Walraven, Nicholas 1879-1933 & #1 Dena and #2 Bertha

WALRAVEN, SCHOUTEN, VANDEBRAKE, VANSTEENWYK, VANVOORST

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 10/17/2023 at 08:22:04

Walraven, Nicholas 1879-1933 and wives Dena Schouten & Bertha Vander Brake Drost.

This story was taken from page 498 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.

Nicolas Walraven, youngest of the five children of Nicolas Walraven and Gertrude Van Steenwyk was born in or near Orange City, Ia., Mar. 1879. He married Dena Schouten, born in the Netherlands. Two sons blessed this union. Following the death of Dena, Mr. Walraven took as his wife Mrs. Bertha Vander Brake Drost, a widow with two children. They were married in Oct. 1917 in Sioux Co. To this union three children were born. He engaged in farming throughout his active adult life. He died at Ireton, Apr. 1933 and Mrs. Bertha Walraven died in Nov 1949.

Children - Clarence Walraven lived in Bellflower, Ca., deceased Apr. 1980. Gary Walraven, Mt. View, Ca.
Step Nell Drost, (Mrs. John Rynders) Bemidji, Mn. Step George Drost, Phoenix, Az. Henry Walraven at Hills, Mn. Marie Walraven , (Mrs. Virgil Walker) Cincinnati, Oh. Bernard Walraven, Pascagoula, Ms.

RESEARCH NOTES: Added by Wilma J. Vande Berg from ancestry.com public member trees submitted by others.

Nickolas Walraven was born 26 Mar 1879 Orange City IA died 23 Apr 1933 Ireton IA. He was the son of Nicholaas Walraven 1832-1896 and Geertruida Johanna Van Steenwyk 1830-1899.

Wife #1 Berendina ‘ Dena’ Schouten married on 23 May 1902 Sioux county IA. She was born 30 Apr 1871 (1881)Alto WI and died 18 Aug 1915 Le Mars IA . Believed to be the daughter of Gerrit Schouten abt 1829 -1904 Sioux Center and Aartje Van Voorst 1842-1924 Maurice IA, source from 1880 census of Alto WI.

Wife #2. Bertha Vande Brake (Drost) married on 13 Oct 1917 Sioux County IA. She was born 1 Jan 1890 Sioux Center IA died 30 Nov 19149 Ireton IA. Her parents were Gerrit Vande Brake 1834-1914 and Marie Wynia 1844-1916. She had two Drost children before she married Nicholas Walraven namely; Nell Drost, (Mrs. John Rynders) Bemidji, MN and George Drost, Phoenix, Az. Her three Walraven children are listed below.

Children of Nicholas Walraven and Dena Schouten
1. Clarence Walraven born 27 Dec 1902 Sioux Center IA died 5 Apr 1980 Bellflower CA. Wife Johanna DeRaad married 12 Aug 1925 Orange City IA. Births lists Gerald Walraven born Feb 1927 , Malin Clarence Walraven born Nov 1928, may be more.

2. Gerrit ‘Gary’ Arthur Walraven born 17 Aug 1907 Sioux county IA died Nov 1984 Mountain View Santa Clara CA. He married Evelyn Marcella Bjorkman 21 Dec 1935 Sioux City IA. They had at least one daughter.

Children of Nicholas Walraven and Bertha Vande Brake
3. Henry Walraven, born 30 Nov 1917 Ireton IA died 23 Feb 1985 Worthington MN Wife Marie Barents married 1943. They had children Robert, Delwyn, and Terry, and Sandra Smiraldo.

4. Marie Walraven Mrs. Virgil O. Walker born 5 Jun 1920 Ireton IA died 25 Oct 2004 Cincinnati,OH. A partial obit on ancestry, lists children as Charlene Walker, Marlene Murphy and Randy Walker

5. Bernard Walraven born 5 Mar 1924 Sioux County IA died 23 Aug 2002 lived at Pascagoula MS buried Ireton IA. He was hard to trace, was in the Army in the 1940s. Suspect he had no family.

