BIOGRAPHY OF GH AND ETTA KLEINE MASSELINK
(MASSELINK IN USA)
SEE 'SPOUSES' TAB FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ETTA POETS MASSELINK
Picture: Etta and Her Boys
(MASSELINK IN USA)
SEE 'SPOUSES' TAB FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ETTA POETS MASSELINK
Picture: Etta and Her Boys
Gerrit Hendrik (GH)
2nd Child of Hendrik Kleine Masselink (1829)
GENEALOGY NUMBER 11221134
GENEALOGY OF GERRIT HENDRIK KLEINE MASSELINK
(GH Masselink or George Henry Masselink in the USA)
1 KLEINE MASSELINK HARMEN 1660-1731
2 KLEINE MASSELINK GEERD 1693-1743
3 KLEINE MASSELINK HARMEN 1719-1771
4 KLEINE MASSELINK HENDRIK 1747-1790
5 KLEINE MASSELINK FENNE 1771-1843
6 KLEINE MASSELINK GERRIT HENDRIK 1792-1870
7 KLEINE MASSELINK HENDRIK 1829-1907
8 KLEINE MASSELINK GERRIT HENDRIK (GH) 1858-1927
Mother: Geerdjen Walkotten Kleine Masselink (Dies in 1871 in Hardinghausen, Germany)
Siblings: Fenne (1855); Gerrit Hendrik (1858); Hendrikjen (1860); Harmina (1864); Aleida (1866).
All born in Hardinghausen, Grafschaft Bentheim, in what is now Germany
Spouse: Etta Poets Masselink (Marries GH in Michigan in 1882 - See 'SPOUSES' Tab)
Ten Masselink Children: Hendrik (Henry) (1883); Poet Reemt (Paul or PR) (1885); Gertie (1887); Andrew (1888); Herman (1890); Johannes (John) (1891); Antje (Anne Marjorie) (1893); Gerrit Hendrik (George Henry) (1895); Wilhelm (William) (1897); Edward Johann (John) (1901). All born in either Michigan or Iowa
Known as GH Kleine Masselink, he is the last known male Kleine Masselink ancestor born in Grafschaft Bentheim. After arriving in the USA, he shortened his Kleine Masselink surname to Masselink, as 'Kleine' (meaning someone who originally received the smaller half of an inherited farm in Germany) had no meaning in America. Although the US Census states that GH's and Etta's native language is Dutch (Etta's native language is actually German as she was born in Emden, Germany), they identified with the Christian Reformed Church's German speaking minority in the USA.
Matthew 22:37
Jesus declared, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." To understand GH, you must understand how this mandate guided him throughout his life. GH strove daily to fully live this verse and to be one with God. In my opinion, if the Christian Reformed Church recognized Saints, GH would be among the first of their numbers. As you read below about GH's life, you will see that everything GH did from his youth up was always focused on the above verse and his love of God and the Christian Reformed Church in both the Old Country and in the United States.
GH farmed the best he could and tirelessly worked at other jobs in order to feed his family...but if given a choice, GH would rather be studying his Dutch Bible and serving his God by reading sermons to a congregation, teaching Sunday School and serving as an Elder (He was an Elder at the Christian Reformed Church in Leota, MN for over 40 years). Like Job of the Old Testament, GH's faith never wavered, even after his two year old son died in a tragic accident and when almost everything he had was destroyed in a fire in Michigan. His decisions on where to live were always based on how he could best serve his God and the Christian Reformed Church...these decisions, however, often resulted in economic hardships for his wife and family. In the end, his Minnesota farm prospered under the care of his three oldest sons. This gave GH the financial resources needed for his five youngest children to get a Christian education in Grand Rapids, Michigan and in Grundy, Iowa and for sons John, George, William and Edward to become Ordained Ministers of the Gospel. (John, William, and Edward all held Doctorates in Theology). His youngest daughter, Annie, married the Rev. Ben Post.
This song best illustrates to me GH's special relationship with his God:
And He walks with me and He talks with me
And He tells me I am his own
And the joy we share
As we tarry there
None other has ever known
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ZDlBeZMvc
-Thomas Masselink (GEN 11), Masselink Genealogy Webmaster
GERMANY (Grafschaft Bentheim)
1858 Jul 27 GH is born during potato picking time in Hardinghausen, Grafschaft Bentheim, Hanover which is then ruled by the King of England (Grafschaft Bentheim later becomes part of Prussia and then Germany)
1860 Nov 20 Etta Johanna Poets (rhymes with boots) is born in Emden, Hanover (later Prussia and then Germany); Her family has a long history in Emden (her ancestors are probably Huguenots who emigrate from France because of Huguenot persecutions); Oldest of four children; Mother dies of diphtheria when Etta is a young girl. (See 'SPOUSES' Tab)
1867 GH's Uncle Hendrik Jan emigrates to Michigan at the age of 35; "His struggle for survival was an outstanding feat, for which admiration is due" -Rev. Dr. Edward Masselink. (See MASSELINK'S/Jan Kleine Masselink Tab)
1871 May 24 GH's mother, Geerdjen Walkotten Kleine Masselink, dies in Hardinghausen, Grafschaft Bentheim
1872 GH's Uncle Harmen emigrates to Michigan (See MASSELINK'S/Harmen Kleine Masselink Tab).
abt 1872 Etta's father remarries when Etta is 12 years old and she is subsequently sent away to work as a maid for the Rev. Middendorf, who is the minister of a Reformed Church in Emden; The Middendorf's are a cultured and aristocratic family who live in a beautiful and gracious home as one of the leading families in Emden; During her youth, Etta is accustomed to living among wealth and gentility, far removed from her primitive log cabin life in Michigan some ten years later.
1878 GH is drafted into the Prussian Army at age of 20 and probably serves his two years of military service with the Headquarters and 1st Battalion, 78th Infantry Regiment, located in Emden, Grafschaft Ostfriesland, Prussia in what is now Germany. The regiment is the basic combat unit of the Prussian Army and the recruiting base for its soldiers. When inducted, soldiers usually entered the regiment through its replacement battalion for basic training. GH hates military service with his whole being, as brash, callous army life was not to his liking. As a Christian, he regularly read his Bible and kept his devotions, which made him an object of scorn and ridicule. In one instance, a soldier stood on top of a barrel and while paraphrasing Jesus’ words in John 16:16, falls into the barrel saying: “Now you see me, and now you see me no more.” The soldiers break into laughter, but GH’s “soul is deeply grieved”. It may seem like a small thing, but that memory stayed with him throughout his life. Being a handsome man with a strong physique probably led to his involuntary selection into the Regiment’s ceremonial “Royal Kaiser Guard” which would have resulted in even more of the despised “spit and polish”. GH hates the military discipline, the military food, and having to shave every day.
1878 At a young people’s meeting at Rev. Middendorf's church in Emden, GH meets the Reverend's maid, 18 year old Etta Johanna Poets (rhymes with boots), and "a budding romance developed”. GH's rustic farm background must have been a sharp contrast to Etta's genteel life in the Reverend’s home.
1880 GH is discharged from the military and he firmly resolves two things: (1) He would never shave again and (2) Life under military rule was not for him nor would it be for his children. (GH's great-grandson, LTC (Retired) Thomas Masselink (1951), is the only known Masselink active duty career soldier...and GH's grandson COL (Retired) William Masselink DDS (1933), is the only known Masselink career reserve soldier).
