Seeking the Verest connection

Some time ago I wrote an article titled Those baffling Belgians. At that time, I noted an apparent connection between my wife Dee’s Van Zandt ancestors and the Chicago family of Alphonse and Marie Verest. I also noted that Dee had a DNA match on Ancestry who is a descendant of Paulinus and Magdalena Dettling Verest. Paul and Lena also lived in Chicago in the early twentieth century.

It seemed that Alphonse and Paul Verest were related. I suspected that Alfonse might have been Paul’s uncle, but sketchy reports of parentage seemed inconsistent. I have revisited this question after recent contact from Debra, Dee’s DNA match. I still haven’t proven the connection, but I have found more supporting evidence.

Paul Verest’s arrival in America, 1899

Paulinus Verest sailed on the ship S.S. Nederland from Antwerp, Belgium on June 1, 1899. He arrived in Philadelphia on June 15. His passage is recorded in passenger lists held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Paul is listed as entry 18, visible in images 941 and 940 of the FamilySearch digital database.[1]

What does this record tell us?

 

Paulinus Verest was recorded in the ship manifest as being 20 years and 5 months old, which is consistent with other records giving his birth date as December 29, 1878.[2] He is identified as a shoemaker by trade. The 1910, 1920 and 1930 census enumerations report that Alphonse Verest was a shoemaker as well. Paulinus’s last residence was Buggenhout in East Flanders, Belgium, which is where Alphonse married Maria Meert in 1890.

 

Paulinus was reported to have a ticket to his final destination in Chicago, which was paid for by an uncle. Paulinus was going to join uncle A.F. Verest living at 651 W. 14^thPlace in Chicago. Alphonse was identified as Felix Alfons Verest in the February 1889 birth registration of his daughter Maria Gabriella Meert, daughter of Anna Maria Meert. Incidentally, Paulinus was reported in the ship manifest to be able to read and write, and to be in possession of $5.00. The manifest supplement indicated that Paulinus was of the Roman Catholic religion.

 

Verests in Chicago, 1900

Searching in the 1900 U.S. Census enumeration, I found the Alfred Verest household in the 9^thWard of Chicago at 606 W. 14^thStreet.[3] The following people were recorded in the household:

W. 14th Street, house number 606, dwelling visitation number 79, family visitation number 148, Alfred Verest household

• Alfred Verest, head, white male, born in January 1862, age 38, married 11 years, born in Belgium, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, immigrated in 1889, 11 years in US, naturalized, provision dealer, 0 months not employed, can read, can write, can speak English, rents house
• Mary Verest, wife, white female, born in March 1862, age 38, married 11 years, mother of 4 children, 3 living, born in Belgium, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, immigrated in 1889, 11 years in US, can read, can write, can speak English
• Lillian Verest, daughter, white female, born in January 1890, age 10, single, born in Illinois, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, at school 9 months, can read, can write, can speak English
• Raymond Verest, son, white male, born in July 1894, age 5, single, born in Illinois, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, at school 9 months, can read, can write, can speak English
• Jennie Verest, daughter, white female, born in May 1896, age 4, single, born in Illinois, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium
• Emma Van Zandt, boarder, white female, born in August 1883, age 16, single, born in Belgium, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, immigrated in 1889, 11 years in US, grocery clerk, 0 months not employed, can read, can write, can speak English
• Louis Van Zandt, boarder, white male, born in October 1877, age 22, single, born in Belgium, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, immigrated in 1889, 11 years in US, naturalized, printer, 0 months not employed, can read, can write, can speak English
• Charles Van Zandt, boarder, white male, born in June 1881, age 18, single, born in Belgium, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, immigrated in 1889, 11 years in US, printer, 0 months not employed, can read, can write, can speak English
• Charles Millman, boarder, white male, born in January 1858, age 42, single, born in Belgium, father born in Belgium, mother born in Belgium, immigrated in 1895, 5 years in US, porter, 0 months not employed, can read, can write, can speak English

As discussed in my previous article, Emma, Louis and Charles Van Zandt were children of Louis Van Zandt, 1852-1892. Their mother was apparently Francisca Annaert, 1853-1886. Their step-mother Monica Meert Van Zandt had remarried after the death of her husband Louis in 1892. Monica was likely Maria (Marie) Meert Verest’s sister.

When Paulinus (Paul) Verest sailed to America in 1899 he was bound for the residence of his uncle A.F. Verest at 651 W. 14^thPlace in Chicago. A year later Alphonse and Marie Verest were living at 606 W. 14^thStreet. Scanning through the neighborhood census sheets I found these households at 651 W. 14^thPlace:

W. 14th Place, house number 651, dwelling visitation number 124

• Family visitation number 239, Fred Rohn household (owns house), five people
• Family visitation number 240, Annie Welsh household, two people
• Family visitation number 241, Rudolph Rohn household, four people

Paul’s uncle A.F. Verest was no longer living at 651 W. 14^thPlace and might have been Alfred (Alphonse) Verest at 606 W. 14^thStreet.

