Stallinga, Alice [?], died 1911 age 2

STALLINGA, STALLENGA, STELLINGA

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 3/7/2015 at 23:11:49

From the Rock Valley Bee, June 16, 1911:

Train Strikes Little Girl

The two-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Stallenga met with a fatal and most distressing accident Sunday morning. Mr. Stallenga's live [sic] west of town about a mile from the railroad. The little girl wandered away from home along the track and was lying beside the rails when passenger train No. 1 from the east came along. The engineer saw an object beside the track, but could not make out what it was, never once thinking that it was a little girl all alone in such a place. Before he reached the place he saw what the object really was, but not in time to stop the train, and the engine struck her on the side of the head rendering her unconscious, in which condition she remained until the time of her death Sunday afternoon.

The train was stopped and the crew endeavored to find out to whom the child belonged. About this time Ike Ykima, a son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Stallenga, happened along and had the injured child placed on the train and taken on to Inwood where Dr. Lewis was called to care for her. Dr. Lewis did all he could for her, but advised that she be taken back to the Rock Valley hospital, and she was carried back on train No. 8, accompanied by her parents, Dr. Lewis and Rev. Martin Hyink of Inwood.

An operation was performed at the hospital, but the skull was so badly fractured that the little one passed away soon afterwards. At the time the accident occurred Mr. and Mrs. Stallenga were away from home and had left the little girl in care of other children. She had wandered away from the house only a short time before the accident.

Funeral services were held in the Christian Reformed church at Rock Valley Tuesday, at 2 p.m. conducted by Rev. Holweirda. Mr. and Mrs. Stallenga have the sympathy of many friends in their sad bereavement.

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From the Hawarden Independent, June 22, 1911:

Child Killed by Passenger Train

The two year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Stallinga, residing between Rock Valley and Inwood, was struck by the west bound passenger train a week ago Sunday and received such severe injuries that she died a few hours later. The parents had gone to Rock Valley to church leaving the children at home. They had started to meet their parents and had reached the point where the road crosses the railroad when the older children turned back but the little one refused to return and continued on towards Rock Valley along the railroad track. She sat down in a cut and was playing on the track when the train came into the cut and the engineer did not see her in time to bring the train to a stop. She was placed on the train and taken to Inwood where surgical aid was summoned but she was unable to rally from her injuries.

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From the Alton Democrat, June 17, 1911: Rock Valley news:

Last Sunday morning Joseph Stallinga and wife, who reside five miles west of Rock Valley, came to town to attend church and left their little daughter Alice, aged two years and three months in the care of the other children. When the hour approached for their return home the children went out to meet them, and went to the railroad track, but being disappointed in their not coming they started for home but little Alice refused to go and they went away and left her. She went to the track and wandered quite a distance from the crossing and sat down on the rail to play, near a point known by the sectionmen as Johnson's curve, and while thus engaged in her childish amusement, passenger train No. 1, due here at 11:5 [11:50?] west bound, came rumbling down the track at a rapid rate. When the engineer observed the little tot sitting on the rail he promptly applied the emergency brake but could not stop the train in time to avert the impending accident and she was hurled with violent force from the track to the ground crushing her skull. She was picked up by the fireman and taken to the baggage car and carried to Inwood where Dr. Lewis attended to her injuries, when she was brought here on No. 8 east bound, and taken to the hospital where she died in about half an hour after her arrival.

The funeral occurred Monday from the Christian Reformed church and was conducted by the pastor Rev. John Holwerda in the presence of a gathering of sympathizing friends, after which the little one was consigned to the last home of man, in Valley View cemetery. The parents and family have the sympathy of the community in their hour of grief.

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The accident was covered in most of the other area papers, as well.

The U.S. 1910 census for Rock Valley has Joe Stellinga, age 45, born Holland, immigrated 1891, a baker; wife Winnie (43); and children Sylvon or Sybron (13), Peter (10), Katie (9), Alice (4), and Winnie (2).

The Sioux County Cemetery Index has no entries for members of this family.