DeJong, Gerrit 1843-1919 & Jannetje Van Peursem Family

DEJONG, VANPEURSEM, VERBEEK, BOS

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 3/5/2024 at 06:48:40

DeJong, Gerrit 1843-1919 and Jannetje Van Peursem Family

This story was taken from pages 314-315 of the Maurice Centennial Book (1891-1991). The story was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Some research notes were added by Wilma J. Vande Berg. Spellings, dates and places were left as recorded in the cited sources.

Gerrit De Jong made Sherman Township his home in 1871. He was born June 25, 1843, at Schoenhoven, Netherlands, and was the second son of Koenraad De Jong and Wilhelmina Ver Beek. At the age of four, he came to America, with his parents, his older brother, and a two year old sister. His sister, Tryntje, died and was buried at sea and his brother, Pieter Hein, was born while they were on the ocean.

They settled at Pella, Iowa, and Gerrit acquired five more brothers and one sister. It was on January 30, 1868, that Gerrit married Jannetje (Jantje) Van Peursem at Pella.

Jannetje was born September 30, 1844, to Peter Van Peursem and Jenneke Bos at Ede, Netherlands. She came to America in 1856, when she was twelve years old with her parents, two sisters, and four brothers. They too, settled in Pella.

In 1871, Gerrit and Jannetje, along with their two year old son, Koenraad and their infant daughter, Jenneka, came to Sioux County and settled three miles east and one mile south of Maurice. There, Gerrit bought 80 acres of land from the railroad and built a homestead. They became members of the First Reformed Church in Orange City.

They weren’t there long before tragedy struck. Jannetje had a wash boiler full of boiling water standing on the floor in preparation for doing the laundry. Little two year old Koenraad pushed his little nine month old sister into the boiler. She died as a result of that accident. There was no cemetery at that time so the child was buried in their grove.

About the same time Jannetje’s sister and family, Gerritje and Harmon Hasselman, lived on the next farm south and they lost a little child which was buried on that farm.

Eight more children were born to Gerrit and Jannetje, namely Peter, Jeanette, Minnie, Kate, Gert, Nellie, John and George. Koenraad married Dena Aalfs (parents of Anna Muilenburg), Peter married Petronella Neevel (his story appears elsewhere), Jeanette married Richard De Cook, Minnie married John Aalberts and lived in Sherman Township, Kate married Leon Jones and lived in LeMars, Gert married Rev. George Douwstra, Nellie married Herman Luymes, John married Hattie Van Rooyan and lived in Sherman Township, and George married Nellie and also lived for a time in Sherman Township.

In 1901, Gerrit and his wife retired and moved to Orange City, and their son, Peter, moved on the farm.

It was when they were living in town in the house now at 417 W. 1st Street, that Jannetje had to have an emergency appendectomy which was performed on the kitchen table with the only light being that of a kerosene lamp.

Later, Gerrit built and moved in the house at 321 Central Avenue NE. Gerrit smoked Long Distance tobacco. He also always wore a beard. One of his granddaughters remembers he would want a kiss, but she didn’t like his beard, however, when he would hold a peppermint up for her, he would get his kiss. He was known for his gentleness and kindness.

Jannetje was of a stern nature and never smiled. She also had quite a temper. One time her grandson went to feed her chickens and in doing so spilled about 25 kernels of corn in the snow outside the fence. She saw this and made him pick them up and give them to the chickens. In spite of her sternness, he claimed her to be a good grandma and she was also remembered for her good cakes.

On December 8, 1919, Gerrit was climbing a ladder which was propped up against the house. He was going to repair a leak in the roof. A gust of wind hit him and suddenly he died of a heart attack. The scripture used at his funeral was I Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love”. The weather was cold and snowy the day of the funeral. The hearse could not get to the cemetery, so the casket was put on a bobsled. He is buried in the Orange City Cemetery.

In the spring, Jannetje’s daughter, Nellie, and family moved in with her. Two rooms were added to the house and these were her living quarters. She died September 11, 1928, and is also buried in the Orange City Cemetery. The name on her gravestone is Jane.

