Memoirs

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  Memoirs of Gerrit D. Van Peursem, Part I

  Gerrit D. Van Peurseum

  Gerrit D. Van Peursem (1880-1979) was born on a farm near Maurice, Iowa. He graduated from Northwestern Classical Academy in Orange City, Iowa (1903), attended Grinnell College in Iowa for one year, and graduated from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, in 1907, as well as from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1910. He then joined the Board of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church in America and served in the Arabian Mission.

  In his handwritten memoirs, Van Peursem describes his childhood on the farm, including the deaths of his siblings, and his educational experiences at the country school, Northwestern Classical Academy, Grinnell College, Hope College, and Princeton Seminary. He vividly recounts his travels to the Arabian Mission and his encounters with Samuel Zwemer.

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  Memoirs of Gerrit D. Van Peursem, Part II

  Gerrit D. Van Peurseum

  Gerrit D. Van Peursem (1880-1979) was born on a farm near Maurice, Iowa. He graduated from Northwestern Classical Academy of Orange City, Iowa (1903), attended Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa for one year, and graduated from Hope College, Holland, Michigan (1907) and the Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey (1910). He then joined the Board of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church in America and served the Arabian Mission.

  His handwritten memoirs continue by describing his family's missionary work in the Holy Land. Van Peurseum recounts travels, the birth and death of children, and furloughs back to Maurice, Iowa. He relays various stories about Islamic converts to Christianity and his encounters with the King of Oman.

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  Diary of Johanna Sandbulte

  Johanna Lovink Sandbulte

  This memoir and diary, written by Johanna Lovink Sandbulte (1854-1941), was likely begun around 1926 and completed in 1932. Sandbulte reflects on immigrating to Iowa from the Netherlands and details her life on the farm. She writes about the hardships she and her family endured, including poverty, illness, and the deaths of loved ones. She also shares her deep faith in God and her steadfast belief in heaven.

  Translated by Brook Stephens in 1973.

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  Remembrances of Former Days in Sioux County, Iowa

  Gerrit Draayom

  Gerrit Draayom (1851–1937) documented his memories of Sioux County’s early years. He describes Orange City’s founders and leaders, the challenges faced by the pioneers, and offers historical accounts of the county’s townships.

  Translated by Nella Kennedy.

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  Early History of Sioux County

  William Hutchinson

  William Hutchinson (1850–1925), a long-time Sioux County judge, delivered this speech to the Fortnightly Club, a literary and musical society in Alton, Iowa, on March 17, 1919. In it, he describes the fraudulent acts of the first Sioux County officers and criticizes the Supreme Court decision regarding the 1868 tax sales of Sioux County lands. Hutchinson also recounts the removal of the county seat from Calliope to Orange City and discusses the 1882 political battles waged in the Iowa Index against Henry Hospers and Antonie Betten.

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  History of Orange City

  Antonie J. Betten Jr.

  Antonie Betten (1843-1925), an original 1871 settler, recounts the struggles from grasshoppers, blizzards, and cyclones, the establishment of churches, the building of businesses, and the controversies regarding local elections and the county seat. Betten also highlights various key figures in the settlement including Jelle Pelmulder and Henry Hospers.

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  The History of Sioux County

  J. W. Warnshuis

  In 1879, Rev. J. W. Warnshuis (1840-1901) wrote a series of recollections about early Sioux County history, which were published in serial form in the Dutch-language newspaper De Volksvriend. Warnshuis describes the settlement of the county, its geography, its leaders, and its religious and educational institutions. He writes extensively about the grasshopper plagues, explaining their life cycle and suggesting methods to prevent their destruction.

  Warnshuis served as an area pastor in the Reformed Church and as a Bible instructor and minister at Northwestern Classical Academy.

  Translated by Dr. Paul Vander Kooi.

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  A Concise History of the Establishment of the Dutch Colony in Sioux County, IA. Part IV.

  Jelle Pelmulder

  Jelle Pelmulder (1817-1900), the originator of the plan to establish a Dutch colony in Northwest Iowa, recounts the journey of the scouts sent from Pella, Iowa to search for land. Pelmulder, along with Henry Vande Waa, Sjoerd A. Sipma, and Huibert Muilenburg, intially explored area by Storm Lake, Cherokee, and Milburn.

  Translated by Nelson Nieuwenhuis, May 1971.