FLORA CANCILLA born ALMA. Flora Agnes Alma was born November 5, 1914 in Snohomish, Wash. as a daughter of Bernardus Wilhelmus Alma and Gertrude Demphne Bloemsma. She passed away June 8, 2009 in Kenmoore, King County, Wash. During her visits to the Netherlands she collected many documents about the family Bot and had them translated. Flora wrote: These documents establish another side to my life. I really feel, that I am standing on four legs now. On this page I want to say many thanks to Flora and her son Ron for their support. This is what Flora wrote as a top sheat and some explanations to the documents: Documents of the BOT side of the ALMA family acquired during my vacation of the month of August 1991 from the Alma families. Marten (spelled with an "e") Bron - the translator of these documents is a retired Dutch baker, retired chicken farmer - now living in the dutch communitv Lynden, Washington. Came to California after WWII, to be a good American citizen. He moved to Lynden 13 years ago to retire. After several tries to various ideas to find a translator decided to write a letter to the Lynden Library requesting a search for a translator and to have the letter passed on to the Genealogy Section for review. Fortunately, three gentlemen studied the old Dutch writings, two pages that were sent with the letter and Marten was brave enough to tackle the project of eleven documents (105 pages). All during the three and a half months he worked on the difficult documents, two and three at a time, returned them with a letter with comments. Below will be excerpts to help understand their customs, etc. He mentions spending two and three days on just one sheet and other times he could do a little faster. His wife was the "sounding board" and assistant. They are a good working couple. It was my pleasure and lucky for me to meet them. As I've reviewed the results, (many times) I marvel and very amazed at their ability. (don't know why I should be they are from Holland and have had a good education) and positive you will too. The documents are not translated word for word, but, by thoughts and meanings. Not a word, spelling or phrase has been changed. They must stand the way they are as Marten Bron's true translations. In one of his letters he writes: "I find the name BOS in the late 1700 early 1800. Some were maybe Roman Catholic. One of my forfathers BOS died in 1638 was Roman Catholic, his son was learning for priest, but, never became it, but became silversmith in City of Groningen and then he married Protestant girl, so their children were all baptized in the Protestant church." The main character in these documents is my great grandmother, Trientje Willems Bos.   EXCERPTS: Petronella Reintjes Feddema (maiden name) my great, great grandmother, widow of Willem Jacob Bos. Trientje Willems Bos is daughter to Petronella Reintjes Feddema and Willem Jacob Bos. (In thesedays they took the fathers given name as a middle name to identify the father.) Document 1849, 5 July. First paragraph - 6 children mentioned -Willem 13 years is Ray Bot's great grandfather. Tryntje 8 years is my grandmother and at the age of 18 she took the name of Catharina in the document of lst February 1860, Contract of Marriage. H.A. to our 2.5 acres. f. guilder sign, like our dollar sign curtains when mentioned, mean curtains hung about 18" from the top. They are only that long to leave all the sun light possible in the house. 0ne curtain to a window. There may be many more questions come up on future readings. I am so familiar to the customs and living habits of Old Holland that I can adjust myself to these readings. I've been in their old, old houses and barns and can picture all these things to fit in place. If any questions come up - make a listing and I will make another cover sheet. One of these days I will get down to the Main Library to look up the rate of exchange from our dollar to their guilder in 1849 and add it to the new list. No doubt, Trientje learned through her husband - by some bitter experience - those legal documents were her iron hand. The church in Uithuizermeeden was built and my father was baptized in this church. I have pictures and also a picture of the baptistery. You will find the translations of the documents on the pages of Heere B. Bot and Bernardus A. Somers.
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FLORA CANCILLA born ALMA