DeJong, Peter D. 1870-1954 & Gatske Hamersma Family

DEJONG, HAMERSMA, WASSENAAR, DEVRIES

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 5/25/2024 at 21:06:47

DeJong, Peter D. 1870-1954 & Gatske Hamersma

This story was taken from pages 318-320 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 .

Peter D. De Jong was born March 8, 1870, and died February 25, 1954. Gatsche Hammersma 1873-1936.

Note: This story was written by a granddaughter, Greta (De Jong) De Zeeuw as told to her by her father, Dick De Jong, son of Peter D. De Jong. Paca=grandfather

COMING TO AMERICA

Paca always said when he was about 18 years of age he wanted to go to America. His parents wouldn’t think of it, him going to America alone.

The idea was given up for awhile, and he married and had four children. Then some friends in Holland, the Andrew Keuning’s, started to talk to Paca again about it, and then Paca made up his mind to go. The Keuning’s attended the same church, etc. Paca corresponded back and forth with an Aunt in Orange City, about this possibility of coming to America. She seemed to encourage this. Paca then sold his draying business, and telegrammed this Aunt in Orange City, that they would be coming. She telegrammed back saying that maybe this wouldn’t be such a good idea and that she wouldn’t be able to take care of them.

What to do! Paca had already sold his business. So they wrote to Jake Wielenga’s at Hospers, and decided to come anyway and come to Wielenga’s. So preparations were made to come to America. Their household goods were sold to different people. Dad was 13 years old, Aunte Ann was 3, and Aunte Cobie was to have her first birthday on the boat across. The Keuning’s were going with them.

Paca’s family lived at Tzummarum. They took a train from Tzummarum to Harlingen. Their suitcases were the big, round old style ones. They also had a big square trunk which came by freight. When they boarded the train at Tzummarum, Gramma’s Dad came to the crossing to bid them goodbye. He had a milk wagon pulled by four dogs and had earlier picked up his milk at a creamery, and then came with the wagon to see them off. Dad says he can still remember seeing him stand there with the dogs and cart, and holding his cap over his chest, waving goodbye. Just imagine the mixed emotions of Paca’s family, pulling up stakes, and moving to a new country, seeing loved ones for the very last time, and knowing it. Gramma’s sister, Mokabowke and her boyfriend, John De Boer, went along with Paca, etc. to Harlingen. They stood on the edge of the pier and waved goodbye to the folks at the rail on the boat. Imagine Gramma’s feelings, knowing this would be the last time she would see them.

They boarded a smaller boat at Harlingen, which carried them across the North Sea to Hull, England. While on the boat, Dad mentioned that he wished the boat would rock a little more, and the Captain nudged Keuning, knowing that it definitely would get a lot rougher about 15 minutes more out on the sea, and it did. Dad got so sick. Keuning then asked him, “What’s the matter, Dick, the boat is rocking so nice.”

They took a train across England to board the big boat at Liverpool, to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Paca, etc., took a bus through Liverpool from one boat to the other boat. In Liverpool they were herded into rooms for physical inspections. The inspectors especially checked the eyes. Dad said some didn’t make it, and couldn’t board the boat and went away crying. They were taken by a small boat out to the big boat, and Gramma worried some that the big boat was sitting a “beetchy scaaf” (a little crooked) in the water. They were 13 days on the ocean. They had one day with a bad storm where the waves rolled over the front of the big boat. Dad tells where they would have these big wooden barrels of garbage that they would dump over the side, barrel and all, and when the barrel would hit the water it looked like a nail keg. Dad and Gramma were both so very sea sick and down below there were tables full of good food, but they couldn’t eat it. They were sea sick until the last day when they could see land. From the time they sighted land until actual docking still took another day and a half. They docked at Hoboken, New Jersey, at noon.

When it came to purchase the train tickets to Hospers, Paca counted his money and found he was about $100 short. What to do! Keuning decided to lend him the money. He said, “Yay kin net here blayva..” Paca said, “Yah, I didn’t want to ask you for it.”

Imagine again the lonely feeling of being in a strange country and not speaking a word of English, and no one around who did.

