Life History of Arie Roothoff

Click to enlarge the image of Arie Roothoff

Arie Roothoff was born on 31 August 1874 in the village of Bennebroek (North-Holland), the son of Johannes Roothoff (1843-1895) and Elisabeth Alderliesten (1842-1901). He emigrated on 10 July 1889 to Cordova in Argentina with his parents, his brother Johannes (born 1876) and his sister Hendrika (born 1887). Arie was 14 years old when he emigrated, just a young boy. The influence of South-America probably made him a less moral man during the rest of his life. The reason for the family's emigration is not known, but it ended in a drama. Arie's father and his brother Johannes got cholera and both died on 25 February 1895 in Rosario de Santa Fé. Arie, 19 years old, left on his own from Argentina to Holland and arrived at 16 September 1893 in Haarlem (two years before his father's death). His mother and sister Hendrika arrived in Holland two years later in 1895.

Arie did not have any other family in Holland. He found a place to live in the home of uncle, Willem Roodhoff (1853-1902), mr.barber, who was unmarried and living in Haarlem (North-Holland). Arie's uncle was the younger brother of his father and lived with his grandmother, the widow Hendrina Roothoff-Van der Putten. On 16 October 1894, Arie departed from Haarlem to Dordrecht (South-Holland) and reported to his uncle Leendert Alderliesten, a brother of his mother. Uncle Leendert talked to Aafje de Koning, who owned a ship with her son Dirk, a shipper. Arie found and accepted a job as barge hand. However, the relationship between Dirk and Arie was not pleasant, and Arie left the ship.

The above-mentionned Aafje de Koning, married to Jan Stolk, had a young daughter Hendriksje Stolk, born 26 October 1876 in the little village of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht (near Dordrecht). Arie was in love with this 16-year-old girl, and made her pregnant. Her son Jan Johannes Stolk was born Dordrecht on 8 May 1895 and was baptized (Dutch Reformed) in the Augustijnenkerk in Dordrecht 2 June 1895. Hendriksje and Arie were married three months later on 3 October 1895 in Dordrecht. Arie declared to the officer of the Civil Regristration that Jan Johannes was his son. The name Jan Johannes was later changed to John Johannes (1895-1986).

In Dordrecht, Arie and Hendriksje contacted Mormon missionaries, and both were baptized in Dordrecht. Arie was baptized on 29 January 1897 by Willem Jacobus de Brij and confirmed on 30 January 1897 by Andrew Jensen. Hendriksje was baptized on 1 May 1897 by Willem Jacobus de Brij and confirmed on 2 May 1897 by Herman B. Denkers.

In Rotterdam there was a larger congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as LDS) and on 22 October 1897 they moved to the Oudaenstraat number 64, which was a beautiful street in that time and still exists. Arie and Hendriksje had four children:

1. Jan Johannes (John) ROOTHOFF, born/baptized in Dordrecht 8 May/2 June 1895, died in Salt Lake City on 13 April 1986, married in S.L.C. on 14 December 1921 to Maria Engelina VEENENDAAL, born in Rotterdam on 1 August 1898, died in Parowan (Utah) on 4 April 1972, daughter of Dirk Jan Veenendaal and Dirkje Maria Lapperre.
2. Wilhelmina Jacoba (Wil) ROOTHOFF, born in Dordrecht 4 April 1897, died in Fijnaart (North-Brabant) on 21 February 1987, married in Rotterdam on 30 November 1921 to Willem Jacobus PAAIJ, born in Rotterdam on 19 November 1896, stucco-worker + secton of the L.D.S-Church in Rotterdam, died in Fijnaart on 5 November 1979.
3. Aafje Elisabeth ROOTHOFF, born in Rotterdam 25 November 1898, died in S.L.C. on 9 December 1925, married on 8 September 1921 (S.L.C. ??) with Willem Aart VAN DER LINDEN, born 1894 in Rotterdam, death unknown.
4. Dirk ROOTHOFF, born in Rotterdam on 31 March 1900, died in he same town 4 August 1905.