MICHIGAN
1882 Feb GH emigrates to Michigan prior to his father, sisters, and future wife Etta. Before leaving for America, GH is warned that the Indians would get him and that he would starve. In the spring of 1881 he boards a ship in Rotterdam heading west "into the wild unknown". He takes a train from New York to the Holland, MI area (where his two uncles who proceeded him live) and finds employment with a farmer near East Saugatuck, MI. Both GH and Etta later become naturalized American citizens.
While GH never regretted his decision to emigrate to Michigan, he never said much about the voyage. We know that it took about three weeks in a combined sail and steam powered vessel and that there was quite a storm at sea. His memories of the voyage and Ellis Island seemed to be obliterated by the sheer joy of setting his feet on a land free of military oppression and where he could serve his Lord unfettered. He soon becomes part of the German-speaking minority of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) that was originally founded in the Netherlands with deep roots on both sides of the Dutch-German border. GH was a member of this church when he lived in Grafschaft Bentheim
1882 GH's father HENDRIK marries his second wife, Mrs. Altie Ratterank Atman in Uelsen, Germany; No children.
1882 Aug 11 Based on the glowing reports GH sent, a new group makes ready to emigrate to Michigan. This group consists of GH's father Hendrik, GH's new step-mother Altie, his sisters Fenne, Hendrikjen, Harmina and Aleida, and GH's future wife, Etta Poets. Hendrik is now about 53 and said to have piercing eyes and hair that was already turning gray. They depart Antwerp, Belgium for New York on 1882 Aug 11 on the ship Belgenland. Johann Gulker from Uelsen, Grafschaft Bentheim, who later became their minister in Leota, MN travels with them aboard this ship. (See below for a picture of the Belgenland). They then travel by train from New York via Detroit, Holland and Muskegon to where GH meets them: At a tiny rail station in Allegan County just north of Hamilton (that later became a hatchery) called Fillmore Station. The train is late and GH has to wait for a long time. When the train finally arrives, it overshoots the depot. Running after it on the cinder station platform, GH tumbles headlong and his Sunday suit is torn on the cinders. He hardly notices, as he is so overjoyed seeing his Etta again. This happy story is often retold by GH's children.
1882 Dec 4 GH and Etta marry in the parsonage of Rev. Willem Coelingh in Kollendorn (East Overisel, East Overisel, MI; This date is always remembered in their family home; Rev Coelingh served as pastor of the East Overisel congregation from 1881 until his retirement on 1883 Jan 1; This congregation worshiped in a school-house to the southwest of Oakland, Michigan
1882 Dec 16 Evidently GH felt that life around Holland, MI was too stuffy, so when he had earned $100 he bought 80 acres of timberland in a new settlement about 80 miles north of Saugatuck between Fremont and Reeman, Newaygo County, MI. This homestead is shown on maps as the "Masselink Clearing".
GH's Warranty Deed shows that Gerrit Henry Masselink [GH] purchases from Charles H. Boyd about 80 acres of land in Sheridan Township, Newaygo County, MI; The Deed is recorded on 1882 Dec 19; GH pays $600 (part of which is paid with a mortgage) for "all that certain piece or parcel of land situated and being in the Township of Sheridan, County of Newaygo and State of Michigan and described as follows to wit: The West half of the North West quarter of Section seventeen (17) in Township Twelve (12) North of Range Fourteen (14) (141 West and containing eighty acres of land be the same more or less) Reserving and excepting to the said party of the first part [Charles Boyd] all the Hemlock logs now lying or being on said land and the right of ingress and egress and in to and upon said land for the claim of two years for the purpose of removing said logs and with this above reservation." This farm today is bounded on three sides by roads: North boundary is believed to be 64th Street, South boundary is 68th Street; West boundary is Dickerson Avenue; East boundary abuts property that GH did not own and the eastern boundary of that property is Fitzgerald Avenue.
With the help of neighbors, trees are felled and a small drafty one room log cabin (about 400 square feet?) is built. The cabin is furnished with logs serving as the table and chairs along with a bed using corn husks for a mattress. The purchased item is a Franklin wood burning stove. Happiness is heightened when it became necessary to hollow out a log for their firstborn. It seemed that the Lord was prospering them and the little log cabin often resounds with the singing of Dutch and German Psalms along with the few known hymns. Six of their ten children are born here: Henry, Paul Reemt, Gertrude, Andrew, Herman and John.
1883 GH and Etta survive the winter and plant potatoes between the tree stumps in the spring. GH also works at a lumber mill hauling sawdust in a wheel barrow. GH often has a hard time getting people to understand his accented English. He once told Etta that "No matter what I say, they always answer the same thing: I don't know". His wage of 75 cents a day is soon raised to a dollar a day.
Their biggest problem was getting rid of the tree stumps. GH is handy with an ax, but even so it takes power to remove the trunk. With their first savings they buy a yoke of oxen, and that is a great help. (One does not drive oxen with reins, you shout at them. As long as he lived, GH would do the same, even while driving a horse, calling Hee and Haw).
1883 Sep 28 Their first child, Hendrik (Henry), is born in the cabin and he is named after GH's father
On Sundays, they walk over the railroad tracks to church at the First Christian Reformed Church in Fremont. They routinely take their lunch with them and stay for the afternoon service with the other church members . GH did not like their minister and was once called before the consistory for reasons unknown.
1884 Tracks for the Chicago West Michigan Railroad are being laid almost alongside their farm boundary and GH gets a job clubbing spikes, where his experience with the ax comes in good stead (See picture of the Reeman Station below).
1884 As GH did not like their minister at the First CRC of Fremont, he was kind of glad when in 1884 a new church is founded in a small log building in Reeman. GH is elected as one of the original elders and on Sundays he would read a sermon in the little church for the few families that worshiped there. The Reeman Christian Reformed Church was officially organized in 1890. At the 75th anniversary of the Reeman CRC, they talked about the original log church with its pews made of nail kegs with boards across them and a pulpit consisting of a large vinegar barrel.
1885 Mar 10 Son Poet (Paul) Reemt is born in their cabin and named after Etta's father
1887 Jun 24 Daughter Gertie is born in their cabin and named after GH's mother, Geerdjen.
1888-1892 Things began to look up and planks are sawed at the lumber mill for a real frame house. But then tragedy begins to strike their home. A fire caused either by lightning during a thunderstorm or by one of the neighbors starting a grass fire to get rid of some weeds burned their lumber and killed one of the oxen. Before the fire could be contained it also burned their cabin, potatoes and the corn in their nearby garden. The two oxen were their only means of power, but the remaining one had to be sold as one cannot plow with just one ox. After the fire, the family finds refuge in an abandoned blacksmith shop with a mud floor. Then in 1892, their young son Herman dies at age 2 as a result of accidentally falling into a tub of scalding hot water. These dark days lead to years of poverty.
1888 Sep 29 Son Andrew is born in Fremont, MI in the vicinity of Reeman. After the fire destroyed their home, the family finds refuge in an abandoned blacksmith shop with a dirt floor, and that is where their fourth son, Andrew, is born.
1888 Fall - Winter A new log cabin is started that winter after spending all fall and early winter chopping down trees and cutting new boards (This log cabin was said to be still standing in 1930). Roads are now being built in and around Reeman, and a main road comes near the Masselink Clearing. Since a right-of-way easement is afforded to each farmer, a 20 foot lane is made through the Blaauw farm to GH's land. This easement remains in the Masselink name for many years. The Blaauw Farm is owned by Ray Blaauw (1883-1956) and is sold by his heirs around 1956 Nov 22. This farm is located 3 miles south, 3 miles west and 1/2 mile south of Fremont or 4 miles east and 1/2 mile south of Holton (within Section 8, 17 and/or 18 of Sheridan Township).
