Anema, Paul 1885-1978 & Katherine Van Schepen Family

ANEMA, VANSCHEPEN, DIJKSTRA, DYKSTRA

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 10/13/2023 at 05:22:04

Anema, Paul 1885-1978 & Katherine Van Schepen Family

This story was taken from page 503 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 .

Paul Anema was born in Friesland, Holland Feb. 6, 1885. His mother died when he was born and he was raised by his uncle and aunt. His uncle was a medical doctor living in The Hague Holland. After Paul finished his grade school education, his uncle gave him a choice of furthering his education or learning a trade. The butcher and meat-cutting trade interested Paul, so he went to work for 2 years in a butcher shop in The Hague, paying the owner to learn the trade. It was during this time that his uncle died and Paul went back home to live with his family in Friesland. Paul’s cousin, Dr. Renee Anema, a dentist, thought Paul would have a better opportunity to further his trade if he would go to the U.S. to live. Renee had a friend living in Parker. He wrote to him and asked he would help Paul find a job in a butcher shop in Parker. Paul’s father was reluctant to let him go to the U.S. because a few years before one of Paul’s brothers had gone to the U.S. and had drowned in a sand pit near Maurice, Ia.

At the age of 27 years Paul boarded a ship and began his long journey to the U.S. It took 30 days to get from Holland to New York and another long train ride from New York to Parker, S.D. He began working in the butcher shop there. While working there, Paul said he worked with some very good butchers. These men were Ho-bos riding the rail into Parker, working long enough to earn some money then moving on. One had been a butcher for Ringling Bros. Circus. Another was an artist with a knife and could carve pictures or scenes on a side of beef. Most of them had their bodies scarred from knife fights they had been in. After working in Parker for several years, Paul decided he would like to try farm work and went to work for his cousin on a farm in the Sioux Center area. This is where he met Katherine Van Schepen, who he later married.

Katherine Van Schepen was the daughter of Fred and Jeanette Van Schepen, Sr. They immigrated to Patterson, N.J. from Holland. Katherine was born in New Jersey June 26, 1890. She lived there as a young girl, working in clothes factories at the age of 13 and 14 years old. Her mother died and she worked at home until her father remarried. The family then moved to a farm in the Orange City area and then to a farm west of Craig. Her father helped organize the Christian Reformed Church in Ireton, being one of its charter members.

Paul Anema and Katherine Van Schepen were married at home Dec. 1911. They were the first couple married by Rev. Holebeck, first minister of the Ireton Christian Reformed Church. They lived in Ireton and Paul worked in the butcher shop then owned by John Eggers. They later moved to a farm near Ireton where their first two sons, Gerrit and Fred, were born. They then had a farm sale and moved to Sanborn, Ia., where Paul went in partnership in a dry goods store. A daughter, Jossie, was born while they lived in Sanborn. From Sanborn they moved back to Ireton, where Paul ran a peddler wagon. After that Paul and Katherine again moved back to a farm NE of Ireton where their son, Andrew, was born. Their next move was to a farm SE of Ireton where a daughter, Jeanette, was born. They then moved to a farm just west of McNally and from there to a farm west of Craig where another son, Clarence, was born. In the spring of 1939 Paul had a farm sale, moved to Ireton and started a locker plant in the Fall of 1939. He retired in the Spring of 1946. They lived in their home where Lloyd Liston now lives, and in the Spring of 1971 they moved to the Valley Manor in Rock Valley where they spent their remaining years. In Dec. 1977 they celebrated their 67th Wedding Anniversary. Katherine died Aug. 20, 1978 at the age of 87 years. Paul died three months later: Nov. 19, 1978 at the age of 92. They were both buried in Ireton.

RESEARCH NOTES: From ancestry.com public member trees; births, marriages, and deaths and local obituary archives on this site.

Paulus Pieter Anema was born 6 Feb 1885 Schingen, Friesland, Netherlands and died Nov 1978 Rock Valley IA. His parents were Gerlof Pieters Anema 1840-1914 and Janke Ulbes Dijkstra 1844-1885.
He married Katherine ‘Katie’ Van Schepen 15 Dec 1910 Sioux County IA.

Katherine ‘Katie’ Van Schepen born 26 Jun 1890 Paterson NU and died Aug 1978 Rock Valley IA. She was the daughter of Feike Christiaans ‘Fred’ Van Schepen 1861-1949 and Dieuwke Djoeke Feikes Dykstra 1864-1896. (see the BIOS on this site for the parents of Katherine Van Schepen.)

CHILDREN of Paul and Katherine Anema: See most of their obits on this web page.

