Dear Ank,
It was really good to hear from you. For a long time I have wanted to communicate with some of my family in the Netherlands.
My family emigrated from a town in South Holland by the name of Strijen. I am told that there are no Jabaays left in Strijen, but that there are some listed in the S'Gravensdeel telephone book.
My great-grandfather Peter came the the United States in 1854 when he moved to Roseland, which was just south of Chicago, Illinois. Then in 1855 his father Dingaman and his 2 brothers, Leendert, and Arie, homesteaded in Munster, Indiana; where they built a small home and they raised vegetables.
I was raised in Munster, Indiana. My father told me that the town got its name from Munster, who was the town's first postmaster.
There is a lot more about the Jabaay family that I could tell you if you wanted to know more. I would also like to know more about the Jabaays in the Netherlands. I don't know what the name Jabaay means. I am told that the Jabaays were Hugenots who came from France. I have heard that story from other Jabaays that I have met.
I hope to hear from you again.
Don Jabaay