Histories

Jacob Jans Langenberg was born in 1763 in Kampen, Overijssel, the Netherlands. Jacob was the son of Jan Jurgen Langenberg and Grietje Jacobs. Jan Jurgen Langenberg was a master carpenter born about 1740 in the neighbourhood of Hannover, Germany (Hannover was then known as the Kingdom of Hannover). Jacob Jans was on of at least five siblings, all born in Kampen beween 1763 and 1772. Jacob was baptized in the Kampen Lutheran church on the 19 August 1763. Jacob was married to Johanna Elisabeth Abel.

Johanna Elisabeth Abel (also recorded as Hanna Elisabeth Abels, Johanna Elisabet Abels and Elisabeth Abel) was born in Namen (Namur in French), Belgium in 1766. Johanna was baptized on the 9th March 1771. In 1829 twenty years after Jacob died it is recorded that Johanna was protestant.

Jacob and Johanna moved from Kampen to Giethoorn, Overijssel sometime prior to the birth of their first child, Johanna Elisabeth Jacobs Langenberg in 1792. They lived in Giethoorn until 1793 followed by Kampen and then finally moved to Deventer in 1802.

The birth records for Giethoorn record Jacob and his first son's surname as Langenbergh rather than Langenberg all other records for Jacob and his children have the current Langenberg spelling. The spelling may have been a record entry error, which was not uncommon, or Langenbergh may have been the original German spelling. The records show various name alternatives for Jacob including Jacob Langenberg, Jacob Jans Langenberg, Jakob Langenbergh and Jacob Langenbergh. The Giethoorn records note that Jacob was Lutheran.

The Giethoorn birth records also list a Johan Gothlieb Abel born about 1756 which may be a brother. This is even more likely as Jacob and Johanna's forth child was named Johannes Gottlieb Langenberg.

The marriage records for Overijssel (huwelijksregisters en echtscheidingen burgerlijke stand Overijssel 1811-1922) show that Jacob and his family lived in Kampen from about 1793 - 1796 after which the family moved to Deventer. Jacob and Johanna had twelve children, all baptised in the Lutheran church, – Johanna Elisabeth, Jan, Grietje, Johannes, Hendrik, Harmen, Hermanus (Harmen), Maria, Aleida, Daniel and Johanna Wilhemina.
Source: Lidmatenboeken (membership books) of Kamppen and Deventer Lutheran Churches. Researcher: Ingrid Beens

Jacob Langenberg originally worked at a "scheepswerf (=scheepstimmerwerf)", ship-yard or ship-building yard. Oral history has it that Jacob established his own ship or boat building business on the Ijssel River by Deventer. These shipyards were burnt to the ground by the French troops of Napoleon during the French occupation of the Netherlands. Jacob died on the 27 Oct 1809. Whilst a widow in Deventer Johanna earned money as a starcher.

Jacob and Johanna’s son Harmen (Hermanus) Jacobs Langenberg established a new shipyard in Nieuwebrug, Friesland in 1820.
Herman Langenberg, the great great grandson of Hermanus Jacob Langenberg manages the current Langenberg Ship and boat building yards in Nieuwebrug.




What does the Langenberg name mean?
Surname: Langenberg
1. German and Dutch: habitational name from various places in Germany and one in the province of Antwerp, so named from Old High German lang + dative ending en + berg 'mountain', 'hill'.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

In Germany there ar 37 (small) towns or villages with the name Langenberg and one called Langenburg. Source: Be Langenburg, Emmen, Netherlands.