Sophia DeBruijne

Sophia DeBruijne

(Special thanks to Nicole, for the picture!)

Sophia was born on March 1, 1844 in Ijzendijke, the second child and first girl of Cornelius DeBruijne and his wife Eugenia Francisca VerCruijsse DeBruijne.

This document basically states on the first of the month of March of 1844 Cornelis De Bruijne of Ijzendijke appeared before the Burgemeester (the mayor) to declare that a child was born to he and his wife, Eugenia Francisca Vercruijsse a girl who was given the name of Orthensia Sophia. At the time of her birth he was a bricklayer and Eugenia was a woman worker.  Witnesses were Johannes Francies Peeters, 39 years old, a farmer, and Abraham Leenhouts, 38 years old, also a farmer. They were chosen by the declarant.

Someone was kind enough to send me a link to how the last name may have been pronounced: Click to listen Which.. do not ask me to replicate! It translates as "the brown one" which is interesting as Cornelius was fair skinned, had blonde hair, and blue eyes according to his military record. According to one site, it may have also been referring to someone who habitually wore brown clothing, such as a monk or a cleric and nothing to do with the person's complexion.  But for all we know, Cornelius may have taken after his mother's side and not his father's. 

Ijzendijke, the town in which Sophia was born, is a small town in Zeeland, Netherlands, close the border of Belgium.

Sophia probably had very little memories of her time living there, as in 1848 the family chose to emigrate from their home and to the United States.  This may have been due to some different factors. I reached out to a group on facebook called "Dutch Genealogy" and a kind man named Willem helped by giving some insight into what those factors might be.

Belgische opstand (1830-1839) that caused Cornelius to be drafted, gave a lot of economic problems in the 1840s in the southern provinces. People were scared that the provinces would join the Belgian side, which meant that investments in those provinces lessened so created an economic donwnturn.  In 1845 the potato harvest was unsuccessful and life became difficult until around 1849

It is most likely due to this economic downturn that Cornelius and Francisca decided to leave.  According to their emigration reason Cornelius reported "improvement of existence." At the time of their departure, the family had grown to three children. A third son (Francois) had been born. Sophia also had an older brother, Johannes, who later changed the spelling of the DeBruijne name to DeBrine.

On April 22, 1848 the family boarded the Birtish Barque Sarah in Antwerp. The ship itself is described as a carvel-built, square-rigged ship, 536.95 tons, 128 feet long x 25.6 feet broad x 18.9 feet deep, with a woman figure on the stern. A Barque refers to a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore-and-aft. 

Sophia was four. I think they must have had the destination of Missouri in mind although I have yet to figure out who they may have known in the area as they were certainly not of German stock like most of the community that they joined. On the ship there were Germans, Belgians, and, of course, Dutch. Perhaps of these Germans were others traveling to Missouri. Of the 175 people on board, 4 died, all of whom appeared to be very young children.

Also unlike our German ancestors, they did not enter the US through New Orleans, but instead landed in New York on July 3, 1848 after a 72 day voyage.

At the time of the DeBruijne's immigration there was no central processing area, that would not come until 1855 when Castle Clinton was converted into Castle Garden, the country's main immigration center.  Sophia's parents would have instead met a custom collector at the docks.  In 1847 a state commison found that many frauds were being perpretrated against new arrivals and so by 1848 the state had leased a pier at the end of Hubert Street to process and protect immigrants from those who would take advantage of them.

If Cornelius and Francisca's daughter's Maria DeBruijne Kleffner's death certificate is accurate she was born in Westphalia in September of 1848 which means that the family may have traveled straight away to that area of Missouri.  I am unable to find them in the 1850 census.

By 1851 the family was definitely in Westphalia as the youngest child Theresia was baptized on Spetember 23, 1851 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. So in summary the children of Cornelius and Eugenia are as follows:

1. Johannes Bernardus DeBruijne b 2/26/1843
2. Sophia Constantia DeBruijne b. 3/1/1844
3. Francois Bernard DeBruijne b. 11/28/1846
4. Maria DeBruijne b. 9/11/1848
5. Theresia DeBruijne b. 8/18/1851

Their children were young enough that they probably picked up quickly on the language and customs around them.  It may have been more difficult for their parents. On December 26, 1852 tragedy struck the family as their mother passed away, leaving 5 young children, all under 10, behind. Seven years later tragedy followed in the death of their father, Cornelius, on February 5, 1859.  Sophia would have been almost 15.  

