DeGooyer, William 1860-1935 and Jacoba DeBruin Family

DEGOOYER, DEGOOIJER, DEBRUIN, DEBRUIJN, WILLEMSEN, LAMMERS

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 9/11/2021 at 15:46:29

DeGooyer, Willem 'William' 1860 – 1935 and Jacoba ‘Jennie’ De Bruin Family

This story was taken from the Sioux Center Centennial book of 1991 page 287 and was submitted to the book by Marvin J. De Gooyer. It 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.

William De Gooyer was born in Amsterdam, Holland in April, 1861. At the age of 11 he came to America with his parents and his brother, Henry, and his sisters Katrina, Nancy, Hattie, Grace, and Jane. I do not know whether he was the youngest in the family. The family first settled in Chicago and then traveled by covered wagon to Alton, Iowa. They homesteaded a farm near Alton, Iowa. They built the usual “sod home,” probably digging in the soil 36 inches and sodding up the sides four feet.

I do not know when William’s father and mother died. They were dead by the time William and Jennie got married in 1881, as my father never remembered them. It was assumed they died in Alton, Iowa area.

In 1881, William De Gooyer married Jacoba (Jennie) De Bruin at Rock River. I assume this is some place on or near the Floyd River that flowed near Alton, Iowa. They moved to Alton, Iowa. William was 21 and Jennie 19. Their first child, John De Gooyer (my father) arrived in 1882.

Later they moved to Orange City, Iowa where they ran a Feed Store. In 1897 their daughter Ann was born in the rear family rooms of the Feed Store. The family used to tease her by stating that she was born among the feed sacks. Class distinction begins early in Dutch families.

Orange City eventually became the County Seat of Sioux County. It was named after Prince Orange of Holland and settled almost 100% by Dutch settlers. Most of them had first settled in Pella, Iowa. Many of them had fled to Pella from Holland due to the persecution of their Dutch “Reformed” Church. So William De Gooyer, who came from Amsterdam, probably got along with them amicably.

Jacoba De Bruin (pronounced Dee Bryn or Brins) had a Dutch first name called “Koba.” She was three years old when her widowed mother migrated to America with “Koba” along with her two sisters, Kate and Anne. They settled in a sod home. Her mother took in washings from the railroad men to support her family. When “Koba” started school she was called “Jane” or “Jennie.” She was known as “Jennie” to my grandfather, William.

They left Orange City in about 1898 and moved to Sioux Center, Iowa, which is only ten miles distance. William either started or bought a meat market. He was a butcher for several years. Their last child, Nellie, was born in Sioux Center in 1903.

In 1905 or 1906, William bought a combination bowling alley and café — they bowled with half-size pins. My father used to work the setting up of the pins. Later William tore out the bowling alley for at this time, there seemed to be an upsurge of church opposition to bowling so business had declined. William ran the café and ice cream parlor until he sold out in 1909 to my father, John De Gooyer (1909).

Many Dutch families had moved to the Yakima Valley in Washington. With the irrigation of the fruit orchards, they controlled their destiny and were not dependent on God’s rain. The Dutch had settled in and around Moxee City, a suburb of Yakima, Washington. William and family left Sioux Center in 1909 and moved to a fruit ranch in Moxee. Aunt Ann says they left a three story home in Sioux Center for a two-room shack with an attic in Moxee. (The last house William and Jennie lived in at Sioux Center is next to the house Donald and Dean De Gooyer live in at the present time. It had recently been completely remodeled inside.) After a few years of good apple crops, William built a new house on his ranch. It still stands today although quite rundown.

The four sons who were still at home lived in the attic and the girls lived downstairs until they acquired the new home. All the boys and girls were involved in the raising, picking, packing, and storage of the apples.

In 1926 Jennie De Gooyer died. William sold out and moved to Seattle, Washington to live with his daughter, Ann. He spent a lot of time fishing on Puget Sound. My brother, Don, has a copy of a picture of Grandfather William holding a thirty pound salmon he caught when he was 71 years old. William died on July 14, 1934. He is buried next to Jennie in the old Dutch cemetery in Moxee City, Washington.

Family of William De Gooyer

William De Gooyer, born: Amsterdam, Holland April 1861, Died: Seattle, Washington July 1934. Jacoba (Jennie) De Gooyer, Born Rotterdam, Holland August 1863, Died: Yakima, Washington 1926.

William and Jennie were married in 1881 at Rock River, Iowa, (near Alton, Iowa). They moved to Alton, which is located in Sioux County in Northwest Iowa. They had eight children:

John De Gooyer, Born: Alton, Iowa December 24, 1882, Died Sioux Center, Iowa 1944.

