Zorgdrager, Sipke 1840-1911 and Trijntje De Vries 1834-1893

ZORGDRAGER, SORGDRAGER, DEVRIES, CUPIDO

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg (email)
Date: 10/23/2018 at 15:00:38

From an Article in the Sioux Center News of 8 Nov. 1994
By Jay H. Fonkert of St. Paul MN.
Ancestors came from Terschelling
My Great grandfather, Zipke (or Sipke) Zorgdrager, came to Sioux County in the 1890s. He and his wife Trijnjte De Vries, originally emigrated to northern Illinois in 1870 from Terschelling Island, off the coast of the Netherlands.

Several families left Terschellig about that time to come to America. Some of them later moved on to Harden County, Iowa, and eventually to Sioux County. Among these were the families, Pals, Roos, Ruijg, Schaap, Sorgdrager, Zorgdrager, Swart, and De Vries.

Terschelling is a beautiful island of sand dunes and cranberry bogs about 15 miles of the coast. The ancestors of many of these families were captains and sailors on whaling ships. After the whaling industry declined, many of them had trouble making a living farming on the island.
When I visited Terschelling last year, I met one of my Zorgdrager relatives and saw burial stones with many familiar Sioux County names.

The Terschellings are interested in what happened to the families that left for America. I am trying to collect as much information as possible about those who came to Illinois and Iowa. He went on ask those people to contact him.
(This was in 1994 and the contact information most likely is outdated.)

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From an account on ancestry.com:
Sipke Pieters Zorgdrage born Jan 6, 1840, son of Pieter Andries Zorgdrager and Martje Pieters Cupido, married Trijntje Jans De Vries on May 15, 1862 in Lies, Friesland, Netherlands. They had seven children. He died Jan 12, 1911 in Alton IA and is buried in Newkirk Cemetery Sioux County IA. His wife Trijntje Jans De Vries born August 14, 1834 daughter of Jan and Geertje De Vries. She died on Nov 11, 1893, in Orange City, IA buried in Newkirk cemetery Sioux County IA. Children: Peter Sipke born Oct 15, 1862 in Terschelling, Friesland Netherlands, he died 28 Feb 1864 in Terschelling, Maria Mary Zorgdrager born 2 September 1867 Terschelling died 1949, John Zorgdrager born Dec 16, 1868 Terschelling, Peter Zorgdrager born Jan 17, 1870 Illinois, John Sipke born Feb 24, 1875 died 1851, Martje ‘Martha’ born 29 Oct 1879 Illinois died 1943, Tryntje ‘Kate’ born March 5, 1884 Orange City IA died 1951.

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Sipke’s wife - Trijntje (Trujntje) Jans De Vries Zorgdrager
Birth: January 14, 1838 West-Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands
Death: November 11, 1893
Father: Jan Pieters De Vries
Mother: Trijntje Douwes Cupido
Spouse: Sipke Pieters Zorgdrager (1840-1911)
Buried: Newkirk Cemetery Newkirk, IA
Children
Mary Zorgdrager Hoffs (1869-1949) Peter Zorgdrager (1870-1943) John Zorgdrager (1875-1951) Martha Zorgdrager VanRooyen (1879-1943) Kate Zorgdrager Fonkert (1884-1951)
Source: findagrave.com and Sioux County Cemetery Index
An obit was not found in the Dutch De Volksvriend newspaper or in the Alton Democrat newspapers of the dates.

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Obit of Sipke:
Sip Sorgdrager died at his home in Alton on Saturday February eleventh after an illness of several years. Five years ago diseased [i.e., deceased] suffered a stroke of paralysis which left him an invalid and practically confined him to his bed. A severe stroke last week ended his suffering.
He was born in Terschelling Netherlands on January sixth 1840. In 1864 on May fourteenth he was united in marriage to Miss Tryntje De Vries. Eight children were born to this union--five of whom survive. In 1869 Mr. and Mrs. Sorgdrager came to the United States making their first home in Illinois. In 1882 they came to Sioux county and settled on a farm near Newkirk. In 1894 his wife died and three years later he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Stronks, at Newkirk Iowa. Mr. Sorgdrager was a successful farmer, upright citizen and a professing Christian, active in church work.
The funeral services were held on Monday from the Reformed church at Alton. Interment was made at Newkirk. The services at Alton were conducted by Rev. J. P. De Jong and at Newkirk they were in charge of Rev. Douwstra. Deceased is survived by his widow of Alton and five children--Mrs. H. A. Hoffs, P. Sorgdrager, Mrs. Henry Van Rooyen, S. Sorgdrager and Mrs. J. Fonkert--all of Newkirk.
Source: Alton Democrat, February 18, 1911.
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(Subsequent notes about the probate of his estate give his full forename as Siepke.)
(Newkirk Cemetery tombstone spells the surname as: Zorgdrager.)