Sadly, all the children were split up among other households.  Sophia was found in the 1860 census as a servant in the home of Bernard Pohl. John, in the home of Christoph Surhoff, Theresia in the home of Liborius Kersting.  I have not been able to find Francois and I am not sure that he did not pass away between the time of their arrival and 1860 also.  I have not been able to trace him at all through any of the censuses, but have with the others. For the 1860 census I was also hardpressed to find Marie.

Between 1860 and 1863 Joseph Bax (the son of Johann Heinrich Bax and Anna Maria Theresia Knaup) met, and on April 7, 1863 they were married.  Sophia was 19 and Joseph was 26. It was his second marriage, his first wife Catherine Boekmann had passed away.  He, too, was an immigrant and was from Ostenland, Paderborn, Germany.  There was probably no language barrier between them, as I stated earlier Sophia was a young child when she immigrated and probably picked up German rather quickly.  

By 1870 the couple had three children:

1. Therese Anna Bax b. 1/28/1865

2. Elizabeth Bax b. 2/9/1867

3. John Bax b. 11/13/1868

By 1880 they had, had 5 more:

4. Henry Bax b. 1871

5. Frank Bax b. 8/10/1873

6. Anna Bax b. 11/30/1875

7. Benjamin Bax b. 1877

8. Peter Bax b. 2/12/1880 

Joseph and Sophia would only have one more child before his death, Sophia born May 30, 1882.  On September 26, 1884 in Jim Henry Township, Joseph was gored by a bull and after laying in a coma for 10 days passed at 6am on October 6. The cause of death was given as coma caused by effusion into the brain, which caused inflammation, and as a  result of extended Phlyonmous ereoypilos (Google has not come up with answers as to what this is supposed to be) of the face 10 days. I imagine this was a traumatic injury and that it was very hard for his wife.  

He was buried on October 7, 1884 at St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery in St. Elizabeth, Miller county, Missouri. His tombstone states Joseph husband of Sophia Bax.

It is amazing to think of what Sophia must have gone through in the days after.  She had nine children ranging from the age of nineteen to two years old. This is when Grandpa Peter Bax probably went to live with his oldest sister Therese who married John Lueckenotte in 1884. Unfortunately there is no 1890 census so it is difficult to say where the other children went to live, if they didn't live with Sophia. On August 23, 1887 Sophia remarried to William Talken, who was had also been widowed with 2 young children of his own. He was first married to Mary Veltrop who passed away on January 29, 1887.  He had 2 young children of his own: John born September 16, 1878 and Katherine born March of 1884.  

As I said there is no 1890 census so there's no way to know who was back in the household at that time. By 1900 all of her children with Joseph Bax were adults, the youngest Sophia would have been 18 at this point. 

The 1900 census finds Sophia and William living in Osage, Missouri.  It says that Sophia had 11 children, 9 of whom were living. I am unsure of when the 2 children who died, passed, or when they were born.  More research will have to be done in that regard. 

In the 1910 census it says that of her 11 children, 8 were living.  One of her sons, John, had died in the intervening years. 

Another census I wasn't able to find :( was the 1920 census. 

On March 21, 1926 at the age of 82 Sophia died of "chronic interstitial nephritis" of which she had been suffering of for 2 years. 

On April 2, 1926 she was buried at Saint Anthony of Padua Cemetery in Folk, Osage, Missouri. I am not sure why this cemetery was chosen for her as her first husband is buried in St. Elizabeth and her second husband who passed in 1939 is buried in Mary's Home. 

I cant say why, but I feel such a connection with Sophia.  She went through so much in her 82 years and kept going.  There was so much resiliency and strength of character. 

I could only find 3 pictures of her children so far.

Frank M. Bax (1873-1958)

Anna Bax (1875-1939)

Peter Bax (1880-1981)

As for Sophia Constantia DeBruijne's siblings:

John DeBrine married Mary Eiken

Francois (again unsure that he didnt die before I could find him on a census)

Maria married Joseph Kleffner

Theresia (unsure)

As always if you have more to add please let me know! I will add to this as I find more information namely:

Census records: 1850, 1870, 1920

Pictures: Therese, Elizabeth, John, Henry, Benjamin, Sophia

2 other children that Sophia had other than the 9 listed above