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Sneller, Rijk 1816-1888 and Matje Juffer Family

SNELLER, JUFFER, ROSEBOOM, BOS

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 15:07:28

Sneller, Rijk 1816-1888 and Matje Juffer Family

This story comes from the Sioux Center Centennial Book of 1991 page 539 and was submitted to the book by Fannie and Edna Schut. It was transcribed for this Bios by Wilma J. Vande Berg and some research notes have been added at the end.

Rijk Sneller was born September 30, 1816 at Oldebroek, Netherlands. His parents were Egbert Sneller and Wichertje Roseboom. Rijk married Matje Juffer who was born February 18, 1825 at Elburg, Netherlands. They were married February 2, 1850.

Before immigrating to the United States, six children were born at Elburg. They were Driesje (Mrs. John De zeeuw), Hendrijkje (Mrs. Evert Vermeer), Egbert, Wichertje (Mrs. Dirk Bosch), Dries and Gerritje.

Rijk Sneller told his family that he wanted to earn bread for them in an honest way. That seemed to mean going to America where there were opportunities. The Snellers came to New York on March 30, 1866. The trip from Rotterdam to New York was a long, hard one. Many were seasick due to severe storms. The water supply was limited and of very poor quality. A Measles epidemic on board ship was the cause of many deaths and many were in a weakened condition on arrival in New York. The trip took seventeen days. Not knowing the English language made communications a real problem.

The trip from New York to Wisconsin took six days since trains traveled only at night. At Albany little Gerritje died and was buried. The parents only comfort was that she didn’t die at sea and have to be buried at sea. She was buried in a coffin which meant much to them.

On Saturday they arrived at Waupon, Wisconsin. Friends met them there by wagon and took them to Alto on Sunday.

On Monday a baby girl was born at Alto. That Thursday little three year old Dries died due to dysentery developed enroute to America. The baby girl died the following Monday because the mother was so malnourished upon arrival in America that she lacked nourishment for the baby.

The parents were deeply grieved by the loss of three children in just thirteen days. Rijk said “Not for a thousand dollars would I make the trip again with my family.” Later, however, they were happy they had come for conditions were much improved. The health of the remaining children was much better than it had been in the Netherlands. Another son, Dries was born at Alto, Wisconsin in June of 1870.

In Wisconsin the Sneller family rented a log house and five hectares (12 acres) of land for $40. Friends loaned them two cows until Rijk was able to buy two cows of his own for $57. They had plenty of milk for their use and had some left to sell and they churned butter.

When writing to relatives in the Netherlands, Rijk told them he could buy 80 acres of land with a good house on it for $72 but he did not dare take the risk. The family purchased six chairs for $3 and three beds at $4. each at a household auction.

Food was expensive, Meat was 7 cents a pound, pork was 12 cents, wheat meal cost 3 ½ cents, and buckwheat was 2 ½ cents per pound. Cloth was plentiful and about same price as in the Netherlands. Best calico sold for 20 cents per yard.

Rijk Sneller worked his own acres growing wheat, corn, potatoes, and hay. Besides that he was a day laborer earning #1 a day. When sheep shearing time came, he was able to earn $1.50 per day.

People were friendly and helped each other. They worshipped in their homes on Sunday. All businesses were closed.

The Snellers moved to Iowa in 1872 and settled near Orange City. Many descendants of Rijk Sneller still live in the Sioux Center area today. Rijk and Matje Sneller are buried in the Orange City Cemetery.

End of the story submitted by Fannie and Edna Schut.

RESEARCH Notes from the transcriber of this BIOS, Wilma J. Vande Berg

There are a series of about 4-6 letter that have been translated from those written by Rijk Sneller to his family in the Netherlands in 1868. Copies of those Sneller letters are in the Vertical file in the genealogical department at the Sioux Center Library. The supplier of this information has done a Vanden Berg book that has related history in it as the predecessors of the Vanden/Vande Berg family, Beert Vanden Berg and wife Aaltje Juffer came on the same ship in 1868. Aaltje, Mrs. Beert Vanden Berg was a sister of Matje Mrs. Rijk Sneller.

A summary copy of one of the letter written by Rijk Sneller on April 26, 1866.
Rijk Sneller reported that the group and particularly his family had a hard grieving trip. First they went to Rotterdam where the women and children stayed in a coffee house while the men got their contracts. They were hoping to start their journey by boat to Hull England that same evening but because the tide was already low they had to stay the night. There were about 100 people in the group that stayed on the floor that night.

As they reached the boat bound for Hull England the conditions worsened. On the small boat they had no room other than to lie on top their luggage It took two days possibly the 7th and 8th of March, and two nights to sail to Hull England, which was a treacherous voyage across the North Sea which can be very rough. All the people were sea sick.

