Jot, Geert 1818-1892 & Sarah Versteeg Family

JOT, YOT, YOTT, VERSTEEG, HOVERNIER, LAKEMAN, HENKE

Posted By: Wilma J. VandeBerg -volunteer (email)
Date: 2/14/2025 at 05:00:13

Jot, Geert 1818-1892 and Sarah Versteeg Family

This biography of the Geert Jot /Yot family was composed by Wilma J. Vande Berg of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. The narrative was made from various sources including records from the web site www.iagenweb.org/sioux ; family reports and vitals collected from ancestry.com records and public member trees; Find A Grave index and various local archives, books and publications.

Disclaimer: Names, dates and places may very form one source to another, but have been stated in this biography as presented in the source. Family data taken from ancestry.com public member trees is subject to the accuracy of the submitter of data to ancestry.com and was not verified by this submitter. Information was cross checked from other sources where possible. The sources for information on the Oregon Wagon Train were passed on to the author of the book ‘Story of Sioux County’ by Charles Dyke in personal interviews in 1939 with grandchildren of the some of the families in the movement, published in 1942.

Geert Jot family was involved in a Wagon Train that left Pella Iowa in 1864 and six months later arrived in Oregon after a grueling over land trip enduring many hardships. Our web page www.iagenweb.org/sioux has set up a page with accounts of that journey. See ‘Onsite Resources’ go to Biographies ‘Wagons Ho’ the 1864-1870 Oregon Trail, to read about what this family and others who experienced the wagon trip endured. There are actual transcriptions of vivid accounts of the Oregon Trail experience on pages 402-414 and pages 429-430. In the page 429-430 it mentions “in the group were families of Leendert Van Der Meer, Dirk Van Den Bos, C. Newendorp, Dirk Van Der Meer, Lutje Mars, Wopke De Haan, Hannes Klein, also other names on this trip have been lost and our three informants, Mr. John Ellerbroek, Mrs. H. B. Bogaard and Mrs. Mary Ellerbroek-Hornstra, can recall only the following: ,Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Jongewaard and three children; Mr. and Mrs. Geert Jot; Mr. and Mrs. Theunes Burggraf;  Mr. and Mrs. Lutje Mars and step children Isaac De Vries, Peter and John and Mary Ellerbroek, and children Simon and Alida; Mr. and Mrs. John Stoutenburg; and Mr. and Mrs. Rysdam. (Therefore, it has been assumed that the Geert Jot family traveled with that Oregon Wagon Train). That is confirmed in the account of the family on ancestry.com, as children were born in Oregon and death of Geert and his wife in Oregon.

Although a good many of the original band that made the Oregon Trail trip 1864-1870 came back to the Pella, IA area in late 1860s. One can guess that the reason was those families missed their past home land in the Pella area and the civil war was over so they would not have to serve in the military. Also, it was determined the soil in the area they settled in Oregon was wet and swampy leading to complications in health and agriculture.

The family of Geert Dirksz Jot, however, did stay in Oregon so consequently, did not ultimately end up in Sioux County IA. The second wife of Geert was Celeke ‘Setske’ ‘Sarah’ Versteeg who was intermingled with the VerSteeg families that were prominent in the Pella and also later in the Sioux County Iowa areas. Therefore, the family of Geert Jot has been included in this BIOS section of our web page relating to the Journey from Pella to Oregon by way of the Oregon Wagon trail.

If anyone reading this BIOS has family records that can substantiate and reveal stories of involvement of this family in the Oregon Trail experience, please contact our page coordinator to add the information at www.iagenweb.org/sioux

