Foppe Tammes (1718- )

Foppe Tammes was baptized 30 Jan 1718 in Oude Pekela, Groningen, The Netherlands, as the son of Tamme Foppes and Trijntje Hindriks. He is the husband of my 1st cousin 7x removed. He first married Antje Arends in 1746, and second Elsjen Sijtses (dutch link).

Foppe had three children with his first wife, and four with his second, but most likely only one child of each marriage survived. These two later take the name Noorman, i.e. someone from Scandinavia (Norway). Another family, descendants of Claas Luppes (dutch link), take the same name, but no relationship between the two has been found so far.

Foppe and his wife were skippers, like many of the people in the Pekela’s. Because of the digging of the peat, many canals were dug, and these were also used to transport the peat all over the province, country, and even the world. Skippers would buy peat, and sell it elsewhere. The need for ships encouraged the ship-building industry, and the Oude Pekela became a center for that as well.⁽¹⁾

On 1 Sep 1760 Foppe and his wife bought a boat from Evert Jans Duijn, ships-carpenter, and his wife Trijntje Wichers.

Appeared personally Evert Jan Duijn, ships-carpenter, appearing also for his wife Trijntje Wijchers Bot, who declare for them and their heirs, that they have sold to Foppe Tammes, appearing also for his wife Elle Sijdses, both living in Lower Pekela, a new barge (praam), for the sum of 575.- Car. guilders, of which they already paid 150.-. The remaining sum needs to be paid in yearly installments of 100.-, until the entire sum is paid.
Dated 1 Sep 1760
Signed: Evert Jans, Foppe Tammes places his mark
Witnesses: Feeke Everts Clinge and Berent Geerts

The contract is much longer, but hard to read, I will have to study it some more. It does not really describe the boat, it is concerned with Evert getting his money. But a ‘praam’ was probably about 60 ft long and 11 ft wide, at least a wreck of of those dimension was found in what used to be the ‘Zuijderzee.’ Some images can be found here (text in Dutch). Foppe no doubt used his boat to transport peat. Whether he stayed in the Groningen canals, or ranged farther afield, is not known, but the fact that the two children after 1760 were still baptized in Pekela, seems to indicate that his home base was still there.

Elsien died in 1817 at the age of 94, Foppe must have died before 1811, he is not in the Civil Registration. She leaves one child.

(1). Wikipekela Vervening and Scheepvaart (Dutch only)