Before boarding the train at Hoboken, Paca said, “we’ll drop dead on the spot if we don’t get something to eat.” And since they did not know if they would provide food on the train they thought they should get something to eat. They spotted a place where they could buy some bread. They had to walk quite a distance to get there, and up over a catwalk over the train tracks. All Paca had with him was Dutch money, so he held out some money in his hand, and the lady took some, and Paca never knew whether he paid the right amount for the bread or not. They were then calling them to hurry as it was time to board the train and Dad grabbed the loaf of bread and tucked it under his arm and evidently squeezed it too tight and the end came open and he lost about ½ of the bread, and couldn’t retrieve it as the people were hurrying to get on the train. Keuning’s went with them as far as Chicago, where they separated. Keunings’s landed in Orange City.

Jake Wielenga’s had figured so many days on the boat and so many days on the train, then such and such a day they should arrive in Hospers. They had to go two houses north of their place and then could look up the two blocks up the street to the depot. They would do this when the trains would come in, and if they didn’t see anybody on the station platform they would know they hadn’t arrived yet and would go back home. Paca and the family were on a flyer train that only stopped in Hospers if it had to, and this train came through at 5:00 in the morning. Mrs. Wielenga was laying awake that particular morning and heard the flyer train stop. She said to Mr. Wielenga, “The train has stopped!” He jumped out of bed, grabbed his pants and started running to the depot, Mrs. Wielenga and three grown boys after him.

When the Flyer stopped, Paca, etc. got off and it was 5:00 in the morning, and there wasn’t a soul around, not even an agent in the depot. They didn’t know where the Wielenga’s were. They all started crying. They were alone in a strange country at 5:00 in the morning! This was on June 1, 1911.

What a tremendous relief and joy when they saw the Wielenga’s coming. (Mr. Wielenga barefeet.) What a reunion. They were all crying, hugging each other, not wanting to let go. Mrs. Wielenga said, “Come, Ik het the tay water op.”

They lived for a time in Hospers, later moved to a farm by the Million Dollar Corner where Don Van Horssen now lives. There they experienced one of the big floods. They previously had farmed near Archer, Orange City and Alton. Having retired, they lived in a little house on the yard of Ted and Anna Smits. (West on Highway 10, then north).

Both Paca and Gramma were involved in a train accident in 1936, occurring at a crossing ½ mile west of the Sioux Feed Corner. This occurred on a Sunday, and Gramma died the next Wednesday, as a result of this accident.

After living with the Ted Smits’ for awhile, Paca came to live with the Dick De Jongs’, and later a small home was built for him east of their home. Paca died in 1954, in the Sioux Center Hospital.

The Peter De Jongs had lost a son, Meindert, age 4½, while they were still living in the Netherlands. He died as a result of a suspected brain tumor.

(end of family story in the Maurice Centennial Book)

RESEARCH Notes: From a report on ancestry.com public member trees submitted by other than this submitter.

Peter Dirkszen De Jong born 8 Mar 1879 Minnertsga, Het Bildt, Friesland Netherlands, died 25 Feb 1954 Buried in Sherman Township Cemetery Maurice Iowa. He was the son of Dirk Douwes De Jong born 1840 and Jakobje Pieters Wassenaar born 1845. Peter married Gatske ‘Gertie’ Hamersma on 16 May 1896 Baaradeel, Friesland, Nethrlands.

Gatske ‘Gertie’ Hamersma was born 16 Mar 1873 Baaradeel, Friesland, Netherlands and died 22 Jul 1936 Hull IA buried Sherman Twp. Cemetery Maurice IA. She was the daughter of Meindert Klases Hamersma and Antje Tietes de Vries.

CHILDREN: of Peter D. and Gertie DeJong listed in the ancestry.com public member trees. Three who now survive. Dick of Maurice, Anna , Mrs. Ted Smits and Jacoba, Mrs. Thomas Crow of Bellflower, Calif. One son, Miendert, died early in life.

1. Richard Peter ‘Dick’ De Jong born 12 Apr 1898 Tzummarum, Baradeel, Friesland, Netherlands, died 10 Mar 1975 Maurice IA. He married Gertrude Schreur 1904-1980. They had children – Pierce Duane De Jong 1929-2008, John Mervin De Jong 1931-2009, Greta De Jong 1932-2011, and one other not named in the ancestry.com report.
Obit of Gertrude Dec of 1980 states children - four sons and two daughters, Pierce of Remsen, John of Maurice, Greta (Mrs. John E. De Zeeuw) of Sioux Center, Nelvina (Mr. M.G. Wissink) of Minneapolis, Minn., Milo of Colfax, Washington; Nelson of Phoenix, Ariz
Dick De Jong’s obit can be seen on this web page, for quick reference search Schreur in obits.

