In 1881 26-year-old Willem Nooteboom, son of a blacksmith in Schiebroek, opens his own smithy in the village of Kethel, a stone’s throw from Rotterdam. His activities in those days were making fencing and wrought-iron fittings for houses and doors, and horseshoes.
1881-1921: 1st generation
![Willem Nooteboom](https://www.nooteboom.com/wp-content/uploads/Willem-Nooteboom.jpg)
![Nooteboom smithie Nooteboom smithie](https://www.nooteboom.com/wp-content/uploads/Nooteboom-smithie.jpg)
Shrinking the iron tyres for the wooden wheels of carriages was at that time also a job done frequently. After 40 years Willem hands over the company in 1921 to his son Henk Jan Nooteboom.