However, working in a milk shop on the same street, Oudaenstraat, number 52 was the 18-year-old JACOBA VAN DRIEL, born in Oud-Beijerland on 29 August 1882, died in Rotterdam 22 December 1959. She is the grandmother of Bram van Evelingen. Her family belonged to a strong Calvinistic Church, and her father preached in separate sheds because no minister was strong enough in the faith. Jacoba and Hendriksje became friends, and both found each other very to be very sympathetic. Naturally, they spoke about religion, and Jacoba wanted to become member of the LDS Church. She was baptized on 3 October 1899 in Rotterdam by Jan Meybos Kzn and confirmed on 4 October 1899 by J. Draayer. Arie snapped his fingers at restrictions against polygamy for he had the opinion that this law was not intended for him and that he had te right to marry more women. So he started a connection with Jacoba van Driel and moved in with her on 19 June 1900 at the address: Nieuwe Vogelezang 5 and 24 July 1900 Zinkerweg 36 in Rotterdam. Hendriksje didn't accept and 4 March 1901 she divorced from Arie Roothoff and she got from the justice the four children. The relationship between Arie and Jacoba did not occur without consequences,
two children

1. JACOBA ADRIANA, born 29 April 1901 (my aunt)
2. JACOB, born on 10 June 1902 (the father of Bram van Evelingen)

The LDS church took steps too: both were excommunicated 4 March 1901 in Rotterdam; Arie was excommunicated because of adultery and Jacoba was excommunicated because of vice.

Bram van Evelingen, asked his grandma in 1955, why she started a relationship with a married man ? She answered: Arie was a very charming person and I was an innocent and naive girl and I loved him. He convinced me, I was too a member of the LDS church, it was allowed to have two relationships and I believed him.

My grandmother, Jacoba, didn't want to marry Arie, because he started a new relation- ship with another woman. In the beginning of this story, I mentioned that Arie arrived in Holland in 1893 from Argentina and found a place to live in the home of his unmarried uncle Willem Roodhoff. This uncle was born in Heemstede (North-Holland) on 8 October 1853 and married in Haarlem on 19 February 1896 to a woman who was 13 years younger, CATO LEM, born in Haarlem on 30 January 1866.

Cato Lem already had a child, Josina Elisabeth, born Apeldoorn (Gelderland) 27 February 1889 (seven years before Cato's marriage with Willem !). This was very clear an illigitimate child, but was later admitted by Willem in 1896.

Arie first met his aunt Cato during the burial of his mother, Elisabeth Alderliesten, on 26 November 1901 in Haarlem. I have information from family in Haarlem that from this moment Arie began a close relationship with Cato. When her husband, Willem died on 5 October 1902 in Haarlem, Arie loved two women: Jacoba and Cato. He preferred Cato, and on 12 October 1903 he left Holland with Cato and her 14-year-old daughter Betsy (Josina Elisabeth) on a ferry from Hoek van Holland to Winchmore Hill in England.

Arie married Cato Roodhoff - Lem on 4 December 1903 in Edmonton in County Middlesex (North-London) in the Register Office (not in church). He was 29 years old, gardener, unmarried and living in a Bush Hill Cottage. Cato was 36 years old, a widow, and living in a Bush Hill Cottage.

Cato travelled back to Haarlem on 23 February 1906 and declared to the Parish Register she was a WIDOW. When she was old 55 years she married in Haarlem on 3 March 1921 to an "old" man Dirk Boelhouwers, who was 73 years old and a widower since 1919. He died in Haarlem on 24 September 1923. However, in this marriage-act no mention was made of a divorce with Arie Roothoff, only that Cato was the widow of Willem Roodhoff. It's very clear: Cato did not mention in Haarlem her marriage of 1903 in England !!!

I believe Arie didn't die in Holland because I have investigated all possibillities through government records. May-be he returned to Belgium or even to Argentina, the country of his youth. I'm still searching in London to find the record of the divorce with Cato Lem and a new marriage with an English woman.

This is the story of Arie Roothoff as far as I know. I do hope that I and the whole family in the USA will find the solution to this strange biography.

Bram van Evelingen The Netherlands February 2004