ROELOF VENEKLASEN Roelof Veneklasen, interested in an extensive brickyard in Zeeland, and one of the successful men of Ottawa County, was born on section 23, Holland township, this county, June 10, 1856, being the son of Berend J. and Albertje (Weurding) Veneklasen. His paternal grandfather, John H., was a son of John Veneklasen, a farmer residing in Overschie, Holland, who was twice married, by his first union becoming the father of two sons and one daughter, and by his second marriage having four sons and one daughter. In Holland, the land of his birth, John H. Veneklasen followed his trade as a bricklayer. In the spring of 1847 he emigrated to the United States, and after a voyage of thirty-seven days landed at Baltimore, on the 22d of April. During the later part of May he reached Holland Township, Ottawa County, Mich., and at once made a settlement on section 27, where he purchased forty acres. He gave his attention to clearing the land and tilling the soil, and met with success, being the owner of sixty acres at the time of his death, December 15, 1877. Politically he was a Democrat, firm in his allegiance to party principals. He aided in the organization of the Reformed Church, of which he was a prominent member. Unto John H. Veneklasen and his good wife, whose maiden name was Alice Van Linger, were born three sons and five daughters who lived to maturity, viz: Berend J., Johannas, Gertrude, Hendreka, Jenneke, Peter, Diekje and Jane. At the present time three sons and two daughters are living. The mother passed away August 12, 1847, at the age of forty-five. The father of our subject was born June 24, 1828, and accompanied his parents to the United States, settling with them in Holland Township, Ottawa County, Mich., where he received a fair education. For a short time he worked in a brickyard in Allegan, and later spent one summer at Grand Haven, where he engaged in loading vessels. In 1849 Berend J. Veneklasen opened a brickyard in connection with his father, and during the first year manufactured fifty thousand bricks. In 1892 the firm was under the name Zeeland Brick Company, which now has yards at Zeeland, Cloverdale and Hamilton, having two at the first-named place. Employment is given to a large number of men, varying from fifty in the dull season to two hundred in the busy season. The yard is never closed, and the entire output aggregates twenty million of brick annually. The business is one of the most flourishing in the county, and the success to which it has attained is the result of the untiring labors of the Veneklasens, father and sons. In politics, our subject’s father is a Democrat, and on the ticket of his party has been elected to the position of President of the village, Highway Commissioner, and other places of trust, in all of which he has served with efficiency and success. In religious matters he is identified with the Reformed Church, to the support of which he is a generous contributor. He and his estimable wife, are the parents of the following-named children: John, Roelof, Albertus, Henry, Peter, Benjamin, Albert, Garrett and Mary G. Hendreka is deceased. The mother of these children was born August 17, 1831, and is the daughter of Roelof and Alice (Boer) Weurding, who emigrated to the United States in 1849 and settled in Allegan County, Mich., Mr. Weurding becoming a farmer there. During his youth the subject of this sketch attended Kalamazoo Business College, and was the recipient of good advantages. At the age of ten he commenced to working at his father’s brickyard and has ever since been interested in the business, being the present Secretary and Treasurer of the company. The yard has an annual output of forty million bricks, common and pressed, and shipments are made to Chicago, Traverse City, Battle Creek, and other large places, where a ready sale is made at reasonable prices. Though an active Democrat, Mr. Veneklasen has always refused official honors, preferring to devote his attention to his business. He is interested in educational matters, and has served as a member of the Board of Education. In religious preferences he affiliates with the Reformed Church. November 29, 1879, Mr. Veneklasen was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Moerdyke, who was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., and is the daughter of James and Mary (Fass) Moerdyke, emigrants of 1849 from Zeeland, Holland. Mr. and Mrs. Veneklasen are the parents of six children; viz: Albertha, Mary M., Bernard J., James T., Jennie H., and Nellie Elida Elizabeth. The family occupies a prominent position in the social circles of the community, and is one of the foremost in the village.

Portrait & Biographical Record of Muskegon & Ottawa Counties, Michigan 1893, Chicago: Biographical Publishing Company

Transcriber: Charles Armstrong
Created: 6 May 2003
URL: Biographies