Biography of Johannes Vander Vorst, Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan Copyright © 1998 by Mitch Vander Vorst. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. ___________________________________________________________________ VANDERVORST Johannes Vander Vorst by Mitch Vander Vorst Johannes Vander Vorst , my great great grandfather, was born in the Netherlands on June 17, 1847. Where he was born and how he came to the United States is presently a mystery. But family legend has it that he arrived in the United States in 1866 and settled in Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan. Initial searches in the 1870 census have not turned up any information. More extensive research needs to be done in the 1870 census as well as ship passenger lists and immigration and naturalization records. The first mention I have been able to find of Johannes in Holland, Michigan is his marriage record to Johanna Arendse on July 20, 1872. Johannes Vande Vorste was 25 years old and Johanna was 22. They were married by the Justice of the Peace. The marriage was witnessed by Johanna's parents, William and Rientje Arendse of Holland. Michigan. At this time Johannes listed his occupation as "farmer." (Ottawa County Marriage Records, vol. 5, p. 69, no. 110). William, Rientje, and Johanna are listed together in the membership records of the Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Holland Michigan prior to Johanna's marriage.(Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church Membership Records). Wm. Arends is listed with his wife Trientje and daughter Johanna in the 1870 Census in the City of Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan. (1870 Census Michigan Microfilm #697 p. 164R). The entry was made on July 6, 1870 and Wm. was 54, Trientje was 49, and Johanna was 19. Wm.'s value of real estate owned was $80.00 and value of personal estate was $20.00. To the marriage of Johannes and Johanna (Arendse) Vander Vorst were born: 1. Jan (John) Van De Voste b. August 9, 1873 (Ottawa County Birth Records, p. 84, no. 479). 2. Willem (William) Van De Voste b. February 3, 1877 3. male child Van De Voste stillborn January 2, 1880 (Ottawa County Death Records, p. 186, no. 193). On the birth record of his son Jan, Johannes still listed his occupation as "farmer." No birth record has been located as of yet for Willem. In the 1880 Ottawa County Census Johannes and Johanna Van De Voste ages 32 and 29 respectively are listed with their children Jan, age 6, and Willem, age 3. Johannes lists his occupation as "Works in a tannery," and Johanna lists hers as "Keeping house." Also listed with their family is their servant girl, Rieka Riemsma, a 26 year old female. In the same 1880 Ottawa County Census, Willem Arendse, age 66, and his wife Trientje, age 59 were also listed. Willem listed his occupation as "Farmer," and Trientje listed hers as "Keeping house." In the 1884 Index to the Ottawa County State Census there is a Reintze Arends in Holland Township. This is probably the same Reintze Arendse, and her husband, Willem, had probably died. The specific entry still needs to be located in the 1884 State Census. On October 15, 1880 Johanna Vander Voste died in Holland, Michigan at the age of 29. (Ottawa County Death Records, p. 186, no. 192) Ten days later, on October 25, 1880, Johannes married Hendrika Riemsma, presumably the same Rieka Riemsma listed with the family as a servant girl in the 1880 census (future references to the wife of Johannes use a variation of the name Wiestka). Johannes and Hendrika were married by G. Hoeksema at the Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. The witnesses were S. Konig and W. Stephan. Johannes and Hendrika listed their ages as 33 and 28 respectively. Johannes listed his occupation as "workman." According to Dutch Immigrants in U. S. Ship Passenger Manifests, 1820-1880 (Compiled by Robert P. Swierenga; Scholarly Resources, Inc.; Wilmington, DE, 1983.), Wietska Riemsma emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States on June 29, 1874. She was a single 21 year old female who listed her occupation as "maid." She embarked from Rotterdam and arrived in New York on the ship Rotterdam (Netherlands-American Steam Navigation Co.). She had a third class passage, which meant she was in steerage between the decks. (National Archives M-237 391). A Riemsma family with very similar information left Rotterdam and arrived in New York before continuing to Holland, Michigan just four months later. The ages of their children would allow Wietska to be one of their children, who possibly came over before the rest of the family. Joldbert and Boutje Riemsma age 59 and 51 respectively were listed as a tailor/dressmaker and a housewife. They are listed with the rest of their family as emigrating on October 26, 1874. The family included Jacob, the only son, age 28; and their daughters Lina age 27, Minke age 26, Aleida age 24, and Zwaartje age 11. (National Archives M-237 394). In the 1884 Ottawa County State Census there is a Joldert as well as a Jacob Riemsma families both listed in Holland Township. Since the remaining children were all female, marriage records would need to be checked in order to determine what happened with the rest of the family and the specific entries in the census need to be located. The children born to Johannes and Wietska Vande Voste in Holland, Michigan were: 1. Jolbert (Joe) V. D. Voste b. August 18, 1881 (Ottawa County Birth Records, p. 264, no. 684). 