Overview

The Vosheurne farm in Lintelo has been associated with the Wissink family for more than two centuries. The name refers to a heurne, meaning a corner or outlying place, where foxes were found. According to local tradition, a small moated castle may once have stood here, although no evidence for this has been found. What is certain is that the holding appears in sources as early as the 16th century and remained church property for a long period before passing to the Wissink family in 1848.

As early as 1618, a man recorded as “Roeloff in die Vosshoerne” leased a farm from the church. In the same year, “Derck in die Vosshoerne” rented the holding known as Vosshoernes Kuiper. There were therefore two farms at that time referring to the Vosheurne holding; their residents took their name from the farm where they lived.

The Wissink family at Vosheurne

In 1997, Henk Harmsen wrote an article about Vosheurne for the Gelders Dagblad series Wortels in de Achterhoek. He noted that the farm had then been occupied by the Wissink family for more than two centuries.

After the previous resident, Harmen Brunsink, had been executed for the murder of ‘moeje’ Tannemaat, Reint Wissink, from the holding of that name in Sinderen, became tenant of Vosheurne in 1770. The church, from which Reint leased the farm, required him to build a new house. He did so nine years later.

The present farmhouse bears the year 1779 on its renewed front elevation. The farm remained church property until 1848, when the Wissink family purchased the holding for six hundred guilders.

In 1997, Hendrik and Dine Wissink lived at Vosheurne; in the week the newspaper article appeared, they had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Hendrik was known as a magnetic healer, and the family had rented out holiday cottages for many years. By then, the dairy farm was being run by their son Jan and his wife.

In 1997, the old part of the house still contained a hooded fireplace built of woven wattle coated with clay, above a hearth decorated with attractive tiles. The house was also said to have had a vaulted cellar in the past.

Small castle and excavations

According to the newspaper article, a small castle may once have stood on the site of Vosheurne. The present farmhouse was said to occupy the site of the former coach house. There is, however, no evidence to confirm this.

Heavy foundations were reportedly found in the ground on the west side of the farmhouse.Hendrik’s grandfather dug up many fragments of masonry there and crushed them for use as roadstone. He believed the stones came from the ballroom of the supposed small castle.

Vosheurne was also said to have had a moat. During the Second World War, people in hiding used the dry moat to escape unseen during a German raid. It was not deep but was about twelve metres wide. During theland consolidation of 1969, it was filled in and replaced by an ordinary drainage ditch.

A stoneware vase from the Cologne region was excavated on the property, decorated with a rising sun and the initials G.R. Brass candlesticks were also unearthed and were still in good condition.

Residents

Earliest known residents:

Saelcken in de Vosheurne (Lintelo)
Lise

Saelcken is mentioned in the Bredevoort court book between 1545 and 1580).

Next residents:

Saelcken in de Vosheurne (Lintelo, 1599-1601)
Hinderich Maes (Lintelo, 1607/1608)

Years of death for Saelcken and Hinderich according to the Bredevoort court book.

Children:

Deve in de Vosheurne
Saelcken in de Vosheurne (sold his share in Vosheurne in 1614 to his brother-in-law and sister, Roeleff and Deve)

Next residents, daughter and son-in-law:

Roeleff te Megenpat (Lintelo)
Deve in de Vosheurne (Lintelo – Lintelo, 1657/1658)

According to the Bredevoort court book, Roeleff was a “frije persoon” (free person). Deve’s year of death is taken from the Bredevoort court book.

Next residents, possibly a son:

Henrick in de Vosheurne (Lintelo – Lintelo < 1684)

Henrick was recorded as the tenant farmer at Vosheurne in Lintelo in the original 1650 property-tax register.

Children:

Jenneken in de Vosheurne, ⚭ Aalten, 28-09-1684 Wessel te Barge (op het Barge)
Roelof in de Vosheurne

Next residents, son and daughter-in-law:

Roelof in de Vosheurne (Lintelo, ovl. 1698/1699)
⚭ Aalten, 29-03-1696
Geesken Somsen (Aalten, 03-07-1670 – > 1748)

Children:

Lijsken/Lijsbeth in de Vosheurne (Aalten, 07-02-1697), ⚭ Aalten, 07-08-1718 Jannes Keuper
Roelof in de Vosheurne (Aalten, 11-12-1698)

Next residents, widow and second husband:

Jan Greven in de Vosheurne (ovl. 1702/1703), married on 26-02-1699 in Aalten to
Geesken Somsen (Aalten, 03-07-1670 – > 1748)

Children:

Jacobus in de Vosheurne (Aalten, 24-3-1700)
Wolter in de Vosheurne (Aalten, 26-3-1702)

Next residents, widow and third husband:

Jan Tannemaat in de Vosheurne (Varsseveld – <1748)
⚭ Aalten, 04-02-1703
Geesken Somsen (Aalten, 03-07-1670 – >1748)

Children:

Jantje in de Vosheurne (Aalten, 11-05-1704 – De Heurne, 16-04-1780), ⚭ (1) Derk Nagel/Nagelink (op Olde Prins) en (2) Garrit Willem Hengeveld
Hendersken Tannemaat (Aalten, 08-11-1705 – Lintelo, 12-01-1770)
Johanna Tannemaat alias Vosters (Aalten), ⚭ Loenen, 10-07-1735 Henrik Deemshof
Geesken Tannemaat (Aalten, 26-02-1708 – Lintelo, 12-06-1763)
Jannes in de Vosheurne alias Tannemaat (Aalten, ged. 19-01-1710 – De Heurne, 30-11-1765), ⚭ Hendrina ter Horst alias Janssen
Barent Hendrik in de Vosheurne alias Kuipers alias Welink (op Kuijpers plaatse) (Aalten, 28-05-1713), ⚭ Aalten, 17-12-1740 Aaltien Essinck

Next residents:

Jannes in de Vosheurne alias Tannemaat (Aalten, ged. 19-01-1710 – De Heurne, 30-11-1765)
In 1748 he lived at Vosheurne together with his sister Geesken and his mother, who was described in the source as ‘impotente’.

Hendersken Tannemaat (Aalten, bapt. 08-11-1705 – Lintelo, 12-01-1770), unmarried.
Her niece Gijsberta Deemshof, daughter of her sister Johanna Tannemaat, was raised by her from the age of three.

Gijsberta Deemshof (Doesburg, 30-09-1739 – Varsseveld, 06-02-1813)
⚭ Aalten, 21-11-1761
Herman/Harmen Bekink alias Brunsink (Aalten, 23-09-1729 – Bredevoort, 12-02-1770)

Next residents:

Reint Wissink (Varsseveld, 22-07-1742 – Aalten, 22-06-1817)
⚭ Aalten, 04-05-1770
Geertruid Lammers (Varsseveld, 24-02-1743 – Aalten, 27-01-1804)

Next residents, son and daughter-in-law:

Population register 1823-1850

“Vosheurne”

Lintelo 55

Garrit Willem Wissink (Aalten, 31-10-1779), farmer
Harmina Tolkamp (Aalten, 11-03-1783)

Next residents, son and daughter-in-law:

Evert Wissink (Aalten, 03-10-1810), farmer
(1) Aleida Theodora Mellink (Varsseveld, 02-02-1815)
(2) Gerritjen te Hennepe (Aalten, 26-11-1815)