Terpstra, Ritske Pieters (1836-1904) & Pietje Harkema Family

TERPSTRA, HARKEMA, VEENSTRA, ZOET, BOERSMA, TOUSSAINT, STATEMA, AARDEMA, FABER, DRUGER

Posted By: Cynthia Christenson Terpstra (email)
Date: 2/4/2026 at 11:37:50

A Short Story of the Life of
Ritske Pieters Terpstra

It has been said that the memory of an ancestor is often lost after three generations. This account of the life of Ritske Pieters Terpstra is written with the hope of keeping his story, and that of his children, alive to this and future generations. Arriving in America in the late 1800’s, Ritske and his family came with hopes and dreams of a better life. May those of us, as descendants, find in this short account the threads which continue to inform and connect our lives, both in challenges and opportunities. To those who came before us we say, “We honor you and we thank you.”

 Betty Renee Anderson, November 2025
Betty is the great-great granddaughter of Ritskes Terpstra through the line of Klaas, John, and Clarence Terpstra.

This story was compiled by several cousins in June of 2025 based on the cooperative study of information from public records, family notes, and local writings and collections. Writings of Klaas and family letters and notes of John and Clarence were of particular help in preserving parts of this story. If you have additional information or corrections to offer, please send them to me, Betty Anderson, at blairandbetty@comcast.net . If you wish to share any of this material, please contact me in advance.

For further study, you may wish to explore information at the following sites:
Sioux Center Library, Genealogy Department; Sioux Center, IA
Northwestern College, DeWitt Library Archives, Orange City, IA
Hospers Public Library/Historical Room, Hospers, IA
Dutch American Heritage Museum, Orange City, IA
Website: iagenweb.org

Ritske Pieters Terpstra

Ritske was born on January 6, 1836 in Oosterbierum, Barradeel, Friesland, Netherlands, the son of Pieter Jochums Terpstra (1792-1850) and Reintje Sjoerds Bakker (1795-1865).
Ritske married Pietje Pieters Harkema on May 11, 1861 in Barradeel, Friesland, Netherlands. Pietje was born on May 29, 1841, the daughter of Pieter Sippes Harkema (1813-1861) and Reinskje Oenes Wieringa (1813-1892).
Ritske and Pietje lived on a farm in Barradeel and had eleven children:
1. Reinskje (daughter) was born February 28, 1862.
2. Pietertje (daughter) was born April 24, 1863 and died at 4 months on September 4, 1863.
3. Pietertje (daughter) was born June 28, 1864, taking her deceased sister’s name.
4. Pieter (son) was born September 3, 1865.
5. Jochem (“Joe”) (son) was born February 20, 1867. (also spelled Jochum)
6. Sippe (son) was born August 14, 1869 and died February 10, 1880 at age 10.
7. Sjoerd (son) was born August 9, 1871.
8. Klaas (son) was born September 17, 1873.
9. Reintje (daughter) was born June 3, 1875 and died at 10 months on April 14, 1876.
10. Jelte (son) was born November 5, 1877. (also spelled Jelta)
11. Sippe was born June 16, 1881, taking the name of his deceased brother.