2. Anna De Jong born 18 Mar 1908 Tzummarum, Friesland, Netherlands, died 23 Dec 1990 buried in Sherman Twp Cemetery Maurice IA. She married Theodore R. Smits 1904-2001. They had children – Geraldine Reanna Smits Klein 1930-1998, Dorothy Smits Nibbelink 1931of Sioux Center, John Smits 19335-1997 of Maurice, and Theodore Smits Jr. of White Bear Lake MN in 1991. See Anna’s obituary on this web page.

3. Jacobje ‘Geraldine’ De Jong born 25 May 1910 Tzummarum, Friesland, Netherlands and died 13 Nov 1989 Anaheim,California. In her mother’s obit 1936 she was Mrs. (Frank) DeRaad. In Peter’s obit she was Mrs. Thomas Crow of Belflower CA in 1954. She married 7 May 1941 Yuma AZ to Frank De Raad.
1940 census of Downey CA Jacoba De Raad born Holland was 29, husband Frank De Raad was 32, no children.
1950 census of Long Beach - Jacoba Crow born abt 1911 Holland, husband Thomas W. Crow 31, wife Jacoba 39 children Sandra 8, Tommy 6, Sharon 4.

4. Meindert De Jong born abt 1903 died at four years on 31 May 1907 Tzummarum, Friesland. Son of Pieter De Jng and Gatske Hamersma found at www.wiewaswie.nl

OBITUARY OF PETER D. DE JONG died 1954
Peter De Jong
Mr. Peter De Jong passed away Thursday afternoon at the Sioux Center Community Hospital. Mr De Jong had reached the age of 84 years 11 months and 17 days. On May the 18th he was united in marriage to Gertie Hamersma who preceded him in death in 1936. To this union four children were born three who now survive. Dick of Maurice, Anna , Mrs. Ted Smits and Jacoba, Mrs. Thomas Crow of Bellflower, Calif. One son, Miendert, died early in life. He is also survived by 10 grand children and 3 great-grandchildren and one brother and one sister who live in the Netherlands. Mr. De Jong came to America in 1911 and settled in Sioux county and spent most of his life time at Maurice Arrangements were under the direction of Vander Ploeg’s.Source: Sioux Center News of March 4, 1954.

OBITUARY OF GATSCHE/Gatske DE JONG
Birth record state born 16 Mar 1873 at Tzummarum Barradeel, Freisland to Mindert Klases Hamersma and Antje Tietes De Vries. Marriage record in the Netherlands states the Pieter de Jong born at Minnertsga age 26 married Gatske Hamersma born at Tzummarum age 23. His parents were Dirk Douwes de Jong and Jakobje Pieters Wassenaar and Gatske’s parents were Meindert Lases Hamersma and Antje Tietes de Vries married 16 May 1896 Baradeel, Friesland

Sioux County Capital of July 30, 1936 page 5
Mrs. Peter De Jong died at the Hull hospital on Wednesday, July 22, at 3 o’clock at the age of 63 years. The cause of her death was internal injuries resulting from the car accident which occurred last Sunday evening.
Mrs. De Jong, nee Gertie Mamersma (Hamersma) was born March 16, 1873 in Oosterbierum, Friesland, in the Netherlands. She was married to Peter De Jong on May 16, 1896.
She leaves to mourn, her husband and two daughters, Anna, Mrs. Ted Smits of Maurice and Jacoba, Mrs. De Raad of Belflower CA, and one son Dick, also of Maurice. She has one sister Mrs. John De Boer who is still in Holland.
Mr. and Mrs. De Jong came to America on May 30, 1911. They lived near Hospers for 4 years and also near Orange City. Then they resided on a farm 1 mile north of Maurice for 13 years. They quite farming and lived on the Ted Smits farm where they were living when the accident occurred.
Funeral services were held in the First Reformed church on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock with Rev. Strakes of Sanborn in charge.

Picture on page 317 of the Maurice book.

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