1890 Mar 29 Son Herman born in their new log cabin.
1890 The Reeman CRC that GH and his family attends is officially organized. Reeman by this time also has a general store (which is later owned by GH's daughter Annie's husband, Garret Hamberg). The Reeman Christian Reformed Church is now located at 6121 S. Fitzgerald Ave., Fremont MI 49412. Even today, Reeman is still not really a town. It remains more of a crossroads southwest of Fremont with nothing more than a feed mill, a general store and a church. More information about Reeman is available at the library in Fremont. MI and in White Cloud, MI.
1891 Sep 23 Son Johannes (John) is born in their cabin.
1891 or 1892 A Dutch language family Bible is purchased from a salesman who came to the door of their cabin. It is a great financial strain on their meager resources, but it is a must on GH's want list because of his great love for the Bible. Significant family events are recorded in Etta's Dutch and German handwriting, to include the family marriages, births, deaths and special remembrances. This Bible is kept on a small table and is used frequently. [NOTE: Web page author Thomas Masselink has this original Bible...the cover is not attached and the first 20 or so pages are damaged, but the rest of the Bible is in reasonably good condition, to include Etta's handwritten notes in German about various events in their family's life. Although the Bible is written in Dutch, the picture captions are in both Dutch and English.]
1892 Dec 18 Son Herman dies at home after he accidentally falls into a tub of scalding hot water in the kitchen of their log cabin while playing with his nine year old brother, Henry, on either Saturday bath day, December 17, or Monday wash day, December 12. As a result of the accident, Herman dies soon after on Sunday, December 18 at the age of two and is buried in an unmarked grave alongside the fence next to the office of the Fremont Cemetery. Henry never forgets this tragic death. GH and Etta become discouraged about their life in Michigan and Providence seems to point the way to a fresh start in Iowa.
IOWA
1893 Spring. A cousin, Rev. Henry Walkotten, (GH's mother's maiden name was Walkotten) preached once in their little church in Reeman and he advised GH to move to Wright County, Iowa. He told GH that "This is no place for you with your growing family. You must move to Iowa. I know some people there and they will help you get a farm." GH agreed to do so and in the Spring of 1893 the family moves to Kanawha, Wright County, IA. There are many kind, generous, and helpful people in this world, but none more so than the dear people of unheard-of-Christian concern who welcomed GH and his family. They arrive almost penniless with seven people, including five children under the age of ten...and with one on the way! Yes, they had located a farm for them in what is still today one of the most fertile areas in the country. Yes, they would help them buy it. People are still living on the farm but yes, they could stay in the two large front rooms of the Siemen's home for several months until their new farm is vacated and their old farm in Michigan is sold.
1893 Apr 29 The Reeman farm is sold to Gerrit J. Welink after GH and family arrive in Wright County, IA. The farm is sold for $1,050 and the mortgage balance of $300 is paid to a Minerva J. Covell. The Warranty Deed describes this sale as: "All certain piece or parcel of land situated and being in the Township of Sheridan, County of Newaygo and State of Michigan, and describe as follows, to wit: West half (1/2) of North West quarter (1/4) of Section Seventeen (17) in Township Twelve (12) North of Range Fourteen (14) West. Except ninety acres off South end forty rods North and South by eighty rods East and West. Also excepting a private way on road 1 1/2 one-one half rods wide of East of the Southeast quarter". (A rod equals 16.5 feet)
1893 May 29 Daughter Antje (Annie) is born in the living room of the Siemen's home in Wright County, Iowa.
The farm in Kanawha, IA, however, is not to be their home as something happens that changes the course of their lives. A new Christian Reformed Church is being organized in the small town of Meservey, IA (about 30 miles east of Kanawha, IA) and a delegation is sent to GH telling him of their need for a church leader to read sermons and to teach catechism classes. They knew that GH was an elder in Michigan and they told him that it would be a God-send if he would join them in Meservey. There are two things that GH finds hard to resist: The call to adventure and the call to be of service to the church and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. So he thanked the good people of Kanawha for all they had done, loaded their trunks on a wagon and without ever moving onto the farm in Kanawha set out for a place he had never heard of: Meservey, Cerro Gordo County, IA. (Meservey is located near Mason City, IA)
1893 Summer There is a 40 acre farm with a small house and several buildings for sale located next to the railroad tracks just outside of Meservey. Using the few dollars that they had and without further investigation, GH buys it. What he does not know is that the land is mostly swamp and ponds (called moor and heath in those days). Each spring several large ponds cover most of the usable acreage. In addition, about the time that GH buys the farm, the Panic of '93 ensues.
The Panic of 1893 - also known as the Cleveland Panic - is a serious economic depression in the United States that begins in 1893 and caused by the overbuilding and shaky financing of railroads and the resultant series of bank failures. Compounding this railroad bubble is a run on the nation's gold supply. The Panic of '93 is the worst economic depression the United States experiences up to this time. One of the first signs of trouble comes ten days before the inauguration of President Cleveland on 1893 Feb 23 with the bankruptcy of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. The US economy does not begin to recover until 1897. Farm prices became so depressed that it took a rail car of grain to buy some books for the Meservey school.
It is now the Summer of 1893 and with six small children, the going is a bit rough. GH gets a job helping a butcher during most of his stay in Meservey and together they slaughter cows and hogs. In addition to a small wage, GH also gets the chitterlings (i.e., the head, tail, feet, heart and liver of the carcasses). From these, Etta makes head cheese, bean soup, and other edibles. Along with their garden, they have food for the table and now and then, he is allowed to take home a piece of meat. Speculation: Herman Fischer owns a meat market in Meservey and this is probably who GH works for in Meservey. GH is chosen as an elder of the small Meservey Christian Reformed Church. He reads sermons on Sunday and teaches catechism on Saturday. During the week, he also travels to a nearby town in order to teach a "Sunday School" class. Life is hard but endurable. (The Christian Reformed Church is located 3 miles south of Meservey and the church building is later purchased by the Reformed Church...there is no Christian Reformed Church in Meservey today).
1895 Jul 4 Son Gerrit (George) is born in Meservey, IA.
1897 Feb 15 Son Willem (William) is born in Meservey, IA.
1897 The mortgage on the farm is due, so GH borrows one hundred dollars at the bank for taxes and the interest on the mortgage. At the end of the year, GH does not have the money to pay back the loan and the mortgage payment, so the sheriff makes arrangements for a bankruptcy sale. The prospects are bleak for the family which in the meantime were blessed with the birth of two more sons, George and William. On the very day when things look the worst, GH stops by the Post Office on his way to work to ask if there is any mail for him. Yes there is, a letter from Germany. Nervously he opens the letter. It is from Etta's brother, Reemt Poets of Emden, Germany. He had read about the Panic in America, and thinking that they might need some money, he enclosed a postal money order for 400 marks. GH cashes the money order at the Post office and receives $104.00. From there, he goes to the bank and gives the teller the $100 he owes. The banker is so amazed that he asks where GH got that much money. GH replies that the Lord sent it (Talk about Elijah and the ravens!... See I Kings 17:6). With the remaining $4.00 he buys a pound each of coffee and sugar (they had been drinking parched corn) and a 3 cent green glass salt cellar with a chip out of the corner. GH still has $3.23 when he returns home. This is a great day for rejoicing and thanksgiving, and this day is never forgotten and this story is retold many, many times. This proved to be the "darkest before the dawn".