On February 23, 1887, mother Pietje died in Barradeel, leaving her husband and eight surviving children. Son Klaas told his son John, many years later, that life was hard on Pietje with a large family in very poor times.
Later that year, on July 30, 1887, daughter Reinskje married Jelle Veenstra in Barradeel.
In regard to the family’s home life, son Klaas wrote many years later, “I grew up in a little village in the Netherlands where almost everybody was poor. Born of Christian parents, I was fortunate to receive a Christian education. That undoubtedly helped me very much in my reasoning and thinking…As a child I became a busy reader and that helped much in the good direction. My father chose the books: such as the life stories of Piet Hain, a sea captain, Michael De Ruyter, a hero, William the Silent, a Holland Prince, and many more. Through these books a strong desire arose in me to see the world…. My father was active in tilling the soil, I wanted to do something else.” Klaas goes on to write that at age 15 (1888) he asked his father for permission to join the government army officer academy. His father refused saying, “We will soon immigrate to America.” Klaas was excited at this prospect, “…as I knew that America was the Land of Promise!”
The family’s immigration to the US began in 1888 with son Sjoerd (at age 17) being the first to arrive on September 1 in New York, then moving on to the Dutch settlements in northwest Iowa. It is likely that a Terpstra family had settled there prior to 1888. He was joined by brothers Pieter and Jochem, who arrived March 1, 1989. A year later, on March 3, 1890, father Ritske along with daughter Pietertje (age 25), sons Klaas (16), Jelte (12), and Sippe (8), and Hiltje Boersma (fiancée of Pieter) arrived in the Orange City, Iowa area joining the rest of the family. Only the eldest daughter Reinskje and her husband Jelle Veenstra remained in the Netherlands, along with their daughter Phoebe (”Pietje”) who was born July 19, 1888. Their second daughter Elisabeth was born on October 22, 1890. The Veenstra family then joined the others in Orange City in 1892, after the death of Reinskje’s maternal grandmother.
The year 1890 held many huge transitions for the family. On September 20, 1890 daughter Pietertje married Hermanus Zoet in Sioux County, IA. (They later adopted their daughter Jennie, born 1905.)
And on October 22, 1890, father Ritske (“Richard”) (age 54) married Baukje (“Bertha”) Tymensma Haagsma (age 36)!
Baukje, born February 16, 1854, married Dirk Haagsma in 1879 in Barradeel, living just 7 miles from Ritske and Pietje. They had six children: Sarah was born on June 8, 1881, but five others died in infancy. Dirk and Baukje, along with Sarah, immigrated to the Orange City area in 1887, and then had 3 more children: twins Jacob and Bessie on March 2, 1888 and Fannie on Nov. 3, 1889. Dirk died on September 15, 1889, shortly before Fannie’s birth. On October 22, 1890, Ritske married Baukje, forming their new household: Ritske (54), Baukje (36), Klaas (17), Jelte (13), Sippe Ritskes (9), Sarah Haagsma (9), Jacob and Bessie Haagsma (2), and Fannie Haagsma (1). Fannie’s grandson Dennis Ver Mulm shared that Ritske’s marriage to Baukje saved their young family from an impoverished life. The Haagsma children loved him.
One additional wedding occurred in 1890: son Pieter married Hiltje (“Hilda”) Boersma on December 24. (Their children include: Richard (1896), William (1898), Joe P. (1900), and Hattie (1904).)
On March 10, 1892 son Sjoerd married Tryntje (“Kate”) Aardema in Orange City, IA. (Their children include: Richard (1893), John (1896), Jelta (1899), and Tietje (“Tillie”) (1901).) It is possible that Jelta was given the name of his uncle Jelte, who died in 1897.
On March 24, 1893 son Jochem married Doetje (“Dora”) Veenstra in Sioux City, IA. Dora was a sister of Reinskje’s husband Jelle Veenstra. (Their children include: Richard (1894), Melvin (1897), Peter (1898), and Elizabeth (1901).)
On March 7, 1894 son Klaas married Minka (“Minnie”) Statema in Ireton, IA. (They had one child John Klaas (1894).)
Sadness came to the family on May 8, 1897 when son Jelte, at age 19, died from injuries after being kicked in the stomach by a horse. The obituary reads: “Saturday evening half past seven, an end to the life of our beloved, more than 19 year old son, Jelte Terpstra, is a shocking event, and we are deeply saddened. But we turn for comfort to the Lord our God. Only He can dry the tears.” Jelte was buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City.
On December 3, 1902, Sjoerd Terpstra died at his home at the age of 32. He had been sick for a year with consumption (TB). According to the local Alton paper, Sjoerd had recently bought the R. Bos building and moved it to the north side of the square for a grocery business. He was survived by his wife Tryntje and four children: Richard (age 9), John (6), Jelta (3), and Tietje (1). Sjoerd was also buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City, presumably near his brother Jelte.
On January 6, 1904 Sjoerd’s widow Tryntje (“Kate”) married Frank Faber in Orange City. Frank had 5 children from a prior marriage (Harry, William, Wayne, Nellie, and Maggie); Kate had 4 Terpstra children (now ages 10, 7, 4, and 2), and together, Frank and Kate had two more children: Bessie born in 1904 and Peter born in 1907.
Later that year, on April 27, 1904, father Ritske died at age 68 of cancer of the stomach. An article in DeVolksvriend newspaper, as translated from Dutch, reads:
“During the past night Mr. R. Terpstra passed away gently and calmly in the midst of more than 68 years. He spent about four months struggling and the last five weeks the sick person slowly but surely deteriorated. He leaves behind his wife, as well as six children from the first marriage. More than 14 years ago, Mr. Terpstra arrived here with his children from the Netherlands, lived for some years near Sioux Center, and for the last nine or ten years was a resident of Orange City. It is fortunate that the deceased may be trusted that the exchange is for himself a change of faith into sight. The funeral is fixed for Thursday afternoon from the church of the C.G. [Christian Reformed] congregation.”
Ritske was buried in the West Lawn Cemetery, presumably near his sons Jelte and Sjoerd. The graves are not marked. The cemetery records identifying their burial plots were subsequently burned in a church fire. Ritske was survived by his 2nd wife Baukje and his children Reinskje, Pietertje, Pieter, Jochem, Klaas, and Sippe; also his step children Sarah, Jacob, Bessie and Fannie.
