VanWyhe, John W. 1861-1942 & Geertje Ruisch Family

VANWYHE, VANWIJHE, RUISCH, REIDING, MULDER

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 10/7/2023 at 12:00:50

VanWyhe, John W. Sr. 1861-1942 and Geertje ‘Gertrude’ Ruisch Family

This story was taken from pages 482-483 of the Ireton Centennial Book (1882-1982). The story was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Some research notes were added by Wilma J. Vande Berg There are many family stories in the Ireton Centennial book 1882-1982 on the children of John W. and Geertje Van Wyhe. They have been summarized an incorporated into this narrative for a complete family story. The birth name of Gertrude Ruisch was Geertje per birth record in the Netherland, here referred to as Geritje. In the Netherlands Van Wyhe is spelled Van Wijhe.

Surely all will remember J. W. Van Wyhe Sr., a first class mason and farmer. He came from the Netherlands at the age of 17 years to Alton, Ia., with his widowed mother and eight other brothers and sisters. He worked in LeMars to support them, and walked the railroad track 15 miles to work and back on weekends.

John married Geritje Ruisch, who also was born in the Netherlands, one of six children of Dooije W. and Aaltje (Reiding) Ruisch of Friesland. They emigrated to Pella, Ia. when she was two years old, and then on to Sioux Co. in a covered wagon when she was seven years old. Her mother had baked stacks of something on the order of dried pancakes for them to eat on the way. They settled just a mile straight west of Alton, before the town was there. Her father had to build a wooden bridge over the Floyd River so they could cross. They lived in a sod hut with woven prairie grass for the roof and a dirt floor, and put barn lumber down to sleep on. Straw or grass stuffed in ticking supplied the mattresses.

In the summer, they would pick up buffalo chips, which were all over, and stack them “like haystacks” near their dwelling for winter heat. They also used tightly braided prairie grass in the same way.

There were no trees near, until they planted some themselves, and they had to go as far as the Big Sioux River for timber.

They tied a rope from the house to the barn, so one wouldn’t get lost in a snowstorm.

John and Geritje’s children were: John, who married Sophie Klave; Dick, who married Hattie Van Muyden; Lambert, who married Annie Van Muyden; William, who married Christina Schmedhans; Hattie, who married Hans Bultman; Brian, who married Alice Ganzeveld; Gerrit, who married Kattie Schmedhans; Peter, who married Helen Ganzeveld; and Allie, who married William Pikaart.

RESEARCH NOTES: Added by Wilma J. Vande Berg From a family report on ancestry.com public member trees done by other family than this submitter.

Jan ‘John’ Willem Van Wyhe was born 2 Jan 1861 Kamperveen, Kampen, Overijssel Netherlands and died 5 Jul 1942 Ireton IA. He was the son of Jan Van Wijhe 1822-1878 and Hendrikje Mulder 1826-1901. He married Gertrude Ruisch.

Geertje ‘Gertrude’ Ruisch born 22 May 1862 Metslawier, Dongeradeel Friesland Netherlands died 18 March 1951 Ireton IA. She was the daughter of Dooije Willems Ruisch 1821-1882 and Aaltje Dirks Reiding 1825-1881.

CHILDREN of John and Gertrude Van Wyhe: Most of their obit can be found on this site. Some of the family also have narratives in the Ireton Centennial book 1882-1982.

1. John Van Wyhe born 13 Jul 1888 Sioux Center IA died 27 Apr 1972 Ireton IA. He married Sophie Klave 1913, they had five sons, Lawrence, John, Elmer, Robert and Raymond Van Wyhe, and three daughters, Mrs. Hazel Popma, Mrs. Howard Viola Liston, and Mrs. Henry Leona Koopmans. See the obit on this site.

2. Dick Van Wyhe born 6 Feb 1890 Orange City IA died 14 Nov 1967 Norwalk, CA. He married Hattie Van Muyden and they had three children Mrs. Grace Elmer De Jager, Mrs. Mildred Floyd Hill and Wendell Van Wyhe of of Norwalk CA in 1967. See Dick’s obit on this page.

3. Henrietta ‘Hattie’ Van Wyhe born 2 Jun 1891 Alton IA died 21 Oct 1973 Akron, Plymouth Co. IA.
Her obituary in the LeMars Daily Sentinel of Oct 23, 1973 has her birth date as Jun 2, 1881(error 1891) she married 1914 to John Bultman. They had two sons George or Ireton and John of Chatsworth. And two daughters Mrs. Blanche Bortger of Akron and Johanah Mrs Walter Hebner of Hawarden. 13 grand children and 22 great grands.

4. Lambert Van Wyhe born 31 May 1893 Orange City IA died 16 Jan 1966 Sioux Center IA He Married Annie Van Luyden 1914. They had five daughters and 4 sons; Margaret Mrs. Dick Vande Griend of Orange City, Gertrude Mrs. Ordean Webert of Worthington MN, Dorothy Mrs. Peter Vande Griend of Hawarden, Alice Mrs. William Moreman of Sioux Center, Esther Mrs. Dick Vande Hoef of Luverne MN, Gordon Van Wyhe married Kathleen Van Gelder of Ireton, Wayne Van Wyhe married Jennie De Roon of Hills, MN, Duane Van Wyhe married Helen Gesink of Ireton, Marlin Van Wyhe married Darlene Vander Lugt of Ireton.