1898 About a year after the foreclosure events, GH is passing by the bank when the banker asks him to step inside. "I'm intending to build a house," he said, "and your farm just outside of town would be the ideal place. I will give you $2,000 for your farm." GH looks perplexed. The banker tells GH that the bank has a repossessed 160 acre farm about 5 1/2 miles south of town and that GH can use the $2,000 as a down payment. The buildings are vacant, so they can move right in. It all seems too good to be true, but it is real. So after a few weeks, they are on their way to their new home.
The 19th Century goes out on a happy note and the 20th Century looks like a new sunrise. The economy is picking up and over the next few years there are good crops. Their new farm has a schoolhouse on the property, and that is where Henry and Paul Reemt complete the 8th grade. But that is the end of their formal education, as both of them now need work in the field full time. About this time, a city church sends a clothing barrel to Meservey and one of the items is a swallow tailed coat that fits John, which he proudly wears to school.
1900 The population of Meservey, Cerro Gordo County, IA, is 192, with the Masselink family alone comprising some 6% of the town's total population. [Cerro Gordo County takes its name from the Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican–American War, where General Winfield Scott defeats the Mexican General Santa Anna on 1847 Apr 18. Cerro Gordo County is also the site of an airplane crash north of Clear Lake, IA in which rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed 1959 Feb 3.]
1900 Jun 14 Census: Grimes, Cerro Gordo, IA; GH goes by 'Henry'; He is 41, Etta 39, Henry 16 and Paul Reemt 15 (listed as farm labor), Gertie 12, Andrew 11, John 9, Annie 7, George 4 and William 3.
1901 MAY 1 Their last child, Edward Johann, is born in Meservey, IA. After school, the teacher and the entire student population come to see the new baby.
MINNESOTA
The Panic is over and things began to boom. The Iowa farm is sold at a $2,000 profit after the little Meservey Christian Reformed Church disbands and GH will not live where there is no Christian Reformed Church nearby. GH first considers moving to Sioux County, IA but he thinks that the land there is too expensive. So armed with his "untold wealth" (i.e., the profit from the sale of his farm), GH sets out instead for Hull, ND at the urging of Rev. Ahuis, who reports that a section of land can be purchased for about a dollar an acre. On GH's train trip to North Dakota he travels through Edgerton, MN, which is a prosperous area with very fertile land. When GH arrives at the end of the rail line at Egan, SD he transfers to another train that takes him to Aberdeen, SD. It is a dry year in South Dakota and the farmers and farms look destitute. Since he cannot get a train to Hull for three or four days, he starts walking to his destination, some 116 miles away. GH soon becomes discouraged because of drought, terrific heat and lonesomeness. The people he meets on the road discourage him from going further by telling him about even worse conditions further west. GH finally turns back, feeling blue because this is the first time in his life that he had really set his mind on something and had not carried it through.
GH later decides to check out Edgerton, Minnesota. He goes to the Meservey depot and buys a ticket to Edgerton. When he gets off the train, he is in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Undaunted, he buys another ticket to Edgerton, Minnesota. On the way he has a layover at La Cross, Wisconsin. During the wait, GH goes to the John A. Salzer Nursery and for years afterward, he orders a barrel of greening apples from Salzer.
GH likes what he sees in Edgerton and inquires if there are any farms for sale. He is directed to Martin Kallemyn, who has a farm near Leota, MN, and per the paragraph below, Martin has already induced many others to locate there. GH buys Kallemeyn's 160 acre (a quarter section) farm for $40 an acre and returns to Iowa get his family. This farm (located in Moulton Township, Murray County, MN and about four miles east and 1.5 miles south of Edgerton) becomes the Masselink homestead and still remains in the extended Masselink family. The farm is subsequently owned by GH's son Andrew and then by GH's granddaughter Margaret (Lucy) Masselink Blom. It is currently owned by GH's great-grandson, Phillip Blom
[In 1889, Martin (Maartin) Kallemyn came to Nobles County and bought 200 acres of land in section 9, Leota Township, where he lived for three years. He then bought a half section in Murray County and farmed there for eight years. He then spent the next six years in Leota, three and one-half years of which he delivered mail out of Leota. In 1900 he bought a sixty acre tract of land in section 6 and lived there. Kallemyn was the first Hollander to locate in Leota Township, and he was responsible for the settlement of other Hollanders in that area. Being pleased with the county to which he had come in 1889, he visited the Hollander settlement in Sioux County, Iowa, and induced many to sell and relocate to the Leota area. He told them that "All who came and have remained there have prospered".] In 1908, GH's eldest daughter, Gertie Masselink (1887), marries Martin Kallemyn's son, John Kallemyn (1882-1969).
1901 GH, Etta and family arrive in Minnesota and face a completely different panorama. They come with a bustling family of seven charging boys and two up and coming girls. Son Henry is going on nineteen and the others are not far behind. George, William and Edward attend the District 90 public school in rural Edgerton. The four older children are ready to take over the farm, and from then on, GH and Etta's role is largely supervisory until they and their five youngest children move to Grand Rapids, MI in 1914.
The farm was located closer to Leota the Edgerton. This was an important consideration, as it identified them not only with the Leota community instead of Edgerton's, but with Leota's Christian Reformed Church as well.
1902 Jan A Sunday School is organized at the Leota CRC and GH becomes one of the first Sunday School teachers. Later, GH's daughter, Annie, becomes one of the church organists.
Most of their daily needs are bought at the Leota General Store which is owned by the De Boer brothers. Everything could be purchased there, from crackers to farm machinery. Their children go to school in Edgerton. Grain is bought, sold and ground for farm use at the Edgerton Flour Mill located on a hill just east of the town. [The Census Bureau classifies Leota as a census-designated place (CDP). CDPs are populated areas that lack separate municipal government, but which otherwise physically resemble incorporated places. Edgerton is classified as a city with a population of around 1,100.]
1904 Leota's Christian Reformed Church of Leota welcomes a new preacher, Rev. Johann Gulker, who came to America on the same ship as GH's wife, Etta Poets. His spiritual influence in the Masselink home is a real blessing. He serves the Leota church from 1904 to 1914.
"There were several strands of thinking in their local church, each with its own definite characteristics. This sets the stage for some rather hefty discussions, some of which are very set in cement. There could be controversy and division, but it always had substance. Some individuals, as well as churches, so completely lack backbone and convictions that they cannot fight, all they can do is quarrel. After GH arrives in Leota, he became a part of that complex. He rejects hard bound legalism and blind traditionalism, and usually takes the broader and more compassionate appraisal of the situation" - Rev Dr Edward Masselink
1907 Oct 31 GH's father, Hendrik, dies in Graafschap, Michigan.
1908 A Moulton Township, Murray, MN map shows GH owning 240 acres of farm land in Section 32.
1910 Etta (49) and GH (52) visit their homeland in Germany; They return via Hamburg, Germany on 1910 Apr 2 to New York City with second class accommodations aboard the German steamship President Lincoln of the Hamburg-Amerika Line (See picture at the bottom of the page); On the ship's manifest, their nationality is listed as "American" and their residence is shown as Edgerton, MN.
1910 May 3 Census: Moulton, Murray, MN; GH owns a farm with a mortgage and is listed as 'George H. Masselink'; GH is shown as a naturalized citizen, but there is no entry for Etta; Shows 1882 as the immigration year for both GH and Etta; GH is 52, Etta 48, Henry 26, Paul Reemt 25, Andrew 21, Johannas (John) 16, George H. 14, William 9 (Edward is not listed); Etta's sister Katrina Poets (37) and nephew Jacobus Fritzen (17) are living with them on the farm; The census also shows that both of Katrina's and Jacobus's parents were born in Germany, both Katrina and Jacobus immigrated in 1910, both are registered as aliens, and that Fritz is a carpenter doing day jobs.
