William & Elizabeth Metcalf Sluyter

SLUYTER METCALF

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/16/2010 at 23:11:50

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

William and Elizabeth (Metcalf) Sluyter
By Loraine E Washburn

William Oliver Sluyter was born in the summer of 1828 in New York. He was married sometime between 1850 and 1955, probably in the History of Plymouth and Woodbury Counties, 1890 as one of the first settlers of that part of Little Sioux and Woodbury Township which now comprises the territory known as West Fork Township, in Woodbury County, Iowa. The original township was created in 1855. He and his family evidently moved for a time to Buena Vista County, Iowa, as they appear on the 1860 census of that county. By 1870 they were again back in Woodbury County, and the 1880 census has them as residents of Grange township. He was a farmer. His death record states that he died 1 March 1912, near Luton, in Grange township, of Bright’s disease at 83 years, 6 months, and 9 days. His father was William Sluyter and his mother was ? Pease. He was buried, 2 March 1912, at Climbing Hill, Iowa.

Elizabeth Jane ‘Eliza’ Metcalf was born in the fall of 1835, in New York or Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Mendall and Elizabeth (Whitney) Metcalf. She had her first child in New York about 1855 and her second in Iowa in 1857. She died 3 February 1887 in Iowa, probably in Woodbury County, at age 51 years, 3 months, and 1 day. She is buried at Climbing Hill.

William and Eliza were parents of nine children and still have descendants in Woodbury County. Charles Freemont ‘Charlie’ was born about 1855 in New York. Married three times, he had one child by his first marriage and two by his second. He was a farmer in Grange Township. Woodbury County. He died 10 October 1937 and is buried at Climbing Hill beside his three wives. He married 1st, Alice Smith in Woodbury County on 19 June 1881. Their son, Oliver, was born 14 July 1882, at Luton, Iowa, married 8 March 1905, Sioux City, to Gertrude Johnson, he died 5 October 1905 at Sioux City of appendicitis. He had a daughter posthumously, Olive Josephine who married Thomas Wilder, Jr. Alice Smith Sluyter died 15 July 1882 at Luton and is buried at Climbing Hill.
Charlie then married on 16 April 1884 2nd, Mary Emmick, 8 November 1885 to 14 April 1914, in Woodbury County, buried at Climbing Hill. Their children were
William Henry ‘Bill’ Sluyter, 1885, Luton, to 1978, Beaverton, Oregon, married 1919 in South Dakota, to Laura Merriam; they have five children, four of whom were born near Hornick, Iowa;
Ruth Mildred Sluyter, born 1893, near Luton, Iowa, died 26 September 1983 in Sioux City, buried at Memorial Park, Sioux City. She married 1919 in Sioux City to Roy Nelson Chilton. He was born near Luton, 1892, and died at Hinton, Iowa, 1963. They had three children: Virginia Irene, now of Sioux City, was born 1920, at Luton, married 1944 at Holly Springs to True F Coover. They had three children, all born at Hinton; Richard, Raymond and Ruth Anne; Darrol Warren, born 1921 at Holly Springs, is single and lives at Hinton; Robert Stanley, born 1923 at Luton, married 1957 at Sioux City to Elizabeth Schwartz, they live at McCook Lake, SD.
Charlie married 3rd, Bertha L Metcalf, on June 23 1923.
Mary Elizabeth Sluyter was born 8 November 1857 in Iowa, married in Woodbury County, 13 May 1882, to Rev George L Griggs. She was a school teacher. She died 7 October 1886. He later lived in Sioux City.
Emma Sluyter was born 10 September 1866, Smithland, Iowa, married 25 September 1888 in Woodbury County to Thomas J Copenhaver, 1865 Woodbury County to 1920 Flasher, North Dakota. Ella died in a fire at the Climbing Hill home of Otto Diede on 2 March 1937 and is buried at Climbing Hill. She three children: Merta Mae, 1890 Luton to 1972 Idaho, married Charles Cotner and had five children; Orval, 1895, Luton, married 1916 in North Dakota to Jennie Den Beston, they celebrated their 65th anniversary in 1981. They had two daughters, Mrs Ed ‘Irene’ Welty, born 1921, South Dakota, now of Woodbury County, and Mrs. George ‘Audrey’ Olson, born 1926, North Dakota, lives in Nebraska; and one son, Lyle, born 1928, Sioux City, now of Hinton; Lillian Copenhaver, born 1902, Luton, married 1926, North Dakota, to Otto Diede, they had four children: Lloyd, born 1926, Luton, Clarice, born 1928, Luton; Darrel Alan, born 1936, Luton; and Delmar Lee, born 1942, in Idaho.
Mendul J Sluyter was born 4 October 1868 at Luton, married Mrs. Nina Johnson and had one stepson, Arthur Lathrop. Mendul was a farmer in Woodbury County. He died 26 February 1933 and is buried at Climbing Hill.
Alonzo G ‘Lonnie’ Sluyter was born 26 June 1970 at Luton. He died 8 February 1887 at age 17 of pneumonia and is buried at Climbing Hill.
Wallice William Sluyter was born 1 December 1871 at Luton. Married 2 November1904 to Ada Belle Taylor in North Dakota, they had two sons, Lloyd and Cleo Wallice, died 13 January 1952 in Wilmington, California.
Florence Sluyter, date of birth unknown, died at the age of eight days, in Woodbury County.
Myrtle Estella Sluyter, born 6 February 1877, at Luton, married 1896 at Sioux City, to John A Pierson. He died 10 July 1935 at Flasher, North Dakota, and she died 10 January 1962 at Yakima, Washington. They were parents of five children: Leslie, 1896, Luton; Clara, 1898, Luton; Cecil, 1900, Luton; Ethel, 1904, North Dakota; and Goldie, 1906, North Dakota.