Pieter Hendrikus Boer was born on 2 September 1862 in Hollandscheveld, in the municipality of Hoogeveen. On 1 April 1899, he married Margaretha Dorothea Harjes, who was twelve years his junior. He passed away on 22 January 1927 and was buried at the Old Cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg.
Although his surname appeared in the official archives as ‘Boer’, he named his printing business in Aalten ‘De Boer’. Perhaps because this name is much more common and everyone referred to him that way regardless?
Obituary
It had already been known for some time that Mr P.H. de Boer was seriously indisposed, yet it must have come as an unexpected shock to many when it was announced on Saturday evening that the patient had passed away. Mr De Boer, known locally as “De Boer van de Krante” (De Boer of the Newspaper), was a highly prominent and well-known figure in our town and the neighbouring municipalities.
In October 1894, he and his brother started the first printing business in Aalten on a very modest scale in the Ormelstraat. Originally, they only published a small church service notice sheet (Predikbeurtenblaadje), but in 1896 the Aaltensche Courant appeared for the first time. A few years later, this newspaper was also published under the titles Dinxperlosche-, Lichtenvoordsche- and Varsseveldsche Courant.
From the Ormelstraat, the business was relocated to the house where Mr Wagterveld currently resides. Later still, it moved to the Kruisstraat, the current premises, where manual power eventually had to make way for motorised power. In 1902, a branch was established in Winterswijk, and the Nieuwe Winterswijksche Courant began publication. Meanwhile, the bookshop also flourished increasingly, transforming a small enterprise into a substantial business.
In his family life, Mr De Boer was not so fortunate. The passing of his wife and his only daughter affected him deeply. It was perhaps due to these circumstances that an outsider might have gained the impression of a quiet, reserved personality. However, those who knew Mr De Boer more closely knew that beneath it all beat a warm heart for his children, his staff, and various institutions in which the deceased took an interest. With the passing of Mr De Boer, Aalten has lost a fine citizen.