1911 Berendena (Bena) Beckering (Andrew's future wife) and GH's children Annie, Andrew, and Paul Reemt are all members of their Christian Reformed Church's Young People's Society.
RETIREMENT
1915 Jan 8 GH prepares to move to Grand Rapids with Etta and the 5 youngest children by holding a public auction at his farm located 4 miles east and 1/2 mile south of Edgerton; Earns $4,200 by selling 18 horses, 60 head of cattle and various farm machinery
1915 JAN 11 The four oldest children are married and the remaining family, to include their five youngest children, move to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their four oldest remain in Minnesota and the three oldest sons are farmers in the Edgerton-Leota area. The younger children are taken to Grand Rapids to give them an education in the Christian School system. In GH's Dutch family Bible under the heading Herinneringen (Remembrances), Etta writes just one entry and her hand written note in German is translated as: "We came to Grand Rapids, Mich on 11 Jan. 1915 with 5 young children so they could go to the Christian School". They stay until their youngest, Edward, finishes at Baxter Christian School and then Calvin Prep (like high school today).
1915 Jul 13 Etta's father, Poet Reemt Poets, dies in Emden, Germany.
1916 Oct 4 In order to train their own Christian Reformed pastors and teachers, German-speakers establish a college with plans for a seminary in Grundy Center, IA. Mainly for lack of denominational cooperation, it folds by 1934, to the bitter disappointment of Christian Reformed German-Americans. Grundy Center in the years 1916-1920 is a religious town, but it's not dominated by religion. No church holds three services on Sunday - even the college church has only two, one in Dutch and one in German. The school has no prayers, silent or vocal, and there is no Bible study or Bible clubs. Dancing is taught and in the spring, some students dance around a maypole holding a ribbon. The college church is mainly comprised of students, professors, their families and a few local residents. The town also has Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Catholic Churches.
About 1916 GH and Etta move to Grundy Center, IA so sons George, John, William and Edward can attend Grundy College and Seminary. "They were a kindly family".
1920 GH writes a letter in German to Germany; Photocopy of this letter is in the Calvin Historical Library: Masselink, G.H. Letter, 1920. 1 item, photocopy, with transcription. Edgerton , Minnesota – Germany ; G.H. Masselink to family
1927 SEP 2 GH is "summoned by the grim reaper" and dies of a myocardium (heart failure) in Holland, Michigan at the home of his son, William; GH was preparing to return home to Edgerton and his son Edward just arranged for his parents return trip; GH's daughter Annie Masselink Post is working as a housekeeper in William's home; Etta writes in German in the family Bible, translated as: "My beloved husband dies on 2 Sept 1927 in Holland Mich. buried in Leota's Church Cemetery September".
1941 APR 20 Etta lives at 742 11th ST NW, Grand Rapids, MI near her son William who resides close by in the Parsonage of the Alpine Avenue Christian Reformed Church.
1949 AUG 28 Etta dies and is buried in the Leota Cemetery in Leota, MN. She was living in the Edgerton, MN area at the time of her death.
The three oldest sons take up farm life; The four younger boys became ministers and serve many congregations; Youngest daughter Annie marries Rev. Ben Post.
Most of the recollections above are by GH's youngest son, Rev. Dr. Edward Masselink.
The next generation (GENERATION NINE) is pictured below. Click on the pictures below for an expanded view.
1878 At a young people’s meeting at Rev. Middendorf's church in Emden, GH meets the Reverend's maid, 18 year old Etta Johanna Poets (rhymes with boots), and "a budding romance developed”. GH's rustic farm background must have been a sharp contrast to Etta's genteel life in the Reverend’s home.
1880 GH is discharged from the military and he firmly resolves two things: (1) He would never shave again and (2) Life under military rule was not for him nor would it be for his children. (GH's great-grandson, LTC (Retired) Thomas Masselink (1951), is the only known Masselink active duty career soldier...and GH's grandson COL (Retired) William Masselink DDS (1933), is the only known Masselink career reserve soldier).
MICHIGAN
1882 Feb GH emigrates to Michigan prior to his father, sisters, and future wife Etta. Before leaving for America, GH is warned that the Indians would get him and that he would starve. In the spring of 1881 he boards a ship in Rotterdam heading west "into the wild unknown". He takes a train from New York to the Holland, MI area (where his two uncles who proceeded him live) and finds employment with a farmer near East Saugatuck, MI. Both GH and Etta later become naturalized American citizens.
While GH never regretted his decision to emigrate to Michigan, he never said much about the voyage. We know that it took about three weeks in a combined sail and steam powered vessel and that there was quite a storm at sea. His memories of the voyage and Ellis Island seemed to be obliterated by the sheer joy of setting his feet on a land free of military oppression and where he could serve his Lord unfettered. He soon becomes part of the German-speaking minority of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) that was originally founded in the Netherlands with deep roots on both sides of the Dutch-German border. GH was a member of this church when he lived in Grafschaft Bentheim
1882 GH's father HENDRIK marries his second wife, Mrs. Altie Ratterank Atman in Uelsen, Germany; No children.
1882 Aug 11 Based on the glowing reports GH sent, a new group makes ready to emigrate to Michigan. This group consists of GH's father Hendrik, GH's new step-mother Altie, his sisters Fenne, Hendrikjen, Harmina and Aleida, and GH's future wife, Etta Poets. Hendrik is now about 53 and said to have piercing eyes and hair that was already turning gray. They depart Antwerp, Belgium for New York on 1882 Aug 11 on the ship Belgenland. Johann Gulker from Uelsen, Grafschaft Bentheim, who later became their minister in Leota, MN travels with them aboard this ship. (See below for a picture of the Belgenland). They then travel by train from New York via Detroit, Holland and Muskegon to where GH meets them: At a tiny rail station in Allegan County just north of Hamilton (that later became a hatchery) called Fillmore Station. The train is late and GH has to wait for a long time. When the train finally arrives, it overshoots the depot. Running after it on the cinder station platform, GH tumbles headlong and his Sunday suit is torn on the cinders. He hardly notices, as he is so overjoyed seeing his Etta again. This happy story is often retold by GH's children.
1882 Dec 4 GH and Etta marry in the parsonage of Rev. Willem Coelingh in Kollendorn (East Overisel, East Overisel, MI; This date is always remembered in their family home; Rev Coelingh served as pastor of the East Overisel congregation from 1881 until his retirement on 1883 Jan 1; This congregation worshiped in a school-house to the southwest of Oakland, Michigan
1882 Dec 16 Evidently GH felt that life around Holland, MI was too stuffy, so when he had earned $100 he bought 80 acres of timberland in a new settlement about 80 miles north of Saugatuck between Fremont and Reeman, Newaygo County, MI. This homestead is shown on maps as the "Masselink Clearing".
GH's Warranty Deed shows that Gerrit Henry Masselink [GH] purchases from Charles H. Boyd about 80 acres of land in Sheridan Township, Newaygo County, MI; The Deed is recorded on 1882 Dec 19; GH pays $600 (part of which is paid with a mortgage) for "all that certain piece or parcel of land situated and being in the Township of Sheridan, County of Newaygo and State of Michigan and described as follows to wit: The West half of the North West quarter of Section seventeen (17) in Township Twelve (12) North of Range Fourteen (14) (141 West and containing eighty acres of land be the same more or less) Reserving and excepting to the said party of the first part [Charles Boyd] all the Hemlock logs now lying or being on said land and the right of ingress and egress and in to and upon said land for the claim of two years for the purpose of removing said logs and with this above reservation." This farm today is bounded on three sides by roads: North boundary is believed to be 64th Street, South boundary is 68th Street; West boundary is Dickerson Avenue; East boundary abuts property that GH did not own and the eastern boundary of that property is Fitzgerald Avenue.
