Jaap & Emmy is the life story of Jack and Emma Manten. It describes their family and lives in the Netherlands before immigrating to British Columbia, Canada in 1923. The struggles of Dutch immigrants raising three daughters and starting Manten's Nursery, a horticultural business that specialized in importing propagating, and selling trees and shrubs is documented based on their letters and business records. Manten's Nursery was instrumental in the restocking of the B.C. tree fruit industry with dwarf rootstock after the 1949-50 frost, growing the BC filbert nut industry, the development of the dwarf Jubilee apple variety, and for propagation of a new Daphne variety called Daphne mantensiana. Manten conducted experimental research and served as a mentor for University of BC academics and students as well as researchers from the Dominion Experimental Station in Summerland. Manten's Nursery supplied plants to local and international government and research stations as well as stock for many of the well known gardens, parks, and nurseries in B including the University of British Columbia, UBC Botanical Garden, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stanley Park, Queens Park, and Vancouver and Penticton street trees.

Jacob Eric Stathers' profile page

Grace Van Voorden's profile page

Jacob Eric Stathers

Jacob Eric Stathers is the eldest grandson of Jack and Emma Manten and was born in Canada. Eric is the author of five books that cover wide ranging topics such as railroad wrecks, sailing clippers, steamships, and horticultural nurseries. They include IN THE DITCH, MY STORY, JAAP & EMMY, SAILOR BILL & MARY and the STATHERS-MANTEN FAMILY GENEALOGY.

Grace Van Voorden

Grace Van Voorden is Eric's cousin and co-author from The Netherlands who shares a common love of family history.