It is good and valuable that people honor the past
and place a value on what also lies in the ties
with those who have gone before. - Abraham Kuyper


Genealogy research is a hobby which I pursued with a varying degree of effort over a period of about 35 years. It began with a visit to the Netherlands in 1967 and, after lying relatively dormant for some years, became a primary hobby during the early 1990's when I became acquainted with the internet and especially after I retired in 1997. To date, I have completed compilation of 3 books documenting the genealogy of my children:

- "Jacobs Genealogy, Some Ancestors and Descendants of John Henry Jacobs and Anna (Timmer) Jacobs", my paternal grandparents, all of whom lived in Grafschaft Bentheim;

- "Volkema Genealogy, Some Ancestors and Descendants of Folkert Volkema and Boukje Jans (Hardenberg) Volkema", my maternal grandparents, all of whom lived in the Province of Friesland in the Netherlands; and

- "Barnhill Genealogy, Some Ancestors of Dawn Rae (Barnhill) Jacobs", my late wife and mother of my children. These ancestors are a mixture of Scotch-Irish, English, German, and Dutch, many of whom emigrated to America in pre-Revolutionary War days.

A"Related Link", in this Homepage, "Jacobs Family Genealogy", leads to my overall Jacobs family genealogy Homepage.

With completion of these books, I have essentially ended my genealogy research. However, I am always on the lookout for additional information and am always willing to share the information that I have with anyone who is interested.

This Homepage displays information about my Jacobs ancestors extracted from my Jacobs Genealogy book. It includes:

- A "Family Tree of Nelson Jacobs' Bentheimer Ancestors";

- Some "Family Photos" related to my Bentheimer Ancestors and to Grafschaft Bentheim; and

- "Related Files", which include the following genealogy files :

- - An "Index Listing of my Bentheimer Ancestors";
- - A "Pedigree of my Bentheimer Ancestors".

As noted in the "Related File" below, "History of Grafschaft Bentheim", the political status of Grafschaft Bentheim changed many times over the years. For centuries it was an independently owned entity, owned and governed by Grafs (Counts). Then it was successively a part of the Kingdom of Hannover, the French Empire, the Kingdom of Hannover again, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, and finally post World War II Germany. Where places of birth, death, and marriage are given in the above genealogical files, I have related the place of the event to the political status of the time.

"Related Files" also include the following files which discuss topics of a historical nature related to Grafschaft Bentheim:

- - "General Discussion";
- - "Names and Naming Practices";
- - "History of Grafschaft Bentheim";
- - "Reclaiming the Moors";
- - "Johann Picardt", the Dutch Connection;
- - "A Historical Record";
- - "The Church in Grafschaft Bentheim."; and
- - "Return to Reformed Principles".

• Family Tree of Nelson Jacobs' Bentheimer Ancestors (107 KB)
  This family tree shows my Bentheimer ancestors starting with my father, Herman Jacobs.

• Hendrik J. and Geertje(Arens) Jacobs, about 1890 (57 KB)
  My great grandparents.
• John Henry and Anna (Timmer) Jacobs, about 1910 (31 KB)
  My grandparents.
• Family of John H. and Anna (Timmer) Jacobs, 1923 (105 KB)
  My father, Herman Jacobs, is center in the back row.
• Herman and Sena (Volkema) Jacobs, 1922 (40 KB)
  Wedding photo of my parents.
• Jacobs Residence, Uelsen, about 1900 (90 KB)
  The left half of this building was home to the Hendrik and Geertje Jacobs family when they emigrated to America in 1886.
• Arens Farm, August 2001 (64 KB)
  The Arens farm near Wilsum, Germany
• At the Arens farm, August 2001 (24 KB)
  From left to right - Harmen Arens, Mrs. Arens, Nels Jacobs, Albertine Schippers, and Gerrit Schippers.
• Neuenhaus Church, August 2001 (45 KB)
  The German Evangelical Reformed Church in Neuenhaus, Germany.
• Neuenhaus Town Hall, August 2001 (59 KB)
  The town hall in Neuenhaus, Germany.
• Wilsum Church, August 2001 (76 KB)
  The German Evangelical Reformed Church in Wilsum, Germany.
• Uelsen Church, August 2001 (49 KB)
  The German Evangelical Reformed Church in Uelsen, Germany.
• Uelsen Town Hall, August 2001 (115 KB)
  The town hall in Uelsen, Germany.
• Bentheim Castle, August 2001 (14 KB)
  Bentheim Castle, Bad Bentheim, Germany - a beautiful old castle.

• Index Listing of My Bentheimer Ancestors (8 KB)
  An alphabetical listing of my Bentheimer direct ancestors.
• Pedigree of my Bentheimer Ancestors (38 KB)
  The pedigree of my Bentheimer ancestors in the ahnentafel format used by genealogists beginning with my father, Herman Jacobs.
• General Discussion (5 KB)
  A discussion of the following files which contain topics of a historical nature.
• Names and Naming Practices (2 KB)
  Discussion of the change in the family name from Jacobsen to Jacobs and other naming practices.
• History of Grafschaft Bentheim (2 KB)
  A brief chronology of some events in the history of Grafschaft Bentheim.
• Reclaiming the Moors (5 KB)
  A discussion of reclamation of the moors for farming.
• Johann Picardt, the Dutch Connection (17 KB)
  The Hollander hired by the Grafs for reclamation and colonization of the moors.
• A Historic Record (5 KB)
  A 1917 souvenir pamphlet of the Graafschap Christian Reformed Church, Holland, Michigan.
• The Church in Grafschaft Bentheim (2 KB)
  A brief discussion of the history of the Christian church in Grafschaft Bentheim.
• Return to Reformed Principles (35 KB)
  The history of the Calvinist churches in Grafschaft Bentheim, including some interesting historical perspectives.

• Jacobs Family Genealogy

Nelson James Jacobs
27 Birmingham Court
Highlands Ranch, CO 80130
United States
303-346-3342
nelsjacobs@comcast.net

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