With the help of neighbors, trees are felled and a small drafty one room log cabin (about 400 square feet?) is built. The cabin is furnished with logs serving as the table and chairs along with a bed using corn husks for a mattress. The purchased item is a Franklin wood burning stove. Happiness is heightened when it became necessary to hollow out a log for their firstborn. It seemed that the Lord was prospering them and the little log cabin often resounds with the singing of Dutch and German Psalms along with the few known hymns. Six of their ten children are born here: Henry, Paul Reemt, Gertrude, Andrew, Herman and John.
1883 GH and Etta survive the winter and plant potatoes between the tree stumps in the spring. GH also works at a lumber mill hauling sawdust in a wheel barrow. GH often has a hard time getting people to understand his accented English. He once told Etta that "No matter what I say, they always answer the same thing: I don't know". His wage of 75 cents a day is soon raised to a dollar a day.
Their biggest problem was getting rid of the tree stumps. GH is handy with an ax, but even so it takes power to remove the trunk. With their first savings they buy a yoke of oxen, and that is a great help. (One does not drive oxen with reins, you shout at them. As long as he lived, GH would do the same, even while driving a horse, calling Hee and Haw).
1883 Sep 28 Their first child, Hendrik (Henry), is born in the cabin and he is named after GH's father
On Sundays, they walk over the railroad tracks to church at the First Christian Reformed Church in Fremont. They routinely take their lunch with them and stay for the afternoon service with the other church members . GH did not like their minister and was once called before the consistory for reasons unknown.
1884 Tracks for the Chicago West Michigan Railroad are being laid almost alongside their farm boundary and GH gets a job clubbing spikes, where his experience with the ax comes in good stead (See picture of the Reeman Station below).
1884 As GH did not like their minister at the First CRC of Fremont, he was kind of glad when in 1884 a new church is founded in a small log building in Reeman. GH is elected as one of the original elders and on Sundays he would read a sermon in the little church for the few families that worshiped there. The Reeman Christian Reformed Church was officially organized in 1890. At the 75th anniversary of the Reeman CRC, they talked about the original log church with its pews made of nail kegs with boards across them and a pulpit consisting of a large vinegar barrel.
1885 Mar 10 Son Poet (Paul) Reemt is born in their cabin and named after Etta's father
1887 Jun 24 Daughter Gertie is born in their cabin and named after GH's mother, Geerdjen.
1888-1892 Things began to look up and planks are sawed at the lumber mill for a real frame house. But then tragedy begins to strike their home. A fire caused either by lightning during a thunderstorm or by one of the neighbors starting a grass fire to get rid of some weeds burned their lumber and killed one of the oxen. Before the fire could be contained it also burned their cabin, potatoes and the corn in their nearby garden. The two oxen were their only means of power, but the remaining one had to be sold as one cannot plow with just one ox. After the fire, the family finds refuge in an abandoned blacksmith shop with a mud floor. Then in 1892, their young son Herman dies at age 2 as a result of accidentally falling into a tub of scalding hot water. These dark days lead to years of poverty.
1888 Sep 29 Son Andrew is born in Fremont, MI in the vicinity of Reeman. After the fire destroyed their home, the family finds refuge in an abandoned blacksmith shop with a dirt floor, and that is where their fourth son, Andrew, is born.
1888 Fall - Winter A new log cabin is started that winter after spending all fall and early winter chopping down trees and cutting new boards (This log cabin was said to be still standing in 1930). Roads are now being built in and around Reeman, and a main road comes near the Masselink Clearing. Since a right-of-way easement is afforded to each farmer, a 20 foot lane is made through the Blaauw farm to GH's land. This easement remains in the Masselink name for many years. The Blaauw Farm is owned by Ray Blaauw (1883-1956) and is sold by his heirs around 1956 Nov 22. This farm is located 3 miles south, 3 miles west and 1/2 mile south of Fremont or 4 miles east and 1/2 mile south of Holton (within Section 8, 17 and/or 18 of Sheridan Township).
1890 Mar 29 Son Herman born in their new log cabin.
1890 The Reeman CRC that GH and his family attends is officially organized. Reeman by this time also has a general store (which is later owned by GH's daughter Annie's husband, Garret Hamberg). The Reeman Christian Reformed Church is now located at 6121 S. Fitzgerald Ave., Fremont MI 49412. Even today, Reeman is still not really a town. It remains more of a crossroads southwest of Fremont with nothing more than a feed mill, a general store and a church. More information about Reeman is available at the library in Fremont. MI and in White Cloud, MI.
1891 Sep 23 Son Johannes (John) is born in their cabin.
1891 or 1892 A Dutch language family Bible is purchased from a salesman who came to the door of their cabin. It is a great financial strain on their meager resources, but it is a must on GH's want list because of his great love for the Bible. Significant family events are recorded in Etta's Dutch and German handwriting, to include the family marriages, births, deaths and special remembrances. This Bible is kept on a small table and is used frequently. [NOTE: Web page author Thomas Masselink has this original Bible...the cover is not attached and the first 20 or so pages are damaged, but the rest of the Bible is in reasonably good condition, to include Etta's handwritten notes in German about various events in their family's life. Although the Bible is written in Dutch, the picture captions are in both Dutch and English.]
1892 Dec 18 Son Herman dies at home after he accidentally falls into a tub of scalding hot water in the kitchen of their log cabin while playing with his nine year old brother, Henry, on either Saturday bath day, December 17, or Monday wash day, December 12. As a result of the accident, Herman dies soon after on Sunday, December 18 at the age of two and is buried in an unmarked grave alongside the fence next to the office of the Fremont Cemetery. Henry never forgets this tragic death. GH and Etta become discouraged about their life in Michigan and Providence seems to point the way to a fresh start in Iowa.
IOWA
1893 Spring. A cousin, Rev. Henry Walkotten, (GH's mother's maiden name was Walkotten) preached once in their little church in Reeman and he advised GH to move to Wright County, Iowa. He told GH that "This is no place for you with your growing family. You must move to Iowa. I know some people there and they will help you get a farm." GH agreed to do so and in the Spring of 1893 the family moves to Kanawha, Wright County, IA. There are many kind, generous, and helpful people in this world, but none more so than the dear people of unheard-of-Christian concern who welcomed GH and his family. They arrive almost penniless with seven people, including five children under the age of ten...and with one on the way! Yes, they had located a farm for them in what is still today one of the most fertile areas in the country. Yes, they would help them buy it. People are still living on the farm but yes, they could stay in the two large front rooms of the Siemen's home for several months until their new farm is vacated and their old farm in Michigan is sold.
