This is a portrait of Adrianus Vanderkloot, son of Matthijs Vanderkloot. Adrianus was born on April 16, 1852, on the Island of Texel in the Netherlands. He appears to be about age 30 in this photo. Adrianus has his hair combed forward, perhaps over a balding spot. Of fashion interest is his bow tie, what appears to be a corduroy jacket, and that only the top button on his coat is fastened. Adrianus arrived in New York from Holland on August 29, 1881, and shortly thereafter arrived in Chicago. After settling into his ironworker job with his uncle Marinus Vanderkloot at the South Halsted Street Iron Works, he wrote Martha Tanis and proposed and suggested that they become engaged and come to Chicago for marriage.

Their engagement was earlier in 1882, and their marriage was on December 26, 1882. She arrived in Chicago around early December 1882, shortly before her wedding. She was 25 years old at the time of her wedding, and Adrianus was 30 years old.

Hmmm! You are probably saying. Something doesn't seem right in that last paragraph. Why did he refer to all the boys in the photograph as Jordans? Did he really mean there were two brothers named James? And what became of the son named Joseph? And why is he talking about the Schöldbergs on Our Jordan Family web pages.

There are two choices for this photo title:

  1. Wedding Day Portrait - Dec 26, 1882: This photo might be his wedding day portrait taken in December 1882. It is a different photo than the combined “Adrianus and Martha Vanderkloot Portrait”. To me, Adrianus appears younger in the above portrait with the bow tie than in the Adrianus and Martha Vanderkloot Portrait. He also has on a corduroy jacket, which though common in the 1880s was more of a workingman’s coat. But a matter I cannot dismiss is that bow ties became more common in 1885 and afterwards.
  2. Engagement Portrait - Earlier in 1882: This photo might be the engagement photo that he sent to Martha, though if so, it still has the issue of the bow tie.

Neither of the choices is obviously correct, and much depends upon which of the two 1880s portraits of Adrianus is the youngest. I tentatively titled this photo: “Adrianus Vanderkloot’s Wedding Portrait - December 26, 1882” as a mate to “Martha Tanis Vanderkloot's Wedding Portrait - December 26, 1882”. But I am open to other possibilities. It would be helpful if the same photos can be found which show the photographer and photo location, or if there is writing on the back of the original.

Dave Jordan took this photograph at Dick Denker's 1988 Vanderkloot Reunion in Crystal Lake, Illinois, from a photograph brought by Robert Vanderkloot of Michigan. If you would like to add information about this portrait, please contact Dave Jordan, a great-grandson of Adrianus and Martha Vanderkloot. The Picture Reference Number is DJB16.