TIME LINE – Researched:
*1849 Geert Jot immigrated from Netherlands. He is listed in the Pella Iowa Souvenir book as immigrating in the fall of 1849. No wife indicated. Later found the Geert Dirks Tot (Jot) immigration record on ancestry.com immigrant passenger lists as arriving May 11, 1848 New York, age 29, he was a shipper, his wife was Bregje Tot (Jot) age 30. they were on the ship F. G. Wichelhausen.
* 1849 Immigration 5 Mar 1849 of Dorothea (stated as Theodore in record) Versteeg 53, with daughter Seetshe (Celeke) age 23, Dirkje age16 (Later Mrs. Bernhard Van Spanckeren) , Gertje (Later Mrs. Garrit Van Rheenen) age 11.
*1849-1850 Bregje Lakeman Jot died as she was not on census of 1850. No death record found.
*1850 Census of Lake Prairie Marion IA Geert D. Tot (Jot) age 32, born 1818, Netherlands, had a trucking service, was 32 yrs. No other information, ancestry.com entry states his wife died before1850.
*1852 Geert Jot married Sarah Versteeg (1826-1907) on 14 Jan 1852 Marion Co. IA.
*1856 Geert D. Jot age 38 born Netherlands lived in Lake Prairie Marion County IA married to Sarah Jot 30, children Hannah Jot 2, Dirkje Jot abt 3.
*1860, 2 Aug 1860 Enumeration date Geert D. Jot lived in Lake Prairie, Marion IA. In agriculture.
*1860 census of Lake Prairie Tsp, Marion Co. IA, Geert D. Jat (Jot) was 42 born about 1818, wife was Setske Jot 34, children Johanna 7, John 2 and Dirk 6 mo.
*1870 census In 1870 living in Rock Creek Clackamas OR. George Yot 51, wife Sarah Yot 42, children Anna Yot 15, John Yot 12, Dirk Yot 16, Garritt Yot 2.
*1880 census – Found J. (John) Jot age 20, born IA living at Fulton, Multnomah, OR as a laborer.
Also found D. Yott age 19 born about 1861 Iowa living at Portland Mulnomah OR a laborer.
*1880 census of Marshfield, Clackamas OR Garrot Eot (Jot) was 62 years wife Sarah Eot (Jot) was 54 Children Garrot T. Eot(Jot) was 12 born in OR and Son Willie Eot (Jot) was 10 born in OR.
*1892 on 13, Aug, G. D. Jot 74 years died at Portland OR.

FAMILY RESEARCH - From www.wiewaswie.nl , Find A Grave Index, Ancestry.com vitals records and public member trees submitted by other than this submitter.

Geert ‘George’ Dirksz Jot was born 13 Mar 1818 Enkhuizen Noord Holland, Netherland and died 1892 Multnomah County, Oregon. Geert was the son of Dirk Reinsz Jot and Hiltje Hovernier. He married
Bregje Lakeman 4 Jan 1846 Enkhuizen Noord Holland Netherlands.

First wife – Geert Dirksz Jot a Schipper born 1818, on 4 Jan 1846 at Enkhuizen, Noord Holland, age 27, married Bregje Lakeman age 28, he was the son of Dirk Rainsz Jot and Hiltje Hovernier. Bregje’s parents were Freek Lakeman and Maartje Jongewaard. They had a 4 months old son, Dirk Jot died 14 Mar 1847 Enkhuizen. www.wiewaswie.nl

Second wife – Celeke ‘Sytske’ ‘Sarah’ Versteeg born 1826 died Apr 1907 Multnomah County OR.
She was found to be Celeke Versteeg born 8 Apr 1826 Vuren, Gelderland, Netherlands to Jan Cornelius Versteeg born 6 Nov 1793 Herwijnen, Gelderland, Netherlands and died 9 Sep 1847 Vuren Gelderland Netherlands; and Dorothea Henke born 27 Apr 1795 Vuren Gelderland Netherlands and died Dec 1859 Union Marion Co. IA.

CHILDREN of Geert Jot and Sarah VerSteeg . Found on Find a Grave and Ancestry.com public member trees submitted by other than this submitter and is subject to errors.
1. Johanna ‘Anna’ Jot/Yott born 1853-1854 Marion County IA, was 15 yrs in 1870. No further information found as to marriage, spouse or death.
2. Dirkje Jot Jan 1856- died before 1860 in Marion Co. IA
3. John Jot 1858 Marion County, IA was alive 1880 in Oregon, died 1893 Portland OR.
4. Dirk Jot born abt Jan 1860 Marion County IA died 11 Aug 1956 Little Rock, Pulaski,AR No further information found.
5. Garrett Jot/ Yott born Aug 1867 Oregon, died 2 July 1935 Los Angeles CA He marred Rhoda Ellen
Adams 1874-1972 Multnomah, OR 1898. 1900 census at Gresham, Multnomah OR, lists Garrett Yott 32, Rhoda Yott 26, and Lauretta Yott 8 mo. 1920 census living at Pasadena CA, daughter Verlie Yott 16. Children of Garret Yott: (a) Lauretta Irene Yott born 8 Sep 1899 Sycamore Multnomah OR died 21 Sep 1980 Pasadena LA, CA. She married Paul Henry Stanger 1895-2005. They had children – Kendall Paul Stanger 1920-2005 and Norman Robert Stanger 1922-1999. (b) Verlie Ethel Yott on 23 Jan 1901 Portland OR to Garrett Yott and Rhoda Ellen Adams. She married Robert Downing Hemingway 1904-1961.
6. William ‘Willie’ Jot born 1870 as found in the 1880 census of Marshfield, Clackamas OR. No further information found.

Summary: Because this family stayed in Oregon, the submitter found it difficult to find obituary accounts and additional records on the family and the children’s lives. If anyone reads this narrative and can add information please contact our page coordinator listed on our web page at www.iagenweb.org/sioux.