Stap

(I) The Staps in my family come from the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. They mainly come from the municipalities of Ferwerderadeel and Het Bildt. So far, the furthest in the paternal Stap line I have found is Gerben Jans. He was the son of a man named Jan, and he was probably born around 1700, possibly as early as 1690. He married Dieuwke Douwes on 26 October 1721 in the town of Hallum. Here is a picture from Tresoar's Flickr page of the village of Hallum. This is from a collection of engravings called "Vaderlandsche Gezigten" published by K.F. Bendorp and J. Bulthuis around 1790. On a side note, is that guy doing what I think he's doing next to that building?


Gerben and Dieuwke had at least 8 children, who were all baptized in Hallum.
1. Jan Gerbens bapt: 1 NOV 1722 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Grietje Gerbens bapt: 9 APR 1724 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
3. Douwe Gerbens bapt: 11 NOV 1725 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
4. Froukje Gerbens bapt: 25 MAY 1727 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
5. Trijntje Gerbens bapt: 13 MAR 1729 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
6. Barteld Gerbens bapt: 16 APR 1730 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
7. Jacob Gerbens bapt: 1 FEB 1733 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
8. Jetske Gerbens bapt: 11 JUL 1734 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands

(II) Jan Gerbens was born in 1722 and was married twice. His first marriage was to Arjaantie Annes on 14 May 1744 in Vrouwenparochie. And he married second Hittje Abrahams on 11 October 1767 also in Vrouwenparochie. He had 5 children with his first wife:
1. Hiltje Jans Stap bapt: 7 MAR 1745 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Gerben Jans Stap b: 23 NOV 1746 in Oude Bildtzijl, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
3. Jouke Jans Stap bapt: 26 SEP 1751 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
4. Jacob Jans Stap b: 1 NOV 1753 in Oude Bildtzijl, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
5. Hiltje Jans Stap b: 2 FEB 1756 in Oude Bildtzijl, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
And he had 2 children with his second wife, Hittje:
1. Abraham Jans Stap b: 6 MAY 1769 in Oude Bildtzijl, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Dieuwke Jans Stap b: 16 MAR 1774 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands

(III) I'm not sure when they started to use the family name of Stap, but Abraham Jans Stap seems to be the first in my line to use it. He was born in 1769, and was married to Akke Jans Grasma on 24 May 1795 in Hallum. He lived until he was 85 years old, and died on 24 January 1854.


Together with Akke, Abraham had 8 children, all baptized in Vrouwenparochie:
1. Jan Abrahams Stap b: 23 AUG 1796 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Jochem Abrahams Stap b: 1 FEB 1799 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
3. Dirk Abrahams Stap b: 6 MAR 1801 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
4. Hitje Abrahams Stap b: 12 NOV 1802 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
5. Dieuwke Abrahams Stap b: 10 JUN 1804 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
6. Dieuwke Abrahams Stap b: 30 NOV 1805 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
7. Dieuwke Abrahams Stap b: 25 APR 1809 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
8. Douwe Abrahams Stap b: 11 JAN 1811 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands

(IV) Jan Abrahams Stap was born in 1796 and died at the age of 52, on 3 December 1848. He was married to Maartje Hendriks Meyer on 6 April 1828 in St. Annaparochie. Together they had 6 children:
1. Wytske Jans Stap b: 2 JUN 1829 in Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Abraham Jans Stap b: 13 SEP 1830 in Vrouwenparochie, Het Bildt, Friesland, Netherlands
3. Hendrik Jans Stap b: 7 JUN 1833 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
4. Akke Jans Stap b: 7 JUN 1833 in Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
5. Akke Jans Stap b: 27 JUN 1835 in Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
6. Siebe Jans Stap b: 30 NOV 1839 in Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands

(V) Hendrik Jans Stap was a twin born in 1733. He live to be 83 and died on 16 January 1918. He was married to Grietje Jacobs Brouwer on 22 May 1858 in Ferwerd. Hendrik and his wife had 6 children:
1. Jan Hendriks Stap b: 16 OCT 1859 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Nietske Hendriks Stap b: 24 APR 1862 in Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
3. Jacob Hendriks Stap b: 28 FEB 1865 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
4. Maartje Hendriks Stap b: 11 JUN 1868 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
5. Abraham Hendriks Stap b: 21 AUG 1871 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
6. Ytje Hendriks Stap b: 15 AUG 1874 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands

(VI) Jacob Hendriks Stap was born in 1865 and married Trijntje "Theresa" Hendriks Visbeek on 15 May 1886. I haven't been able to find a record of their emigration, but somewhere around 1892 they came over to the United States and settled in Michigan. They would later move to Lynden, Washington. Jacob lived until he was 80 and died on 30 October 1945. They had 4 children:
1. Tytje “Tena” Stap b: 11 AUG 1886 in Hallum, Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, Netherlands
2. Hendrik “Henry” Stap b: 2 AUG 1894 in McBain, Missaukee Co, MI
3. Jan “John” Stap b: 2 AUG 1901 in McBain, Missaukee Co, MI
4. Tjeerd “Charles” Stap b: 18 NOV 1903 in McBain, Missaukee Co, MI

(VII) John Stap was the first in my Stap line to be born in the United States. He was born in Michigan and moved to Lynden, Washington. There he met and married Aaltje “Alice” de Jong on 12 October 1924. He lived to be 93 and died on 4 April 1995.


Together, John and Alice had 6 children, all born in Lynden.
1. Adeline Stap b: 23 AUG 1926 in Lynden, Whatcom Co, WA
2. Catherine Stap b: 12 APR 1929 in Lynden, Whatcom Co, WA
3. Jacob Stap b: 11 NOV 1930 in Lynden, Whatcom Co, WA
4. Joan Stap b: 17 JUL 1932 in Lynden, Whatcom Co, WA
5. Yvonne Stap b: 30 JUN 1934 in Lynden, Whatcom Co, WA
6. Lorraine Stap b: 21 AUG 1937 in Lynden, Whatcom Co, WA