Until well into the 20th century, there was a lot of poverty around Roden. In the Roderveld and surrounding areas, families mostly lived in turf huts, and it also happened that some found shelter in a ditch, covered with branches and the like. The poverty was clearly visible in the people and their homes. The heathland used to stretch from Roden all the way to Veenhuizen and was gradually reclaimed. Canals were dug for the transport of peat from the bog, leading to the Hoofddiep, and gradually the village of Nieuw-Roden emerged. In 1932, the last turf hut disappeared, and Roderveld became Nieuw-Roden. The districts of Poolswijk, Bisschopswijk, Kortewijk, and Langewijk still remind us of the peat period.
People who were doing a bit better in this region usually had better homes made of stone and covered with roof tiles or thatch. The houses were generally too small for the large households. Families with ten children were quite normal, and even families with eighteen children existed. They lived in such small houses, but it was good living. (Source: “Een kijk op Roden”).
There used to be a lot of water traffic here. Barges regularly sailed to Groningen through the Jonkersvaart. These were Praamstra from Marum, Haarsma from De Wilp, Jagersma from Ureterp, and Van der Wal from Haulerwijk. The latter sailed with a “snik.” Furthermore, twice a week from Zevenhuizen, the steamboats of Reijntjes and Van der Ploeg departed. Van der Ploeg quickly gave up, and then Snip came, I believe with his boat “De Pelikaan.” One day, when there was already thick ice in the Hoofddiep, the “Peli” was fired up and broke the ice. However, the next morning, the boat’s bell was missing, and at Snip’s (who lived in an old farmhouse, where later Dr. Bakker lived), all the windows were smashed during the night. The culprits were never found… (source: Jacob Hut) (The Snip mentioned here is Jan Snip, married to Trientje Blaauwiekel).
From family sources, I have learned that son Popke Snip (married to Jeltje Veen) initially lived in a shack and reclaimed the heathland himself for a piece of building land. Later, he moved into a small stone house.
Original Dutch text by Yolanda Snip-Steneker.
