Mouw, Berend 'Ben' 1850-1926 & Maria Duistermars Family

MOUW, DUISTERMARS, PETERS, FRANSEN

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 8/9/2021 at 11:54:13

Mouw, Berend ‘Ben’ 1850-1926 and Maria Duistermars Family

This story was taken from the Sioux Center Centennial Book of 1991 page 443/444, and submitted to the book by Peter B. Mouw. The story was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw, and some research notes were added by Wilma J. Vande Berg; both of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society of Sioux Center Iowa.

My father Berend (Ben) Mouw and Maria Duistermars were married on February 4, 1876. With the money my father had earned working on the railroad from LeMars to Alton, they built a frame house on their homestead and moved in. There were eleven children, and one died in infancy or there would have been twelve. We were all born on the homestead a mile and a half west of the Old Sioux Center corner. My brother Neal was the oldest and I was the youngest and there were twenty years between us. So it was Neal Mouw, Minnie Mouw (Mrs. John G. Schoep), William B. Mouw, John B. Mouw, Hattie Mouw (Mrs. Aldred Bruins), Henry Mouw, Johanna Mouw (Mrs. Chris Van Roekel), Maggie Mouw (Mrs. W.J. Bruins), Ben B. Mouw, Albert Mouw, and Peter B. Mouw.

My father used oxen to pull the plow to break the prairie, but he also had a couple of horses. The ox yoke he used on the oxen has been preserved and is hanging above the fireplace in Vernon Mouw’s home.

Sister Johanna (Mrs. Chris Van Roekel) was the last child to be born in the original home. She was the seventh child and more room was needed. So my father made arrangements for a larger home. The building material for the house was hauled in from LeMars and some from Orange City. It was a large square house, and is still standing on the homestead. This was in the year 1887.

One of the large rooms in the cellar was used to store canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned meats and chickens. We also had a large underground cave outside of the house. In this we would store our potatoes for the winter and barrels of apples. It would hold about 50 bushels of apples. Oh yes, there was also the summer kitchen or Kachel Hok as it was called in the Holland language off the kitchen. The Kachel Hok housed a large kitchen cookstove, a good sized table, a couple of kitchen chairs, the washing machine, the ironing board, large pots and pans, a large cob or wood box for fuel. It really was a utility room. It was used for washing and ironing in the summer to keep the heat out of the house. It was also used to fry out the pork, whenever a hog was butchered and to can meat and chickens, and for canning fruits and vegetables. Remember, there was no refrigeration or ice boxes in those days. Everything had to be canned in glass fruit jars or big stone crocks. When a hog was butchered, all the meat was immediately fried, and put into five gallon stone crocks. Then the fat was poured over the meat, and when this fat hardened the crock was put in the cellar and the meat kept very well. When they wanted to use the meat they would dig it out of the fat, reheat it, and it was ready to go on the table.

At one time we were working 540 acres of land with horses. When threshing the grain time came, the threshing crew would move in and they would stay for almost a week. During that time my mother and the older girls would bake 24 loaves of bread a day to feed them, plus all the other foods.

The threshing crew was composed of an engineer, a separator tender, a water boy, and an extra man to pitch grain. Then all the neighbors would come in and help and they would all stay for lunches and meals. The engine was a big steam engine and had a loud whistle on it. When I was small I would always be with the engineer at lunch time and meal time so that I could pull the whistle cord and blow the whistle when it was time to eat. The Wandscheer boys usually did our threshing and then Dan Wandscheer would be the engineer.

My father was born in Nunspeet, Gelderland, Holland on January 19, 1850. He died in Sioux Center, Iowa on February 7, 1926 being 76 years old.
My mother was born near Ter Wolde, Gelderland, Holland on November 11, 1852. She died in Sioux Center, Iowa on September 19, 1937, being 84 years old. Her maiden name was Maria Duistermars.
They were married in Orange City, Iowa on February 4, 1876 so they were married a few days over 50 years.

Submitted to the book by Peter B. Mouw

RESEARCH NOTES submitted by Wilma J. Vande Berg

BIRTH RECORD of Berend born as Beert Mouw to Cornelis Mouw 41, and Johanna Margrieta Peters on 19 Jan 1850 at Epe Gelderland Netherlands.

