Terpstra, Albert

BEINTEMA, CARPENTER, DICK, KOLENBRANDER, ROMANS, SCHNUG, TERPSTRA, VANDER PLOEG, WOODS

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 5/6/2017 at 21:18:07

Albert Terpstra
Now we swing back to Galesburg to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Terpstra, who live in a house which he bought two years ago and remodeled it on the modern plan. Water in the house is the only thing needed to completely modernize it.
Mr. Terpstra’s father and mother were both born in Holland. He was six years old and she was eight when they came here with their parents. Mr. Terpstra has one brother, Martin, who lives on a farm near Galesburg, and he has two sisters, Mrs. Charles Dick and Mrs. Yetta Romans, both of Killduff. Mr. Dick has a store there and Mr. Romans died four years ago.
Mrs. Terpstra was a Beintema before marriage. Her father, Albert Beintema, died last fall at the age of 96 years. It is a coincidence that three Alberts were mentioned in the account of the funeral of Mr. Beintema. Albert Beintema died at the home of Albert Terpstra and Albert Vander Ploeg conducted the funeral. Mrs. Terpstra’s mother died several years ago at the age of 80 years.
Both of her parents were born in Holland and came here when young people. They were married later. Her mother was a Vander Ploeg. Her mother’s father and the father of the Vander Ploeg boys, Watson, Charlie and Judge Vander Ploeg, were brother and sister. She has a brother, Dick Beintema, Ottumwa, who is employed at the Morrell Packing plant, and a sister, Eldora, wife of Dr. Arthur Woods, of State Center. Iowa.
Was Born Near Killduff
Mr. Terpstra was born near what is now Killduff, although there was no town then. When only a month old his parents brought him to a farm near Galesburg. All his life has been spent in that vicinity. Not only was there no Killduff when he was a boy, but Reasnor was also unknown and Galesburg was the metropolis of all that section, the main shopping center and mail distributing point for many miles in any direction. At one time the people of Galesburg worked hard to get a railroad through. He says, “Reasnor got the railroad and now they have none.” Dr. F. F. Carpenter’s father was the town physician. He has a very high opinion of him as a doctor and as a man.
Mr. and Mrs. Terpstra have five children. They are: Grace, wife of Eldred Schnug, Sybil, wife of Harold Schnug, Freda, wife of Rev. Henry W. Kolenbrander, of Corsica, S.D., Doward and Dorothy at home, although the latter spends the most of her time in Pella, where she is in her freshman year at Central college.
Not in Good Health
Mr. Terpstra is not in good health. At the age of 10 years he had inflammatory rheumatism. In later years enlargement of the heart developed, but he was able to work until a year ago. He says his brother-in-law, Dr. Woods, told him, “You may not know it, but you have been an invalid ever since you were 10 years old.” Which is to say that the manner in which he has been afflicted would have made an invalid of some people.
It’s coffee time. In it comes – apple pie, with whipped cream, and coffee. Some remark was made about it, to which Mrs. Terpstra replied, “Well, you ordered it, and that is what you are getting.” She did not mean the menu, but the coffee, as it was stated on the card they received we would be there in time for coffee.
Not For Townsend Plan
Mr. Terpstra does not think well of the Townsend plan of pension relief. He calls it a “crazy idea.” He wonders why it was started so high, what people would do with that much money if they had it, and where the money is coming from.
One of the marked changes of Mr. Terpstra’s time is the different means of transportation. He says, “It used to take all day to go to mill at Pella, have the grinding done and get back home. The farmers made more use of the mill then than now. Even their bread was ground from wheat or corn.”
Mr. Terpstra agrees with a very general idea that the automobile is a necessity, but he deplores the wholesale loss of life in accidents, many of which he says are due to carelessness and the disregard of the rights of others.
Source: Newspaper unknown; April 22, 1937
(This document was found by a society member. The newspaper name was unknown but presumed to be either a Monroe or Pella newspaper. Only the date of April 22, 1937 was given. Two photos were included in the news article. Photo 1 caption: The above is the remodeled home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Terpstra at Galesburg and a group of family and neighbor children assembled there. Their names could not be obtained for this issue. The man in the picture is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Terpstra. Photo 2 caption: Albert Beintema, father of Mrs. Albert Terpstra, Galesburg, who died last fall at age of 96 years.