We Are Family....

We are quickly coming up to the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years; traditionally, holidays where families get together and spend time together.  Lately, especially after the birth of my youngest child back in September, I have reflected a bit on how nice it is to have a very close family.

By close I do not mean geographically, for my siblings and I are quite separated with only one living near our hometown.  We are close in a more intimate way.  We all care about what happens with the other, love getting together, and understand that family is important. 

As I have worked diligently on the Van Hout/Stodolski family tree, I have seen where the close knit families are...and the ones who sort of just worry about their own backyard.  I prefer the families that stay in touch and are able to say that they saw their sibling within the last couple years or spoke to them recently.  For one thing, it is easier to get information from them!

I have also seen those who could really care less about any of their extended family, or even their immediate family.  I think those people miss out on the richness of what a close family offers you.  I love the fact that I can go to any member of my immediate family for advice, consoling, or just to talk.  We haven't always agreed on things and fought like any family would, but in the end, we are there when one of the family needs us.

This journey to add branches and leaves to the family tree has been a fun one.  I have met many new relatives through Facebook, many who lived near me growing up and I didn't even know it. 

I would offer up to you that if you aren't especially close to your family, try to be.  Make that first step.  I have witnessed firsthand some who speak rarely, if ever, to their family and the pain and loss is obvious.  Don't wait for a holiday to let your family know you care.

Slowly...But Surely...the Connections are Being Made!

Another connection was made the past couple of days to more family on the Van Hout side.  Facebook can be a wonderful thing when you get in there and dig around.

The Steltz family was hiding almost under our noses around the Big Stone City/Milbank area.  For years, Aunt Francis was the only Steltz I knew.  Little did I know, though I am sure my mother did, that there were Steltz kids my age living out in the country by the power plant!

Well, with Facebook's help, I found Joel and Doug Steltz, grandsons of my Aunt Francis.  Today, I spoke to Doug on the phone...a very good 26 minute conversation.  It was very cool to get to know another member of my family that I didn't know.  We grew up in the same area and never knew each other.  We both agreed that it is a shame when family lives so close and never know each other, no matter how distant the connection.

At the end of the conversation, we agreed that we would meet up to get to know each other when my family travels home during Christmas. 

Everyone out there, I would appreciate any help you can give in growing this family tree.  Whether it is your own families information, or something on another family member, or a connection that you know about, such as the many Doug mentioned to me, please...send that on to me.

Have a great weekend everyone...this is the weekend my second oldest, Julianne, graduates.

COL (Ret) Harold Anton Van Hout

The story goes that Harold Van Hout was the first resident of Big Stone City to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.  He went on to become a Colonel in the Army and served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  I had heard that while he was stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, the housing office there had to take a normal, large duplex house and put a hole through a wall connecting the two so his very large family could be in one house.  (Today they would have sent him off-post to find housing)

While I was at Ft. Leavenworth in 1997 for a school, I went to the basement of the Army schoolhouse building to get a haircut.  There was a very old barber in there and when he saw my name tag, he asked me if I was any relation to "Tiger Van Hout".  I told him that I had an Uncle Harold Van Hout who had been to Ft. Leavenworth and we figured that it must have been him.  He told me that "Tiger Van Hout" had lived up to that nickname and that he was a fine officer.  He remembered he had a very large family...another indicator we were both talking about the same Van Hout.

I visited the Lafayette Memorial Cemetery in Fayetteville, NC and took this picture of Harold's marker along with two of his children, Janet and William.   I spoke to his wife, Joy, who told me which part of the cemetery to find him.  She and I will be sitting down to talk about their part of the family tree.

Share Your Stories

Back in early February, I posted a story about the beginning of the Van Hout family in America.  Looking through it, and the information I have in the family tree, I have noticed a few discrepancies that I will need to get straightened out.  Unfortunately, those discrepancies are most likely only able to be ironed out with information from Holland.  So, I will need to enlist the help of a gentleman over there who does this stuff for many different families.
Do you have any interesting stories from your family that would be interesting to the rest of the family, as a whole?  We aren't looking for the embarrassing "lampshade on the head" story, but one that shows your family and how it functioned together.
Perhaps your family has its own traditions it follows...those would be very interesting to hear.