2. Johanna (Hannah) Vande Voste b. July 8, 1883 (Ottawa County Birth Records, p. 39, no. 541). In both birth records Johannes again lists his occupation as "farmer." It is also interesting that their first child was named Jolbert even though he was known as Joe. This may be further evidence the Jodbert and Boutje Riemsma mentioned above were the parents of Wietska. In the 1884 Ottawa County State Census there are listings in Holland Township for both John Vande Vost and Johannes Vande Vusse. It is not known if these are the same Johannes and John Vande Voste. Further research needs to be done (John would have been about 20 years old by that time). It is interesting however that the John Vande Voste listing comes immediately before the Jolbert Riemsma listing. The Pollock [Campbell County, South Dakota] History Book claims that Johannes Vander Vorst arrived in Emmons County, North Dakota, in the fall of 1883. Records indicate that Hannah was born in July of 1883 in Holland, Michigan. Their next child, Jake, was not born until 1885 in Westfield, Emmons County, North Dakota. So they must have left sometime between the births of these two children. The children of Johannes and Wietska Vander Vorst while in Emmons County, North Dakota were: 3. Jake Vander Vorst b. March 18, 1885 4. Gerret Vander Vorst b. March 2, 1887 m. Bertha Van Beek 5. Bert Vander Vorst b. February 12, 1889 6. Winnie Vander Vorst b. October 24, 1891 Once in Emmons County, North Dakota Johannes selected the southwest quarter of Section 129-76 where he and his family lived for two years in a sod house according the Pollock Area History Book. Half of the building was a barn for livestock. They slept on a dirt floor in a circle around a pole that supported the roof. Their heads were near the post which made blanket sharing more efficient. The family had meals on a crude table; they had no chairs so they stood around it. According to Harley Vander Vorst, "My dad, Garret, and my uncle Jake, kicked the floor when they were standing at the table. You could always find their places because of the depressions they had made with their feet." According to the Pollock Area History Book, Johannes homesteaded Section 6-129-76 on March 13, 1885. This section was just across the road from the sod house. He built a frame house which had more space for the family. It would be 10 years before construction would begin on other frame farm buildings. Johannes and his sons hauled lumber from Eureka and built a large barn and other out buildings. "We're still using the barn, a chicken coop, and machine shed that grandfather built," Harley said. The Vander Vorsts, like their neighbors, hauled their grain by the wagon load to Eureka. Along the way, they would stop at the John D. Quaschnick farm on Spring Creek near Artas. They would bed their horses with the Quaschnicks and sleep in the hayloft of the barn. "If they returned from Eureka with a load, it took them two days to get home," Harley said. "If the wagon was empty, they could make it in a long day." For several years, the Vander Vorsts walked almost six miles each Sunday to attend the Hull Reformed Church. In 1896 Johannes was a founder and elder for what is now the Hope Reformed Church in Westfield. Johannes and Weaska moved to Westfield in 1918, and Garret and his wife, Bertha (Van Beek), took over the homestead. They had been living on the farm where Ed G. Vander Vorst now lives. Johannes' Westfield home, which was built May 19, 1916, was moved to Jim and Debbie Vander Vorst's farm south of Westfield on Oct. 13, 1976. Jim is Johannes' great-grandson. Weaska died in 1918 and Johannes on February 17, 1924. Both are buried in the Westfield cemetery [Emmons County, North Dakota]. Of Johannes' children, John died December 3, 1942; William died September 21, 1959; Joe died on April 28, 1964; Hannah Fish-Kolkema died March 12, 1974; Jake died December 4, 1957; Bert died December 26, 1979; Winnie Slaugh died December 14, 1982. Garret and Bertha raised six children on the farm. Harley lives on the homestead. Eddie and Wilbur also farm in the Westfield community. Hannes lives at Mandan, N.D., and Dorothy (wife of Rev. Ray Van Beek) lives in Garden Grove, Calif. Another son, Clifford, died in 1972 at the age of 50. Two daughters, Hilda and Hilda Margaret, died as small children, one in 1913 and the other in 1919. Harley and Marion and their son, Michael, moved to the homestead farm in 1947 when Garret and Bertha moved to a home in Westfield where Bertha lived until her death on October 11, 1989. Garret continued to help out on the farm until his death on August 8, 1958. Their Westfield home is now the home of Mark Vander Vorst son of Harley and Marion. Harley Vander Vorst, grandson of Johannes, and his wife Marion, are still operating the farm. The Johannes Vander Vorst homestead has survived more than 100 years of hard times, and it is still going strong. dz