Bollen, Germany

Bollen was the birthplace of Bruno Zee, and the ancestral home of the Seekamp family. This little hand drawn map of the village of Bollen comes from the Zehntkarte of…

Bösche Seekamp (1669) & Trine Eggers

Just a few years ago, the only thing we knew about Bruno Zee, the founding father of the Zee family, was that he probably came from Germany. Since then, we’ve…

Brüne Seekamp (1641) & Beke Struckhusen

Brüne was the grandfather of Bruno Zee. He was born in 1641 in Bierden, and died in Bollen in 1717. His parents were Wöltje Seekamp and Gesche Dahlweg. Family Brüne…

Harm Seekamp (1580)

Harm Seekamp was the great-great-grandfather of Bruno Zee. He is estimated to have been born c. 1580 in Bierden, son of Brüne Seekamp in Bollen [not confirmed, theory from local…

Mysterious marks on a Seekamp grave

In the early 1870’s, a discovery was made in the graveyard of Arbergen. A pair of gravestones from the mid 1600’s carried intriguing and unique markings, etched into the stone….

Research: Finding two Meyers

Looking for Anna Margaretha Meyer (Bruno’s Wife)and Hinrich Meyer (Bruno’s VOC shipmate) Anna Margaretha Meyer Baptism St. Petri Dom Bremen [May 2020, Die Maus] 09133 MEYER, BerendtGeboren: G 1672.Verbindung Kirchl.Heirat…

Seekamp Family Tree

The first Seekamp family trees The Früchtenicht/Biermann family book pieces together the early Seekamp families as follows, starting with the brothers Hinrich and Brüne Seekamp, known to be the first forefathers of…

The first Seekamps and their journey from Clüverswerder

The Seekamp name dates back to – at least – November 25, 1481 [1]. That Friday, Heinrich Clüver [2] sold a piece of land near Bollen known as the Sehekampswerder to the…

The Seekamp family

Bruno Zee, sailor, adventurer, rebel and mutineer, and our first Zee ancestor, was born in Bollen, near Bremen, in 1697, as Brüne Seekamp. He changed his surname to Zee, but…

Wöltje Seekamp (1604) x Gesche Dahlweg

Wöltje Seekamp was the great-grandfather of Bruno Zee. He was born in 1604, likely in Bierden, and died there sometime between 1647-1655. For our Zee family, he is a direct…