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HAVERHALS, A. J. AND JENNIE (KOOI)
Adrian Haverhals was born May 9, 1912 in the Hague, Netherlands and came to America with his mother, Marie (Aanen) 1885-1950, at five years of age. He remembers the trip on the ocean. His father John B. Haverhals (18851965) had come here three years earlier. On November 20, 1931 Adrian married Jennie Kooi.
Adrian Haverhals family, Marie (Jansen), Robert, Arthur, and John. Front row L-R: Greta
(Cavanaugh), Douglas, Jennie, and Adrian.
Jennie Marie (Kooi) Haverhals was born January 8, 1911, the tenth child ofRemko Kooi and Grada (Kastein) Kooi.
The first farm they rented was the Fred Heuer farm west of Ireton, Iowa. In 1939 they moved to the 240 acre farm where Jennie's brother John Kooi had lived that was located one mile north of the Kooi home place where Remko Kooi had broke prairie in 1888. They lived on that farm until 1983. 360 acres were added to the farm during those years.
On June 16, 1944, a tornado destroyed most of the buildings on the farm where they lived. They had to move out for four months to clean up as rebuilding began.
Jennie remembers some of her childhood experiences which include her brother Peter drowning at 22 years of age when she was three years old. Jennie went to the Christian School that was built onto the Lebanon Christian Reformed Church. After that church and school were destroyed in a fire in 1921, she attended Garfield #8 country school. Adrian attended rural schools in Center township.
In 1924, after her father died she was asked to learn how to drive the car for her mother, no license were required then, so at the age of 13 years Jennie was driving.
Jennie enjoys gathering and keeping records of several branches of family members. Jennie and A.J. Haverhals celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1981, and moved to Sioux Center in January of 1983.
At different time in the past Jennie served as organist at the Lebanon Christian Reformed Church, which was the family home church. After their move to Sioux Center in 1983 they transferred to Bethel Christian Reformed.
The children's school years began in 1937 at Ireton Christian School. 1939 to 1951 at Garfield #8 one mile south and one mile west, and lastly at Lebanon Christian School until 1964. The busing of students made it possible to attend Sioux Center High School and Western Christian High School, beginning in 1946. The higher education of the children was received at Cedar Falls, lA, Teachers College; Iowa City, IA., University of Iowa; Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan; Sioux Center, lA, Dordt College; Grand Rapids, MI, Calvin College, Salt Lake City, UT, University of Utah; and Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. During school years the sons and daughters helped with the work on the farm as long as they were at home. The Haverhals had seven children.
by Mrs. Jennie Haverhals
Source: Sioux Center Iowa 1991 Centennial Book--Family Contributor, Mary Haverhals |