On Tuesday morning the 9th or 10th of March they arrived at Hull, England, and after refreshing themselves at a coffee house, they were then brought to the train and arrived at Liverpool, England, safely at 4:30 p.m,. On Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. the 10th or 11th, they were brought to a place to see if their luggage had arrived. From there they were brought to a large boat on which the 100 Dutchmen along with 800 men embarked at noon.

On Thursday the 11th or 12th of March, they stopped at Cohn (Queensland) Ireland where more passengers were taken aboard. The ship then took sail across the North Atlantic. On Sunday which was the 14th of March a bad storm struck and raged for many days. The following days from the 14th through the 30th they reported strong contrary winds making the seas very rough. Most were very sea sick and the passengers feared for their lives. An English nobleman was cast overboard by the storm. Most of the people stayed in bed. Rijk Sneller reported that he stayed well and tried to help the others.

The food was not very good aboard the ship and hardly anyone like the bread or the sea biscuits. The coffee and tea were so sweet it was nauseating. Because of the large number of people, water could hardly be gotten for money or begging and it tasted like beer. Many people called out in their distress ‘If there is only something to drink in America’ It made the Dutch traveler yearn for coffee and tea like in Holland. The soup that was served at noon was fairly good.

Many of the older people and children got diarrhea. Rijk Sneller reported that seven died on the boat including the two year old son, Gerrit, of Beert and Aaltje Vanden Berg. Many became very weak. After seventeen days on the ocean they arrived in New York on Friday March 30, 1866. The ship ‘the Trimountain” on which they arrived was too big to dock and was anchored in the harbor and they were put on a small boat headed for the immigration center. That boat trip was so cold that it further weakened their condition.

That night Friday the 30th they again had to sleep on the floor with out bedding the next day Saturday the 31st, mayhem resulted trying to get the whole group of Holland immigrants to the train station to board the train. The luggage had been brought to the train in a wagon the men and older children following the wagon on foot about a half hour walk. The wagon was going so fast that those who walked well could keep up. The Schuts, Rijk Sneller and his two daughters who could not walk well were left behind and not knowing the way they got lost, to complicate things no one could understand their Dutch language. Just as they were about to turn back they met some more of their group who knew the way to the train station.

Meanwhile the Vanden Bergs, Steens, and others, and a very pregnant Mrs. Rijk Snaller with three of her younger sick children, Dries, Wichertje and Gerritje, were in the wagon, to be left off at the Station. Matje Sneller got off the wagon and just stood there with one child in arms, one in hand, and no one in the group offered to take the other sick child out of the wagon and before she knew it the wagon pulled away as she called out frantically for her daughter, Gerritje, who was left in the wagon but she was not understood. Her husband was not at the train station and not knowing what to do she made her way back to the immigration center and their in the candle light she found her husband. The next day was Easter Sunday April 1, no trains left so it was Monday Aprill 2 before they could leave to catch the train again, all the while they did not know what had become of their daughter Gerritje.

When the Snellers reached the train station they called out to the rest of the group, ‘Where is our daughter, is she well, Aaltje replied that she had died and was buried already. Their only comfort was that she had been buried in a coffin in a grave and not at sea as the little one of Beert and Aaltje. They then left for Albany by train. (There are notes of the bitterness in the Sneller’s letter toward others in the group, because of the apparent indifference to the Sneller’s plight, but everyone was experiencing enormous difficulties and deaths within their own families.)

On Tuesday April 3, at two o’clock the group left Albany, New York, and arrived at a port on Lake Erie the following evening. They traveled at night never getting any rest and their weakened condition didn’t get any better. They left the Erie port on the evening of the 4th and arrived in Detroit, Michigan, on April the 5th. They left Detroit the same evening bound for Chicago the following morning April 6 and arrived in Milwaukee late that night. There they stayed that night and the following day until 2 o’clock. Next they went on the Horicon and on to Waupon arriving at night.

In Alto, Jan ‘John’ Vande Berg had rented a house for his parents, Beert and Aaltje Vanden Berg. The Snellers went with Lubbert Redeker, and the others went with Gerrit Landa. Matje, Mrs. Rijk Sneller, upon the first day of arrival gave birth to a baby girl on Monday. The child lived a week and died due to malnutrition and the stress of the journey on mother and baby. The Snellers arrived on Sunday, lost their baby on Monday, and their sick child Dries, died on Thursday. The Snellers had lost three children. Many families who had experienced the same demise, having lost one or more members wished they had not come to America. At that point they reported that twenty of their company had died, those names that were mentioned were: Snellers lost three children, Vanden Bergs one child, Klomps four children, Mrs. Willem Vanden Berg of Elspeet lost three children and her husband, Jannes Van Dyk, Mrs. De Boete, Lubert Zandbergen, and the Englishman.

