Smits, John 1868-1949 Family & son Marvin Smits Family

SMITS, MEYLINK, VELDBOOM, EPPING, KONINGS, GELLESPIE

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 10/19/2024 at 05:37:56

Smits, John 1863-1949 family & son Marvin Smits family.

This story was taken from pages 492-493 of the Maurice Centennial Book (1891-1991). ( It was derived from the story of John and Geredina Smit’s son, Marvin Smit ) The story was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Some research notes for John Smits and his wives – Johanna Veldboom Smits and Gerdina Meylink Smits families were added by Wilma J. Vande Berg

Marvin was the youngest child of John and Geredina Smits. John Smits was born April 8, 1863, in Holland. John’s parents were Johanna Gertried (Eppink) and Arend Smits. He came to the United States at an early age, settling first in the Waupun, Wisconsin area, and came to Iowa when a young man and started farming. He was married first to Johanna Veldboom. They had two children: Arie, born August 5, 1889, and Dora (Mrs. Dick Haarsma) born February 14, 1892. Johanna died when Arie and Dora were five and 2½ years old. Both Arie and Dora are now deceased.

On June 8, 1897, he married Geredina Meylink. She was born March 21, 1881, on a farm near Maurice. Her parents were Zwaantje (Ludens) and Theodore Meylink.

Geredina and John had nine children: Jennie (Mrs. Walter Schreur, deceased); Johanna (Mrs. John Ruisch, deceased); Ted Smits, Maurice; Dick Smits (deceased); Susan (Mrs. Wm. Jongbloed), Clark, South Dakota; William, better known as Smoky (now deceased); Esther (deceased); Elsie (Medsker), Yorba Linda, California; and Marvin, Omaha, Nebraska.

They first farmed two miles west and 1¼ miles north of Maurice, then moved to the farm one mile west, one mile north and ½ mile west, now owned by Ted Smits. The house burned down, and with the help of friends and relatives a new house was finished just before Smoky was born. They had a farm sale in 1920, and moved into town, near the old brick yard. In 1924, they moved back to the farm and lived there until February 1939, when they moved into Maurice. They purchased the house on the north end of Main Street, then owned by John Dykstra, and lived there until their deaths. John died March 17, 1949, and Geredina on February 24, 1950.

Marvin was born December 21, 1924, on the farm north and west of Maurice. He attended Maurice Public School, graduating in May, 1942. He attended Northwestern College one semester, then enlisted in the Army Air Corps in July, 1943. He took his basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, attended College Training at Drake University at Des Moines, Iowa, then went to a classification base at Santa Ana, California, and was assigned to Pilot Primary Training at Dos Palos, California, in January, 1944. He went to pilot basic training in Tucson, Arizona, in March, 1944, then to advanced training, in Douglas, Arizona, and graduated as a pilot at the rank of 2nd Lt. in August, 1944. He attended a B-17 engineering school at Kingman, Arizona. He was assigned a combat crew at Lincoln, Nebraska, and then went to the air base at Sioux City, Iowa, for overseas combat training. Late in December of 1944, he and his crew boarded the liner Queen Elizabeth and went to their combat base in Eye, England. They flew 22 combat missions before the war ended in May, 1945. He flew two missions to drop food to the Dutch in Amsterdam, Holland, and two missions to bring French prisoners of war from Austria back to France. In July, 1945, they flew their own plane back to the United States, landing at Bradley Field, Connecticut. The trip took 26 hours of flying time with stopovers at Scotland, Iceland, and Newfoundland. After a thirty day leave he was sent to Tampa, Florida, to train for the Pacific Theatre of War. However, the war in Japan was over on September 12, 1945, and he was discharged and returned home.

On August 3, 1945, he married Norma Jean Gillespie of Winside, Nebraska, on his return from Europe, and there made their home after his discharge. She was the daughter of Margaret (Levering) and Elmer H. Gillespie. Her mother was the daughter of Johanna and John Levering. Elmer had come to the Maurice area from Nebraska, and worked for Merrit Hawkins. They met, married and returned to Nebraska to live.

In December, 1945, they purchased a corn sheller and started “Smitty’s Shelling Service”. In 1949, he designed and with the help of Henke Manufacturing in Columbus, Nebraska, built the first commercial truck mounted grain roller in the area.

In April, 1950, he started working for Chicago Lumber Company, and was transferred to Wolbach, Nebraska, in February, 1954 to manage the lumber yard there. They lived there until August of 1969, and then he was transferred into Omaha, Nebraska, to the head office of Chicago Lumber Company. He continued working there until his retirement in 1986. Now he enjoys doing small carpenter jobs and woodworking. Norma Jean worked for Nebraska Tractor & Equipment Company 17½ years, and retired in April, 1989.

