Jan Witvoet (= White Foot) was born in October 1879 in the country village of Grootegast, located in the western part of the Dutch northeastern province Groningen, the fourth, last son of farmer Gerrit Witvoet and Geertje Aardema, who had ten children.

He had in Grootegast the following nine siblings:
* Jantje, 8 June 1866;
* Fokke, 24 February 1869;
* Lambertus, 26 March 1871;
* Neelina, 20 April 1872;
* Bastiaan, 16 June 1874, died 30 August 1881, Grootegast;
* Aaltje, 4 December 1876;
* Iwina, 4 October 1881;
* Bastiaantje, 6 March 1885;
* Anna Fokkelina, 2 August 1888.

His father Gerrit Witvoet was in 1866 a day-laborer, in all the other, later years farmer.

In 1892 his brother Lambertus Witvoet (21, no occupation, Dutch Reformed) emigrated in 1892 from Grootegast to North America. In April 1893 his brother Fokke Witvoet (24, day-laborer, Dutch Reformed) and sister Neelina Witvoet (20, day-laborer, Dutch Reformed) emigrated from Grootegast to North America. On 9 August 1893 his father, the 58 years aged, Dutch Reformed farmer Gerrit Witvoet followed them with his wife and five children from Grootegast to the USA. On 26 August 1893 Jan (13), his father Gerrit Witvoet (58 y, farmer), his mother Geertje (48), his sisters Aaltje (16), Irviana (11), Bastiaantje (8) and Anna (4) arrived on the S.S. Rotterdam at the port of New York, Ellis Island. Their destination was the Dutch truck farmers settlement of Roseland, since 1892 a southern district of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

In 1897 his sister Jantje Witvoet emigrated with her husband, smith Wobbe van der Veen and their three children Wiebren, Gerrit and Fokke van der Veen, from Marum, Groningen, to North America.
With that the whole family Witvoet had emigrated to the USA.

In June 1900 his parents, sisters Iwiene, Besssie and Annie were living on a rented farm in Thornton Township, located just south of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. It's very likely that John had meanwhile left his paternal home to work as a farm hand somewhere else.

On August 23, 1900 John Witvoet married the also 20 years old Carrie Van De Grind in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

On November 2, 1900 John Witvoet was, together with his father Gerrit L. Witvoet, naturalized by the County Court of Illinois, very probably located in Chicago, and became an American citizen. On the next day, November 3, 1900, his brother Lambertus Witvoet was naturalized too by the same court.

On January 23, 1905 John Witvoet (25) and his wife Carry Van Der Griend (25, born in the Dutch truck farmers settlement of South Holland, located just south of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois) had in South Holland son Boyd Witvoet, on July 15, 1906 in Chicago son Frank Witvoet, and on September 2, 1908 in South Holland son Lambertus Witvoet.

In May 1910 John Witvoet (30 years old, born in Holland, immigrated in 1892 [has to be: in 1893], vegetables pedler), his wife Carrie (30, Illinois), their children Grant (9, Illinois), Josie (7, Illinois), Boyd (5, Illinois), Frank (3, Illinois), Bert (2, Illinois) and John (0, Illinois) were living on a rented farm in Thornton Township, very likely in or near South Holland, Cook County, Illinois.

In January 1920 John Witvoet (40, immigrated in 1892 [has to be: in 1893], farmer), his wife Carrie (39), their children Garett (18, driver for a grocery), Joenie (16, working outdoors), Boyd (14, laborer on home farm), Frank (12), Berth Jr. (11), Johny (10), Gertrude (8, Illinois), Fany (6, Illinois), Andrew (5, Illinois) and May (1, Illinois) were living on a rented farm, still in Thornton Township, very likely in or near South Holland, Cook County, Illinois.

In May 1930 John Witvoet (50, no occupation), his wife Carrie (50), their children Frank (23, road construction laborer), Bert (21, laborer at steel work), John Jr. (20), Gertrude (18, Illinois), Fanny (17), Andrew (16) and May (11) were still living in Thornton Township, very likely in or near South Holland, Cook County, Illinois.

In May 1940 John G Witvoet (60, vegetables pedler), his wife Carrie (60), their daughter Mae Deyoung (21) and son-in-law Owen J Deyoung (20, Illinois, farm laborer) were living at their own home, worth $3000, at 18206 ?oodward Avenue in still Thornton Township, Cook County, Illinois. In 1935 they lived in another house at a rural place in Cook County, Illinois.

His wife Carrie died in April 1955 at the age of 74 years in South Holland, Cook County, Illinois. Widower and retired farmer John Witvoet died there too, in May 1961, at the age of 81 years. Source: their obituaries, sent in November 2017 by G. DeYoung.