Hendrikus NIJHUIS                                                                         

Maria SCHOENMAKER

Children

♂ nn Nijhuis

♀  Bernardus Johannes Antonius Nijhuis

♂  Johanna Gezina Maria Nijhuis 

♀  Johannes Frederikus Antonius Nijhuis

♀ nn Nijhuis

Hendrik (Hennek of Hackelis) was approximately 1.60m and had a heavy and stocky build. At his prime he was incredibly strong. He had blue eyes and dark blond hair.

He went to primary school in the “Piet Mans Kolkstraat” in Borne which was a so called  "neutral" school. It was thus named because in those days there were actually no Roman Catholic schools in the village. His teacher was Hr. Heijmerickx. At school he excelled in mathamatics. He enjoyed this very much and  was therefore reflected in his results.

As a young man he helped in his father’s café and butchery, "De Bonte Koe”. But sadly this was sold after the death of his father, resulting in the fact that he  had yet to learn a trade. He joined the firm. Lederboer to work as an apprentice turner, his teacher was Kobus Slot. Here he made good progress, but when the factory went up in flames, he had to  go and work in a factory in Hengelo, Machinefabriek Stork. He was a good craftsman so he often had to work at night. He was incredibly precise both in his work and in his private life.

He was convinced of his abilities. Many times he had trouble with his superiors, for that very reason. He continued to work at Stork until his 55th birthday. At that time the economy was bad, so he had to retire early.

He married at the age of 29 with Maria Shoemaker from Hengelo, but because of his stubborn and cocky nature he refused to live in Hengelo, even though his father in law had already built a house for them there. They then went to live in the Grotestraat, corner of Ennnekedijk in Borne.

Maria was a humble, God fearing woman. She was of utmost caracter and tried as far as it lay in her ability to help her neighbours . Many times she brought food to needy people. She had a very strong faith and was a convincing St. Anthony worshiper often praying to him in times of trouble. She didn’t approve of excessiveness. She only purchased goods that were practical, they were  therefore also very precise on food.

After 14 years of having lived in the Grotestraat they planned to move to the Oude Hengeloseweg. But eight days before they moved Maria passed away, probably due to pleurisy. The date was Thursday, September 27th 1928.

Hendrikus couldn’t adjust to the fact that he was now a widower. Suddenly he was alone which was very uncomfortable for him. In his marriage Maria was the one that arranged everything, from housekeeping to raising the children. He would never interfere with the daily routine. And so it was that his daughter Johanna (at the age of 20) took over as mother (to her two brothers) and housekeeper.

In his spare time Hendrikus played trombone in the local orchestra, “Bornse Harmonie”. It was his hobby, although he didn’t always like to play. At one time he woke late in the morning to find his orchestra members waiting at the door. He didn’t feel like playing at all, but the orchestra couldn’t perform without him so he had to join them, no matter how he felt! In terms of character, he was quick tempered, short in stature and stubborn. He did not care what people thought or said about him! But he was of good character and had a lot of time for his children. He was a nature lover and also very creative.

At the age of 80 he contracted  jaundice from which he never really recovered. Three months before his 87th birthday, on Thursday January 9th  1962, he passed away at his home in the Oude Henegeloseweg.

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Hendrikus NIJHUIS - Facts