OBITUARY of Berend ‘Ben’ Mouw 1850-1926
Alton Democrat of February 12, 1926
BEN MOUW WAS SIOUX CO. BLAZER
Helped Lay First RR Tracks - Homesteaded In West Branch Township
Ben Mouw, prominent retired farmer and pioneer of Sioux County passed away Sunday morning at bout ten o’clock following an illness which had confined him to his bed for but a short time, though he was has been failing health for some years. Funeral services were held Wednesday at the home in Sioux Center and at the Chr. Ref. Church of he was a member. The seven sons were pallbearers.
Mr. Mouw’s death is the passing of another of the early trail-blazers for he come to Sioux County in 1871, just one year after the arrival of the first settlers. He helped build the first railroad, having had previous experience in this line in New York and Pennsylvania, and worked every foot of the ground from Sheldon to Le Mars. He took up a homestead in West Branch township, weathered the hardships of the grasshopper times and other trials of pioneer life, and was so successful a farmer that he acquired an estate of approximately 800 acres.
During the early seventies he was a member of a party of Hollanders who undertook To move the county seat in a bob sleigh, by carrying the county records, and safe from Calliope, then county seat, to Orange City. The Court restored the records and safe to Calliope for the time being , but at the following election the county seat was permanently removed to Orange City by vote of the people.
Mr. Mouw was always interested in public affairs and in the welfare of the community. He served as school director for many years, and with the late Hans Moeller, was a founder and active promoter of the Farmer’s Co-operative Society of Sioux Center.
Ben Mouw was born near Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, on January 10th, 1850 He came to the United States with his parents in I869 at the age of nineteen years. With his father he worked with a railroad construction crew on Long Island and later in Pennsylvania, where his father was accidently killed while at work. In 1871 the family came to Sioux County.
He was married at Orange City in 1875 to Miss Mary Duistermars and the following year the couple moved to his homestead; where they resided for 34 years, moving to Sioux Center sixteen years ago in 1910.
He is survived by his wife and eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, who are: Neal Mouw, Mrs. John Scnoep, Wm. B. Mouw, all of Sioux Center; John B. Mouw, Rock Valley: Mrs. Aldred Bruins, Holland. Minn.; Henry B. Mouw, Sioux Center; Mrs. Chris Van Roekel, Sioux Center; Bon Mouw, Sioux Center: A..A. Mouw, Muskegon, Mich.; Mrs. W. J. Bruins and Peter Mouw of Sioux Center; also by 57 grandchildren, an older brother, John Mouw of Long Beach CA, and two sisters two sisters, Mrs. Wm. Bonnecroy of Orange City and Mrs. M. Ronwenhorst who was expected this week from Madison, Wis. to attend her brother's funeral.
Mr. Mouw was a kind and helpful neighbor, a splendid old man of notable courage, but always thoughtful and considerate of others. His cheerful spirit sustained him to his last hours on earth and his memory will be cherished by a host of friends.

BIRTH RECORD of Maria Duistermars to Willem Duistermars 39 and Willempje Fransen on 11 Nov 1852 at Terwolde, Gelderland Netherlands .

OBITUARY of Maria Duistermars Mrs. Ben Mouw 1852-1939
Source: Sioux Center News (9-23-1939)
Born: November 11, 1852
Died: September 19, 1939
Mrs. Ben (Maria Duistermars) Mouw passed away at her home on Sunday, September 19, at the age of 84 years. Funeral services will be held today, Thursday at 1:00 P.M. at the home and 1:30 at the Central Reformed Church in Sioux Center.
She was born on November 11th, 1852 in TerWolde, Gelderland, Netherlands, and came to America in 1873. She married Ben Mouw two years later , and to this union eleven children are living: Neal, Minnie, (Mrs. John G. Schoep), William B., Henry B. , Johanna (Mrs. Chris Van Roekel), Ben B. and Peter B. all of Sioux Center; John B. Mouw of Rock Valley, Hattie (Mrs. Al Bruins) of Long Beach, California, Maggie (Mrs. William J. Bruins) Maurice and Albert A. Mouw of Muskegon, Michigan.
There are sixty-seven grandchildren and forty three great-grandchildren besides the eleven children, making hundred and twenty-one descendents.
Mrs. Mouw was one of the earliest settlers of this community, living in small shanty which was their home for some time. They lived on the farm two miles southwest of town for many years, and after that were residents of this town for twenty-eight years.
Mr. Mouw preceded her in death in February, 1926.

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