Sneller wrote that not for a thousand dollars would he make the trip again with his family. Sneller wrote about the utterly soul wrenching feeling about having made the trip which had resulted in the death of three of their children. He wrote many paragraphs in his letter about his deep religious feelings concerning his trials and tribulations. Writing about it seemed to comfort him as well as the need to comfort those back home in Holland.

From that point forward the people just wanted to earn their bread in a honest manner. They were cordially taken in and provided for until they got on their feet. The writer of the letter wrote, do not believe rumors about America, because you can not trust people.

Their were several more letters written by Rijk Sneller back to his family in Holland to be read.

BIRTH of Rijk Sneller from the birth record in the Netherlands. Rijk Sneller was born to Egbert Sneller age 36 and Wichertje Roseboom age 28 on 30 Sep 1816 at Oldebroek, Gelderland Netherlands.

BIRTH of Matje Juffer was born Feb 18, 1825 at Elburg, Gelderland Netherlands to Dries Harmsen Jutter (Juffer) 39 and Driesje Egberts Bos 42.

MARRIAGE record has Rijk Sneller a farmer age 33 married Marje Juffer age 24, his parents Egbert Sneller and Wichertje Roseboom and her parents Dries Harmsen Juffer and Driesje Egberts Bos. They were married 9 Feb 1850 at Elburg Gelderland, Netherlands

OBITUARY OF Rijk Sneller
Sneller, Rijk, born 1816 died 17 July 1888 buried in West Lawn cemetery Orange City IA.
DeVolksvriend Thursday July 19, 1888
Naar we vernemen is Dinsdag een onzer ‘oudsettler’ overleden, nam, de oude heer R. Sneller.
Translation – Now we are informed that Wednesday our old settler died, his name was R. (Rijk/Ryk) Sneller.
Notes added to obituary: He being one of the earliest settlers in the area died without any pomp or ceremony. The above notice was all that could be found in the papers of the week.
From a family history book authored by the compiler, Rijk was born in Oldebroek Gelderland Netherlands 29 Sep 1816. He died 17 July 1888 buried in Orange City IA. His wife was Martje/Matje Juffer born 18 Feb 1825 Elburg Gelderland Netherlands, they were married 9 Feb 1850 Elburg Neth. She died 29 Mar 1904. Her death was recorded at the county court house.
They had children: Driesje Sneller (Mrs. Jan De Zeeuw) born 1852 Elburg; Heintje Sneller born 18 Oct 1853 Elburg, Egbert Sneller born 16 Jan 1855 Elburg, Dries Sneller born 1857 died 1866, Wichertje Sneller (Mrs. Dirk Bos/Bosch) 1860, Gerritje Sneller born 1863 Elburg died 1866 right after landing in US, baby girl born 1866 Alton WI died Apr 1866 shortly after arriving in US, and Dries Sneller 1870. There are many hundreds of descendants in the area.
There are letters on record of the arrival of the family in the USA in 1866 which chronical the events of the immigration and trials upon arriving in the US.

OBITUARY of Matje Mrs. Rijk Sneller
From the Rock Valley Bee, April 8, 1904: Sioux Center:
Last week Mrs. Martha Sneller, aged 86 years, died very suddenly at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Evert Ver Meer. She was known throughout the country as Aunt Martha. She was buried at Orange City last Thursday.
* * * * * * * * * *
From the Sioux Center Nieuwsblad, March 30, 1904:
De oude Mrs. Sneller is gisterenmorgen ten huize harer kinderen, Mr. en Mrs. E. Vermeer, plotseling overladen. Zij was van haar bed opgestaan, had zich gekleed en nam plaats in een stoel, toen zij onverwachts dood bleef. De begrafenisdienst zal Donderdagmorgen te half tien ure plaats hebben aan huis en te half elf in de 1e Ger. Kerk, onder leiding van Ds. DePree. De teraardebestelling van het stoffelijk overschot der overledene zal op het kerkhof te Orange City plaats hebben.
Translation: Old Mrs. Sneller died suddenly yesterday morning at the home of her children, Mr. and Mrs. E. Vermeer. She had risen from her bed, had dressed and sat in a chair when she was suddenly dead. The funeral service will be Thursday morning at half-past ten o'clock place at home and half past eleven in the 1st Ger. Church, led by Rev. DePree. The burial of the remains of the deceased will take place at the cemetery in Orange City.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Sioux County Cemetery Index has Sneller, Martje, b. 18 Feb 1825, d. 29 Mar 1904, West Lawn Cemetery Orange City IA

CHILDREN of Rijk Sneller and Matje Juffer with obituaries of same.

