In May, the Dordt College Concert Choir will be touring in the Netherlands, about which I'm very excited. One stop, especially, is exciting to me -- Joure in Friesland is the home of virtually the entire Kornelis clan, at least as far back as Jacob Kornelis (1799-1890), who farmed near Joure. Jacob was the middle son of Wieberen Kornelis (1756-1822) and Wiegertje Halbes Kornelis; according to family lore, stubborn Frisian (redundant, I know) Wieberen,when forced under Napoleonic law in 1811 to choose a surname, said that "Kornelis was good enough" ... and so took it twice, becoming Wieberen Kornelis Kornelis, the first of a few "Dubbele" Kornelises. With thanks to my brother Ray, I've been exploring my roots a little bit. On paper it doesn't look all that impressive; then I consider that I'll be in the Netherlands with my own son, who can go back to his great-great-great-great-Grandfather Wieberen -- pretty cool.
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