The Sparreboom family

What do we now know about this family after more than thirty years of research? Where have they lived over the years, and do they still live there?

As far as we know, we are not of noble descent. That was not, in any case, the reason for tracing our family tree. However, most members of this family have served our society in all sorts of ways. They include seafarers, headteachers, papermakers, CFOs, metalworkers, artists, councillors, footballers, farmers, merchants, engineers, carpenters and GPs. And many have also practised professions that no longer exist; do take a look at ‘Old Professions’.

IJsselmonde

A significant part of the family comes from IJsselmonde, a very old village that has been part of Rotterdam since 1941. The area was first mentioned as early as 1072, and over time a number of castles were built there, all of which have since been destroyed. It was here that the progenitor ‘Adriaen Adriaensz.’ was born around 1540, from whom many members of the Sparre family are descended…

Groningen

OK, many Sparreboms come from IJsselmonde, but another significant part of the family comes from Oude– and Nieuwe Pekela in Groningen! That’s on the other side of the country, and they’ve been living there for at least 10 generations. At present, we cannot say with certainty whether the various branches are related or whether it is a coincidence that people have adopted the same surname. The progenitor of this branch was called Jacob Jans and was born around 1595.