1.DRIESJE SNELLER born 28 Jan 1852 Elburg Geld. Neth married Jan De Zeeuw
Obituary of Driesje DeZeeuw, Mrs. John Driesje 1852-1936
Sioux Center News of Jan 9, 1936
Funeral Services were held Saturday afternoon, at the First Reformed Church for Mrs. John De Zeeuw 83 who passed away early New Year’s Morning. Services were in charge of Rev. L. A. Brunsting. Burial was in the Sioux Center cemetery.
Mrs. De Zeeuw had been ill for a number of weeks but had been able to be up and around for a few hours each day. Last Sunday she suffered a paralytic stroke from which she failed to rally.
Driesje Sneller was born Jan 28, 1852 in Elburg Gelderland Neth. At the age of 14 she arrived in America with her parents and lived in Alto WI for five years, in 1871 they moved to Alton, IA and there was untied in marriage to John De Zeeuw. They lived near Orange City and Newkirk for nine years. In 1885 they came to Sioux Center, and since 1893 lived on the same farm a few miles west of Sioux Center. Mrs. De Zeeuw was preceded in death by a child who died in infancy and her husband, who died in March of 1914.
Ten children survive. They are Pleum; Mrs. Wantjes of Hull; Richard of Lansing MI; Mrs. Henry Wandscheer; Peter; John; Mrs. Jake Mol; Mrs. Pearl Vande Brake; Anna and Andrew.

2. HENDRIKJE ‘HEINTJE’ SNELLER born 18 Oct 1853 Elburg married Ever Vermeer
Obituary of Heintje Sneller Mrs. Vermeer.
Vermeer, Hendrikje Mrs. E. Vermeer 77yrs born 1853 died Sept 1931
Sioux Center News of Oct 1, 1931
Mrs. E. Vermeer 77, passed away Friday
Mrs. Vermeer was born in Elburg Netherlands on Oct 13, 1853. Her maiden name was Heintje Sneller. She came to America with her parents at age twelve. They lived in Alto WI for five years and in 1871 moved to Sioux County. She married Evet Vermeer on May 4, 1877 by Dr. Bolks, and they, Mr. and Mrs. E. Vermeer settled on a farm near Alton. Seven years later they moved to the farm south east of Sioux Center which is known as the Vermeer homestead.
Mr. and Mrs. Vermeer had twelve children in their fifty four years of married life. Two of the children have gone beyond, Evert died as a baby in 1877 and Edward died early this summer at the age of thirty seven. Those remaining to mourn the departed mother and wife are: Her husband, and the children, Mrs. P. Schut, Richard, Jake, Dr. Gerrit, Peter, Mrs. H. De Boer, Mrs. A. Mulenburg, Mrs. H. Ramaker, Mrs. H. Mol and Mrs. A. Ramaker. There are fifty grandchildren and five great grandchildren, and one siter Mrs. J. De Zeeuw.
Mrs. Vermeer was always an active church worker and a devoted housewife. She died on Sept. 25 at the age of 77 years, 11 months and 12 days. Rev. Lubbers from Doon spoke at the house and also aided in the funeral services at the church, Rev. Brunsting conducted the church services.

3. EGBERT SNELLER born 16 Jan 1855 Elburg married Jane De Groot
Obituary of Egbert:
Source: Alton Democrat (5-21-1921) Born: January 16, 1855 Died: May 2, 1921
Egbert Sneller was born in 1885 and died May 3rd, being buried in the Sioux Center Cemetery the following Friday. The funeral was held at the Central Reformed Church the pastor Reverend Haverkamp and the Reverend James DePree officiating.
The deceased was born at Elburg, Holland in the South Sea Country but at the early age of eleven years he came with his parents, Ryk and Mattje (Juffer) Sneller, to this country where they settled at Waupon, Wisconsin. This was in the year 1866. Five years later the family moved to Sioux County where his parents died and where he departed this life to join the circle above.
The family did not have the privilege of a Pullman car and its present day comforts but the journey was made from Waupon to Sioux County with a prairie schooner. Horses were used to convey the wagon and the party drove more than twenty head of cattle to their new home besides household goods of limited amount of course. The journey was void of accident or anything sensational. It was simply a delightful trip amid pioneer surroundings.
The family moved on to a farm near Newkirk where Mr. Sneller worked until he married Jane DeGroot in 1880. The young couple started farming on 160 acres of school land and later brought a farm in Welcome Township where they farmed until about five years ago when the couple moved to Sioux Center where they have since lived.
Mr. Sneller health has not been good for twenty-five years and therefore he had not been before the public eye as that of some men of the community who came to the county about the same time or later. He was of a retiring disposition not craving a public life not given much to entertaining his friends but a man of sterling worth and a good husband and father. His wife has passed away close to the valley and shadow of death recently and is still under the physician’s care.
There were born to this couple nine children; all are living, five boys and four girls as follows: They are all married but one girl who is at home. The eldest is Mrs. Martha Vander Sloot, who lives seven miles from Sheldon; Henry of Hull; Mrs. Gertie Baartman of Leota, Minnesota; Mrs. Carrie Baartma of Matlock, Iowa; Richard, Andrew, William, and John of Sioux Center and Annie Swiers of Sioux Center.
The family were members of the First Reformed Church, later of Middleburg and for the last few years were transferred to the Central Reformed Church of Sioux Center. The remains were buried in the Sioux Center Cemetery.

