Dear Mrs.Williams,
I read your request for Fred, Adzer & Thys Braaksma on Ancestry.com.
I realise my reply may be a bit late, since you posted your request as early as August 2000, but I only recently became aware of the existance of Ancestry.com.
I do not know Fred Braaksma, but I do know Thys and Adzer; they are in my family-tree somewhere.
Thys emigrated to the USA in 1913; his brother Adzer was a bargeman in his home village of Rinsumageest.
They had 5 more brothers and sisters, two of them (Fedde and Jelke) also emigrated to the USA (in 1918).
I could look up more information if you wish, since I live close to the place where the archives are being kept.
Alternatively, you could look up things yourself on their web-address:
http://www.ryksargyf.org/nl/ryksargyf.aspon the next page click "Genealogie" at the top of the page,
on the next page, choose either "BS geboorten" (births),
"BS huwelijken" (marriages), or "BS overlijden" (deaths);
on the next page, choose "Regio 3 (Dantumadeel)";
on the next page fill in the name of "Braaksma", then click
"Zoeken" (search).
As I do not know anything about my relatives in the USA, maybe you could give me some tips as to where to look to find out about the American branch of my family!
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Yours,
Gerrit Jelle Braaksma
Leeuwarden
the Netherlands