Moss, Albert 1876-1935 and Agnes Kuyper Family

MOSS, MOS, KUYPER, BETTEN, DEKKER

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 7/29/2021 at 13:01:40

MOSS, ALBERT 1876-1935 AND AGNES (KUYPER) FAMILY

This story is from the Sioux Center Centennial book of 1991 page 439 and 440, it was submitted to the book by Mary Van Middendorp. It was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth DeLeeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Research notes added by Wilma J. Vande Berg

Albert Moss was born on May 31, 1876 in Groningen, Netherlands, son of Cornelius and Tracy (Dekker) Moss. He was the first of nine children. Brothers were Ed, Jake, and Neal. Sisters were Tillie (Mrs. Henry Rensink), Annie (Mrs. Herman Vander Naald), Winnie (Mrs. Matt Rhobus), Effie (Mrs. Bernie Van Heukelom), and Hilda who never married. She is the only one living at age 98. She lives with her niece Kathy Vander Velde of Sanborn who is the daughter of Bernie Van Heukelom. Bernie is 95 years old and also lives with his daughter Kathy.

Agnes Kuyper was born March 27. 1878 at Pella, Iowa, the daughter of Jacob and Gertrude (Betten) Kuyper. They lived on the place where Gerrit and David Van Holland now live. Albert lived with his parents three miles north of Kuypers. His parents were so poor that they even used dried cow pies to heat the house. Albert started seeing and dating Agnes. While visiting her one time, Albert was cleaning his gun and it accidentally discharged, hitting Agnes in the side of the neck. It was not too serious, but they later got serious and were married on February 17, 1897. Agnes inherited 40 acres of land and Albert bought 40 more acres. This place is located two miles south and 1¾ miles west of Carmel, Iowa. There was only a small house there at that time, but they built more buildings. Agnes’ sister Coba and brother Tone Kuyper lived with them for some time but later moved out. Albert and Agnes had six children. Neal born in 1899, Marion in 1904, John in 1908, Gertrude in 1911, Edward in 1915, and Tracy in 1916. They had some stillborn babies also that relatives believe are buried under a big tree in the Carmel Cemetery in the Moss lots. In the year 1911 or 1912, they tore part of the old house down and built a new addition on the east side. It cost them $6,000 to build four bedrooms upstairs, a front room, a living room, and two downstairs bedrooms. It was the first place in the neighborhood to be completely modern with carbide gas lights, hot and cold water, and an indoor toilet. The water was heated with pipes going to the cook stove and then running to a ten gallon water tank. They used cobs and coal to heat up the furnace which was later changed to fuel oil. The house was known as the “Showplace of Carmel” at that time. John was four years old at that time and at one point they could not find him. After some searching they found him asleep upstairs in one of the bedrooms. Albert and Agnes were members of Carmel Reformed Church and Albert served as an elder and Sunday School teacher. All their children were baptized in that church also. God was a very important part of their lives. It seemed when Smallpox and Scarlet Fever would strike both the Moss family and the John Schoep family (they lived on the Kuyper place which is now the Van Holland farm) would get it at the same time. Being they were quarantined, they would go to each others place on Sunday and read Scripture and a sermon and have prayer.

Agnes was having kidney problems and so went to Rochester, Minnesota and was told there that she would die unexpectedly but they did not give any idea what the cause would be. On October 6, 1924 at the age of 46, Agnes died while at the dinner table. Some of the family felt it may have been a brain hemorrhage. Gertrude was 13 years old at the time of her mother’s death and so she quit school to take care of the family that was at home yet. Aunt Hilda would come and help her do the canning and housework at times.

Neal had married Tillie Vander Vliet and lived in Carmel (they have four sons), and Marion married Henrietta Westra and moved to Hull, Iowa soon after his mother passed away (they have eight children).