1. Gerrit Anema born 29 Jun 1912 Hawarden IA died 16 Sep 2002 Artesia CA. His wife was Dorothy Dirksen 1914-2003. Children found in the 1950 census of O’Brien County IA. Children Paul 12, John 10, Kenneth 8, Thelma 7, Gibert 6, Lorraine 3, Ronald 1. Possibly more.

2. Fred Anema born 11 Jun 1914 Sanborn IA died 25 Apr 2004 Sanborn IA. He married Tillie Dirksen 1917-2012. They had 11 children, Kathryn and Charles Vaandrager of Sheldon, John and Karen Anema of Sanborn, Paul and Trudy Anema of Sanborn, Thresa and Harlyn Jacobsma of Orange City, Vernon J. and Sharlene Anema of Sioux Falls, S.D. Frederick W. and Faye Anema of Sanborn, Robert and Marsha Anema of Sanborn, James A. Anema of Sheldon, Marlene K. Anema of Ireton, Marvin and Carol Anema of Sanborn, Jeffrey and Shanda Anema of Alton, and Sandra and Pat Ferrie of Sioux Falls, S.D.; 46 grandchildren; 66 great-grandchildren;

3. Andrew Anema born 24 Aug 1918 Ireton IA died 6 Oct 1998 Ireton IA. He married Jennie Koopmans 1918-1999 Their children include three daughters and their husbands; Kathryn and Jack Riepma of Ireton, Ann and Lloyd Jasper of Orange City, Iowa, and Patricia and Keith Van Der Vliet of Marco Island, Florida; a son, Andrew “Butch” Anema and his wife, Ardi, of Merritt Island, Florida

4. Jeanette Gertrude Anema born 6 Mar 1922 Sioux County IA died 20 Jul 1994 Sioux County IA. She married Delbert N. Schipper 1915-2001 Their children include a son and his wife, Delbert Jr. and Jewell of Ireton; two daughters and their husbands, Phyllis and Art Hamming of Ireton and Karen and Jerry Van Den Top of Hull; 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren

5. Clarence Anema born 12 Mar 1932 Craig, Plymouth IA died 13 Nov 2016 Hawarden IA. He married Eileen Gertrude Hoekstra 1936-2004 Their five children were Nancy (Bob) Sanderson of Hawarden, Iowa, Doug (Trish) Anema of Ireton, Barbara (Jack) Noteboom of South Sioux City, Nebraska, Laura (Bob) Jasper of Ireton, and Tam (Curt) Scott of Powell, Wyoming; 14 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren

OBITUARY OF PAUL ANEMA
Sioux Center News, Sioux Center, Sioux, Iowa, USA November 22, 1978
Ireton--Paul Anema, 93, of Ireton died Sunday, Nov. 19, in a Rock Valley nursing home.
Services were at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Christian Reformed Church. The Rev. Bernard Fynaardt officiated. Burial was in Pleasant Hill Cemetery with the Dow Funeral Horne in charge.
Mr. Anema was born Feb. 6, 1885, in The Netherlands and came to the United States in 1902. He lived in Parker, S.D., before moving to the Ireton area. He married Katherine Van Schepen Dec. 15, 1910, in Ireton, and she died Aug. 20, 1978. Mr. Anema was a member of the Christian Reformed Church.
Survivors include four sons, Gerrit of Artesia, Calif., Fred of Sibley, and Andy and Clarence, both of Ireton; two daughters, Mrs. Ben (Josie) Mulder of Pella and Mrs. Delbert (Jeanette) Schipper of Ireton; 36 grandchildren, and 69 great-grandchil­dren.

OBITUARY OF KATHERINE ANEMA
Ireton - Mrs. Paul Anema, 88, died Sunday, Aug. 20 at a Rock Valley nursing home after a lengthy illness.
Services were at 2 P.M., Wednesday at the Christian Reformed Church in Ireton. The Rev. Bernard Fynaardt officiated and burial was in Pleasant Hill Cemetery with the Dow Funeral Home of Ireton in charge.
She was born June 26, 1890, in Patterson, N.J., and came to Ireton as a teen-ager. She was married Dec. 15, 1910, in Ireton. They had lived at the Rock Valley nursing home the last six years.
Survivors include the widower; four sons, Gerritt of Artesia, Calif., Fred of Sibley and Andy and Clarence, both of Ireton; two daughters, Mrs. Ben (Josie) Mulder of Pella and Mrs. Delbert (Jeannette) Schipper of Ireton; three half-sisters, Mrs. Ed Van Engen of Ireton and Mrs. Tony Vander Kooi and Mrs. Henry Kooiker, both of Grand Rapids, Mich.; 36 grandchildren, and 69 great grandchildren.
Source: Sioux Center News, August 30, 1978

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