Chapter 4
People involved
Five generations of Rodenburg and De Kroes built, led and finally wound up the enterprise in Overschie.
The foundation
Cornelis Rodenburg and Adriana Zeeuw
Cornelis Rodenburg (1805 to 1873) was orphaned at a very young age: his mother died in 1810 and his father Johannes in 1813. He probably started his farm around 1823 and founded the family dynasty with his marriage to Adriana Zeeuw (1806 to 1893) around 1826. By the middle of the century he was a very successful cattle dealer. At his death in 1873 he left a fortune of about 8 million guilders, the capital that, through inheritance and marriage, became the base of OLTM.
The marriage of 1874
Roelof Adrianus de Kroes and Johanna Maria Rodenburg
Roelof Adrianus (1848 to 1918), eldest son of the Schiedam butcher Wouter de Kroes, and Johanna Maria (1848 to 1890), youngest daughter of Cornelis and Adriana, married in Overschie in 1874. Of their seven children four sons reached adulthood: Kees, Wout, Willem and Jacob. Johanna Maria died in childbirth in 1890. From the second marriage of Roelof Adrianus three daughters were born, Ans, Bets and Jeanne, who all went to university.
The founding brothers
Cees, Wout, Willem and Jacob de Kroes
With the inheritance from their mother and grandmother, about one million guilders, and helped by their uncle Pieter Rodenburg, the brothers bought land in polder Zestienhoven. In 1907 Cees, Wout (1879 to 1944) and Willem founded OLTM as a partnership, converted in 1917 into an N.V.; that year Cees left and Jacob became the third partner. Jacob de Kroes (1885 to 1969) was director of the company and remained involved with Gekro until the end of his life. He married Adriana Poot in 1909 and Mathilda Wilhelmina Olieman in 1920.
The second generation
Rien (Marinus) and Dolf (Rudolf Adrianus) de Kroes
Sons of Wout de Kroes. In the 1920s they began processing animal blood, which grew into the rendering company Gekro (Gebroeders de Kroes), and they became partners in OLTM. Dolf led the branch in Hansweert, Zeeland, and was killed in the war; Rien, seriously wounded, recovered and led Gekro after the war. He celebrated his 40 year jubilee with the company, which was marked in the staff magazine Gekro Contact.
Directors
Henk and Aat de Kroes
Henk, the youngest brother of Rien, joined the management after the war; later Aat, Rien’s son, also became director. Cor, Dolf’s widow, and her son Wout led the activities in Argentina.
The last generation
Roek, Jan, Klaas and Jaap de Kroes
Members of the last active generation, who saw the end of industry at the Bovendijk and the transition of the family property. Roek de Kroes helped build up Orgaminer in Agadir from 1951 and later represented his brothers and sister as director of the STAK De Kroes, in which Jaap de Kroes, son of Klaas, succeeded him. Jan Jacob (Jan Jaap) de Kroes, son of Roek, born in Deventer in 1960, documented the history of the area and the company. Read his family story.
Reactions to this chapter
Do you know more about this part of the story, or do you have a correction, a photograph or a memory to share? Leave a reaction below. Reactions are published after review. For a personal question, use the question form.