The Van Hout Beginning

Anton Van Hout and Elizabeth Suppers were united in marriage in Holland in the year 1884. They came to the United States on March 1, 1887 on the vessel Old Rotterdam.
They were accompanied on the trip by their two daughters Johnanna Elizabeth "Liz" and Anna. Anna passed away on the trip and is buried at sea. John Supers, Elizabeth's father, came to the U.S. with them. He worked for the railroad and was killed on the job and is buried at St. Charles Cemetery in Big Stone City. Mrs. Elizabeth Suppers, John's wife, is buried in Holland. There is no record of her date of birth or death. John Suppers died July 3, 1891. Elizabeth Suppers Van Hout was their only child.

Anton Van Hout had two brothers, Herman and one other. Herman had 2 sons, John and Peter. John had 3 boys. This family lived in Wisconsin. Pete married Katie and the had no children. Pete had a niece who came to Milbank, SD and lived with them in the 1950's. Her name was Erika Van Hout. She came here from Holland, so there may have been other brothers left in Holland. Erika (Rika) is now Rika Malin who lives in Montana.

Mark Van Hout, son of Don & Arvene Van Hout, was in contact with a fellow stamp collector in Holland who gave this explanation of the family name of Van Hout:
The name "Hout" means "of wood" when taken literally, but as a family name is more likely to think of a wooden house, a farm in woodlands, or a town/village named hout (there are many, such as Berkhout, even parts of major cities such as Amsterdam and Alkmaar are called Hout (these are parks or other places with a lot of trees)). He said that most Dutch names beginning with "van" have some sort of geographical reference.

The birthplace of Anton was originally believed to be Overfeit, later changed to Overssalt, however, this Dutchman corrected the spelling to Overasselt. It was the closest city he could find to the city name given. Overasselt is a small village in the Province of Gelderland, some 8 kilometers south of the major city of Nijmegen on the border of the river Maas. Nijmegen is very close to the well know city Arnhem ("A Bridge Too Far", Operation Market Garden in WWII). Nijmegen is also where United States troops conducted an annual road march where teams from many European countries would compete. He said there is a possibility that his relatives, who moved to the North Dakota area, could have been on the same boat.
Anton died in St. Bernard's Hospital in Milbank, SD.

Anton Van Hout boys?

I think this is a picture of the sons of Anton Van Hout.  Along the edge of the picture are some names.  The lower left which has the Roman Numeral III by it, has the name Hank.  The lower right with the Numeral V has "Grandpa" by it.  I am assuming that is Grandpa Richard Van Hout.  Can anyone help me identify these guys?  Anyone have the original photo?

Let's Get to Know Each Other!

Welcome, descendants of the Van Hout and Stodolski families.  I thought this could be another way to share the information of our family, the stories, the research being done on where people are or where they have been.  There is so much to learn, not only about our roots, but about the branches that are still growing!  It is my hope that you will share stories that you know from your family history with those of us who are on a different branch of the tree.  Some of us don't even know some of the other names on the tree.  Those mentioned in the header of this blog are only a few.  More will be placed and talked about so as to encourage discussion and sharing about our families.  I would hate to see the history of our family die as the older members pass on.

One of the keys to working on a family tree is privacy.  There will be no photos or information added here on living people without their permission.  Please, as you comment on postings here, be aware of what you are saying or giving out.  We don't want to inadvertently give personal information that could harm or embarrass someone.

I have already received some help from a niece of mine who has now seen how much fun this genealogy stuff can be.  Perhaps you too, will be able to add something to our tree that opens up a whole new branch of information.  You just never know what one small piece of information will do.

I hope to hear from you all as we share our family history together!  Hopefully, you will also take away some new family aquaintances as we go along together.