Mieras, John E. 1872-1950 & Sarah Miersma Ridderbos Family

MIERAS, RIDDERBOS, MIERSMA, CENTZEN, SENSON

Posted By: Wilma J. VandeBerg (email)
Date: 3/22/2024 at 13:52:39

Mieras, John E. 1872-1950 & Sarah Miersma Ridderbos Family.

This story was taken from pages 432-433 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. Names, places and dates spellings were left as in the cited sources.

Three brothers came from Holland, and settled in the United States. Their names were William, Jacob and Adrian. Jacob and his wife (the former Adrianna Sensen) had eight children, four sons and four daughters. They settled on a farm near Union Grove (Kenosha), Wisconsin, in 1855. In 1880, after the death of his wife, Adrianna, Jacob homesteaded on a farm east of Maurice, with his eight children.

Of the eight children, two sons, William and John E., settled in the town of Maurice. Jacob Jr. purchased land adjacent to Maurice. All three were prominent Maurice businessmen, taking an active part in community and church affairs. The fourth son, Lewis, settled on a farm one-half mile east of Maurice, and made his livelihood there.

Jacob Sr. (John E.’s father) was deceased at age 64, in January 30, 1890, with burial in Maurice (Sherman Township) Cemetery. This same year, 1890, John E. Mieras, the youngest of the four sons, entered the employ of Van Beynum and Mensink, in their large general store in Maurice, and followed that vocation for six years (1896).

John E. Mieras graduated from Caster Line Community College at Racine, Wisconsin, and while there played football on the college football team. He also attended LeMars Normal School, fitting himself for a business career. In April, 1897, he engaged in the general merchandise business in Maurice, closing out this business one year later.

In 1898, he was appointed and commissioned postmaster of Maurice, taking over in this capacity on January 16, of that year. The first post office was located in a bank building on 2nd street, the back of which was a barber shop. In 1900, John E. Mieras moved the post office to the next building west and in 1911, he moved it to the former bank building on the corner of 2nd and Main Streets.

John E. Mieras engaged in several other business ventures including telephone, Maurice Times (the local newspaper) and Maurice restaurant. Some years later (around 1920), he built an addition to the north of the post office building where he and Peter Van Peursem established a successful hardware and furniture business.

On May 30, 1900, John E. Mieras was joined in marriage to Sarah Ridderbos, daughter of Simon and Jessie Ridderbos. She was born in Holland, and came to the United States, with her parents when she was two years old (1881). They farmed southwest of Maurice, and she and her parents shopped at Van Beynum and Mensink General Store where John E. Mieras was clerk and it was at that time that John E. and Sarah Ridderbos met.

At the time of their marriage, they bought a four-room cottage on Elm Street which later was enlarged and remodeled into a two-story, four-bedroom home where they lived until moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the fall of 1949. It was in Cedar Rapids, that they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 30, 1950.

John and Sarah Ridderbos Mieras were the parents of four children: Oliver (born March 21, 1901), Helma (born July 3, 1902), Jessamine (born June 9, 1906), and Bernice (born October 8, 1911).

Along with caring for and raising her family, Sarah Ridderbos Mieras took a prominent part in many activities of the church and community, including home talent plays in which both she and her husband participated.

Of their four children, two - - Oliver and Jessamine, are deceased. Helma Mieras Moore and Bernice Mieras Van Orsdol both live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Jessamine Mieras Kinch of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died on June 8, 1953, of a stroke, at the age of 46. She graduated from Maurice High School with the class of 1924. She attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she met her husband, Frank Kinch, and then took training in hair styling and cosmetology which profession she followed until the time of her death.

Her husband, Frank Kinch, preceded her in death on March 6, 1946, at age 41, of a heart attack. He had been a coach at both Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Orange City, Iowa, and at the time of his death was a football coach at Franklin High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Jessamine Kinch was survived by one son, Judson Mieras Kinch, born September 3, 1937, who then made his home with the James Van Orsdol family in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Bernice Mieras Van Orsdol was his aunt. He finished high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, from which he graduated in May, 1959. He now works for Northrup Corporation and lives with his family in Camarillo, California. He has two children, Adrienne and Alexander.

