The background of Helmich Barlemeijer, founder of this family in the Dutch town of Amersfoort, is unknown. The only thing the annals report is that he came from the town of Bremen in the north of Germany, not far from the region in Westphalia where the Barlemeyer families from Kreis Gütersloh originate from. But it is unknown if there is any kinship to these families.
He probably arrived in Amersfoort some years before 1645. The first evidence of his existence is the mentioning of his marriage in 1645 to a Dutch woman from Amersfoort. Some weeks later he was adjudged the rights of citizenship. At the end of this year he became a member of the Reformed Church, which was important for his status in the new homeland.
His trade was that of a "bombasijdewercker", a maker of a strong, tightly woven woollen fabric. Old notarial acts offer a picture of a hard-working, purposive man, who, apart from his daily work, dealt in houses. He and the members of his family belonged to a middle class of handworkers, neither exceptionally poor, nor rich. The family-history is confined to a period of two centuries. As usual in those times many children were born, and many of them died at early age. In the second half of the 19th century the name of Barlemeijer disappeared from the Amersfoort annals.

Marriage registration of Helmich Barlemeijer

Date of 19 July 1645.
1. Helmich Barlemeijer, j.m. (young man) from Bremen
2. Willemtgen Otten van Schadijck, j.l. (young lady)
3. from Amersfoort both living in this place
married in Baarn (a village near Amersfoort) 3 August 1645