavians. I have looked myself, but it takes time. Perhaps we need a few more Dutch to try and identify the 'original Wessel' :-)
-jMu-, what do you think? Can you find some Dutchies to focus on this?

Private User heeft beloofd dat ze Wessels aan het D-project gaat koppelen, dan hebben we een start.

Jason Scott Wills has also profiles with the surname WESSEL in his pocket, so maybe he like to search for Norwegian descendants too?

As always, Ann has done it before we can even finish our sentence :-)
Jeannette, why don' you launch an appeal to the Dutch portal to look for the Wessels that may have gone to Scandinavia?
But, of course, I'll look for it too :-)

and please make that announcement for me, for I'm busy filling de d-WESSEL page with some documentation for our Norwegian brothers & sisters.

Could this be a relative maybe a brother of Jan Wessel born in 1580? Arendt Wessels was from Holland but a resident in Emden: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLRT-PLQD