4.DRIES SNELLER born 25 Dec abt 1857 died 12 Apr 1866 shortly after arriving in the USA

5.WICHERTJE SNELLER born 25 Oct 1860 Elburg married Dirk Bos or Bosch
Obituary of Wijgertje Bos Mrs. Dirk (Bos) Bosch
Source: Alton Democrat (6-5-1925) Birth: October 25, 1860 Death: May 27, 1925
Funeral services for Mrs. D. Bosch (Bos) were held Monday at the First Reformed Church. Reverend Lubbers was assisted by Reverend Bosch of Steen, Minnesota and Reverend De Pree of Sioux Center.
Mrs. Bosch was 64 years old and had made her home in Sioux Center for about 12 years. Her maiden name was Winnie Sneller. She was born in the Netherlands and came to the United States with her parents. The family lived in the Alton vicinity for some time, later moving to a farm near Sioux Center. Mr. Bosch passed away just 13 months ago.
The children surviving are: Mrs. Fannie Van Bree, Mrs. Jerry Timmer, Richard Bos, Mrs. Peter Van Regenmorter, Mrs. Herman J. Wissink. Mrs. Ray Van Deest, Miss Coba Bosch all of Sioux Center.

6.GERRITJE SNELLER born 18 Apr 1863 Elburg died 2 Apr 1866 shortly after getting off the boat.

7.BABY GIRL SNELLER born 8 Apr 1866 Alton WI died 16 Apr 1866 one week after being born and arriving in Alto WI

8.DRIES ‘ANDREW’ SNELLER born 20 Jun 1870 at Alto WI married Hattie Van Grevenhof
He died 27 May 1902 Sioux Center IA
Obituary of Dries Sneller
Sioux county Herald of May 28, 1902
We already briefly mentioned several cases of illness that have cast an ominous shadow over the respective homes but an instance even more serious is that of D. (Dries) Sneller; last week Monday he was suddenly taken ill with appendicitis. Dr. Mulder was summoned at once but the patient grew rapidly worse and on Saturday it appeared that the sole remaining hope lay in a hazardous operation; this was performed by Dr. Cram of Sheldon and Drs. Mulder and Beyer of Sioux Center. At present he is doing as well as can be expected and a host of friends are hoping for recovery. Later: Mr. Sneller passed away Tuesday forenoon; the funeral service will be conducted from the house at 1 o’clock and from the church at 2 o’clock p.m. Thursday.
Sioux Center Nieuwsblad, of May 28, 1902
Once again it is our sad duty to give notice of a sudden Death. D. Sneller was taken from our midst. Last Tuesday he went to bed, being affected by appendicitis and his illness became his deathbed. Saturday afternoon, Dr. Cram of Sheldon, assisted by Dr. Mulder and Beyer, performed an operation on him, which apparently went well. But to no avail, and yesterday morning he was called to exchange the temporal with the eternal.
The funeral will take place tomorrow Thursday, with services in the afternoon at 1 am at the funeral home and at 2 pm at the First Reformed church.
The deceased was also one of the oldest businessmen in our city and enjoyed the esteem of all who knew him. In general, therefore, the sympathy with his young wife and her children in the severe trial imposed on her in this matter. It is difficult for us humans to speak words of comfort in such cases. May she, however, seek ae where she is found alone, by the Fountain of all Comfort, the man of widows and Father of orphans.
He married Hattie Van Grevenhof 3 Aug 1897 Sioux county IA.
His children were: Martha Mrs. Samuel Van Kekerix; Jacob Sneller wife Jeanette Van Wyhe, and Dries ‘Richard’ wife Evelyn Appenhorst.


 

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