Heinrich Jansen Voss was born in 1835 in Blomberg, Ost Friesland, Germany. He was the youngest son of Gerd Hinrichs Voss and Ikker Ihnen Dincla. Around 1857 he was united in marriage to Rikkertje "Rieka" Kohlman. Rieka, the daughter of Gerd Remmers Kohlman and Antje Mammen Noosten, was born in 1828 in the village of Utarp, Ost Friesland. Heinrich and Rieka had four children who were born in Germany: Gerd (1858-1863), Antje (1860-1932), Ihne (1862-1886) and Gerd (1865-1866). The Voss family sailed from Bremen on the 'Matador' and arrived in New York on November 22, 1865. Their original destination was Pennsylvania. They settled in the town of Pekin, Illinois where their youngest son, George (1870-1944) was born. The family moved north to a farm in Minonk Township, Woodford County, Illinois where they remained until 1882. At that time, they joined several other families from the area and moved to Bruning, Nebraska. Heinrich died in 1898 and Rieka died in 1915. Both are buried at the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Bruning.

Of their two surviving children, one remained in Bruning and the other moved to South Dakota:

• Antje married Theodore Wilhelms and remained in Bruning.

• George married Catharina 'Mary' Wilhelms and lived briefly in Bruning. The family later moved to Clark, South Dakota then New Underwood where both George and Mary died.

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