Is Jacob Jans Colk really Jacob Kolk?

I MAYBE....just maybe....found Jacob Kolk in the New York Passenger Lists! I can't be sure, but there is nothing in the record that would discourage me from believing this is him! Here is bit I found about Jacob in the New York Passengers List database on Family Search.

 Here is what I can see on the ship manifest

• Name: Jacob Jans Colk
• Event Type: Immigration
• Event Date: 1852
• Event Place: New York City, New York, United States
• Gender: Male  
• Age: 29    
• Birth Year (Estimated): 1823  
• Birthplace: Netherlands
• Ship Name: Victoria 

CITATION

"New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16946-45639-52?cc=1849782 : accessed 27 January 2016), 112 - 24 Apr 1852-11 May 1852 > image 253 of 837; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

So how does this compare to what I already know about Jacob Kolk?

Well, first of all, let's look at the surname. Today I know it is KOLK, with a 'K'. However, this is not the first time I have some across the spelling COLK, with a 'C'. The first census record I've found for Jacob list him as COLK in the 1870 census. Because he is living in the same township with the same family members as he is found in later censuses, I have no problem saying this Jacob is my Jacob KOLK. The surname spelling on the ship manifest is not an issue for me.

I can also look at the birth information. The ship manifest states Jacob is 29 years old and was born in the Netherlands. I have found numerous sources that state my Jacob Kolk was born in Holland, one census record states his birth occurred in Sep 1822. He would have been 20 years old at the time of this sailing in Apr/May 1952; he would not have turned 30 until September. So the birth information is consistent with what I know.

What information did I not have until now? One piece of new information is the full name. I have never had a middle name for Jacob. Whether or not this is my Jacob, and I now have a middle name for him is uncertain.

I also had no year of immigration. I have always assumed that Jacob Jacob came over in the early 1860s, simply because I've been unable to find him in the 1860 census, and I knew the family was in Illinois at the time of birth of his oldest son, James, in Sept 1864. I need to look a little harder for Jacob in the 1860 census, perhaps expanding my search outside of Illinois!

I also notice that there is no Mary Colk/Kolk traveling with Jacob. I have always assumed that Jacob and Mary married before the came to the United States and traveled here together. It makes a pretty picture! However, I also have always wondered how it came to be that the met, as Jacob was born in Holland and Mary was born in Bavaria! I always thought that was a remarkable coincidence. The fact that Mary does not show up on the ship manifest does not necessarily mean they did not meet and marry in Europe. It was not unusually for men to come to the US without their families and send for them later! However, I now have to rethink this. The first born child of Mary and Jacob was James, in 1864. If the Jacob on the ship manifest is indeed my Jacob Kolk, this would mean James was born 12 years after Jacob came to the United States; a long time later if Jacob and Mary were married at the time! It's possible that Mary traveled to the United States separately from Jacob, and did not meet and marry until after they were both here, possibly in the early 1860s. I also need to look for a marriage record for Mary and Joseph, as well as any ship manifest that might indicate Mary traveled here as Mary SCHMIDT!

One other interesting thing I came across is just a few lines above the listing for Jacob Jans COLK. On the same page I see Jans Jans COLK.

There is no indication that they are related or that they were traveling companions. However, there is another KOLK family in Illinois with many of the same names found in the Jacob KOLK family. They settle a little north of here in Whiteside County, IL, but I have always wondered if there is a family connection. I have another avenue to explore!

You can see the complete record here on Family Search.
If you have information to add to this or a correction to make, please leave a comment or contact me!

Thanks to Michael John Neill and his Genealogy Search Tip blog for keeping me updated on genealogy resources. If you don't follow him, you should!