OBITUARY OF NICOLAS WALRAVEN 1879-1933
Death Claims Well Known Farmer
Nick Walraven, a highly respected farmer living northeast of Ireton, died Sunday after a short illness. He was taken ill with pleurisy Tuesday of last week but thought little of the attack which turned into pneumonia and proved fatal. He had suffered a great deal of late years with asthma and this undoubtedly weakened him much so that when the complications with other ills came he was not able to ward them off.
Nick Walraven was born at Orange City March 26, 1879, and passed away at his home near Ireton April 23, 1933, at the age of 54 years and 27 days. He resided in Sioux county practically all his life and near Ireton for the past twenty-five years. He was married twice. His first wife, Dena Schouten, passed away several years ago. Later he was married to Bertha Drost, who is left a widow. There are two sons by their first marriage, Clarence of Ireton and Garret of Sioux City. He is also survived by three children of his second marriage, George, Henry and Marie, and two step-children, Garret and Nellie Drost. He was a good husband and father, having the welfare of his family always uppermost. A Christian in his home as well as away from it. He was a member of the First Reformed church and took an active part in the work and responsibilities of the organization.
Funeral services were held Wednesday at 1 o'clock from the home and from the Methodist church at 2 o'clock with Rev. John Webinga in charge. The church was filled with friends and neighbors of the deceased who came to pay a last tribute to the memory of the departed. Burial was made in Pleasant Hill cemetery.
Source: Hawarden Independent, April 27, 1933.
* * * * * * * * * *
Nick Walraven, well known farmer here, died suddenly at his home in Center township Sunday. He had been suffering with asthma for several years and caught cold which threatened to congest the lungs. The doctor was called Sunday morning and the patient advised to remain in bed. On Sunday afternoon he suddenly became worse, dying a few moments later. His wife and son Clarence were at his bedside, but other members of the family were attending church services at the time of his passing. Funeral services were held Wednesday at the 1st Ref. church with Rev. John Webinga in charge.
Source: Alton Democrat, April 28, 1933.
The Sioux County Cemetery Index gives his full forename as Nickolas.

OBITUARY OF DENA WALRAVEN 1881-1915
Mrs. Nicholas Walraven, nee Dena Schouten, was born at Alto., Wis., April 30, 1881. At three years of age she came to Iowa with her parents who settled at Sioux Center, where for seventeen years she made her home.. On the twenty-fourth of May 1902, she was joined in marriage to Nicholas Walraven. From this union three children were born, two boys and one girl. The girl died when but eighteen days old.
With her husband she joined the Reformed church of Ireton two years ago, on confession of faith. The active part that she took in all kinds of church work, and the scrupulous care she showed in filling the baptismal vows made for her children proved that her confession of faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior was sincere. She always took a very active part in the work of the church. As a Sunday school teacher she did what she could to help other parents to lead their children in the way of truth and life. As secretary and treasurer of the Ladies' Aid society she performed with zeal and devotion, every duty and work that devolved upon her. As a person in the community she was well known and generally loved. Sociable and pleasant in her intercourse with neighbors and acquaintances, her departure is felt by many, as a loss.
She was taken sick with convulsions Wednesday morning at one o'clock. An operation being her only possible chance was performed at the Mosher hospital in LeMars. The operation, however, did not relieve her trouble, as we had hoped and prayed, and at six o'clock in the evening she fell asleep in the blessed sleep, that knows no awakening only in the perfection of the Saints. She leaves a husband and two children, a mother, two brothers and a sister and a host of friends to mourn her departure. Blessed be God that we mourn not as those who have no hope.
Her mother, Mrs. Schouten, Bert Schouten and wife of Sioux Cemter, Wm. Schouten and wife of Rock Valley, Mrs. P. Kraai, her sister from Andover, S.D., Charlie Jensma of Maurice, Jan Peters of Sanborn and Mr. and Mrs. Verdoorn, J. Gerritson and Henry Eggink, all of Sioux Center, were here to attend the funeral which was held Saturday afternoon from the Methodist church, in charge of her pastor, Rev. Wm. Stagaman, who was assisted by the other ministers of the town.
Source: Alton Democrat, August 28, 1915: Ireton.

OBITUARY OF BERTHA WALRAVEN 1889-1949
Rites at Ireton For Mrs. Walraven
Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon for Mrs. Bertha Walraven, from the Methodist church with Rev. Hesselink of Alton officiating, with burial at Sioux Center beside the remains of the first husband. Mrs. Walraven passed away last Wednesday evening at 6:30 from a stroke. She had been in ill health for some time having suffered several strokes and was at the home of her son, Henry Walraven of Ireton.
Mrs. Walraven was born Bertha Vande Brake, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Vande Brake, at Sioux Center, Jan. 1, 1889 and died Nov. 30, 1949. In 1911 she was married to Richard Drost and to this union two children were born, George Drost of Ireton and Mrs. Nellie (John) Rynders of Black Duck, Minn. Mr. Drost died four years later, 1915, and she was married in 1917 to Nick Walraven who died in 1933. To this union two sons and a daughter were born, who are Mrs. (Marie) Virgil Walker of Scranton, Pa., Henry Walraven of Ireton and Bernard Walraven, serving in the army at Tokyo.
Also surviving are two stepsons, Gerrit Walraven of Sioux City and Clarence Walraven of Blue Earth, Minn., and fifteen grandchildren. Survivors are a sister, Mrs. James Koopmans, Colton, S.D., and a brother, Wm. Vande Brake of Sioux Center and a half brother, Frank Wynia of Post Falls, Idaho. One brother, Sidney, preceded her in death.
Source: Alton Democrat, December 8, 1949.
Similar obituaries, providing the same information, were published in the Hawarden Independent (Dec. 8), Sioux Center News (Dec. 8), and Sioux County Capital (Dec. 8).