Jan Claessen (sometimes spelled Claassen)
was born in 19 July 1748 (incorrectly stated 1758 in the Nesse book) in East
Frisia, which had recently become part of the Kingdom of Prussia (1744). He was the son of Claes Janssen and his first
wife Gretje Janssen. Because his birth
record is found in Nesse, it must have occurred somewhere in the Nesse area (record
found in a book of vital records from the Nesse region). Jan Claessen’s mother died when he was only
about four years old and he was raised by his father and step-mother Gesche Janssen. His childhood and adolescence took place around
the village Nesse, which was less than one mile southeast of Nessmersiel, a
large North Sea port (his mother died in 1752 at Nesse and his father remained
there until at least 1769). Jan would
follow his father, by profession, and became an arbeiter. A younger brother Folpt Siemens became a
baker, or a “backer.”
Jan married on 29 April 1781 at the
age of 32 to Margaretha Claessen, who like her husband, was probably the child
of a man named Claes (because her surname was Claessen). Jan and Margaretha were in Deich-und Sielrott
by 1782 (location of first child’s birth) and probably raised their children at
that location.
Jan Claessen known children:
Claas Janssen, born 1 January 1782 Deich-und Sielrott
Jacob Janssen, born 15 October 1785 Deich-und Sielrott
Later, they lived in Nessmersiel
(death location of Jan and Margaretha). Jan provided his children with training
for more specialized employment – that of a zimmermann, or carpenter. Probably between 1800 and 1811 (and possibly
earlier), Jan Claessen added Dröst as his surname. The addition of a non-patronymic surname was
tied to the military presence of French general (the eventual French Emperor) Napoleon
and his recent control over the region. By
1811, all Frisians were required to have a surname and so, Jan Claessen became
Jan Claessen Dröst. His children both
adopted the Dröst surname.
Nessersiel,
Aurich (pink) was a part of Holland (Netherlands) starting in 1806.
SURNAME DRÖST
Frisian
families used patronymic surnames following Dutch tradition. Frisian children in the eighteenth century
received their father’s given name as a surname with an added “s” or “sen” to
denote “the child of.” As the eighteenth century ended, patronymic surnames
began to disappear. Evidence from church
records point to Claes Janssen (c1720-c1790) as the source of the Dröst
surname. He was not born with the
surname nor does he actually appear to have ever actually adopted the name
(records do not recognize Jan as a Dröst).
For sure, two of Claes Janssen’s male children became Drösts – Jan
Claessen and Folpt Siemens. Jan and
Folpt could only have adopted the same surname if either a) they received it
from their father or b) they both had the same occupation. Jan was a day laborer and Folpt was a baker
and so, they must have become “Drösts” because that term in some way described
their father Claes Janssen. Records
indicate that when surnames became required, Frisians identified the oldest
living or common male ancestor and adopted his patronymic surname or a descriptor
(usually occupation) as a permanent surname.
Why was the
surname Dröst attributed to the family of Claes Janssen? Claes Janssen was an arbeiter. Arbeiter is a vague occupational description,
one that can refer to various jobs involving work or labor. In the Dutch lowlands such as Aurich, a “dröst”
was reportedly a steward or bailiff, an individual who managed or worked on a
farm. Therefore dröst appears to have
more specifically described Claes Janssen’s occupation as an arbeiter.
Claes Janssen expired
at some time before 1794. Areas around
Frisia began to pass laws requiring fixed surnames in the late eighteenth
century. For example, the duchy of
Schleswig near Frisia passed a law in 1771 requiring established surnames. Historically, many East Frisians resisted
this surname change and retained their patronymic surname tendencies until 1811.
Interestingly,
there were three other men who actually adopted Dröst as a surname, in addition
to the two sons of Claes Janssen. These
five total men were all born in the same generation and location (near Nesse). The father(s) of these other three men are
unknown which means that a) they were also the sons of an individual who was a
dröst by profession, b) they were themselves drösts by profession, or c) they
were sons of Claes Janssen (Dröst). Also
interesting to note, these Drösts all had different middle names (or
traditional Dutch patronymic surnames) which would seem to indicate different
fathers. But, Claes Janssen’s three
known sons had different middle names, or Dutch surnames. Also, Folpt Siemens Dröst had at least three
children, each of whom had a different middle name, or Dutch surname. Confusing…
The five men who appear to have taken or passed on the Dröst surname:
Claas Janssen (Dröst), born 1747, died 1801, occupation –
unknown
Jan Claessen (Dröst), born 1748, died 1815, occupation –
arbeiter
Jan Harmes (Dröst), born 1750, died 1812, occupation – arbeiter
Jan Nannen (unknown), born circa 1755, died unknown, occupation
– unknown
Wilke Gerdes (Dröst), born circa 1760, died 1824, occupation –
arbeiter
Folpt Siemens (Dröst), born circa 1765, died unknown, occupation
– backer
In 1806, East
Frisia was annexed to Holland which was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte as a part
of the French Empire. Napoleon required
political and cultural reform which changed elements of the Frisian social
structure. And so, by 1811 Frisians were required to adopt a consistent family
surname to distinguish individual families from each other (again, many had added
a permanent surname prior to this date).
Dröst was adopted as a surname no later than 1811 (recall Claes Janssen
died before 1794 and another Claas Janssen (from the list above) died in 1801,
before the 1811 date). Actually seeing the original birth, marriage, and death
records for all these family members may help descendants determine when Dröst
was actually used.
Jan Claessen Dröst’s wife
Margaretha died in Nessmersiel on 1 June 1812 at the age of about 64. Three years later at 67 years of age, Jan
Claessen Dröst passed away on 15 February 1815, also at Nessmersiel. Jan and Margaretha’s first son Claas Janssen
lived in Nesse where he raised children with wife Gesche Margaretha Eiben. He became a Dröst and died as Claas Janssen
Dröst at the age of 46 in Nesse. His
younger brother Jacob Janssen became a carpenter at his childhood home of
Deich-und Sielrott.