Koolbeek, Jacob 1836-1908 & Flora Sipma Family

KOOLBEEK, KOOLBECK, SIPMA, DEVRIES, VANDERGAAUW

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 7/5/2022 at 06:44:19

Koolbeek, Jacob 1836-1908 and Flora Sipma Family

This BIOS was taken from several sources and compiled by Wilma J. Vande Berg of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Readers of this BIOS are encouraged to read the Book ‘The Story of Sioux County’ by Charles Dyke 1942, which give insight into the life of the pioneers in the early settlement of Sioux County. Other books such as ‘Siouxland A History of Sioux County’ by Nelson Nieuwenhuis and the 1991 Hospers centennial book are all helpful in describing the early times.

BIRTH RECORD of Jacob Koolbeek www.wiewaswie.nl
Jacob Koolbeek born 12 Jan 1836 at Delft, Zuid Holland, Netherlands to Jan Jacob Koolbeek and Agatha van der Gaauw.

BIRTH RECORD of Flora Sipma
Fokeltje Sipma was born 17 Oct 1841 Westdongeradeel, Friesland, Netherlands died 16 Feb 1919 at Hospers, IA. Her parents were Ritske Aukes Sipma and Antje Sjoerds De Vries. She married Jacob Jans Koolbeck on 26 Aug 1860 at Pella IA.
CHILDREN of Jacob Koolbeek and Flora Sipma . They had 11 eleven children in all but they lost three children in infancy. Some of the family spelled the surname Koolbeck

1 . Aagje ‘Aggie’ Koolbeek born 26 May 1864 Pella IA died 2 Nov 1952 Minneapolis MN. Her husband was Jan William Hilbelink 1853-1938 They had eight children
2 . Richard Koolbeek born 17 Dec 1866 Pella IA died Florida. He married Nellie Te Stroete 1868-1906. They had six childlren.
3 . John Jacob Koolbeek born 7 Dec 1867 Pella IA died 10 Apr 1895 Hospers IA. He married Martje ‘Maggie’ Zorgdrager 1869-1953. They had two children.
4 . Annie Koolbeek born 25 Sep 1870 Iowa died 1958. Her husband was Wells Smith Sutherland 1861-1928. They had four children
5 . Dena Koolbeek born 12 Mar 1873 IA died 10 Jul 1947 Los Angeles CA. Her husband was Delbert Clarence Haskell 1859. They had three children.
6 . Hiltje ‘Lillian’ Koolbeek born 29 Jan 1876 Sioux County IA died before 1920 at Coalville, UT. She married Oscar Witters French 1868-1950
7 . Jacob Jan Koolbeek (Dickson) born 22 Aug 1877 Hospers IA died 21 Jun 1940 St. Louis MO He married Louise Katherine Meyer born 1890. They had three children
8 . Florence ‘Flora’ Koolbeek born 20 Jun 1881 Floyd Tsp. Sioux County IA. She was married to Guy Honnold.

JACOB JOHN KOOLBEEK
(From a narrative in the ‘Story of Sioux County’ is taken this account written by Charles Dyke, on page 569 )
Pioneer Koolbeek was a son of John Koolbeek, a veteran of the Civil War who was killed in action. Consequently the widow was entitled to a quarter section of land and she homesteaded on the southwest quarter of section 18 in Floyd township, where the Jacob John Koolbeek family resided for a while. Mr. Koolbeek led the life of a gentleman farmer, and employed hired help to do the work on the farm.
As Mr. Koolbeek was a well educated man, he was a justice of the peace and notary public and a member of the Board of Supervisors, and when he moved to Hospers he was mayor, member of the school board and postmaster until his death. He was well read in law and on which he prided himself, and was the local legal advisor. Often have we heard him say, “I began the study of the law at eighteen years of age, I have grown gray under it, therefore I should know something about it.”
His wife, Fokeltje (Birdie), was a daughter of pioneer Riske Sipma, and a sister of the late Sjoerd Riskes Sipma of Alton. She was a lovable soul ad always ready to help. She was the early community midwife, and helped to bring scores of babies into the world, without money and without price.
They had three sons: Richard, John and Jacob, Jr., and five daughters: Agnes (Mrs. William Hilbelink), Anna (Mrs. Wells Sutherland), Dena (Mrs. D. C. Haskell), Lillian (Mrs. O. W. French), and Florence ( Mrs. Guy Honnold).
The Koolbeeks were a friendly and happy family, and we enjoyed several delightful parties at their home while we lived in Hospers. Mr. Koolbeek was an ardent Democrat, and once when party feeling ran high, we were promised the postmastership at Hospers by the Republicans, but we declined to serve, and resigned in favor of Mr. Koolbeek.

In the book ‘Siouxland A History of Sioux County’ by Nelson Nieuwenhuis there are many pages that have the name of Jacob Koolbeek written in them, most have to do with his positions in community, school, and civic jobs.

