VanBeek, Cornelius and Jacoba Hoeve

VANBEEK, DEMOTS, HOEVE

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg (email)
Date: 1/23/2016 at 10:02:16

Cornelius Van Beek arrived with his parents’ family at the site of present day Sioux Center in October of 1871. His family was among the first wagon train led by Jacob Kosters to settle in the Sioux Center area. His parents were Gysbert Van Beek and Gysbertje De Mots.

Cornelius Van Beek was born November 2, 1861 in Putten, Holland. He was the third child, two older brothers Henry and John Van Beek, and three younger brothers Gerrit, and Evert were born in Holland and one brother Jacob Van Beek was born September 23, 1871 at Greenleafton, MN. Jacob Van Beek died at the age of seven years in 1880 from a diphtheria epidemic. Cornelius Van Beek had one sister who was Jennie (Mrs. Henry Willemsen) of Sioux Center born Oct 18, 1880.

Cornelius Van Beek’s family came over from Holland in 1867, stopping first in the area of Holland, MI, then lived for three years at Greenleafton MN and then moved to Sioux Center area in 1871. His first home when a child at the Sioux Center site was a sod house that was located a half mile east of the ‘Old Town’ corner.

When Cornelius was 23 years old, he married Jacoba Hoeve on March 26, 1884. They farmed one mile north and a half mile east of town and all the children in the younger years attended the country school that was a half mile east of the farm place. Some of the teachers in this school were Mrs. Te Paske, John Boeyink, Gerrit De Mots and Johanna Reimersma.

The home on their farm burnt down in about 1908. Cora (Mrs. Gerrit G. “Speed’ Vermeer) recalled that at about seven years of age, the family’s frightening experience in the middle of the night. The family stood outside in a severe thunderstorm watching their house burn down. Cora saved her pillow and that was all, the family lost all of their possessions. The family then lived in the corn crib while a new home was being built. That temporary shelter was not the most desirable living quarters.

Cora remembered the mischievous fun-filled days the children spent on the farm. The old sack swing was great fun and the carefree way the children would swing from a limb of the tree onto the swing. One day Cora’s dress caught fire as she was reaching over the cook stove to prepare some warm milk. Her father who was just coming into the cellar with milk to separate into cream in the cellar, noticed the young girl through the window with her dress on fire and quickly ran in and smothered the flames with his gloved hands.

Cora mentioned that she and her sister Grace and Grace’s husband, Nick Mouw, formed a band when they were young people. Cora played the banjo, bass drum and snare drum, Grace played the piano, and Nick Mouw played the violin, and they would go out and play for dances.

Cornelius and Jacoba Van Beek were the parents of nine children in all. A set of twins died at a young age. Their children and grandchildren were;
1. Gilbert who was born May 20, 1886 and her married Jennie Van Berkum on January 15, 1908. They were from Sioux Center, and were the parent of three children; Neal Van Beek of Sioux Center, Wilbur Van Beek of Denver CO, and Arthur Van Beek of Hull, IA.
2. Gertrude Van Beek who was born October 2, 1887 and she married George Vande Brake on July 1906. They were from Maurice iA, and were the parents of five children: Myrtle (Mrs. Harold C. Wesselink) of Rock Valley; Caroline (Mrs. Henry Van Leeuwen) of Bellflower CA; Dorothy C. (Mrs. William Pederson) of Portland OR; Clarence Vande Brake of Portland OR; and Phyliis (Mrs. P. J. Jorgensen) of Candy, OR.
3. Twin – Dries Van Beek born March 27, 1890. Dries ‘Andrew’ died Nov 29, 1890.
4. Twin - Gysbertje ‘Grace’ Van Beek born March 2, 1890, died July 22, 1891.
5. Grace Van Beek was born August 17, 1893 and she married Nickolas Mouw in 1916. They were from Sibley IA, and were the parents of one son, Clifford Mouw.
6. Andrew Van Beek who was born December 17, 1896 and he married Genevieve Allen on October 6, 1923. They were from Virginia and had one son Richard Van Beek.
7. Jennie ‘Jean’ Van Beek who was born June 27, 1899 and she married Orville Buffington on June 21, 1934. They were from Sioux Center.
8. Twin - Jacoba ‘Coba’ Van Beek was born July 19, 1902 and she married Roy Salsbury on April 10, 1936. They were from Reno NV.
9. Twin – Cornelia ‘Cora’ Van Beek was born July 19, 1902 and she married Gerrit G. ‘Speed’ Vermeer on Sept 7, 1929. They were from Rock Valley and had one daughter, Darlene (Mrs. Harold Westra).

In 1913 Jacoba Van Beek died and in 1916 the family moved to Sioux Center. Their daughter ‘Jean’ helped at home until she married. The home the family lived in was located on 2nd St. SE and later was the home of Mrs. Vreugenhil. The house was moved out of town east of Sioux Center when the First Christian Reformed Church built the new church. On June 9, 1945 Cornelius Van Beek died and both he and his wife are buried in the Sioux Center Cemetery.

The information for this story was gathered from the Sioux Center Centennial Book of 1991, which included interviews with Jean, and Cora. The author of this story has also done a Van Beek family history book which gives many more details, ancestors and descendants of Cornelius and Jacoba as well as pictures of the family. The book Van Beek Family history is still available at this writing from Wilma J. Vande Berg query@mtcnet.net.