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JAN WILLEM POOT IN THE NETHERLANDS

Jan Willem Poot, was born in Deventer, Overijssel (o-ver-i'-sel) province, on July
17, 1851. His name was later anglicized to John William Poot in America. His
first name, Jan, is the same as that of both his father and maternal
grandfather. His middle name, Willem, does not appear to come from a
relative, and may have been chosen to honor King Willem III. Although Poot
is an uncommon name in this region, by coincidence, an important historic
district of Deventer is located on streets named Grote (Grand) Poot and Kleine
(Little) Poot. This district underwent restoration in the 1990's. The current
structures of homes and businesses date to the 1800's. However, they are
built on very old foundations, some dating to the 1400's. These streets
merge at a grand intersection or square highlighted by the enormous church
Grote Kerkhof and a historic Renaissance-era library called the Athenaeum
Bibliotheek.

However, before we look at the life of J.W. Poot, it will be instructive to go
back one more generation and learn a little about his parents. Jan Willem's
parents were Jan Poot and Lammerdina Karmiggel. Jan Poot was born
October 18, 1815. This was an important time in Dutch history. In 1814 the
Netherlands were liberated from French conquest; and in 1815 Napoleon's
return was defeated at Waterloo, Belgium by an alliance of English, German,
and Dutch troops. The return of peace brought a Dutch "baby boom" or
surge in births similar to the American "baby boom" after World War II. The
Dutch people could now begin to rebuild their country after years of hardship
and plundering.

Jan Poot was born in Zegwaart, a now obsolete name in Zoetermeer, Zuid-
Holland (South Holland province). Zoetermeer is on the northern border of
Delfland, a small region similar in area to Los Angeles. This is where most
Poots have lived for many hundreds of years. This area contains many
important cities and small towns, including Delft, Rotterdam, Maassluis, De
Lier, The Hague, Pynacker, and Berkel. Jan Willem's grandparents were Job
Poot and Ingetje Sonneveld. Most of his Sonneveld ancestors lived in
southern Delfland near the Maas River in towns like Maassluis and Maasland.
Some of his ancestors, both Poot and Sonneveld, appear in the directories of
"welgeboren" or "well-born" Dutch. This honor was applied to the 5 or 6
percent of the population that held positions of prominence or special favor.

The Poot family wealth appears to have been at a low point following the
French occupation. Job Poot was recorded as an "arbeider" or workman
rather than the "bouwman" (landowner-developer-farmer) designation of many
previous generations of Poots. Many landowners, including one or more
Poots, were forced to sell their land after the war because their finances had
suffered from the weakened economy and high taxes.

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