ADEMS HISTORY

My grandmother Jeanne Eugenie Adems was born on the 12th August 1894. She died in 1999 just before her 105th birthday and missed having lived in three centuries by a few months. I have only just discovered since her death that she was actually adopted at the age of seven, and that my great aunt Henriette Adems was really her half-sister. This began to ring bells with a story my mother told me when I was very young that my grandmother's mother had tried to drown her when she was about seven years old.

Her adoptive parents were Desire Adems and Antoinette Deseagher, both born circa 1870. Desire was one of five children, his two brothers being Charles and Michel Adems. My great aunt Henriette Adems (Tante Yette) was slightly younger than my gran. She married Pascale Vermoesen and they had one daughter, Jeanneke.

The photograph an the left shows: Back Row, my grandmother and her sister Henriette, mum's brother Philippe, her cousin Jeanneke, and my Mum. Front Row Great Uncle Pascale and my grandfather.

Tante Yette and Uncle Pascale were live-in caretakers at a large comprehensive school in Brussels. They always had a large poodle called Puck, and I think I remember at least three Pucks. As children my brother and I used to love to visit the school. This would be in summer when the school was closed. It was a very modern school with a fantastic playground. Their daughter my aunt Jeanneke was my mother's younger cousin and she is the little dark haired girl with my mum on the first page of this website.

My Mum's cousin Jeanneke married an American Air Force officer after World War 2 called Joe Rumney. They both live at Prosser, just outside Seattle. They never had any children, but used to send fantastic presents to me and my brother.

Tante Yette and Uncle Pascale visiting with Joe and Jeanneke
outside their home at Prosser circa 1960

Gay J Oliver © 2003 - all rights reserved