The following is an excerpt from a story that was written by the editor of The Pella Chronicle, in Pella, Iowa, and published in that paper on Thursday, June 14, 1934. I posted it some years ago, but am posting it again because so many of my family have since become friends on facebook. The article describes all four of my dads grandparents. I have added photos of my dads paternal grandfather, Dan Sytsma, and my dads maternal grandfather, Joe McCombs. #throwbackThursday Weekly Visits with Friends from the Farm ----- MRS. M. SYTSMA WAS BORN IN A LOG STRUCTURE ----- Joe McCombs Ancestors in America before the Revolutionary War . . . If one takes a visit over the road south of the Mrs. Chas. Van Zante home, eight miles southeast of town, he sees scenery that is more like that of the southern mountain states than of prairie Iowa. There are high hills, rocks and the famous red gulleys down which we exercised our pants when boys. We can see land that has not long been cleared of timber. Frankly, this writer likes to see it. It reminds him of his old home in Virginia. Another thing we discovered is that the above mentioned road is the dividing line between Marion and Mahaska counties, the farms on one side being in one county and those on the other side in the other county. JOE McCOMBS In that section the Dutch and the Scotch seemed to have mixed. The name Mc. has a Scotch ring. And so it is. However, Mr. McCombs never saw Scotland. Neither did his most immediate ancestors. He, his father and grandfather were all born on this side of the big pond. The McCombs came over at a day far in advance of the Holland immigrants. His great grandfather McCombs was here ahead of the Revolutionary War and his father was born in Ohio. Here is where the Dutch step on the scene. Mrs. McCombs was a Brock before her marriage. Born in Holland, at the age of nine years she went with her parents to Germany to live and lived there long enough for her to learn the German language. She can, therefore, speak three languages, the German, Dutch and English. Lived There 35 Years On this farm, which Mr. McCombs bought from the Vander Kraan estate, they have lived for 35 years. He bought 90 acres for $34.00 an acre. The Vander Kraan boys, William and Henry, of Prairie City were born on the farm across the road, which they still own. Recounting his struggles in paying for the land, Mr. McCombs said he had some money, but he had to borrow $2,500. He was able to pay back the loan in a few years. On top of this, he made $1,500 and then lost it by loaning it out, he says. Mr. McCombs first work was on the railroad at $1.00 a day. He worked on the section of the Rock Island, the Knoxville-Oskaloosa branch, which runs near his house, for seven years, making 13 years in all. With his first money he bought a horse, mortgaged that one and bought another. Not In Retiring Mood Asked when he expected to retire from the life on the farm and settled down to leisure, he said that he did not know that he would ever retire. He had reasons for it. He says it costs too much to live in town. He declares that he does not work much, but he likes to milk cows and feed cattle and hogs, and that he would not be satisfied, as long as he is able to work, with any other kind of life. Mr. McCombs has made many improvements on the farm, and he says that others need to be made, but adds that this is out of the question now, as high prices for material and low farm income make it prohibitive. Recalls Last Bad Drouth The worst drouth that Mr. McCombs experienced prior to this one was in 1894. As now, pastures and small grain burned up and the water supply failed. The peak of destruction that year was reached in July and August. His impression is that the drouth of 1871, of which we hear so much, was confined to the summer growing and harvesting season, not to the winter, as it has been with us. Mr. McCombs has a nice place, an ideal place to spend an afternoon. There was an abundance of shade where we sat in the yard under big trees Thursday afternoon and a good breeze was whistling through the trees. Twelve children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McCombs. A boy died forty years ago. G. H. Wormhoudt was the undertaker who had charge of the funeral. Large Families Then and Now The eleven living children are: Mrs. Bert Sytsma, Mrs. Bert Blakely, and M. V. McCombs, all of Eddyville, John and Abe McCombs of Lovilia, Arthur McCombs of Albia, Mrs. John Sytsma of Jackson, Minn., Mrs. Levi De Geest of Staples, Minn., Alfred McCombs of Graettinger, Iowa, Mrs. Harry Steinkamp of Oskaloosa and Alex McCombs, at home. Asked if it was not easier to raise large families then than now, Mr. McCombs says they always managed to get along. He says so few raise large families now they dont know if it is hard or easy. Not for Dan Turner Mr. McCombs regrets that Turner was nominated for governor and hopes that he will be defeated in the fall election. He says that Herring is the best governor that Iowa has ever had and that he should be re-elected. Mr. McCombs approves the sales tax, believing that effective operation will eventually relieve the burdened property owner. He says that there is evidently much corn in the country, but little in this section, and that is very high. He paid 52 cents a bushel for some the day before our visit there. He says that if it is true that 150,000,000 bushels of corn has been sealed in Iowa, he wonders where it came from. DAN AND MURRAY SYTSMA Over the hills and through a gate to a point in sight of the Des Moines River, and on a high hill, with a commanding view of the scenery below, is the earthly habitation of Dan and Murray Sytsma, father and son. Eighteen months ago, Murray decided he was pretty well fixed with the exception that he did not have a wife, and he picked one of the fair maidens of the river bottom. Knowing that family as we do, our guess is that he made a wise choice. The editor and his three boys were met at the door by Mrs. Murray Sytsma. How time flies. Seems but a few short months, although it has been two years since the editor and Neal Goemaat visited the Henry Van Oene family and saw Mr. and Mrs. Van Oene and their five daughters, including Lizzie, now the wife of Murray Sytsma. Now she is married and has a two months old baby. Her name is Edith Mae. Although she weighed but four pounds at birth, she has the promise of being a husky looking miss. Thursday, she was bothered with colic and did not care to be entertained. Another Large Family Mrs. Dan Sytsma died several years ago. She was a member of the famous Nossaman family. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sytsma. Besides Murray, they are as follows: Will Sytsma of New Sharon, Daniel Sytsma of Bussey, John Sytsma of Jackson, Minn., Bert Sytsma of Eddyville, Mrs. Eliza Johnson, Mrs. Cora McCombs, Mrs. Eva Seeman and Mrs. Vana Peters, all of Oskaloosa, Mrs. Myrl Kamerick, south of town, and Mary Sytsma at home. Mrs. Murray Sytsma has three sisters at home. They are Anna, Cornelia and Elsie. Jacoba was married a month ago to Abraham De Zwarte, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. A. De Zwarte. Born in a Log House Mrs. Sytsma has the unusual distinction for one so young to have been born in a log house. The event took place on the site of the John Rebertus home. The log structure burned down and was replaced by the present frame house. Two of the persons we were to visit were not at home. They were Alex De Geest and John Nossaman. Mr. Nossaman lives at the edge of a field near the river. We were later informed that he was probably at the river fishing. Sorry we did not see him, as he no doubt has some valuable history. 50 Years on Farm After leaving the De Geest home, we saw a man working on a fence, it was Dan Sytsma. He was putting in a new fence, which had to be taken out to widen the road. By the way, that is a fine road and looks like a real highway. Mr. Sytsma bought that farm 50 years ago. The land lies in both Marion and Mahaska counties. Then it was nothing but timber, not a building on it, and Mr. Sytsma says he had to do a lot of work to get it ready to build on. He pointed out a part of it, showing numerous stumps. Mr. Sytsma invited the writer to call again when he could be at home. He said, I would go back with you now, but I have to get this work done. He can count on a visit in the near future. . . . .
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:14:30 +0000
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