by: Julle Eisses Halsema

about this essay, John Ketelaars comments:
Lambertus emigrated to the US in 1866. We could speculate on why Julle Jans sold that farm in 1854. His oldest son, Harmannes, was 26 and his youngest daughter, Geziena, was 8. He had 7 sons, 5 of them over 16 years of age.

Nieuwe Meren means “new Mooring –halsema.org editors

Farm “NIEUWE MEREN”, De Merenweg 2, Mensingeweer:

Text: Farms in the Half-Ambt, 1992

In May 1723 Jan Frerix and Aafke Aris sell their farm house, consisting of a Friesian barn and an interior house, with 46 acres of lien-lands and 6 acres of free lands, from Onne Pieter and Hilje Tammes. The yearly rent was 150 Carolus guilders and a flat cheese.

On 3 May 1730 the guardians of the children of this couple, who both died, sell the farm to Albert Luitjens and Anje Pietes. It was located in “de Meren” under Mensingeweer.

They in turn sell the farm on 15 April 1744 with among other things a butter mill, threshing block and half a roller (?) to Jacob Wijpkes and Jantjen Peters.

It seems that a few years later the farm was occupied by Eijso Egbert Bosma and Anje Joosten, because they sell the farm that they lived in with the lien-lands of 52 acres on 17 April 1749 to Cornelis Bolt and his wife Gepke Alberts Bolt. He is a son of Nicolaas Bolt, preacher at Obergum, and Aleida Leuring.

On 25 July 1760 Gepke Albert Bolt, widow, marries Willem Jurjens. She dies on 21 October 1776, and the heirs of her husband, Willem Jurjens, who meanwhile had also died, and her own heirs sell the farm “de Meeren” with the lien-lands of 52 acres in 1777 to their brother Nicolaas Bolt. Nicolaas Bolt sells the farm on 26 April 1780 to his brother-in-law Jan Dietert van der Tuuk, son of Harmannus van der Tuuk (1722-1808), preacher at Mensingeweer and Maarslag, and to Aleida Bolt, the wife of Jan Dietert. This couple stayed on the farm until 30 April 1789, when they exchanged farms with Gesina Bolt and her husband Gerrit Smith. They farm they exchanged was located in Maarhuizen.

According to the 1806 register of landed goods, Jan Peiters Kruizinga and his wife Anje Geerts were the farmers of the lien-lands. Anje Geerts was previously married to Kornelis Fokkes.

On 30 December 1811 the creditors of the deceased Jan Pieters Kruizinga and Anje Geerts sell the farm for ƒ12,000.00 to Harmannus Jans Boerema

On the first land-census Harmannus Jans Boerema has 27.2090 ha . His only daughter Gezina is married with Julle Eisses Halsema. On 15 September 1854 they sell the business to Jacob Jans Hekma. He bequeaths the property to his sister Trientje Jans Hekma. She in turn officially donates the farm to Jacob Klaassens Hekma, at Schouwzijl, who is married with Eltje Freerks Wiersum. The donation must not be held in common (?)

In 1899 the bank that holds the mortgage puts the farm up for auction. Jelte Wiersema (born 1869) of Burum is the buyer. He was married in 1899 with Sijboldina Sijbolts (born 1876)

In 1923 the married couple Wiersema-Sijbolts buy from the possessions “van Ham” 1.8190 hectare, 1.5070 hectare and 1.6680 hectare land. In 1929 the couple buy 3.6440 ha land from the other side of the canal, from “Sijboltsheerd”. Sijboldina is, as co-heir, one of the sellers.

Wiersema lives from 1869 to 14 Oct 1934 and his wife from 1876 to 22 May 1952. The farm becomes the property of their only daughter, Geertruida Klasina (born 1903), who marries Pieter Berend Wiersom in 1926. (Pieter was born in 1895). This couple leave two farms, one to each daughter: Sijboldina Sijke becomes the owner of “Nieuwe Meren” and her sister Sijke Geertruida (born 1930) gets a business under Warfhuizen. She was married in 1951 with Pieter Lindenbergh, farmer at Den Hoorn.

In 1969 Sijboldina Sijke Wiersum sells the farm with 30.1590 ha to Pieter Tammo Geertsema (born 1924), married to Anje Hiscolina Frieling. The business is mortgage free.

The land that was added in 1929, of 3.6440 ha, is sold to Derk Netjes in 1970.
Geertsema enters into a business arrangement with his son Meindert Jan in 1985, who with his wife Janneke Dijkstra in 1987 start living in “Nieuwe Meren”