In 1926 they were threshing cornstalks into the barn and they noticed a lot of dust coming out of the barn. After checking inside, they found the barn to be on fire. There was a strong south wind and they were afraid the house would born. So with the help of neighbors and friends, they made a brigade of men carrying water to keep the fire away from the house. While the barn was burning, John broke an upstairs window and he and Gertrude threw things out the window. Downstairs, others were carrying furniture out of the east front room door and placing it across the driveway. A few holes did burn in the house, but it was saved without too much damage. Also in that same year there was a flood that took the life of someone that lived two miles south of the Moss place. This man was with horse and buggy and was going to school to pick up his children when he went through such deep water that the wagon box came off the running gear and he drowned. It rained about 24 hours and they had about 20”-24” of rain.

In that same flood, John who was about 18 years old went with the Model T to get his brother and sister from school and when he got by school he ran out of gas. With the permission of the teacher they drained some gas out of her car in the rainstorm and headed back home with water going over the running boards. There were some of the Van Voorst children that had to stay overnight with the Moss family.

A tornado also hit in later years and blew out a window in the living room. Another time there were shocks standing in the field and lightning struck and the shocks began to burn.

John married Gertrude Bouma in January, 1934 (they have seven children). Albert married Mrs. Bonthuis from Rock Valley. After about four years of marriage, Albert passed away on July 16, 1935 at the age of 59 years. He died of a heart attack while stacking hay. Their stepmother moved back to Rock Valley.

After both parents had passed away, Gertrude who married Martin De Jager, lived on the home place for about 1½ years (they have seven children). Edward and Tracy lived with them for some time. In 1936 Gert and Martin moved to California. Tracy married Simon De Jong (they have eight children) and they lived on the home place and Edward lived with them. Later Edward went to California and married Francis De Vries (they have five children). Simon and Tracy moved to the place where Lloyd and Lois De Jong now live, which Neal and Jake Huisman had invested their money in. Neal and Tillie then moved on the home place. Neal Moss owned a mobile burr mill. (See photo). Neal passed away in 1938 at age of 39 of pneumonia after working in a well on the place. Tillie moved back to Carmel and Elmer, son of Neal and Tillie, and his wife Harriet (Renes) lived on the home place. In 1969, Elmer moved to West Union, Iowa and John and Mary (Moss, daughter of John) Van Middendorp moved on the place of her Grandpa and Grandma Moss. (Photo above is still same house but remodeling has been done to the west end of it).

Marion passed away in January of 1989.
John passed away in December of 1980.
Edward and Tracy are living in Sioux Center and Gertrude in Carmel, Iowa.

Submitted to the book by Mary Van Middendorf

RESEARCH notes by Wilma J. Vande Berg

Ancestry.com family tress has Albert Moss born 31 May 1876 Groningen,Groningen, Netherlands died 6 July 1935 Carmel IA. His parents were Cornelis Moss 1845-1923 and Tryntje Moss 1854-1936. Agnes Kuyper born 27 March 1878 Alton IA, died 6 Oct 1924 Carmel IA. She was daughter of Jacob Kuyper 1834-1913 and Gerrigje Betten 1846-1905.

BIRTH record of Albert Mos born 31 May 1876 Oldenzijl Uithuizemeeden, parents Kornelis Mos 31 years and Trijntje Dekker.

OBITUARY of Albert Moss 1876-1935
Hawarden Independent July 18, 1935
Albert Moss, who for the past 35 years had resided near Rock Valley passed away suddenly Saturday July 6th while working in the hay field. He apparently was in this usual good health when he was stricken with a heart attack which caused his death. Mr. Moss had enjoyed unusually good health throughout his life as he had never been ill enough to require the services of a doctor during his entire life’s period.
Mr. Moss was born in the Netherlands 59 years ago and came to this country with his parents when he was five years old. They located first at Orange city and later at Sioux Center but for many years past he has residing on a farm near Rock Valley. He was married to Miss Anges Kuyper and to this union were born six children. Mrs. Moss died eleven years ago having been stricken suddenly while at the telephone. Four years ago he married Mrs. A. Bonthuis of Rock Valley and she and his six children survive him. The children are Mrs. Martin Jager of Ireton; Neal and John of Carmel, Mario of Rock Valley, and Tracy and Edward at home. He was a brother of Supervisor Ed Moss of Hull.