1893 Apr 29 The Reeman farm is sold to Gerrit J. Welink after GH and family arrive in Wright County, IA. The farm is sold for $1,050 and the mortgage balance of $300 is paid to a Minerva J. Covell. The Warranty Deed describes this sale as: "All certain piece or parcel of land situated and being in the Township of Sheridan, County of Newaygo and State of Michigan, and describe as follows, to wit: West half (1/2) of North West quarter (1/4) of Section Seventeen (17) in Township Twelve (12) North of Range Fourteen (14) West. Except ninety acres off South end forty rods North and South by eighty rods East and West. Also excepting a private way on road 1 1/2 one-one half rods wide of East of the Southeast quarter". (A rod equals 16.5 feet)
1893 May 29 Daughter Antje (Annie) is born in the living room of the Siemen's home in Wright County, Iowa.
The farm in Kanawha, IA, however, is not to be their home as something happens that changes the course of their lives. A new Christian Reformed Church is being organized in the small town of Meservey, IA (about 30 miles east of Kanawha, IA) and a delegation is sent to GH telling him of their need for a church leader to read sermons and to teach catechism classes. They knew that GH was an elder in Michigan and they told him that it would be a God-send if he would join them in Meservey. There are two things that GH finds hard to resist: The call to adventure and the call to be of service to the church and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. So he thanked the good people of Kanawha for all they had done, loaded their trunks on a wagon and without ever moving onto the farm in Kanawha set out for a place he had never heard of: Meservey, Cerro Gordo County, IA. (Meservey is located near Mason City, IA)
1893 Summer There is a 40 acre farm with a small house and several buildings for sale located next to the railroad tracks just outside of Meservey. Using the few dollars that they had and without further investigation, GH buys it. What he does not know is that the land is mostly swamp and ponds (called moor and heath in those days). Each spring several large ponds cover most of the usable acreage. In addition, about the time that GH buys the farm, the Panic of '93 ensues.
The Panic of 1893 - also known as the Cleveland Panic - is a serious economic depression in the United States that begins in 1893 and caused by the overbuilding and shaky financing of railroads and the resultant series of bank failures. Compounding this railroad bubble is a run on the nation's gold supply. The Panic of '93 is the worst economic depression the United States experiences up to this time. One of the first signs of trouble comes ten days before the inauguration of President Cleveland on 1893 Feb 23 with the bankruptcy of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. The US economy does not begin to recover until 1897. Farm prices became so depressed that it took a rail car of grain to buy some books for the Meservey school.
It is now the Summer of 1893 and with six small children, the going is a bit rough. GH gets a job helping a butcher during most of his stay in Meservey and together they slaughter cows and hogs. In addition to a small wage, GH also gets the chitterlings (i.e., the head, tail, feet, heart and liver of the carcasses). From these, Etta makes head cheese, bean soup, and other edibles. Along with their garden, they have food for the table and now and then, he is allowed to take home a piece of meat. Speculation: Herman Fischer owns a meat market in Meservey and this is probably who GH works for in Meservey. GH is chosen as an elder of the small Meservey Christian Reformed Church. He reads sermons on Sunday and teaches catechism on Saturday. During the week, he also travels to a nearby town in order to teach a "Sunday School" class. Life is hard but endurable. (The Christian Reformed Church is located 3 miles south of Meservey and the church building is later purchased by the Reformed Church...there is no Christian Reformed Church in Meservey today).
1895 Jul 4 Son Gerrit (George) is born in Meservey, IA.
1897 Feb 15 Son Willem (William) is born in Meservey, IA.
1897 The mortgage on the farm is due, so GH borrows one hundred dollars at the bank for taxes and the interest on the mortgage. At the end of the year, GH does not have the money to pay back the loan and the mortgage payment, so the sheriff makes arrangements for a bankruptcy sale. The prospects are bleak for the family which in the meantime were blessed with the birth of two more sons, George and William. On the very day when things look the worst, GH stops by the Post Office on his way to work to ask if there is any mail for him. Yes there is, a letter from Germany. Nervously he opens the letter. It is from Etta's brother, Reemt Poets of Emden, Germany. He had read about the Panic in America, and thinking that they might need some money, he enclosed a postal money order for 400 marks. GH cashes the money order at the Post office and receives $104.00. From there, he goes to the bank and gives the teller the $100 he owes. The banker is so amazed that he asks where GH got that much money. GH replies that the Lord sent it (Talk about Elijah and the ravens!... See I Kings 17:6). With the remaining $4.00 he buys a pound each of coffee and sugar (they had been drinking parched corn) and a 3 cent green glass salt cellar with a chip out of the corner. GH still has $3.23 when he returns home. This is a great day for rejoicing and thanksgiving, and this day is never forgotten and this story is retold many, many times. This proved to be the "darkest before the dawn".
1898 About a year after the foreclosure events, GH is passing by the bank when the banker asks him to step inside. "I'm intending to build a house," he said, "and your farm just outside of town would be the ideal place. I will give you $2,000 for your farm." GH looks perplexed. The banker tells GH that the bank has a repossessed 160 acre farm about 5 1/2 miles south of town and that GH can use the $2,000 as a down payment. The buildings are vacant, so they can move right in. It all seems too good to be true, but it is real. So after a few weeks, they are on their way to their new home.
The 19th Century goes out on a happy note and the 20th Century looks like a new sunrise. The economy is picking up and over the next few years there are good crops. Their new farm has a schoolhouse on the property, and that is where Henry and Paul Reemt complete the 8th grade. But that is the end of their formal education, as both of them now need work in the field full time. About this time, a city church sends a clothing barrel to Meservey and one of the items is a swallow tailed coat that fits John, which he proudly wears to school.
1900 The population of Meservey, Cerro Gordo County, IA, is 192, with the Masselink family alone comprising some 6% of the town's total population. [Cerro Gordo County takes its name from the Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican–American War, where General Winfield Scott defeats the Mexican General Santa Anna on 1847 Apr 18. Cerro Gordo County is also the site of an airplane crash north of Clear Lake, IA in which rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed 1959 Feb 3.]
1900 Jun 14 Census: Grimes, Cerro Gordo, IA; GH goes by 'Henry'; He is 41, Etta 39, Henry 16 and Paul Reemt 15 (listed as farm labor), Gertie 12, Andrew 11, John 9, Annie 7, George 4 and William 3.
1901 MAY 1 Their last child, Edward Johann, is born in Meservey, IA. After school, the teacher and the entire student population come to see the new baby.
MINNESOTA
The Panic is over and things began to boom. The Iowa farm is sold at a $2,000 profit after the little Meservey Christian Reformed Church disbands and GH will not live where there is no Christian Reformed Church nearby. GH first considers moving to Sioux County, IA but he thinks that the land there is too expensive. So armed with his "untold wealth" (i.e., the profit from the sale of his farm), GH sets out instead for Hull, ND at the urging of Rev. Ahuis, who reports that a section of land can be purchased for about a dollar an acre. On GH's train trip to North Dakota he travels through Edgerton, MN, which is a prosperous area with very fertile land. When GH arrives at the end of the rail line at Egan, SD he transfers to another train that takes him to Aberdeen, SD. It is a dry year in South Dakota and the farmers and farms look destitute. Since he cannot get a train to Hull for three or four days, he starts walking to his destination, some 116 miles away. GH soon becomes discouraged because of drought, terrific heat and lonesomeness. The people he meets on the road discourage him from going further by telling him about even worse conditions further west. GH finally turns back, feeling blue because this is the first time in his life that he had really set his mind on something and had not carried it through.
GH later decides to check out Edgerton, Minnesota. He goes to the Meservey depot and buys a ticket to Edgerton. When he gets off the train, he is in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Undaunted, he buys another ticket to Edgerton, Minnesota. On the way he has a layover at La Cross, Wisconsin. During the wait, GH goes to the John A. Salzer Nursery and for years afterward, he orders a barrel of greening apples from Salzer.