Where was Paul in 1900? As Dad would say, put me down for ‘don’t know.’ I have not yet found him in the 1900 census. He might have been boarding with someone who didn’t know how to spell his name. He might have been with other relatives in the United States. When his purported brother Emil arrived in June 1898 he was bound for his uncle Anton Peeter (or Teeter)’s home in Jersey City. Emil reported that he had previously come to the United States in 1892, to Chicago.[4] Whom had he come to see?

Potential connections

We have reviewed circumstantial evidence suggesting that Alphonse Verest might have been Paul Verest’s uncle. One record I have found on Ancestry potentially identifying Paul’s father is a Social Security Applications and Claims index entry for Paul’s presumed sister Alice Verest Ingles. Alice’s parents were identified as Felix Verest and Marie S Keppens. If our Paul had a brother Elus or something similar, the latter’s 1913 arrival manifest on the S.S. Zeeland also identifies Paul’s father as Felix, living in Buggenhout.[5] As can be seen on the next page of this manifest, Elus was bound for Chicago to join his brother Paul. Reported to be 22 years old, Elus would have been about the age of Elisa “Alice” Verest. Were they siblings, possibly twins? Could Elus have been Elisa in disguise?

Online trees at Ancestry identify Paul’s father Felix’s parents as Pieter Frans Verest and Anaa Theresa Albrecht, but I have seen no documentary evidence to support this. Alphonse’s death record identifies his father as Albert.

One more confusing factor is that undocumented trees at Ancestry include Charles (Karl) Verest as a brother of Emil, Paulinus and Alice. It has been suggested that they might have had an older brother named Albert. Note, however, that when Karl Verest sailed to America in 1902, he was bound to meet his brother Alfons Verest at 606 14^thStreet in Chicago.[6]

As I have already noted, my wife Dee’s great-grandmother Monica Meert Van Zandt might have been Marie Meert Verest’s sister. Dee’s grandfather Richard Van Zandt, Monica’s son, appears to have been the step-son identified as Charles in the 1900 enumeration of Bruno Van Nack (Van Hacke)’s household in Saint Charles, Kane County, Illinois.[7]

DNA considerations

What does DNA suggest about connections? Dee’s Ancestry DNA match Debra is a great-granddaughter of the Paul Verest we have been considering. Debra and Dee share DNA that was passed down from unknown common ancestors. Given the information we have, their most recent common ancestor (MRCA) could not have been any of the following:

• Louis Van Zandt (1852-1892), who was Dee’s direct ancestor but not Debra’s
• Frances Annaert Van Zandt, who was neither Dee’s direct ancestor nor Debra’s
• Monica Meert Van Zandt, Dee’s direct ancestor but not Debra’s
• Marie Meert Verest, who was neither Dee’s direct ancestor nor Debra’s
• Alphonse Verest, who was neither Dee’s direct ancestor nor Debra’s
• Felix Verest, Paul’s father, who was Debra’s direct ancestor but not Dee’s
• Marie Keppens Verest, Paul’s mother, who was Debra’s direct ancestor but not Dee’s

Debra and Dee’s most recent common ancestor or couple were further back in time. Supposing that Monica and Marie were sisters and that Alphonse was a brother of Paul’s father Felix, could either of their sets of parents be common ancestors for Debra and Dee? That is certainly not the case, as it would require at least one of Monica and Marie’s parents to also be Alphonse and Felix’s parent, meaning that Alphonse and Marie would be at least half-siblings. Another generation or two back is more plausible. Ancestors of the Albrecht family who travelled to America with Van Zandts, Annaerts, Meerts and Verests might be good candidates, given the suggestion that Felix’s mother might have been an Albrecht.

Still a puzzle

We just don’t have enough information yet to find Dee’s and Debra’s genetic connection. More research in Belgian records is needed, and more DNA matches with descendants in different lines would help. Finding DNA matches with well-researched trees would be a great help. In the meantime, we have to be inquisitive and patient.

Source notes

[1]“Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1883-1945,” database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:23QX-LWG: 12 March 2018), Paulinus Verest, 1899; citing Immigration, NARA microfilm publication T840 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,402,529.

[2]“United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1KJ-4TX: 9 March 2018), Paul Verest, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

[3]“United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS33-N4R: accessed 27 September 2018), Alfred Verest, Precinct 12 West Town Chicago city Ward 9, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 230, sheet 9A, family 148, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,253.

[4]“New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JX4Y-FPR: 30 January 2018), Emel Verest, 1898.

[5]“New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNY8-Q4D: 30 January 2018), Elus Verest, 1913.

[6]“New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JF25-RPJ: 30 January 2018), Karel Verest, 1902.

[7]“United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSW2-24L: accessed 27 September 2018), Bramo Van Nack, St. Charles Township St. Charles city Ward 1-3, Kane, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 114, sheet 3A, family 59, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,312.