Hendrik Jan Wichers

Came over through Ellis Island with another brother who went to Canada. The third brother was denied entry because of a criminal record and went to either New Zealand or Australia. Some are saying died in Kansas, others are saying in Delware, and some are saying Dover in England.

One source of mine says that they owned a bakery in Zutphen. Married at age 32 to wife who was 24 in 5/1/1867. Frist son was born 1/5/1868 - less than 9 months later. They would have 2 boys (1 in 1868 and 1 in 1869 in Zutphen) born in the Netherlands and then went to America in 1871. They lived first in Patterson, NJ, where Hendrik Jan worked for the railroad until he hurt his left arm and was let go. He was injured by a beam in the railroad workshop. The beam was dropped off a hoist and landed on his shoulders, and he was slightly crippled for the rest of his life. They had 2 more boys born in Patterson, then they came across by train to Solomon, Kansas, and then a two wheeled cart to the area of Downs, Kansas around 1875 to 1878 with their team of oxen Buck and Bright. Supposedly, there is or used to be a piece of the yoke they used in a museum down in that area. They homesteaded 2 miles from Dispatch, Kansas. While they were there they had 2 girls, bringing the total to 6.