GH likes what he sees in Edgerton and inquires if there are any farms for sale. He is directed to Martin Kallemyn, who has a farm near Leota, MN, and per the paragraph below, Martin has already induced many others to locate there. GH buys Kallemeyn's 160 acre (a quarter section) farm for $40 an acre and returns to Iowa get his family. This farm (located in Moulton Township, Murray County, MN and about four miles east and 1.5 miles south of Edgerton) becomes the Masselink homestead and still remains in the extended Masselink family. The farm is subsequently owned by GH's son Andrew and then by GH's granddaughter Margaret (Lucy) Masselink Blom. It is currently owned by GH's great-grandson, Phillip Blom
[In 1889, Martin (Maartin) Kallemyn came to Nobles County and bought 200 acres of land in section 9, Leota Township, where he lived for three years. He then bought a half section in Murray County and farmed there for eight years. He then spent the next six years in Leota, three and one-half years of which he delivered mail out of Leota. In 1900 he bought a sixty acre tract of land in section 6 and lived there. Kallemyn was the first Hollander to locate in Leota Township, and he was responsible for the settlement of other Hollanders in that area. Being pleased with the county to which he had come in 1889, he visited the Hollander settlement in Sioux County, Iowa, and induced many to sell and relocate to the Leota area. He told them that "All who came and have remained there have prospered".] In 1908, GH's eldest daughter, Gertie Masselink (1887), marries Martin Kallemyn's son, John Kallemyn (1882-1969).
1901 GH, Etta and family arrive in Minnesota and face a completely different panorama. They come with a bustling family of seven charging boys and two up and coming girls. Son Henry is going on nineteen and the others are not far behind. George, William and Edward attend the District 90 public school in rural Edgerton. The four older children are ready to take over the farm, and from then on, GH and Etta's role is largely supervisory until they and their five youngest children move to Grand Rapids, MI in 1914.
The farm was located closer to Leota the Edgerton. This was an important consideration, as it identified them not only with the Leota community instead of Edgerton's, but with Leota's Christian Reformed Church as well.
1902 Jan A Sunday School is organized at the Leota CRC and GH becomes one of the first Sunday School teachers. Later, GH's daughter, Annie, becomes one of the church organists.
Most of their daily needs are bought at the Leota General Store which is owned by the De Boer brothers. Everything could be purchased there, from crackers to farm machinery. Their children go to school in Edgerton. Grain is bought, sold and ground for farm use at the Edgerton Flour Mill located on a hill just east of the town. [The Census Bureau classifies Leota as a census-designated place (CDP). CDPs are populated areas that lack separate municipal government, but which otherwise physically resemble incorporated places. Edgerton is classified as a city with a population of around 1,100.]
1904 Leota's Christian Reformed Church of Leota welcomes a new preacher, Rev. Johann Gulker, who came to America on the same ship as GH's wife, Etta Poets. His spiritual influence in the Masselink home is a real blessing. He serves the Leota church from 1904 to 1914.
"There were several strands of thinking in their local church, each with its own definite characteristics. This sets the stage for some rather hefty discussions, some of which are very set in cement. There could be controversy and division, but it always had substance. Some individuals, as well as churches, so completely lack backbone and convictions that they cannot fight, all they can do is quarrel. After GH arrives in Leota, he became a part of that complex. He rejects hard bound legalism and blind traditionalism, and usually takes the broader and more compassionate appraisal of the situation" - Rev Dr Edward Masselink
1907 Oct 31 GH's father, Hendrik, dies in Graafschap, Michigan.
1908 A Moulton Township, Murray, MN map shows GH owning 240 acres of farm land in Section 32.
1910 Etta (49) and GH (52) visit their homeland in Germany; They return via Hamburg, Germany on 1910 Apr 2 to New York City with second class accommodations aboard the German steamship President Lincoln of the Hamburg-Amerika Line (See picture at the bottom of the page); On the ship's manifest, their nationality is listed as "American" and their residence is shown as Edgerton, MN.
1910 May 3 Census: Moulton, Murray, MN; GH owns a farm with a mortgage and is listed as 'George H. Masselink'; GH is shown as a naturalized citizen, but there is no entry for Etta; Shows 1882 as the immigration year for both GH and Etta; GH is 52, Etta 48, Henry 26, Paul Reemt 25, Andrew 21, Johannas (John) 16, George H. 14, William 9 (Edward is not listed); Etta's sister Katrina Poets (37) and nephew Jacobus Fritzen (17) are living with them on the farm; The census also shows that both of Katrina's and Jacobus's parents were born in Germany, both Katrina and Jacobus immigrated in 1910, both are registered as aliens, and that Fritz is a carpenter doing day jobs.
1911 Berendena (Bena) Beckering (Andrew's future wife) and GH's children Annie, Andrew, and Paul Reemt are all members of their Christian Reformed Church's Young People's Society.
RETIREMENT
1915 Jan 8 GH prepares to move to Grand Rapids with Etta and the 5 youngest children by holding a public auction at his farm located 4 miles east and 1/2 mile south of Edgerton; Earns $4,200 by selling 18 horses, 60 head of cattle and various farm machinery
1915 JAN 11 The four oldest children are married and the remaining family, to include their five youngest children, move to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their four oldest remain in Minnesota and the three oldest sons are farmers in the Edgerton-Leota area. The younger children are taken to Grand Rapids to give them an education in the Christian School system. In GH's Dutch family Bible under the heading Herinneringen (Remembrances), Etta writes just one entry and her hand written note in German is translated as: "We came to Grand Rapids, Mich on 11 Jan. 1915 with 5 young children so they could go to the Christian School". They stay until their youngest, Edward, finishes at Baxter Christian School and then Calvin Prep (like high school today).
1915 Jul 13 Etta's father, Poet Reemt Poets, dies in Emden, Germany.
1916 Oct 4 In order to train their own Christian Reformed pastors and teachers, German-speakers establish a college with plans for a seminary in Grundy Center, IA. Mainly for lack of denominational cooperation, it folds by 1934, to the bitter disappointment of Christian Reformed German-Americans. Grundy Center in the years 1916-1920 is a religious town, but it's not dominated by religion. No church holds three services on Sunday - even the college church has only two, one in Dutch and one in German. The school has no prayers, silent or vocal, and there is no Bible study or Bible clubs. Dancing is taught and in the spring, some students dance around a maypole holding a ribbon. The college church is mainly comprised of students, professors, their families and a few local residents. The town also has Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Catholic Churches.
About 1916 GH and Etta move to Grundy Center, IA so sons George, John, William and Edward can attend Grundy College and Seminary. "They were a kindly family".
1920 GH writes a letter in German to Germany; Photocopy of this letter is in the Calvin Historical Library: Masselink, G.H. Letter, 1920. 1 item, photocopy, with transcription. Edgerton , Minnesota – Germany ; G.H. Masselink to family
1927 SEP 2 GH is "summoned by the grim reaper" and dies of a myocardium (heart failure) in Holland, Michigan at the home of his son, William; GH was preparing to return home to Edgerton and his son Edward just arranged for his parents return trip; GH's daughter Annie Masselink Post is working as a housekeeper in William's home; Etta writes in German in the family Bible, translated as: "My beloved husband dies on 2 Sept 1927 in Holland Mich. buried in Leota's Church Cemetery September".
1941 APR 20 Etta lives at 742 11th ST NW, Grand Rapids, MI near her son William who resides close by in the Parsonage of the Alpine Avenue Christian Reformed Church.
1949 AUG 28 Etta dies and is buried in the Leota Cemetery in Leota, MN. She was living in the Edgerton, MN area at the time of her death.
The three oldest sons take up farm life; The four younger boys became ministers and serve many congregations; Youngest daughter Annie marries Rev. Ben Post.
Most of the recollections above are by GH's youngest son, Rev. Dr. Edward Masselink.
The next generation (GENERATION NINE) is pictured below. Click on the pictures below for an expanded view.
GENERATION NINE
The Children of Gerrit Henry (GH) and Etta Masselink
The Children of Gerrit Henry (GH) and Etta Masselink