Kate (De Gooyer) Beernink, Born: Alton, Iowa March, 1885, Died: Sioux Center, Iowa 1944.

William S. De Gooyer, Born: Alton, Iowa September 1892, Died: Fresno, California 1962.

Henry De Gooyer, Born: Alton, Iowa September 1892, Died: Veteran’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington 1976.

George De Gooyer, Born: Orange City, Iowa October 1894, Died: aboard USS Huntington as a seaman in 1917 while crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Annette (Ann) (De Gooyer) (Hicknel) Mieras, Born: Orange City, Iowa Nov. 1897. As of June 1, 1981 she is living at Route #1 Box 277, Yakima, Washington.

Gysbert De Gooyer, Born: Sioux Center, Iowa January 1900, Died: Moses Lake, Washington 1955.

Nellie (De Gooyer) Marlett, Born: Sioux Center, Iowa 1903, Died: Yakima, Washington 1922.

by Marvin J. De Gooyer

VARIOUS RESEARCH NOTES by Wilma J. Vande Berg Much of the assumed family data submitted by Marvin De Gooyer is not exactly correct. Below are articles and documents relating to the family history of the De Gooyer’s. Example three birth years claimed for Willem De Gooyer 1859-1860 and 1861. 1860 is correct most primary source.

CHURCH RECORD Alton Reformed church record has Willem De Gooyer born April 27, 1859 with wife Jennie, the family moved to Dakota in 1893
Children born to them John Dec1882, Catherina Mar 1885, and Willem Simon Sept 11, 1889

ANCESTRY-From a family report on ancestry.com (by others not verified by me) William De Gooyer was born 27 Apr 1859 at Bennekom, Ede Gelderland Netherlands died 24 Jun 1935 Kirkland Washington.
His parents were Jan De Gooijer born 7 May 1825 Bennekom, Netherlands died 25 Aug 1882 Alton, IA and Agnieta Willemsen Jun 1837, in that report Agnieta’s death was wrong. She died Sep 1901 as Mrs. Arie Kuyper.
This same report has Jacoba ‘Jennie De Bruin as born 16 Aug 1863 Delfshaven, Rotterdam, Zuid Holland Neth. Died 1 Apr 1926 Moxee, Yakima WA. Her parents were Simon Jansz De Bruin 1821-1873 and Catharina ‘Kaatje’ Lammers 1822-1913.

BIRTH record for Jacoba de Bruijn born to Simon de Bruijn and Catharina Lammers on 9 Aug 1863 at Delfshaven, Rotterdam, Zuid Holland, Netherlands.

BIRTH record from official site www.wiewaswie.nl Willem De Goijer was born on 27 Apr 1860 at Wageningen Gelderland Netherlands to Jan De Goijer a farmer age 34 and Agnieta Willemsen age 22.

MARRIAGE record lists Jan De Goijer 32 married Angieta Willemsen 20. His father Hendrik de Goijer and mother Niesje Bosch, her parents Willem Willemsen and Neeltje Haalboom. Married 6 Nov. 1857 at Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands

OBITUARY of Agneita Mrs. Jan De Gooyer - Mrs Arie Kuyper.
From the Alton Democrat of Sept 21, 1901 Orange city news page 4
Mrs. Arie Kuyper died Saturday last aged sixty-four years after a brief illness. Deceased came to Orange City from the Netherlands with her first husband John De Gooyer twenty eight years ago. Mr. De Gooyer died in 1880 aud she married Mr. Kuyper a few years later. Seven of the children of her first marriage are still liviug. They are Mrs. K Rouwenhorst, Will. De Gooyer, Mrs. N. Ver Hoef, Mrs. Maggie De Haan, Henry De Gooyer, Mrs. Hattie Pas, Mrs. Bert Bomgaars. Funeral services were conducted at the residence two miles east of town by Rev. Lepeltak of Alton and Elder Henry De Jong and from the First Reformed church in Orange City.
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(Found the marriage on genlias.nl of Jan De Goijer age 32 born
Bennekom Ede, Gelderland Neth. to Hendrik De Goijer and Niesje Bosch,
he married Agnieta Willemsen age 20 at Wangeningen Geld. Neth on 6 Nov
1857. Her parents were Willem Willemsen and Neetlje Haalboom.
Jan died in 1880/1882 and Agnieta married Arie Kuyper born 1832 on 5 Apr
1884 at Alton IA.

1880 CENSUS In the 1880 census John DeGooyer age 46? Was afarmer living in Holland Tsp. Sioux County. Wife Anna was 42, children
born in Neth. were William 21, Nancy 18, Henry 16, Maggie 13, Hattie 11 and Janet 6 born IA )

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