Wemeldinge. This South Beveland village in Zeeland is where many family civil and church records can be found. I guess that makes it the Bustraan ancestral home. 

Wemeldinge used to be called Wemelingen, from the words "wemel" and "ingen." Wemel is the name of a nearby creek and ingen is an old word meaning close by, or near. The old village was on a little rise that provided safety from the water and where people started living. 

The images are of the village from which both Cornelis and Adriaan emigrated. The vintage photos are from the postcard collection of Ad Weststrate of Veere. Specifically, these are from his "Zeeland in Prentbriefkaarten" CD-ROM and are used with his gracious permission.

Church. The 600-year old Maartenskerk, the Protestant Church in Netherlands (PKN) church in Wemeldinge, is the site of numerous recorded Bustraan baptisms, weddings, and funerals. It stands to this day. 

Then and now. Site of the municipal building with the tower, Dorpstraat is a linden tree-lined street paved with bricks.

Water and Wind. In 1866 a channel was created on the eastern part of the village through South Beveland and an intensive effort began on the lock complex. In 1975 the course of the channel changed and activity around the locks slowed. Since then the old locks were converted into a modern yacht harbor, laying right on the open waterside of the Oosterschelde. The two molen, or windmills, named "De Hoop" (1866) and "Aeolus" (1869) pick up wind from the Delta Plan-created lake. Increasingly, tourists are discovering Wemeldinge as an attractive village for holidays.

Family Pictures. Any family pictures out there? Contact me.