They had three children, all born at Winside, Nebraska.

Mary Diane was born May 25, 1948. She started school in Winside, and finished K-12 at Wolbach, Nebraska, then attended Kearney State College at Kearny, Nebraska, graduating from there in 1970. She started teaching high school math, teaching two years in Wolbach, and then going to the St. Paul, Nebraska High School where she still teaches. She married Dennis D. Wadsworth of Wolbach, Nebraska, on August 23, 1970. They have two children; Dennis, 15; and Maaika, 12. They still live in Wolbach.

Beverly Ann was born May 23, 1950. She graduated from Wolbach High School, and later moved to Omaha, with her parents, and started working there. She married in 1970, and has a daughter, Tina, 15. Bev is now remarried to Sgt. James Foote, stationed at Offutt Air Base in Omaha. Jim has a son, Luke, 13. Bev works for Creighton University Health Services. They live in Ralston, Nebraska.

Jack Leon was born August 13, 1951. He graduated from Wolbach High School, attended Platte Jr. College in Columbus, Nebraska, for one year, transferred to Kearney State College in Kearney, Nebraska, and graduated in December, 1974. In January, 1975, he started teaching in Ralston, Nebraska High School in the Industrial Technology Department, where he is still teaching. On August 2, 1975, he married M. Rita Happ, of Wolbach, Nebraska. They have four children: Jenny, 10; Alisa, 8; Megan, 5; and Eric 2. They live in Omaha.

Marvin, better as “Smitty”, and Norma Jean have many fond memories of family and friends in Maurice, for this is where they met, when Norma Jean would spend time visiting her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Vore.
(End of story of John Smits and son Marvin Smits)

RESEARCH NOTES : Gathered from various sources – Ancestry.com public member trees submitted by other than this submitter, Ancestry’s birth, marriages, & deaths, Find A Grave, and local archives on this web page.

John Smits was born 8 April 1863 De Heurne, Aalten, Gelderland, Netherlands and died 17 Mar 1949 Maurice Sioux County IA. He was the son of Arend Smits born 10 Jan 1820 Dinxperloo Gelderland Netherland died 1906 Waupun WI; and Wife #2. Johanna Geertruid Epping 1825 born 18 May 1825 Spork, Ambt Bochold Duitsland married 1856 Dinxperlo Neth. died in 1886 WI. John had two wives listed below with children.

WIFE #1. and CHILDREN : John married Johanna Albertha Veldboom 1868 Fond du Lac WI died 10 Aug 1894 Alton IA married on 15 Sep 1888 Sioux County IA She was the daughter of: Jan Albert Veldboom born 13 Nov 1833 Winterswijk Gelderland, Netherlands died 10 May 1883 Alto, WI, and Dora Luberta Konings born 27 Jun 1835 Winterswijk, Gelderland, Netherands and died 9 Mar 1924 Maurice IA. John Smits and Johanna Veldboom had two children.

1. Arie Smits born 5 Aug 1889 Orange City IA died 31 Oct 1959 Orange City IA. He married Dora Jeltema 1895-1982 Orange City. Two children named Johanna Albertha Smits 1916-2001 and Marjorie Esther Smits 1917-1995.
2. Dora Smits born 14 Feb 1892 Sioux county IA died 25 Apr 1987 Orange City IA. She married Dirk Pieters Haarsma 1887-2002. Five children named Johanna Albertha Haarsma 1917-2002, Ruth Haarsma 1917-2018, Dorothy Pearl Haarsma 1920-1997, Howard John Haarsma 1923-2016, Raymond Peter Haarsma 1925-2007.

WIFE #2. and CHILDREN John married Gerdina Meylink born 21 Mar 1881 Maurice IA died 24 Feb 1950 Maurice IA. Married 8 Jun 1897 Sioux County IA. She was the daughter of Theodore Meylink born 1849 Hellendoorn Overijssel Netherlands died 9 Jul 1921 Maurice IA and Zwaanjte Ludens born 7 Oct 1858 Uithuizermeeden Groningen, Netherlands died 5 Jun 1924 Maurice IA.

