DeWild, Antonia (Mrs. John), 1861-1936

DEWILD, DEWILT, VERPLOEG, DEKOCK, BAKKER

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:32

From the Sioux Center News, November 19, 1936

Mrs. John De Wild, 75, passed away Monday afternoon at the Hull hospital after a lingering illness from heart trouble. Mrs. De Wild lived most of her life around the Hull community and was well known there and in the Sioux Center vicinity where she has many relatives. She leaves to mourn four sons and two step brothers, two step sisters, and three sisters, of whom Mrs. R. C. Jongewaard is one. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1921 and two sons who died six and eight years ago respectively. Funeral services will be held Friday at Hull in Rev. Doustra's church at 1:30 p.m.

**TRANSCRIBER NOTE: Her obit in the newspaper is not correct she is a De Wild, the paper has her as a De Wilt.

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From the Alton Democrat, November 20, 1936:

Funeral Mrs. De Wild at Hull This Friday

Mrs. John De Wild, beloved mother of Mrs. M. J. Van Wyk, wife of the county auditor, and other well known Sioux county citizens, died Monday night at Hull after an extended illness.

A true pioneer of the state, Mrs. De Wild (nee Antonia Ver Ploeg) was born at Pella, Iowa, on July 7, 1861. She was 75 years of age. As a small girl she accompanied her parents to Oregon, the ship on which they made the voyage sailing around Cape Horn, the furthermost tip of South America.

She had been ill since last July but was bedfast only during the past six weeks. A stroke suffered last year robbed her of speech.

Surviving are seven children: four sons, Conrad, Albert, Henry and John De Wild all well known farmers of the Hull vicinity; and three daughters, Mrs. L. R. Kooiker and Mrs. D. H. Wissink, both of Hull, and Mrs. M. J. Van Wyk of Orange City. Mrs. De Wild, whose husband died in 1921, had made her home with her daughters, by turn, during the past several years.

Three sisters also survive, as follows: Mrs. Jongewaard, Mrs. C. Hulstein and Mrs. Wesselink, all of Sioux Center. Mrs. Van Zee of Middleburg, another sister, died several years ago. No brothers survive her.

Funeral services will be held this Friday at the First Reformed church of Hull, of which she was a member for many years, and she had for many years been a member of the Ladies society of that church.

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From the Sioux County Index (Hull), November 27, 1936:

Obituary of Mrs. J. DeWild, Buried Here Last Week Fri.

Mrs. Antonia De Wild was born at Pella, Iowa, July 7, 1861, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. L. R. Kooiker, in Hull, Iowa, Monday afternoon, November 16, 1936. She was the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Koenraad VerPloeg.

On March 14, 1882, she was united in marriage to Mr. John De Wild and a few years after their marriage the family moved to Sioux County, settling first near Sioux Center, then moving to the home farm south of Hull, where they resided twenty-five years, and where Mr. De Wild died January 26, 1921. Mrs. De Wild has made her home in Hull since 1924.

Seven children survive their mother, viz: Mrs. Henrietta Wissink, Mrs. Pearl Kooiker, Conrad, Albert, Henry, Mrs. Alice Van Wyk and John, all living in Sioux County. Two children preceded her in death: Conrad, aged nearly six years and Arthur, aged nearly 10 years.

Also surviving are three sisters: Mrs. R. Jongewaard of Sioux Center, Mrs. G. Hulstein of Sioux Center and Mrs. H. B. Wesselink of Carmel, Iowa; two step-sisters, Mrs. A. Ten Haken and Mrs. Geo. Caswell of Hull; one step-brother, Wm. Bakker of Pella; and a foster brother, Gerrit Fikse of Orange City, Iowa.

About three years ago she suffered from a stroke of paralysis that affected her right side and power of speech, but not her mind. In the summer of 1936 she suffered from a severe heart attack, from which she rallied. A few weeks later the same trouble recurred and she became gradually weaker until the end.

On November 20, she was buried in Hope Cemetery, Hull, Iowa, by the side of her husband and sons. Funeral services were conducted from the First Reformed Church at Hull, Iowa, by her pastor, Rev. G. H. Douwstra, assisted by Rev. R. A. Jager of the American Reformed Church of Hull.

Mrs. De Wild had a very amiable disposition, kind-hearted, living a sacrificial life for others. She was a devoted mother, deeply concerned about her family’s welfare. She loved her Lord, walked in humility with Him, and was an example of piety to all who knew her. She loved God’s cause and was generous in her gifts and prayers for It.

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From the Alton Democrat, November 27, 1936, Hull news:

The funeral services of Mrs. De Wilt were held in the First Reformed church, conducted by Rev. Douwstra and Rev. Jager. Male quartet gave two selections, “Going down the Valley” and “Shall we meet beyond the River.” The pallbearers were former neighbors to the De Wilts while they lived on the farm, Mrs. John Hoksbergen, G. Kuyper, Lambert Rens and Tina Rens, John Meyer and John Boots.

Relatives who came from Pella to attend the funeral were: Wm. Baker, a step-brother of Mrs. De Wilt and several relatives of the De Wilt family, Mr. and Mrs. J. De Bruin, Mr. and Mrs. Hackert, Mr. and Mrs. L. De Wilt, Mr. and Mrs. Albert De Wilt, Mr. and Mrs. J. De Wilt, Mr. and Mrs. Arie Roorda, Arie De Cook, Mrs. Van Zee and Mrs. C. De Cook, Mrs. Austin. From Prairie City Mr. and Mrs. Steenboek and their son and wife and a host of friends from surrounding towns, totalling to 150. Mrs. De Wilt was a loving mother and a good neighbor.

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RESEARCH NOTES

Obituaries similar to that in the Sioux County Index were also published in the Alton Democrat (Nov. 27) and De Volksvriend (Nov. 26). Briefer obituaries or notes on her funeral were published in other area newspapers. In some, her surname is spelled De Wilt.

Her death certificate gives her father as Conrad Verploeg, born in Holland. Her mother’s name is faint, but appears to be Paeterdijk (Ancestry .com indexes it as Portendes Bukrek). She died at 4:30 p.m. November 16, 1936; cause, myocarditis, onset July 1, 1935. Contributory causes given as “none,” but with duration 1 year 4 months 15 days.

Her FindaGrave page gives her parents as Koenraad Verploegh (1834-1877) and Pietertje De Kock Bakker (1831-1912). It also lists her four sisters and her eight children.