Jan was the son of Jacob Berents Vos and Tjarve Buurke, market gardener at the south side Groningen.
Antje, daughter of Gerrit Berends Westerhof and Etje Tjeerds Oosterhuis, market gardener at the north side of Groningen.

Jan and Antje married in 1870 in Groningen; Jan is then 24, Antje is 31 years of age.

In 1870, the garden of father Westerhof at the north side of town is sold.  Is Jan working in de garden of his father and uncle Berend at the south side on the Hereweg?

Children in Groningen: 1871 Tjarve, 1872 Etje, 1874 Jakob, 1876 Gerrit, 1878 Berend, 1880 Tjeert.  The names of the children are those of the two grandmothers, the two grandfathers, and then two of the great grandfathers.

In 1894 Antje died. Jan Jakob signs the registration of death (see signature).

Relevant locations: garden Westerhoff, garden J.B.Vos, garden Menneslaan, village Helpman. The yellow line indicates the boundary between Groningen and Haren. The Groningen old town walls were dismanteled ~1880.

What was Jakob's profession? After a period as market gardener he does all kinds of things. His activities can be found in the civil registry records (birth, marriage, death):
1871 market gardener in Groningen (birth registration), also in 1872 and 1874.
1876 cattle trader in Groningen (birth registration).
1878 farmer living in Helpman, county Haren (birth).
1880 cattle trader, now back in Groningen (birth).
1894 wagoner living in Helpman, county Haren (death of Antje, marriage of daughter Etje).
1899 labourer in Groningen (son Jakob marries).
1901 cattle trader in Groningen (Jan remarries).

The majority of the children will move away, to Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland.
Two children marry in Groningen: Etje (1894 in Haren to Frederik Postema, skipper), and Jakob (1899 in Haren to Hendrikje Boddeveld).
Four of the children marry in Rotterdam. Tjarve (1895 to Hinderk Poelma, who was born in Helpman), Gerrit (1899 to Antje Schuurman, born in Haren), Berend (1910 to Wilhelmina Verhoef, born in Rotterdam) who later becomes skipper, Tjeert (1910 to Luktje Vegter, from Aalst, Belgium).
What leads the majority to move to Rotterdam? Was there more work or a better perspective? Did Tjarve lead the way? Or was father's profession not seen as one to follow in?

In 1900, Jan's father, Jacob B. Vos, died. His real estate (the gardens at the Hereweg and land in Helpman) is up for sale. Is that because Jan, his brother Berend (who was market gardener) and sister Geesien could only in this manner sort out the inheritance? Did Jan's son Jakob use his part of the inheritance to start gardening at the Menneslaan (across from the plot sold)? Son Jakob's profession is, in 1899, at his marriage, indicated as "warmoezenier" (grower of "warm moes" = vegetables).

In 1901, seven years after Antje died, and when the youngest son is 21, Jan remarries, with met Aafke Dijkstra, who is 47 years old. At his marriage, his profession is given as cattle trader. They move into a house at the "Menneslaan" (across from the garden of his late father).
But the next year disaster strikes. In February 1902, when Aafke is alone in her house, a fire erupts and she dies in the flames (the newspaper item of the next day has "journalistic accuracy", her name is Aafke). Two of the sons tried to rescue her, but it was to late (see newspaper clipping),
Jan continued to live at the Menneslaan, where son Jakob established himself as market gardener and seed grower.

In these years, Jan offers various services (such as wagoner) in advertisements in the local newspaper (J.J. Vos). He also sells stuff (see newspaper clippings), but it is not always clear if the advertisements are his' or already of his son Jakob (thus also J. Vos), the market gardener and seed grower.

Jan dies in 1923.   He is buried at the "Zuiderbegraafplaats" in Groningen, grave nr 4-39-114. The grave has later been used for others (currently Stuit). Earlier remains have been interred deeper (according a caretaker in 2009).

Back to the ancestry of JV & AW.    To the dutch version.