This time not a story or fairy tale, but some facts about our forebears of the Smid line, which goes back to the late 1500th's!

1 GERBEN Around 1585 a baby saw for the first time in his life into the eyes of his mother. Who she was we do not know. Her child's name however, was Gerben, and that is all we know about our first known forefather. The baby Gerben in time got married with who, we again don't know, but became the father of at least one male child, whom he named Wytse Gerbens, (the s after the second name stands for son, in other parts of the world the name would have been Gerbenson,) thus Wytse Gerbens was the a son of Gerben, our first forebear, who was born approximately in 1585. The reason that we do not know for sure that date we can blame on those who destroyed the baptism records of the Roman Catholic church.

2 WYTSE GERBENS,1690- ? , from Terwispel, between Drachten and Heerenveen in Fryslan, X (stands for married) ? from ? They had at least one son Hendrik Wytses. The name of his wife again is unknown.

3 HENDRIK WYTSES, 1730- ? from Terwispel, X TRIJNTJE JOHANNA POSTUMA 1760 - ? from Gorredijk; they got four children, Antje, Johannes, Willemke, and Tjerkje.

4 JOHANNES HENDRIKS SMIT, 1764- ? from Lippenhuizen, X WYTSKE HENDRIKS, 1678 - ?, from Terwispel, in 1795. They got also four children, Hendrik Johannes, Jan George, Jan George, and Tsjitske. Jan George died very young so the following baby received the same name.

5 HENDRIK JOHANNES SMID, 1797- ? from Lippenhuizen, X GRIETJE SIPKES DE BOER, 1802- 1876 fromDuurswoude, in 1826; they got six children, Betje, Wytske, Sipke Hendrik, Grietje, Janke, and Johannes.

6 SIPKE HENDRIKS SMID, 1831-1882 from Lippenhuizen, X ANTJE ROELFS van HOUTEN, 1833-1871 from Haulerwijk; they got five children, Grietje, Hendrik, Roelofje, Betje, and Fokke.

*My grandparents, Fokke Smid and Aukje Slofstra*

7 FOKKE SMID, 1869-1949 from Duurswoude, X AUKJE SLOFSTRA 1873-1956 from Haulerwijk, in 1897. they got nine children, one daughter and eight sons, Lumke, Sipke, Jan, Hendrik, Anne, Bernardus, Roelof, Daniel, and Bertus.

8 HENDRIK SMID 1904-1989 from Donkerbroek, X Jacobje Roelevink 1908-1975 from Mirns- Bakhuizen, in 1930. They got seven children, Leffert, Aukje, Fokke, Jan, Sipke, Durk, and Anne.

9 LEFFERT SMID, 1931- ? from Hijum Fr., X Anje Smit, 1935-2008 from Zeerijp Gr., in 1955. They got four children, Janice Ida, Deborah Grace, Leonard Hendrik, and Jacqueline Audrey.

10 Janice Ida Smidborn 1957 in Winnipeg, Man. Canada married in 1981Erwin van Diermen, born 1957, from Victoria BC. They have five children, Mark, Dustin, Alexis, Dylan, and Tara

11 Mark Leonard van Diermen born 1978 in Richmond BC,marriedLaura Leigh, they have three children gen 12

11 Dustin Tijmen van Diermen born 1982 in Langley BC, married Denée Kerbrat, they have four children, gen. 12

11 Alexis Elisabeth-Anne, born 1988 in Langley BC, married Aaron Toews, they have one child, gen.12

11 Dylan Erwin, born 1988 in Abbotsford BC, married Natasha Mollison, they have two children, gen 12

10 Deborah Grace Smid, born 1959 in Vancouver,BC, married in 1979 Randy Williams, born 1958,

from Vancouver BC. They got three children, Katie Anne, Christopher John, and Megan Elyse, gen. 11.

They divorced each other and then remarried.

Randy married Nena Sadavol, theylive in Mexico, had one daughter together, who tragically passed away.