5. William Van Wyhe born 11 Sep 1894 Orange City IA died 3 Aug 1976 Hawarden IA Wife Christina W. Schmedhans 1897-1966. They had children Irene Gertrude Mrs. Clarence Bennett 1916-1996 of Hawarden and Bernice Leone Janssen of Hudson, 1919-2007.

6. Bryan Van Wyhe born 1 Jan 1897 Orange City IA died 19 Jan 1976 Hawarden IA. He married Alice Ganzeveld 1913. They had three sons; William, Phillip, and David Van Wyhe; and three daughters Marcia Mrs. Edward Van Gelder, Jewell Mrs. Delbert Schipper, and Karen Mrs. Kenneth Reinking of Ireton.

7. Gerrit Van Wyhe born 12 Mar 1898 Ireton IA died 29 Apr 1964 Ireton IA. He married Kathryn Schmedhans 1924, they had a son Ronald Van Wyhe of Sterling IL, two daughters Evonne and Sandra Van Wyhe.

8. Peter Van Wyhe born 17 Dec 1899 Nassau Twp. Sioux County IA died 24 Mar 1984 Rock Valley IA. He married Helen Ganzeveld 1929, they had two daughters, Judy Mrs. Milton Bauer, and Jeanine Mrs. Jerry Myer of Alta, and three sons Donald and Daniel Van Wyhe of Ireton and Ralph of Salem SD.

9. Alice Van Wyhe born 6 Oct 1901 Orange City IA died 6 Jun 1926 Mc Nally IA She married William Pikaart 1925, they had no children.

OBITUARY OF JOHN W. VAN WYHE 1861-1942
J.W. Van Wyhe, a well-known retired farmer and stockman, passed away at his home in Ireton Sunday morning shortly after 9 o'clock. He suffered a slight stroke last November and since then he had been failing in health. His death was caused by a heart attack.
Funeral services were held at 1:30 Wed. afternoon from the home at 2 o'clock from the Christian Reformed Church with Rev. J.R. Van Dyke in charge. The pall bearers were six grandsons, George and John Bultman, and John, Elmer, Raymond and Wendell Van Wyhe. Burial was in the family plot in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
John W. Van Wyhe was born in Gelderland, Netherlands, Jan. 2 1861, so he had reached the age of 81 years, 6 months and 3 days at the time of his death. He came to America in 1881 with his widowed mother, and her seven children, locating at Alton. He was a mason by trade and worked at that for some years.
He was married to Gertrude Ruisch Sept. 8, 1887, and to this union were born nine children, seven sons and two daughters. One daughter, Mrs. William Pickart, preceded her father in death in 1926. From Alton they moved onto the farm now occupied by his son, Lambert. He lived on this farm until he retired and came to Ireton.
He is survived by his wife and eight children. The children are John, Dick, Lambert, Bryan, Gerrit and Peter of Ireton; Mrs. John Bultman of Chatsworth, and William of Hawarden. There are 37 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Source: Hawarden Independent July 9, 1942

OBITUARY OF GERITJE MRS. JOHN W. VAN WYHE born 1862 and died 1951
Mrs. John Van Wyhe, Sr. died on March 18, at the age of 88 years. She was living with her son John Jr. west of Ireton at the time of her death.
As we go to press funeral services have not yet been arranged because of the present weather conditions.
Mrs. Van Wyhe (Gertrude) was born in Holland, and came to the United States in 1867. She and her husband settled in Pella, later they moved to Orange City.
Survivors include the following nine children: John Jr., Dick, Lambert, Bryan, Gerrit, Peter, all of Ireton, Bill of Hawarden and Hattie (Mrs. John Bultman) of Chatsworth. One daughter and her husband preceded Mrs. Van Wyhe in death.
Source: Sioux Center News March 22, 1951

In the interest of the Van Wyhe family history the obituary of John Willem Van Wyhe’s mother is here-in included:
OBITUARY - Mrs. Jan Hendrikje Van Wyhe 1826-1901 (Her husband died in the Neth. 1878)
Sioux County Herald of March 20, 1901 p. 1 Sioux Center News
Mrs. Van Wyhe, one of our oldest citizens and the mother of the Van Wyhe boys of Welcome township, died here Monday morning. The funeral services will be held here today (Wednesday), and the interment will take place at Alton, where deceased lived for a number of years.
(Found a family account on ancestry.com Jan VanWyhe born 1823 Kampen OV Neth, died 12 Feb 1878 in the Netherlands. Her parents were Lammert Mulder and Janna VanReenen. He married Hendrikje Mulder born 18 Dec 1826 Hattem Geld. Neth. Married Apr 29, 1856. Children were John 1858, Lammert 1859, Jan (John W.) 1861, Derk 1862, Janna 1863, Hendrikje 1865, Jacob 1868, Henderik 1873 and Styntje 1875.)

This picture was on page 483 of the Ireton Centennial Book 1882-1982.

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