The marriage of Ritske’s youngest son Sippe to Florence Sarah Druger took place on July 26, 1910 in Hospers, IA. Their son Eugene was born on April 21, 1919.
On June 17, 1915 Doetje (Dora) Terpstra, wife of Jochem (Joe) passed away. She was buried at West Lawn Cemetery.
During the years 1916 and 1917, several of the Terpstra brothers moved from their homes in Iowa to acquire small farms in Minnesota, near the small town of Ogilvie. This migration included Pieter with Hilda and family, Joe with his children, and Klaas with Minnie and their son John with wife Rena. (Pieter, Joe, and Pietertje families had also lived some years in Wisconsin). While in Minnesota, Joe’s son Melvin passed away on October 22, 1917, at age 20, from complications of appendicitis. He was buried back in Orange City next to his mother at West Lawn Cemetery.
Sjoerd’s wife Tryntje (Kate) Terpstra Faber passed away in Doon, IA on June 2, 1923 at age 56 and is buried there at Hillside Cemetery.
Baukje (Bertha) Terpstra, the second wife of Ritske, passed away on January 10, 1924 at the age of 69. She was survived by her four children (Sarah, Jake, Bessie, and Fannie), and had stayed connected to Ritske’s children following his death. An article in the local paper DeVolkvriend, as translated from Dutch, stated: “Thursday morning Mrs. R. Terpstra died due to pneumonia. For the last three years, she had been unable to go to church and she didn’t leave her home...”. She is buried at West Lawn in Orange City.
Additional information about the descendants of the children of Ritske follows this summary. However, this story would be incomplete without an account of the tragic death of Ritske’s youngest child Sippe and his young son Eugene. Here is the story that continues to touch the hearts of the Terpstra descendants down to the present day:
[Excerpts have been drawn from the Boyden Reporter (9/3/1926), the Alton Democrat obituary (10/8/1926), the Doon Press 11/18/99 reprint from the Hospers Centennial Book, and “The Million Dollar Corner” story: Schaap, James C. (2023) “Siouxland Miscellany,” Pro Rege: Vol.51: No. 3, 3 - 4 to create this account.]
Sippe was eight years old when he immigrated with his family in March of 1890, first landing in Sioux Center and afterwards settling in Orange City. He was educated in the Orange City schools, including attendance at the Northwestern Classical Academy (NWCA), a college-prep school at that time. He then attended the watchmakers school in St. Paul, MN and took an optical course in Minneapolis. In 1904 he began his jewelry business in Hospers at the store called Landhuis & Terpstra. In July of 1910 he married Florence Druger, also of Hospers. Their son Eugene was born April 21, 1919.
Early in the evening of Friday, September 17, 1926, an unusually heavy rain began falling over northwest Iowa and continued during the night and into the next morning. Eleven inches fell at Hawarden flooding the business district and the lower part of the residential area. Sheldon reported receiving nine inches and Hospers a like amount. Boyden, Hull and Sioux Center also received record amounts of rain. It was called “The Great Flood of 1926”.
The Floyd River valley west of Hospers looked like a huge lake. The raging waters spilled over roads, tore down fences and wrecked many bridges in this area. The bridge on the north edge of town, battered by the flood waters of Willow Creek, collapsed when subjected to the weight of a freight engine. Fourteen cars carrying hogs tipped over into the flood waters and a large number of the animals were drowned. The engineer and fireman escaped with only minor injuries. Most of the thirty-four freight cars remained upright on the track. A hundred feet of track were swept away by the rushing water.
Not far away, near Sioux Center, Iowa, a harried one-room schoolteacher, 18 year-old Miss Mouw, kept her kids inside while around the building water rose into a roiling horror. All night she held out, while the kids’ folks kept everything lit at a nearby farm place where the whole lot of them waited prayerfully for their children’s deliverance. Eighteen year-old Jacob De Vries was lost, his wagon swept away when he tried a rescue. A man drowned on a street in Hawarden and a thirteen year old school girl drowned near Hull.
What is known as the ”Million Dollar Corner”, the intersection of highways 75 and 10, lies out on a low plain three miles north of the little town of Maurice and about 6 miles west of Orange City. That evening Sip, with his seven year-old son Eugene, set out from their home in Hospers to pick up Florence in Sioux Center where she had been attending a conference program of the Women’s Missionary society. Hospers is a straight shot east from Sioux Center, but Sip had to angle out of the way, through Orange City, to avoid the flood waters. At the Million Dollar Corner he turned north on highway 75 toward Sioux Center. About a half-mile north, his tires stuck in a wash out and the car stalled in the rapidly rising waters of West Branch Creek. Sip and Eugene climbed out of the car and onto the roof frantically calling for help. People on the banks of the raging West Branch were unsuccessful in their attempts to rescue them as they were swept away and perished. Searching parties went out from Hospers and elsewhere each day until their bodies were found. Eugene was found four days later and Sip was found two weeks later.
A funeral service for each of them was held at the First Reformed Church of Hospers the day after their bodies were recovered. The service for Eugene included his favorite song, “The Light of the World”. Rev. Everds, Rev. Stegeman, and Rev. Douwstra officiated.
At the service for Sip, Rev Stegeman delivered the funeral sermon in English and Rev. G. Douwstra of Hull spoke in the Holland language, while Rev. Roetman of Newkirk conducted services in the basement to an overflow meeting. The text for the funeral sermon was the 15th verse of Psalms 116, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Both ministers paid tribute to the high ideals and aspirations which they knew Mr. Terpstra possessed. For these ideals he was admired by a host of acquaintances and respected by all who knew him. As a testimony of this respect all the business places were closed during the two hours service. Sip and Eugene were pals in life and in death they were taken as if never to be parted. They were buried at Hospers Cemetery.

