The Hanstra Family in America:


When researching my genealogy, I had noticed that the children of Klaas Hanstra in Stiens Holland never had a marriage or death certificate.  Neither did Klaas.  I knew that my Great Grandmother, Margaret Hanstra had emmigrated and I was aware that some Hanstra's lived in Lafayette, Indiana.  I talked with John Deyoung, who indicated that his sister Kay DeYoung Post had done some research on the Hanstra family, as their mother was a Hanstra.  Kay provided most of the photographs below and the verbiage.  As you'll read, the whole family came and then sent for their parents.

In 1889, my great grandfather Jan (John) Vanderwielen and his new wife Grietje (Margaret) Hanstra (Haanstra) came the US on their honeymoon.  Grietje was the oldest living daughter of Klaas Taekes Haanstra (1828- ca. 1912? and Geiske Pieters Ijskamp (Yskamp).

Klaas Hanstra and Geiske IJskamp in Friesland, NL about 1880
  Klaas and Geiske in Lafayette Indiana, ca. 1910

Klaas Taekes Haantra (1828-1912) and Geiske (Gertrude) Pieters Ijskamp (1838-1919),were the parents of all the Hanstra children who emmigrated to the US in the 1890s and wholater themselves emmigrated to Lafayette, Indiana in 1893.

She was born on April 21, 1869.  She and Jan were from Stiens in Friesland of the Netherlands.  John had been in the military and within weeks of his discharge he receive permission to marry Margaret. She was a minor at 20 and needed the permission of her parents to marry.  John was 24. I have the original dutch documents of their permission, marriage and military papers of John.

According to Margaret Fultz, John and Margaret lived first in Elston south of Lafayette, Indiana.  The had a stillborn child in 1890 then had 4 male children, Nicholas, Charles, Harry and Arthur.


Nicholas, John, Charles and Margaret Hanstra Vanderwielen
Margaret and John sent money back to Stiens to William (Wopke) Plantenga and Katherine (Trijntje) Hanstra.  They came to Chicago where they were married.  John Vanderwielen was the best man in their wedding.  William worked at Pullman in Chicago before being laid off and relocating to Lafayette, Indiana.  You can read more about Wopke at www.vanderwielen.com/genealogy/plantenga.html


The Plantenga Family:  Front L-R Annie (Jackson), William, Alberta (Married Al Hainje), Dick, Katherine Hanstra, Jessie (married George Wierenga).
Back Row: Twins Clarence (1897-1970) and Ralph (1897-1981), Gertie (Married a Hainje), Margaret (married in Chicago to Clarence Neidema), Charlie (1900-1984), George (1893-1986) and Tillie (Brenner).

The Vanderwielen's and Plantenga's sent money to Joe Dexter (Dystra, Dijkstra) and Nellie Hanstra so they could come to America.  Joe had trouble getting his mail so he changed his name from Dystra to Dexter.  They lived in Elston route #4.  A man by the same name was on the that route so by changing his name he got his mail.


The Joe Dexter Family:  L-R:  Joe, Nick, Fred (1890-1978), Joe, Nellie Hanstra, Bessie.  Nellie only had 1 eye and therefore posed for this picture intentionally the way she did.

Money was sent so Fred and Jennie Hanstra could come.  Fred was Joe's brother.  So brothers married sisters.  They eventually lived on Poland Hill in Lafayette.

The Fred Dexter Family: L-R Gertrude, Jennie Hanstra, George (1896-1974), Margaret, Bertha and Fred


Dick Bergsma was born in Indiana.  Jessie Hanstra had come to the US with her parents in 1893.  They were married in Lafayette , Indiana in about 1899 and eventually lived in Chicago.  They are buried in Springvale Cemetary in Lafayette, Indiana.  After the death of Jessie, Margaret Plantenga (pictured above), daughter of Wopke (William) and Katherine went to Chicago to keep house for Dick and the three boys Clarence and Albert.


Dick Bergsma and Jessie Hanstra.  She died in 1911 at the age of 30.


The children and widower of Jessie: L-R Albert (1908-2001), Clarence (1904-1989), Dick (1878-1932) and Wype Bergsma

The brother of the 5 sisters, Klaas (Charles) Hanstra came to America on the same ship as his sister Grietje (Margaret) in may of 1889. Here is his family:


The Hanstra Family about 1920:  Back Row L-R: Henry (1903-1978) married Ella Vanderwall 4/4/1929, Grace (1894-1984), married Fred Vandergraff 12/24/1919, Anna (1892-1982), Margaret (1898-1977 and the Mother of John DeYoung and Kay DeYoung Post) married Dick DeYoung 10/28/1918, George (1902-1997) married Elsie Vanderlei 8/17/1927, Clarence (1900-1960) married Marie Provost 1/?/1938, Peter (1896-1987) maried Doris Mae Miner 6/14/1933.
Front Row: Charles Hanstra (1866-1926), Katie (1908-1999), John (1905-1963) married Pauline Timothy 1/11/1953, Martha Dykhuizen (1868-1932)
Note: Anna and Katie never married.

In material submitted by Bertha Dexter Hoogerheyde to a genealogy put together by the Memmelaar family in Iowa, she states "Gyska (Gertrude) Yskamp (Ijskamp) married Klaas Taeke Hanstra.  They came and lived in Lafayette, Indiana (in 1893).  They reason they all left was because they were of the farm class workers and were poor.  In Holland if you were in a lower class you had little opportunity to move up to the next class so America offered much more opportunities.  They children went first and the sent for their parents later.  They had 5 daughters and 1 son."

Klaas and Gertrude were living in Lafayette in the 1900 Census next door to Jessie and Dick Bergsma.
 
 

If you have more information about the Hanstra Family in America, please email me at rick@vanderwielen.com  You can return to my home page at www.vanderwielen.com