As of 1898, the house built by John E. and Sarah (Ridderbos) Mieras, at 309 Elm Street, early in the 1900’s stands as a beautiful memorial both to them and to their family who lived there. It is now the home of Duane and Dorothy VanDer Weide.

Both the house and grounds are beautifully kept and show that love and pride for this place still exists. Thank you Duane and Dorothy!
(end of the Maurice book family story)

RESEARCH Notes: From family reports on ancestry.com public member trees submited by other than this submitter.

John E. Mieras born 13 Aug 1872 Racine, Kenosha Co. WI died 7 Nov 1950 Cedar Rapids IA. His parents were Jacob Lauirsse Mieras 1825 born 26 May 1825 Kapelle Zeeland Netherlands and died 30 Jan 1890 Maurice IA and Adriana S. Centzen/Senson 1829-1877. John E. married 1 Aug 1850 at Wemeldinge, Kapelle, Netherlands.

''Sipkje' Sarah Miersma Ridderbos was born 6 Dec 1878 Firdgum, Barradeel, Friesland, Netherlands, died 14 Apr 1961 Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa. Her parents were - Simon Ridderbos born 21 Mar 1849 Uithuizemeeden, Groningen Neth. died 21 Oct 1914 Maurice IA. and Jetske Miersma born 27 Sep 1846 Firdgum Friesland, Neth died 4 Oct 1918 Maurice IA. John Mieras and Sarah were the parents of the following children.

CHILDREN
1 Simon Oliver Mieras born 21 Mar 1901 Maurice IA died 18 Sep 1986 Dodge Center MN He married Glynn Marie Thompson 1909-2004 They had children Herbert John Mieras 1929, Joanne Marie Mieras 1930, Susan Diane Mieras 1942-1991 and on other child.
2 Helma Adrianne Mieras born 3 Jul 1902 Maurice IA died 6 Jan 1992 Cedar Rapids IA She married Raymond Theodore Moore 1903-2001. Two known children were Franklin Raymond Moore 1938-2018 and Kenneth John Moore 1939-1943.
3 Jessamine Louise Mieras born 9 Jun 1906 Maurice IA died 8 Jun 1952 Cedar Rapids IA. She married Frank LeRoy Kinch 1904-1946. no children named.
4 Bernice Elaine Mieras born 8 Oct 1911 Maurice IA died 26 Jun 1999 Cedar Rapids IA She married James Thomas Van Orsdol 1912-2002 Three children were named as Gretchen Louise 1943-1948, Thoms James 1945-2009 and Gerald Alan 1947-1947.

OBITUARY OF JOHN E. MIERAS
Obituary for John E. Mieras published in the Sioux County Capital, Orange City, Iowa:
Funeral services will be held for John E. Mieras at the Reformed church in Maurice, Friday, November 10 at 1pm. Burial will be in the Sherman Township Cemetery.
Mr. Mieras, who served as postmaster at Maurice for 45 years until his retirement in 1942, died in a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hospital at 2pm Tuesday, following a sudden illness.
He was born August 13, 1872, at Racine, Wisconsin, and was married to Sarah Ridderbos on May 30, 1900. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Cedar Rapids.
Surviving besides the wife are three daughters, Mrs. Ray T. Moore, Mrs. Jessamine Kinch and Mrs. James T. Van Orsdol, all of Cedar Rapids, and one son, O.S. Mieras of Dodge Center, Minn. and 9 grandchildren.

OBITUARY OF SARAH MIERAS
Source: Sioux County Capital (4-20-1961)
Born: December 6, 1878
Died: April 13, 1961
MAURICE — Word was received of the death of Mrs. John E. Mieras at the home of her daughter, Mrs. James Van Orsdal, in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, April 13.
Sarah (Ridderbos) Mieras was the wife of John E. Mieras who was postmaster in Maurice for a number of years. She also has a son, Oliver and daughter, Mrs. Ray Moore.
Funeral services were held at Cedar Rapids on Monday and the body shipped to Orange City where it was at the Van Etten Funeral Home to be viewed. Interment was in the Maurice Cemetery Tuesday afternoon. Lunch was served at the Maurice Church for the family, relatives and friends.

Picture on page 432 or the Maurice Centennial book.

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