This chronicle traces the Groen family from their origins in Friesland, Netherlands, through their immigration to the American West, and documents the remarkable intermarriage between the Groen and de Vries families that wove two immigrant lineages into one extended family.
The Direct Line
Seven generations connect Yke Fokkes Groen, a master carpenter in 18th-century Friesland, to Aldrich J. "Rich" de Vries, who was born in Montana and died in Washington State. The thread that binds them is Nellie Groen, who married into the de Vries family.
The Immigration
Yke Jogchums Groen—who would become known as "Ike" in America—left Ureterp, Friesland sometime in the early 1900s. He and his wife Wiske "Winnie" Tolsma (1870–1962) first settled in Shepherd, Yellowstone County, Montana, where several of their children were born. The family eventually made their way to the Dutch immigrant community around Lynden and Sumas in Whatcom County, Washington, where Ike lived until his death at 94.
The Groen family's trajectory mirrors that of many Frisian immigrants of the era: skilled tradesmen seeking opportunity in the American West, often settling in communities where they found fellow Dutch speakers and Reformed Church congregations.
The Groen-de Vries Intermarriage
A Remarkable Pattern
Four of Ike and Winnie Groen's children married four children of Aalderik "Aldrick" de Vries and Jessie Eisenga, creating an extraordinary web of family connections. This wasn't coincidence—it was community. Dutch immigrant families in Whatcom County shared churches, schools, and social circles. The Groen and de Vries clans became one extended family through multiple unions.
Aldrich J. "Rich" de Vries
Your maternal grandfather, Rich de Vries, was the eldest child of John Aldrich de Vries and Nellie Groen. He was born November 15, 1927 in Huntley, Montana—suggesting his parents may have briefly lived near the older Groen settlement in Yellowstone County before moving to Washington.
Aldrich J. "Rich" de Vries (1927–2008)
Married Marcella M. "Marcie" de Boer (b. August 30, 1929) on January 15, 1948 at Sumas, Whatcom County. He was 20; she was 18.
Rich's Siblings
Aldrich had three siblings, all children of John Aldrich de Vries and Nellie Groen:
Ivan de Vries (1931–2013)
Born September 25, 1931 at Billings, Montana. Married Jean Dolores Dykstra (1934–2003) in 1952. Five children: Kathy Jean (1959–2003), Karen L., Bonnie L., Dale, and John.
Wilma Jean de Vries (1934–1997)
Born July 23, 1934 at Shepherd, Montana. Married Hilbert Visser (1929–1999) in 1952. Five children: Jerald, Roger, Arlene, Denise, and Barbra.
Jay de Vries (b. 1939)
The youngest sibling. Married Irene. No children recorded.
Geographic Thread
The family's American geography traces a clear pattern: initial settlement in Montana (Shepherd, Huntley, Billings—all in Yellowstone County), then migration to Washington State's Whatcom County (Lynden, Sumas, Bellingham). Mount Vernon in Skagit County, where Rich spent his final years, is just south of this ancestral territory.
This corridor of Dutch settlement along the Canadian border reflects the agricultural opportunities and community networks that drew Frisian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest.