John Adrian Van Lanen &
Julia Van Laanen
John Adrian VAN LANEN was born on November 20th, 1857, in Scott Township. The fourth child of Peter VAN LANEN and Wilhelmina JANSENS. He was baptized that same day (Baptismal Certificate) his sponsors were Gerard and Antonnia Van Lanen. In the 1860 U.S. Census for Brown County, John Adrian is listed as age 3, born in Wisconsin. In 1870 he is listed as age 12, born in Wisconsin.
Julia VAN LAANEN was born July 29th, 1862, in Bay Settlement, Brown County, Wisconsin. Julia was the first child born to John Adrianus VAN LANEN Sr. and Dometil Sophia LYONNAIS.
John Adrian Van Lanen and Julia Van Laanen
John married Julia on August 19th, 1879, in Holy Cross Church, Bay Settlement. In the 1880 U.S. Census for the town of Bellevue (page 9) in Brown County, John and Julia are found with their first born Wilhelmina (Minnie) as follows:
- Van Lanen John, age 23, farmer, born in Wisconsin
- Julia, age 18 born in Wisconsin
- Minnie, age 9/12, born in Wisconsin.
Shortly after John and Julia were married the had their first daughter.
- Wilhelmina, was born in late 1879 (Dec if the census was taken in August). Minnie eventually married Andrew KERKHOFF and had fifteen (15) children.
- John and Julia's second daughter Jane (Jenne) was born in July of 1882. She later married Peter LIEBERGEN and the couple had fourteen (14) children.
- Their third child was a boy, John Jr. and was born in January of 1885. He later married Nellie VAN DEURZEN and they had twelve (12) children.
- Child number four was Frank (Francis) born in September of 1888. He married Katherine VANDER HEIDEN and together they raised nine (9) children.
- Mathilda (Tillie) was John and Julia's fifth child, born in 1889. She married Louis ETTEN and they had five (5) children. After Louis' death she married George SCHOOL and after his death she married Henry ARNOLDESEN.
- Ann (Annie) was born in December of 1892. Ann married Richard Lamers and the couple had eleven (11) children.
- Child number seven was Susie (birth date unknown at this time). She married Peter VERBETEN and the couple had five (5) children.
- John and Julia's eighth child was Alvira born March 6th, 1900. Alvira married Gordon MCDANIEL and they had seven (7) children.
John Adrian Van Lanen died on March 19th, 1903 in Wrightstown, Brown County Wisconsin. After his death Julia married John C. VERBETEN the brother of her sister Susie's husband. Together they had one child Howard (birth date unknown) who married Mabel HUSS.
John Verbeten died in 1913 at the age of 53. Approximately 1943, 3 years before her death Julia Verbeten was pictured celebrating four generations of daughters wearing the same baptismal gown (news -article). of Julia Van Lanen Verbeten died on July 13th, 1946, in Wrightstown, Brown County, Wisconsin, and is buried in St. Paul's Cemetery (Obituary).
Memories:
VAN LANEN Ancestry 
The VAN LANEN surname originates in the towns of Boekel and Uden, Noord Brabant, Holland and means "from the avenues". The earliest Van Lanen identified to date is Peter VAN LAANEN who was married to Wilhelmina VAN DEN ANKER. This couple had at least one son Gerardus VAN LANEN (1788 - <1870) who married Johanna Adriaan Giele VAN DER HEIJDEN (1790 - <1870). Gerardus and Johanna had at least 7 and possibly as many as 11 children (Gerardus Van Lanen Family History) who immigrated to Green Bay, Brown County Wisconsin in 1849. Of the 7 children who survived the trip to the United States, our direct ancestor was Peter VAN LANEN (1817 - 1881) who was married to Wilhelmina JANSENS (1819 - ?). Peter and Wilhelmina raised six (6) children one of whom was John Adrian VAN LANEN who married Julia VAN LAANEN. Their family history is told above.
JANSENS Ancestry
This surname is a subject for further research.
VAN LAANEN Ancestry
This version VAN LAANEN stems from the same area and family as that above. Literally meaning "from the avenues" it originates in the village of Boekel, Noord Brabant, Holland. The oldest known VAN LAANEN identified to date is Peter VAN LAANEN who was married to Wilhelmina VAN DEN ANKER. This couple had at least one son possibly
LYONNAIS Ancestry
This surname is a subject for further research.
VERBETEN Ancestry
This surname is a subject for further research.
Last updated: September 6th, 1999
Copyright 1999, Richard M. Balza
To make corrections or obtain more information contact: Richard M. Balza