OBITUARY of Jacob Koolbeek 1836-1908
PIONEER GONE
Jacob Koolbeek died at his home in Hospers Iowa Saturday January seventh 1908 of heart failure. He had suffered most of the winter with la grippe [influenza] and it proved too much for him at his advanced age. He was sitting in his arm chair beside the fire when the end came and he passed away peacefully.
Deceased was one of the pioneers of Sioux county and one of its most widely known citizens. He was born in Delft, Holland--where the Dutch kings are buried and where the famous delftware is made--on January twelfth 1836. He came to America in 1849 and located in Marion county. As a boy he drove the old stage between Oskaloosa and Des Moines over fifty years ago. He came to Sioux county in 1872 and homesteaded on section eighteen between Hospers and Orange City. He was supervisor nine years and school board member for forty years in Marion county and Sioux county. He was postmaster under Cleveland and Harrison and McKinley and in 1891 was elected first mayor of Hospers. He had been mayor or clerk ever since. Since 1873 he had been a justice of the peace. For years he did a thriving implement business in Hospers--after leaving the farm--and latterly had much success in writing insurance and handling real estate.
Deceased was married to Flora Sipma at Pella on the twenty-third of August 1860. To their union eleven children were born. Three died in infancy and one son John died thirteen years ago at the age of twenty-seven. The living children in order of age are Mrs. J. W. Hilbelink of Hospers, Richard of Alton, Mrs. Wells Sutherland of Paullina, Mrs. D. C. Haskell of Mexico, Missouri, Mrs. O. W. French of Coalville, Utah, Jacob of St. Louis and Miss Florence at home. All were at the funeral except Jacob. Mrs. Haskell came Monday and Mrs. French Wednesday noon. Deceased also leaves a brother John at Harlan, Iowa and an adopted sister Mrs. Top of Pendleton, Oregon. Mrs. H. Kleinheksel of Archer--widow of John Koolbeek--should also be mentioned here as one of the family as she has ever been considered such. Mrs. Koolbeek is a sister of Sjoerd Sipma and Mrs. John Vander Haak and Mrs. John Sterkenberg of Alton and Orange City.
Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Riepma from the Dutch Reformed church and the home Wednesday afternoon. The public school and all business places were closed. It was one of the largest funerals the community has ever seen--deceased being widely known and respected by all. Many were present from surrounding towns and the floral offerings were many and beautiful. Interment took place in the Hospers cemetery east of town. Among friends from out of the county were Rev. Martin Hyink of Inwood and Prof. Guy Honnold of Hendricks, Minnesota.
Uncle Jake Koolbeek--as he was familiarly known--endured many hardships of pioneer life and held them in an unusually retentive memory. Thirty-four years ago on his birthday--it being the twelfth day of January 1874--he was at Orange City to file his first bond as justice. A crowd was in the old frame school house when someone cried out that a blizzard was coming. Mr. Koolbeek and others started home afoot. They stopped at the northeast edge of Orange City and filled the house of Guys Ver Steeg till standing room was at a premium. He and Albert Van Zyl and John Sipma started on further. They worked on as far as Ver Zyl's and then he and John forged ahead. After half a day's struggle they had made seven or eight miles. Night came on and they were lost. The blizzard was blinding. John's hands and face were frozen. They knew they were near the Koolbeek home. Mr. Koolbeek had mowed two swaths to mark the section line road past his home. The grass stood tall on both sides. Their only salvation was to find this track. On their hands and knees they crawled and crawled till they found it and at last reached their long-sought destination and they were just in time. They got in in the early part of the blizzard which lasted for three days. Many were lost and frozen on the plains in those three awful days.
Jacob Koolbeek was a man of wide experience and sympathy--schooled to labor and hardship from childhood. A father and three brothers answered the call to arms in the sixties and not all of them returned. Deceased--left at home to look after affairs--chafed at the restraint which kept him from the front and to his dying day cherished most of all his relics the arms his father bore for freedom. The father fills a soldier's grave at Orange City--he having died from wounds after lingering two days.
In pioneer days in this county Jacob Koolbeek labored with others to bring civilization from the wilderness. The fruits of the toil of the men of those days are all about us. The county's history--its schools--its roads--its towns--all bear in a degree the impress of Jacob Koolbeek's life and are better because he lived. Many a citizen can testify to his helpfulness and the town where he spent so many years of his life has long held him in esteem as its counselor and guide and most prominent citizen. The griefs of the community were brought to him and by him adjusted to the best of his ability as the law gave him power. He was painstaking and accurate and punctual to duty and promise. A Christian in the broader sense--a democrat and a friend of the lowly--a man in whom was little guile and much good. He will be missed.
Source: Alton Democrat, March 14, 1908.
The obituary includes a photograph.
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From the Alton Democrat, April 4, 1908:
County Attorney John Hospers was in Alton Wednesday en route home from the town of Hospers where he had some matters to settle up in the affairs of Jacob Koolbeek. He says Mr. Koolbeek was one of the most methodical men whose affairs he has ever had occasion to inspect. Every book and every paper and every penny was right at hand and everything in perfect order.

OBITUARY of Flora Mrs. Jacob Koolbeek
Feb 22, 1919 Alton Democrat
Mrs. Flora Koolbeek died at her home in Hospers on the 16th Feb 1919 after an illness of nine months, at the age of 78 years and 4 months, She was married to the late J. Koolbeck in 1860 at Pella, Iowa. To them were born eleven children the 3 oldest dying in infancy. The surviving children are Mrs. J. W. Hilbelink, Hospers, Richard, Lammens? SD. Mrs. Wells Sutherland of Paullina, Jake Koolbeek of St. Louis MO., Mrs. J. G. Honnold of Whitney NE, also a daughter in law Mrs. H. H. Kleinheksel of Archer IA ( rest of column is not legitable. ) Next colunm reads.. also leaves three sisters and one brother, Mrs. Isabel McAdoo of Runnels IA, Mrs. J. Van Der Haak and Mrs. John Sterkenberg of Orange City, S. R. Sipma of Alton IA.

A picture of Jacob and Flora will follow shortly.

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