Written by: Ton van den Hurk
On March 18th, 2001, I announced at the family reunion, that I would write the Petrus van der Sloot family history. First, a large amount of research needed to be completed. An estimated few months time frame would make the publication of this book in the year 2001 still feasible. But because of the horrifying calamity in America on September 11th, 2001, the activities of gathering information became less of a priority to the American family branch. Fortunately, this was of short duration, and the end of December was established as the deadline to have all materials sent.
The purpose at hand was to portray to the reader, through the materials gathered, a clear picture of the following:
a. The birth of Petrus and his mother’s circumstances
b. The family genealogy, illustrated in word and pictures.
Herewith, I want to note also that all information in this book is authentic and is founded on the facts. Among other things, the fact that many stories were circulated about our patriarch was a reason to commence further research.
Another relevant reason was the interest shown by family members, witnessed by the large number in attendance at the last family reunion in 2001, and the great enthusiasm with which the requested materials (pictures and biographies) were provided.
Additionally, the enormous family involvement, demonstrated by Frank VanderSloot through restoring the headstone of the grave of his great-grandmother Petronella van der Sloot, was enough motive for me to complete the finishing touches of the Petrus van der Sloot family history.
A special word of appreciation goes out to Herman Schellekens, who during my search for the current generation of van der Sloot descendants, put forth much effort making visits to their homes in Boxtel and the surrounding areas, at which time he collected the necessary photo materials. Through his efforts, a lot of time was saved in order to complete this publication.
During the publication phase, the graphic capabilities of Second Cousin, Michel van der Sloot, stood out in my mind. When I approached him with the request to contribute to the genealogical project, I was excited that he, with his graphics background, took on the layout responsibilities.
The help of my wife, Annie van der Sloot, who initially desired to remain in the background, was very welcome. She helped mostly with secretarial work, and later also with home visits.
However, this family history overview never would have materialized were it not for the efforts on the other side of the ocean by Cindy Turner. She was primarily responsible for making sure the family members overseas also received due mention.
Because the identity of Petrus van der Sloot’s mother was discovered, it is now possible to go back further in history. However, I do not wish to explore this now for then we would undertake an entirely new family tree.