10 Deborah married Allan McLeod, theylive in Devon (Philadelphia)USA.

11 Katie Anne, born in 1980 in Vancouver BC, is in a relation with Peter Bushell. They have one boy, Lennin, gen. 12, who is two years old, and named in part after my deceased son Len.

11 Christopher John, born 1982 in Vancouver BC, is up to now single.

11 Megan Elyse, born 1988 in Vancouver BC, married in 2016 with Justin Nodecker from Hope BC. They have a daughter, Georgia Mae, gen. 12, who is two.

10 Leonard Hendrik Smid, born 1961 in Vancouver BC, died in Boil Alberta in 1979

10 Jacqueline Audrey Smid, born 1965 in Vancouver BC married in 19 Allen J Nielsen, born 1964 in

Vancouver BC. They got two children, Jesse Daniel, and Tyler Allen, gen 11.

11 Jesse Danielborn 1988, is not in a relationship so far, or am I mistaken Jesse?

11 Tyler Allen born 1991, is thus far in no relationship either, as far as I know, love you both

9 AUKJE SMID, born 1930 in Hijum Fr., X MARTEN HEIDA born 1929 in Echten Fr., they have six children, Jacobje (Cobie), Jan, Hendrik Anne, Ruurd Pieter, Fertile, and Femmigje Elisabeth, gen.10.

9 FOKKE (Frank) SMID, born 1934, from Hijum Fr., X HILDA van LEYEN, from Hattum Neth, they got three children, Ellen, Hendrik, and Esmé, gen. 10. Their children aregeneration 11, and their children are gen. 12. Frank will further straighten things out.

9 JAN (JOHN) SMID, born 1935 in Leeuwarden Fr., X SAARTJE (SARINA) van HEYST, they got three children Howard, Linda, and Beverly, gen. 10. John can figure it out further.

9 SIPKE (SIDNEY) SMID, 1937 in Hijum Fr., X AUDREY van der HOEK; from Richmond BC; they got four children, Audrey, Jacqueline, Hendrik, and Paula gen. 10

9 DURK SMID, born 1944 in Oosterzee Fr, X ANTONIA STAM from Zwolle, Neth.; they got their first child, Henrietta, in the Netherlands, the other four in Canada, Henk Allen, Sandra Jacqueline, Corwin Jason, and Marcel, gen.10. The children of gen. 10 are gen. 11(duh), and their children gen 12

9 ANNE SMID, born 1946 in Heerenveen Fr., X Froukje de Vries 1946 from Ens NOP in 1970, they have no children.

Most of this information I have from uncle Bernardus Smid, who got his knowledge from his brothers, including my father Hendrik Smid, and we know that even though our father was great in many things, in accuracy he was as bad as I am. Therefore, allow for mistakes and omissions. The reason I went through all this work (trouble) is to find out how many names Beppe Aukje Smid nee Slofstra every night brought before the throne of God, as was mentioned many times by her daughter and sons, and how long that would take her.

Uncle Bernardus estimated she had including the in-laws about three hundred to petition but that was mentioned several years after grandmother's dead in 1956, anyone born after 1956 are of course not included, for she never knew them. Beppe was a very loving person, she was a great mother and grandmother, and after her dead one of her sons said that 'a mother of Israel' was taken away from them. What he really meant with that exactly I don't know, but since everyone did concur with that statement proves that he could not have stated it any better.

I have only included the line from the fourth child of my grandparents, Fokke and Aukje Smid, the line of Hendrik (and Jacobje Smid,) gen. 8; the army of cousins that are not counted, (the offspring of my father Hendrik's brothers and sister) would fill many, many more pages, and will only be mentioned as they appear in future stories. When Henrietta, the oldest daughter of Durk and Tony Smid, gen.10, got married, I calculated that by the year 2000, a century after my grandparent's Fokke and Aukje Smid's (gen. 7) wedding, beppe Aukje Smid (in-laws included,) would have to have 2000 names to bring before the throne of grace. So far I have not been able to locate those notes.