Jan WillemDe Roos apparently was born in Wommels;
his father,
Willem Lamerts De Roos was an innkeeper and barrel maker there.
Birth date 6-12, 1816.
In 1842 he, Jan Willems, was wholesaler of butter and cheese in Oosterlittens.
His wife was Aukke Baukes Seffinga.
It seems there were no children from this marriage.
(Another geneology mentions that two baby girls were born to them but both died very young). 

I assumed that because of the names given to grandchildren,
that Jan's second wife was named Folkertje.
(Son Willem writes in 1894,
"Later we had to lose two Folkertjes (Fannies) named for our dear mother");
also son Oepke and daughter Dieuwke named one of their daughters Folkertje. 

When Jan Willem writes letters from America his third wife Akke K. Visser
also signed the letters.
When they were married 1861 Akke was 19 years younger than he.
She was born 10-29-1835.
Only the youngest daughter of Jan Willems was born in America.
Ama, born 4-16-1874.
When J.W. (Jan Willems) arrived in America in 1873,
both his son Oepke and Jan were in Orange City, Ia.
Jan was married to Kornelia Wynia.
J.W. and Akke at that time had three children - Trijntje, Taekje and Klaas.
The latter died real young shortly after their arrival in Orange City. 
Son Willem, married to Pietje and two children were also along on the journey.
Also daughter Dieuwke and husband with one child, Fokje, who died at sea.
Also Hintje, daughter of the second marriage, is one of the Farty.
The ocean trip was very difficult,
not because of bad weather but because of the crowded conditions.
There were accomodations for 300 people but there were 500 People on board.
Eight persons died before they reached America.
The American harbor pilot told them that an English boat
load of immigrants had sunk. 

J. W. writes about the continuing journey;
5 days on the train, also nights:
sitting sleeping - one night in a barn - many hardships.
1',t East Orange we went on open wagons through snow and cold
- because of the children they did not dare to go on to Jan and Kornelia.
Tjalling, child of Willem and Pietje became over chilled.
A week later J.W. wrote that they feared the worst for him.
and I think the boy died soon after because when Willem and Pietje
had another baby boy in 1876,
they named this child Tjalling,'too.
In the same letter of 'IlDril 29, 1873,
J.W. tells of the death of their little son Klaas.
In this time they were still living with Jan and Cornelia
and with the children of Wynia;
evidently relatives of Cornelia whose family name is Wynia.
Later J.Tif. and family get a home of their own.
Trijntje and Taekje go to school and on 4-16-1874 their sister @'Ima was born.
In 1873, when Oepke became of age on Jan. 14,
80 acres were bought for him (for $600).
In Sept. 1874, J.I,W'. writes:
"We have 180 acres of land and we use 24 acres of Oepke's -
the rest he is renting out since he is still living with us."
(According to the Fries measuring stick, J.W. is thus a wealthy farmer.
"They work about 225 pondemaat".)
They live 2 miles or 40 min. away from Jan and Cornelia
and 4 miles from Willem and Dieuwke.
Willem and Pietje live in town where he works for a store keeper
and earns $200 in 10 months.
Mintje became of age in 1875
- 18 years according to American law.
J.W. asks that her money be sent over.,
since land must be bought for her.
(Must be from her mother's inheritance).
Evidently the results of the farming business in the first three years
were disappointing (grasshopper plague).
In 1876 J.'oT. asks to borrow 500 guilders,
to be repaid in two years with interest.
He says, 'With the lord's help there should be no cause for concern".
In Nov. he sends a note for 440 guilders;
in the accompanying letter he makes this observation
"that America is not high in your esteem is due to ignorance."
In 1881 he himself writes that in the first seven years
they have always worked at a loss.
He must repeatedly make excuses for not being able to meet his obligations.
Till in Jan. 1893 he expresses the grateful surprise
that his debt has been cancelled!
From a letter of Sept. 1877 -- "In the colony there are great differences;
abundance, medium prosperity, very little means.
We belong to the latter class.
With the 88 acres of wheat we barely got 135 bushels.
The neighbor to the NE - bordering our land got more than 1600 bushels,
from 80 acres of wheat!
Our children are all well but there too the grasshoppers have done great havoc.
To the SE it is not good -