Page 48 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

Where his early ministry began is unknown. It seems likely that he was in
Edam, Noord-Holland, at the Saint Nicholas Church (Sint Nicolaaskerk) in
1875-1876. This fine church was built in 1475 and enlarged three times
during the 1500's. It possessed a large tower and an impressive organ.
Edam was a typical Dutch city with many canals, and neat streets of row
houses and tightly packed businesses. The city was surrounded by dairy
farms. Edam is still famous for its cheeses, and a large cheesemarket was
an important part of the town. Many farmers brought wagon-loads of
cheese there to negotiate sales. The port of Volendam is next to Edam
and these communities worked closely together. Much of the cheese
would have been exported through Volendam.

On Tuesday March 9, 1875, Jan Willem married Frederika Sophia Vink at
Edam. JW was listed as age 23 and Freda as age 29. If they had a typical
wedding, it would have begun at the Civil Registration Office in the center
of town. Since Pastors were prominent members of their community, J.W.
Poot's wedding would have received more public attention than the usual
wedding. The city "Burgemeester" probably presided over the ceremony
and delivered a few words. The civil registration is what carried the weight
of the law. Therefore most couples would register dressed in their suits
and bridal gowns. After the registration was completed, a couple could
proceed to the church where a religious ceremony and blessing were
conducted. In that era, the civil and religious ceremonies were often
performed on the same day, although it was not required. In earlier years,
the civil registration was usually done a few days before the religious
ceremony. In the modern era many couples do not bother with a church
ceremony.

Frederika Sophia Vink was probably born in May 1846. She often appears to
have subtracted two years from her age. We can only guess if this was
because of vanity or a desire to minimize how much older she was than her
husband. She was born in The Hague, also called Den Haag, or 's-
Gravenhage. This is located a few miles northwest of Delft in the Zuid-
Holland province. In the various Dutch records her given name is spelled
Fredrika, Frederika, Frederica, Fredricka, and Fredericke. The spelling was
later anglicized to Fredericke Sophia Fink in America. However, she was often
called Freda, and was listed as Freda in two of the U.S. Census records.

Frederika had a fine contralto singing voice and had a career as a
professional singer before she was married. No further details about her
singing have yet been learned. However musical talent may have been in the
Vink family. There are four Vinks who were active in music around The
Hague. There was a Ms. Eisden-Vink who was a popular opera singer in the
1920's. Connie (Cornelia) Vink had many popular recordings and Television
shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Mr. Corrie Vink was a popular musical stage
performer in the 1970s. Frans Vink published symphony arrangements in the
1920s.

(revised 09-2005) - JW Poot - - page 4 -