Kollis, Wilhelmina (Mrs. Cornelius), 1875-1938

KOLLIS, KOOIMAN, VANDERDEURE

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:36

From the Rock Valley Bee, December 9, 1938:

Death of Mrs. C. Kollis

(The newspaper is very badly damaged, and only portions of the obit survive. Below is a summary of the surviving portions.)

Mrs. Kollis died [at her home?] northwest of [Rock Valley?] Friday evening, December 2, following a lingering illness. She had been confined to her home for the past year, and prior to that time had not enjoyed good health.

Mrs. Kollis was born in the Netherlands, May 10, 1875, where she spent her early life and grew to womanhood. She was married there to C. Kollis before immigrating to the U.S. They resided in this vicinity [since that?] time.

Mrs. Kollis was the mother of nine children, three of whom have preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband and six children as follows: Sam, Clara, Gertrude, Louis, Elizabeth and Effie, all at home or living in this vicinity. Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at the Christian Reformed church at Inwood.

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RESEARCH NOTES

A briefer obituary in the Sioux County Capital, December 15, 1938 says she died at her home 10 miles northwest of Rock Valley. It spells her second son’s name Lewis rather than Louis. No obituary was readily located in Lyon County (Rock Rapids vicinity) newspapers.

The Richland Township Cemetery (Inwood) index on the Lyon County Genweb site has entries for Wilhelmina Kollis (5-10-1875 to 12-2-1938) and Cornelius Kollis (1-20-1877 to 11-14-1946).

Her death certificate has Mrs. Wilhelmina Kollis, wife of Cornelius Kollis; resident of Inwood, Iowa; born May 10,1875 in the Netherlands, parents Louie Kooiman and Tena VanDerDeure; a housekeeper, last worked at this occupation March 1936; died in Rock Valley, where she had resided for 2 years, at 5:05 p.m. December 2, 1938; causes diabetes melletes (onset unknown), coronary heart disease (onset 1934), chronic glomerulae[?] nephritis[?] (onset 1937), and auricular fibrillation (onset 1938); buried at Inwood.

WieWasWie.nl has a marriage index record for groom Cornelis Kollis, age 25, a farmer, born in Enkhuizen (Noord-Holland), parents Sijmon Kollis and Aafje Bakker; bride Wilhelmina Kooijman, age 27, born in Enkhuizen, parents Lieuwe Kooijman and Trijntje van der Deure; married 25 September 1902 in Enkhuizen.

In the 1920 U.S. census, the family was farming (renting) in Lincoln Township, O’Brien County: Cornelius (42), Wilhelmina (44), sons Symon (16) and Lewie (5), and daughters Tryntje (14), Klarena (10), Geertje (7), Elizabeth (4), and Eafje (8/12). The parents and three oldest children immigrated from Holland in 1912 and were aliens; Geertje, Lewie and Eafje were born in Iowa and Elizabeth in Minnesota.

The 1925 Iowa state census shows the family living in Sioux Township, Sioux County with wife Minnie’s parents, Louis (75) and Tena (VanderKool?) (73) Kooiman.

The 1930 census shows the family farming (renting) in Sioux Township – Cornelius, Wilemina (now both naturalized), Gertrude (17), Lewis (15), Elizabeth (14), and Effie (10).