Gerrit, was the least ostentatious of the De Jong brothers. He was of a very kind and gentle nature, quiet and unassuming, with a keen sense of humor. He was fond of a good joke. But in spite of his gentle and somewhat retiring nature, he had underlying firmness and argumentative makeup typical of the De Jong stock. He had a very keen mind and when aroused, was a skillful antagonist in controversy over religious or political topics. People that knew the right sons of Koenraad, will claim that he was the shrewdest of them all. Even after he had reached advanced age and his hearing was greatly impaired, he remained the power behind the throne in the Orange City clan. He was an exceptionally earnest, sincere, devout man.

The Van Peursems, into which family Gerrit married, were a very cultured and keen-minded old family of the Netherlands. They originated at Peursem, in the province of South Holland, not far from Ameide, the home of the De Jongh’s. (The above two paragraphs were taken from the book “De Jongh and Allied Families).

IN MEMORY OF Gerrit and Jantje De Jong by Imo Mulder

RESEARCH Notes: From family reports on ancestry.com public member trees submitted by other than this submitter, also from local obituary archives on this web page.

Gerrit De Jong was born 25 Jun 1843 Schoonhoven, Zuid Holland, Netherlands emigrated in 1847 on ship ‘Nagasaki’, died 8 Dec 1919, buried in West Lawn Cemetery Orange City IA. He was the son of Koenraad De Jongh 1802-1866 and Wilhelmina Verbeek 1816-1884. He married Jantje Van Peursem on 30 Jan 1868 at Pella Marion Iowa.

Jantje ‘Jane’ Van Peursem was born 30 Sep 1844 Ede, Gelderland, Netherlands and died 11 Sep 1928 Orange City IA. She was the daughter of Peter Van Peursem 1809-1877 and Janneke Bos 1815-1858. Gerrit and Jantje De Jong had the following children.

CHILDREN: Information gathered from family reports on ancestry.com (by others) and local obituary archive on this web page.

1. Koenraad De Jong born 6 Nov 1868 Marion County IA died 8 Nov 1904 Maurice IA. He married Dena Aalfs in 1872 she died 1944 as Mrs Cornelius Van Zee. The De Jong children were Anna Edna De Jong 1897-1989, Jennie Mrs Lee Kiel 1898, and Garrett 1900-1986

2. Jenneke De Jong born 11 Nov 1870 died 6 Aug 1871 scalded as an infant

3. Peter G. De Jong born 6 Dec 1873 Sherman Twp. Sioux Co. IA, he died 16 May 1963. He married Peternella Neevel, she died 1907. Children: Raymond, Harry, Nelson, Nellie and Greta (Mrs. Fred Eason), all of the vicinity.

4. Jeanette De Jong born 1875 died 21 Jan 1919 Orange City IA married Richard De Cook. They had two children, Lawrence De Cook 1909-1999 and Bernard De Cook 1916-2005.

5. Minnie De Jong born 1877 died July 1963 Orange City IA, married John Aalberts. Their children were Rev. Gradus Aalberts of De Motte, Ind.. Gerrit and Alfred of Orange City. Edwin of Bemidji. Minn.. and Mina (Mrs. John Verdoorn) of Orange City. 

6. Kate De Jong born 24 Apr 1879 Orange City IA died 26 Jul 1957 Los Angeles CA. She married on 24 May 1900 to Leon Lewis Jones born 1879. Find A Grave listed two children as Leona Louise Connelly and Mildred Loretta Tindall.

7. Gert De Jong born 1 Nov 1880 died 20 Apr 1959 Orange City IA. Married Rev. George Herman Douwstra. Children listed Herman Howard Douwstra and Fruena Jean Korstage.

8. Nellie De Jong born 5 Nov 1882 died 23 Aug 1871 Orange City IA married Herman Luymes. Children listed Ellen Mae Mrs Atwood Scott of Omaha, Conrad H. Luymes and Marion Harris Luymes of Sioux Falls.

9. John G. De Jong born 20 Mar 1885 died 11 Sep 1956 Orange City IA. He married Hattie Van Rooyen. Children listed were Rev. C. V. R. De Jong of Aurora, Colo.; Jean, Mrs. B. G. Vander Berg, of Dubuque, Ia.; Margaret, Mrs. Marvin Vander Wel of Orange City; Rev. Lloyd De Jong of Portage, Wisc.; Harriet, Mrs. Orville Kuiken of Sioux Center.