This is a very brief summary of the life of Ritske Terpstra and his immediate family, based on information available at this writing (June 2025). Now some 135 years after his immigration to America, several of his great-great grandchildren plan to visit the places he lived to uncover more of his story. What we can say is that Ritske’s strong faith in God is our precious heritage. Ritske faced many challenges in his lifetime: the struggles of supporting a family in very poor times in the Netherlands; the loss of 5 children (2 infant daughters, a 10 year old son, a 19 year old son, and a 31 year old son); the loss of his first wife, who died at the early age 46; the challenges of leaving “home” to build a new life in America; the challenges of providing for his second wife and her four young children. His faith carried him through to that day when faith became sight.
What follows is a brief summary of the children and grandchildren of Ritske.

[Note: A common naming convention in the Netherlands was as follows: ]
• Oldest son is named after his paternal grandfather
• Second son is named after his maternal grandfather
• Oldest daughter is named after her maternal grandmother
• Second daughter is named after her paternal grandmother
• Middle name of son is same as father’s first name with “s” added
• Middle name of daughter is father’s first name with “s” added

Summary of Ritske’s 17 Grandchildren:

Born July 1888 Phoebe Veenstra (of Reinskje)

Oct 1890 Elisabeth Veenstra (of Reinskje)

Feb 1893 Richard Terpstra (of Sjoerd)

Apr 1894 Richard Terpstra (of Joe)

Sept 1894 John Terpstra (of Klaas)
Mar 1896 Richard Terpstra (of Pieter)
June 1896 John Terpstra (of Sjoerd)
Feb 1897 Melvin Terpstra (of Joe)
Feb 1898 Peter Terpstra (of Joe)
Nov 1898 William Terpstra (of Pieter)
Sept 1899 Jelta Terpstra (of Sjoerd)
Nov 1900 Joe P. Terpstra (of Pieter)
Jan 1901 Elizabeth Terpstra (of Joe)
Aug 1901 Tillie Terpstra (of Sjoerd)
July 1904 Hattie Terpstra (of Pieter)
July 1905 Jennie Zoet (of Pietertje)
Apr 1919 Eugene Terpstra (of Sippe)

Deaths of Children of Ritske:
Sept 1863 Pietertje (infant), in the Netherlands
Apr 1876 Reintje (infant) in the Netherlands
Feb 1880 Sippe (age 10) in the Netherlands
May 1897 Jelte (age 19) in IA
Dec 1902 Sjoerd (age 31) in IA
[Ritske died in April 1904]
Sept 1926 Sippe Ritskes (age 45) in IA
June 1938 Reinskje (age 76) in IA
Feb 1939 Pietertje (age 74) in IA
Nov 1943 Pieter (age 78) in MN
Dec 1943 Jochem (Joe) (age 76) in MN
June 1955 Klaas (age 81) in MN

Ancestors of Ritske Pieters Terpstra
(This is based on a printed list of “Descendants of Simon Terpstra” compiled by one or more grandchildren or great-grandchildren of Ritske Pieters Terpstra living in Minnesota, last updated circa 2000.)

* Ritske Pieters Terpstra (born 1836) is the son of…

Pieter Jochums Terpstra (1792–1850) and Reintje Sjoerds Bakker (1795–1865), who were married in Sexbierum on January 15, 1814. Ritske was the 9th of 9 children.

* Pieter Jochums Terpstra (born 1792) is the son of…

Jochum Simons Terpstra and (spouse not yet known); Pieter was the 3rd of six children and the 2nd son.

*Jochum Simons Terpstra is the son of…

Simon Terpstra (spouse not yet known); in Oosterbierum, Barradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands.

*Simon Terpstra is the son of…(further information not yet known.)

1900 picture of Ritske and Bertha Terpstra family from Denny Vermulm who is a descendant of Bertha Haagsma Terpstra.

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