VandeStouwe, Gerrit and Harmpje Vanden Berg

VANDESTOUWE, VANDENBERG

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg (email)
Date: 1/29/2016 at 15:43:17

VandeStouwe, Gerrit and Harmpje Vanden Berg
Gerrit Vande Stouwe was born 1854 in Doornspijk, Holland and his wife Harmpje Vande Berg was born 1856 in Elburg Holland. Thy came to America in 1881 with three young children and Harmpje’s mother Geertje Rens (Mrs. Jacob Vanden Berg) It is believe that Harmpje’s brother Jan ‘John’ came with them also. He died several years later from an ataxia type inherited disease, from which his father had died also back in Holland .

The family first settled at Otley, Iowa until about 1884 where Gerrit worked in the coal mines. They then lived on a farm between Sioux Center and Newkirk Iowa, from about 1885 to 1894 and then the family settled three miles north and a half mile east of Sioux Center where they lived until about 1907. From 1908 on they lived just west of Hull Iowa.

Their eleven children include a few old Sioux Center families and several descendants reside in Sioux Center presently. The children of Gerrit and Harmpje Vande Stouwe were as follows:

1. Alice Vande Stouwe (Mrs. Ben Vande Berg) 1877-1963 life- long residents of Sioux Center and parents of five children;
2. Gert Mrs. Joe Vander Schaaf 1877-1936 of Newkirk. Parents of three sons
3. Willem Vande Stouwe 1879-1947 and wife Bertha Davis of Hull IA parents of one daughter
4. Cora Mrs. Pete Vander Stoep 1882-1944 of Orange City, parents of two daughters.
5. John Vande Stouwe 1884-1950 and wife Sarah Miersma of Hull, parents of one son.
6. Mary Vande Stouwe ( Mrs. John Heusinkveld) 1886-1916 of Sioux Center
7. Bert Vande Stouwe 1888-1948 and wife Fay Thompson of Hull parents of four children
8. Jake Vande Stouwe 1890-1925 and wife Jennie Van Noort of Hawarden parents of five children
9. Henry Vande Stouwe 1891-1957 and wife Winnie Van Rees formerly of Hull and parents of one son.
10. Alfred Vande Stouwe 1893-1971 and wife Alice Kooiker of Hull parents of six children
11. Gerrit Vande Stouwe 1898-1955 and wife Minnie Mellema of Canton SD parents of four children

This story is basically as presented in the Sioux Center Centennial book of 1991 and authored by Wilma J. Vande Berg. Her husband Don L. Vande Berg is a grandson of Alice Vande Stouwe Mrs. Ben Vande Berg.