OBIRUARY of Agnes Mrs.Albert 1878-1924
Source: Hawarden Independent (10-16-1924)
Born: March 1878 at Pella IA daughter of Jacob Kuyper and Gertrude Betten.
Died: October 1924
Mrs. Albert Moss of Sioux Center died suddenly one day last week from heart failure, when she was talking over the telephone.
Agnes (Kuyper) Moss dropped to the floor and had breathed her last before aid reached her. She was subject to fainting spells.
She is survived by her husband and six children.

OBITUARY of Cornelius Moss/Mos 1845-1923 (Father of Albert)
Sioux County Index July 6, 1923
Mr. Cornelius Mos was born October, 30, 1845 in Uitruistermeeden, Gronigen. Netherlands. His father dying while the subject of this sketch was still a child he and his two brothers were early dependent upon their own resources for the support of themselves and their mother. After
obtaining a neat sum of money for military service for another he decided to find out what America bad to offer rim. So in 1873 he crossed the Atlantic and. came to Muskegon and Grand Rapids, Michigan where for two years he found employment in the saw mills. Work becoming slack in Michigan he returned to the Netherlands, but with the firm resolve to come back again and seek his fortune in Iowa.
Shortly after arriving in Holland he married Tryntje Decker. In 1881 he and his family again crossed the ocean and came to Alton, Iowa, where he helped in building the North Western rail road. After living at Alton for 8 years he started farming in the vicinity of Hospers from there he went to Carmel and from thence to Hull.
Mr. Mos was greatly interested in church work having served as deacon in the Reformed Church at Alton, also being a charter member of the Carmel church where for seven years be served as older and then again as deacon for a few years for the First Reformed church at Hull. He retired from active farming a few years ago, but continued to live on his farm a mile west of Hull. Gradually failing in health during the last five years, he finally, quietly and peacefully passed away on the 27th of June 1923 at the age of 77 years and eight mouths.
He is survived by his wife, one brother John Mos, of Grand Rapids Michigan, and nine children, Albert of Sioux Center, Egbert of Hull. Mrs. Henry Rensink of Sioux Center, Mrs. Herman VanderNaald of Sheldon, Mrs. M. Roubos of Sioux Center, Jacob, Hilda, Cornelius, and Mrs. Bernie VanHuekelom of Hull.
Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon Juno 30th, at the First Reformed church, Rev. Lumkes of Boyden officiating. At his request Charlle VanderPloeg a lifelong friend was funeral director and his own sons pall bearers.
Relatives from other states attending the funeral were John Moss of Grand Rapids, brother of the deceased, Miss Ida Decker, Mrs. Wolfs, Mrs. Claude Van Zanten and two daughters. Mrs. R. Decker and Mr. Archie Vander Wall all of Muskegon, Michigan.

OBITUARY of Tryntje (Mrs. C. C. Moss) 1854-1936 (Mother of Albert)
Sioux Center News, October 15, 1936
Aged Mrs. C. C. Moss passed away at her home Monday morning at 4 o'clock after suffering from a paralytic stroke and a weak heart for some time. She was 82 years old. Mrs. Moss had been ill for the past two years, during which time she lived with her daughter Hilda on a farm one mile west of Hull. She is survived by eleven children, three sons, and five daughters, twenty-eight grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her husband who died 13 years ago and one son Albert, of Carmel, who died about fifteen months ago. She has been a resident of Sioux County for fifty-five years and resided in the Hull community for 35 of those years.
Funeral services were held in the First Ref. Church at Hull, Rev. Douwstra officiating, at 1:30 on Wednesday. Mrs. Moss had been a faithful member of that congregation for many years.
She was married to Kornelis Mos born at Uithuizermeeden age 30 to Trijntje Dekker born at Odenzijl age 20, his parents were Albert Wijndelts Mos and Tietje Kornelis Mendelts, Her parents were Egbert Dekker and Anje van der West. Married 11 Dec 1875 at Uithuizermeeden, Groningen, Netherlands.

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