John Smits and Gerdina Meylink were the parents of nine children:
1. Jennie Smits born 10 Jun 1899 Maurice IA died 16 Nov 1952 Sioux County IA She married Walter Arend Schreur 1880-1968. Children named – Geraldine Schreur 1924-2017, Gertrude Schreur 1926-2008, Robert John Schreur 1927-2997, Dorothy Anne Schreur 1931-1997, Loretta Mae Schreur 1933-2014, and two others not named for privacy purposes.
2. Theodore Smits born 27 Nov 1904 Reading Twp. Sioux Co. IA. Died 2 May 2001 Maruice IA He married Anna De Jong 1908-1990. Children named Geraldine Reanna Smits 1930-1998 married Jim Klein , Dorothy Smits born 1932 marred Henry Nibbelink, John Smits 1935-1997 married Karleen Toering, and Theodore Jr born 1942 married Mary Strait. . The Theodore Smit story is told separately in the Maurice book page 493 and 494.
3. Dick John Smits born 17 May 1907 Sherman Twp. Sioux Co. IA died 21 Nov 1983 Worthington MN He married Elizabeth Van Maasdam 1913-2007. One child not named.
4. Susan Smits born 24 Oct 1910 Sherman, Twp Sioux Co. IA died 24 Aug 2002 Clark SD. She married William Jongbloed 1910-1992. Children named – Lois May Jongbloed 1940-1945, Lola May Jongbloed 1947-2013, and two other not named.
5. William John Smits born 10 Jul 1913 Maurice IA died 12 Sep 1985 Maurice IA He married Caroline Johanna Brink 1916-2003. Children - three daughters, (Mrs. Rod Darlene) Kluis of Maurice, Mrs. Terry (Karen Dykstra) of Alton and Barbara of Escondido, California; three sons, Gerald and Bruce of Escondido, California, and James of Maurice. See William’s obit on this web page.
6. Esther D. Smits born 25 Jul 1915 IA died 13 Dec 1973 Sioux Center IA . See Esther’s obit on this web page.
7. Elsie Mae Smits born 6 Dec 1918 Maurice IA died 17 Dec 2006 Nevada buried Maurice IA . She married Ivan Medsker. Find a Grave entry lists her name as Elsie Medsker, daughter of John and Dena Smits. No children were listed
8. Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smits born 21 Dec 1924 Maurice IA died 2 Jan 2017 St. Paul NE buried Wolbach, Greeley Co. NE. Find A Grave lists his wife as Norma Jean Gellespie 1927-1921. He was in WWII. They had two daughters and a son-in-law, Mary Wadsworth of Wolbach and Beverly and Jim Foote of Ralston, and a son and daughter-in-law, Jack and Rita Smits of Ashland. Their family story is noted in the above narrative of his parent’s family.

OBITUARY OF John SMITS 1863 – 1949

Source: Hawarden Independent (3-24-1949) Born: 1863 Died: 1949
John Smits was born in The Netherlands in 1863. He came to America at the age of 5. He married Johanna Alberta Veldboom in 1887, of which 2 children were born; Arie Smits and Mrs. Dick Haarsma, are still living.
He married Gerdena Meylink, June 8, 1897. To this union were born nine children: Mrs. Walter Schreur, Mrs. John Ruisch, Theodore and Dick Smits, Mrs. William Jongblood, William, Esther, Elsie and Marvin Smits. There are 31 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren
OBITUARY OF SMITS, JOHANNA VELDBOOM (Wife No. 1 MRS. JOHN) died 1894

From the Alton Democrat of Aug 18, 1894. Orange City News
Died Last Friday, at her home three miles south of town, Mrs. John Smits. A husband and three children mourn the loss of a loving wife and mother. Consumption was the cause of death. The funeral service were held at the First Reformed Church last Sunday. We extend out sympathy to the bereaved ones.

OBITUARY OF SMITS, GERDENA MEYLINK (Wife No. 2 MRS. JOHN) 1881-1950

Source: Sioux Center News (3-2-1950) Born: March 21, 1881 Died: February 24, 1950
Mrs. John Smits, nee Gerdena Meylink died February 24th, 1950, at her home at Maurice at the age of 68 years and 11 months.
She was born on a farm near Maurice, March 21, 1881 and spent all her life in that vicinity. On June 8th she was married to John Smits who preceded her in death on March 17, 1949. Nine children were born to them, namely Jennie, Mrs. Walter Schreur, Theodore, Dick, Susan (Mrs. William Jongbloed), William, Esther, Johanna (Mrs. John Rulsch), Elsie (Mrs. Ivan Medsker) and Marvin. Two stepchildren, Arie and Dora (Mrs. Dick Haarsma), are children of the late John Smits’ first marriage. There are 32 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Picture of Marvin Smits family (son of John and Gerdina) on page 492 of the Maurice book.

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