10. George De Jong born 8 Nov 1886 died 15 May 1968 Orange City IA. He married Nellie Luymes. Children listed as Evan of Sioux City, and Miss Myrl Eleanor De Jong of Orange City.

OBITUARY OF GERRIT DE JONG
Maurice Times December 11, 1919
Gerrit De Jong aged 75 of Orange City dropped dead of heart failure while up town Monday. He was an uncle of Henry De Jong.

Orange City DeVolkvriend of Dec 11, 1919 In Dutch
Translated:
The 76-year-old Mr. Gerrit De Jong would remove some snow from the flat roof above the kitchen of his house on Monday morning. Scarcely occupied with this, our friend's heart seems to have refused the latter, and he was found in a state where the body and the mind are separated. Dr. De Bey noted death. When the news was heard, there was great shock and dismay among family, friends, and acquaintances, and the sympathy with the widow and children was general.
Mr. De Jong was born in Schoonhoven, South Holland, Netherlands on June 25, 1843, and came to America with his parents in 1847. The family settled in Pella and devoted themselves to farming. At a young age, and under the ministry of Rev. P. J. Oggel, the departed gave his heart first to the Lord and then to the church. On 10 Jan 1868, he married Jantje Van Peursem. The couple moved here in 1872 and has gone through the sourness with it, but also enjoyed the sweetness to a large extent.
Of the 10 children with whom he was born, 7 are still alive, and all live in this Settlement. Soon after his arrival he was appointed the Church Council of the 1st Reformed Church. He was elected here and served for 32 years, first as a Deacon and then as an Elder. He resigned in 1912 because of his old age. In 1902 they left the farm and settled here.
The funeral is scheduled for Thursday, under the direction of Rev. Engelsman in Dutch and Rev. Steunenberg in English. Religious services at home at 1 p.m. and in the church of the 1st Ref. at half past 2 p.m.

OBITUARY OF JANNETJE DE JONG 1844-1928
Alton Democrat September 21, 1928
Mrs. G. De Jong ( Jantje ‘Jane’ Van Peursem) passed away Tuesday, September llth after, a long illness mostly due to old age. September 30th would have been her 84th birthday. She was born in the Netherlands in 1844 , came to America as a young girl with her father, brothers and sisters.
For some years the family lived at Pella. In the year 1868 she was married to Gerrit De Jong. In 1872 Mr. and Mrs. De Jong came to Sioux County with the first settlers and for many years they lived on a farm southwest of Orange City. Ten children were horn to the union, of whom seven are living. One died in infancy. The oldest son, Conrad De Jong died at the age of 36 years on November 8, 1904. Mrs. R. De Cook Jeanetta on March 21, 1919.
Surviving are Peter, John and George, Mrs. J. Aalberts of Orange City, Mrs. L. L. Jones of Le Mars, Mrs. (Rev.) G. H.- Douwstra of Hull, Mrs. Herman Luymes of Orange City with whom the mother made her home since the death of Mr. De Jong in 1919. Brothers and sisters surviving are Mrs. H. Husselman of Pella, Geo. Van Peursem of Maurice now in Community Hospital Le Mars, Mrs. Bert Van Roekel, M. Van Peursem, both of Orange City and Wm. Van Peursem of Pella. She is also survived by 30 grandchildren. One Rev. Garrett E. De Jong is in Arabia, two are at Central College, namely Howard Douwstra and Cornelius De Jong, and Mrs. Lee Kiel of Chicago.
These four could not attend the funeral, which was held Friday afternoon at Trinity church. The pastor, Rev. Van Zomeren, and Mrs. De Jong's son in law, Rev. G. H Douwstra, conducted the services Mrs. De Jong was a loving devoted Christian mother and grandmother a wonderful housewife and a wise and inspiring advisor to her children.

This Gerrit De Jong family picture was taken from page 314 of the Maurice Centennial Book.

Sioux Biographies maintained by Linda Ziemann.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen