Why Before We Were Us
Why I am gathering our family's history on both sides, and what you will find here.
Read StoryThe Scholtens Family History
Before We Were Us
A love story for our family, told through the lives of those who came before.
Here you will find the stories of our ancestors on both sides of the family, along with family trees, timelines, photographs and the facts I have gathered as our family genealogist. It is all here so that everyone in the family can know where we come from.
Our Family Story
Every family has a story. Ours began long before we were us.
As the genealogist for both sides of the family, I have collected the names, dates, documents and photographs of the people who came before us. These chapters are a starting point, and each one will grow into stories, timelines and family trees you can explore.
Chapter 01
The Families Who Came Before
Who our ancestors were, where they came from, and the choices that carried them across oceans and into new lives.
Chapter 02
The Places They Called Home
Farms, small towns and churches across the Midwest where both sides of the family put down roots.
Chapter 03
Marriages That Joined Our Lines
The weddings and partnerships that brought two family stories together into one.
Chapter 04
The Story Still Being Written
Every generation adds a chapter. This archive keeps growing as new records, photos and memories come to light.
The Family Blog
Stories
The lives of our family members, one story at a time.
Each story tells about a person or a family: where they came from, the work they did, the people they loved and the times they lived through.
The Family Who Crossed the Ocean
Placeholder: the journey of one of our immigrant ancestors to a new country.
Read Story
Family Trees
Two families, one tree.
The paternal line, from the Dutch farmland of Groningen to the prairies of Iowa and Wisconsin.
Read each pair left to right — husband, marriage year, wife. The lines join parents to the generation below.
Great-great-grandparents
Hendrik Jan Scholtens1846 – 1919Groningen, Netherlands
m. 1870Geertje Bakker1849 – 1923Groningen, Netherlands
Klaas de Vries1851 – 1928Friesland, Netherlands
m. 1876Aaltje Hofstra1854 – 1931Friesland, Netherlands
Great-grandparents
Jan Hendrik Scholtens1878 – 1952Pella, Iowa
m. 1902Trijntje de Vries1881 – 1960Orange City, Iowa
Grandparents
Gerrit Scholtens1909 – 1984Sioux Center, Iowa
m. 1934Johanna Vander Ploeg1912 – 1997Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Where the two families join
Robert Scholtens1937 – 2011Sheboygan, Wisconsin
m. 1961Helen Brandt1940 – 2018Green Lake, Wisconsin
Timelines
From the first arrivals to today.
- 18__
Arrival in America
Placeholder: when and where the first family members arrived.
- 18__
The first homestead
Placeholder: the family settles and begins farming.
- 19__
A family portrait
Placeholder: an early photograph of the whole family.
- 19__
Two families join
Placeholder: a marriage that connects both sides.
- Today
Before We Were Us
The family history is gathered in one place for everyone to share.
Photos
From the family albums.
Every family has a story. Ours began long before we were us.
The Family Archive
One place for the history of both sides of our family.
As the genealogist for both sides of the family, I have spent years gathering names, dates, photographs and stories. This site brings it all together so that every member of the family, near or far, young or old, can find where they come from and the people who made them who they are.
"Every family has a story. Ours began long before we were us."
2 sides
of the family, one shared story
Why This Site Exists
Family history is easy to lose. Boxes of photos end up in attics, and stories told at the kitchen table fade with each generation. Before We Were Us is a love story for our family: a readily accessible place to preserve who our ancestors were, where they lived and what they lived through.
What You Will Find
Family Trees
Both sides of the family, branch by branch, as far back as the records reach.
Homesteads & Places
The farms, towns and churches where our people lived, worked and worshipped.
Weddings & Milestones
Marriages, births and the moments that joined families together.
Letters & Keepsakes
Heirlooms, documents and handwritten words passed down through the years.
Green Lake Today
Where the research happens now, and where the stories are gathered.
Ancestor Facts
Names, dates and places, checked against the records.
Family Trees
Both sides of the family, branch by branch, as far back as the records reach.
Homesteads & Places
The farms, towns and churches where our people lived, worked and worshipped.
Weddings & Milestones
Marriages, births and the moments that joined families together.
Letters & Keepsakes
Heirlooms, documents and handwritten words passed down through the years.
Green Lake Today
Where the research happens now, and where the stories are gathered.
Ancestor Facts
Names, dates and places, checked against the records.