DeVries, Abe 1877-1951 and Jacoba Brunsting Family

DEVRIES, BRUNSTING, BRUINSMA, KOK

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 9/22/2021 at 06:04:39

De Vries, Abe 1878 and Jacoba Brunsting Family

This story was taken from the Sioux Center Centennial book of 1991 pages 296 and 297 and submitted to the book by Adella F. Hulstein. 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.

Abe De Vries was born Sept. 7, 1878 near Sioux Center. He was the son of G.A. De Vries, who was born and raised in Friesland Holland, but came here by way of Pella. G.A. came to Sioux County in 1873 and was the last of the homesteaders to take a claim.

Abe’s grandparents also came at that time. They had left Rotterdam in March of 1824 and lived in the Pella area for some years. However, there was no more land to homestead near Pella. So the move west was made. Though, his grandmother was 60 years old when coming to Sioux County, she still mid-wifed the birth of 206 babies in the Orange City, Hospers and Sioux Center area, the last being at age 80. One of those was Abe, her grandson.

Abe’s father, Gerben, built a sod hut on what is now the Elmer Zommermaand farm, 2½ miles north and 2 miles east of Sioux Center.

Abe married Jacoba Brunsting on Dec. 11, 1902. Jacoba had been born in Drenthe Holland. Six weeks after Jacoba’s family arrived in America, her mother died and is buried in Newkirk. Abe and Jacoba had 3 children: Born in 1903, Sadie De Vries Altena (Jake); Born in 1907, Albert De Vries; Born in 1913, Jeanette De Vries Juffer (Wilmer). The family lived 2 North and 2 East where Robert Van Voorst now lives. They went to school by horse and buggy or bobsled. One of their horses was blind. Catechism was held in the country school. A daily chore was picking up cobs or splitting wood for fuel for the cookstove. The laundry was done with a gas engine run wash machine.

The children remember the simple life of the early 1900s. Butchering was a winter chore. Some of the meat was put in a salt brine and later smoked. Some was canned and the rest was fried out and kept under lard. The whole house got greasy which made necessary washing everything following butchering time.

Life was not all work, however. They also remember “Zindlings Feest” or Mission fest and 4th of July gatherings in the Te Grotenhuis grove, one mile west of old Town. Another highlight was the De Vries Reunion held at the Sioux River. Swim suits or not, they enjoyed the river. In the fall, halloween pranks were common and something to be careful about.

A big event in Sadie’s girlhood was the annual Sioux County Fair for which she would get a new outfit. Hairstyles were accomplished with a curling iron heated by a kerosene lamp. The underhair might be ratted and the covered with a top layer to give a pouf effect.

Sadie married Jake Altena. They had 4 sons, Sentner of Bella Vista, Arkansas, Aubrey living here, Elroy of Hull, and Leroy with a Maurice address.

Al recalls the cold winters. Though they had a cookstove and a base burner downstairs, there were many mornings they woke up with frost or snow on the blankets in their upstairs bedrooms. He married Alyda Den Herder. They had 4 children, Avan and Judy (Finnell) who live in Denver, Colorado, Jeanne (Feekes) of Sheldon, and Cheryl (Kunz) of Lexington, Kentucky.

Jeanette and Wilmer (Bill) Juffer set their wedding date for Feb. 26, 1936. A huge blizzard kept them apart until March 2 when the ceremony was finally held on a much smaller scale than planned. They had 2 children, Adella Hulstein (Wilmer) and Gerald (Gerry), both still Sioux Center area residents.

by Adella F. Hulstein

RESEARCH NOTES added by Wilma J. Vande Berg

BIRTH details for Abe De Vries found on Find a Grave. He was born 7 Sep 1877 Sioux Center IA he died 20 Jun 1951 Sioux Center Iowa, His parents were Gerben De Vries 1847-1935 and Sietske Bruinsma 1849-1920

OBITUARY of Abe De Vries 1877-1951
Sioux Center News(6-28-1951)
Funeral services were held at the Frist Reformed church on Saturday afternoon, June 23, for Mr. Abe De Vries who died suddenly last week Wednesday afternoon following a heart attack.
Mr. De Vries was born near Sioux Center on Sept. 7,1877. On Dec. 11 1902 he was united in marriage to Miss Jacoba Brunsting and they spent all of their lives near Sioux Center.
Left to mourn his departure are three children Sadie (Mrs. Jake Altena) of Mauirice, Albert and Jeanette(Mrs. Wilmer Juffer) both of Sioux Center. Also 19 grandchildren and one great grandchildren, One brother Henry De Vries of Sioux Center, Hattie (Mrs. John Te Slaa) of Hull and Tillei (Mrs. Wm. Rikkers) of Hull.
He was preceded in death by Mrs. De Vries who passed away on March 3, 1951 and two sons who died in infancy. Five sisters also preceded him in death; Cornelia (Mrs. G Vande Garde), Melena(Mrs. John Scholten) Gertie(Mrs. Evert Putten) Bessie(Mrs. Peter Vande Berg) and Winnie(Mrs. John Smith)
Rev. P.A. De Jong officiated at the funeral services and burial took place at the Memory Gardens Sioux Center Cemetery.

BIRTH record of Jacoba Frederika Brunsting on 19 August 1880 at Beilen, Drents, Netherlands and her father was Albert Brunsting, a koopman, age 30 and mother was Jantje Kok,

OBITUARY of Jacoba Mrs. Abe De Vries 1880-1951
Sioux Center News of March 8, 1951
MRS. ABE DE Vries
Mrs. Abe De Vries passed away on Saturday morning at the Sacred Heart hospital at LeMars, Iowa at the age of 71 years, 6 months, and 15 days She was born August 19, 1880 at Drenthe, Netherlands and came to America at the age of 8. Two weeks after her arrival in America with her mother died.
She was married to Abe De Vries at Hull on December 11, 1902 and they farmed near their present home all of their married life. She leaves to mourn her departure her husband and three children ; Sadie, (Mrs. Jake Altena) of Maurice; Albert, of Sioux Center; and Janet, (Mrs. Wilmer Juffer) of Sioux Center and also 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild, one brother, Everett Brunsting of Hawarden and one sister, Mrs Albert Reinders of Redlands, Calif. Two brothers preceded her in death.

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