Family/Spouse: Ellen Marks. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Leroy married Engel Buus Meester. Engel (daughter of Harm Jan Meester and Altje Dehaan) was born on 10 Jan 1909; died on 19 Oct 1972. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Harm married Altje Dehaan on 19 Feb 1908. Altje (daughter of Johann Berends Haan and Hilka Garrels) was born on 31 Aug 1888; died on 25 Apr 1976; was buried in State Line Cemetery, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Ellsworth, MN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Ella

Notes:

Possibly born in 1867 as tombstone states.

John Haan changed his name to DeHaan due to mail delivery confusion. The 1910 shows another John Haan family a few houses down, likely the cause of the confusion.

From www.alaska.net/~dsewell/:

According to a article that I have called "A Short Survey of Friesian History by Bernard J. Fridsma, Sr.", the first recording of the Friesians was about 1,000 years ago when they were living on the coast of the North Sea between the Ems and Rhine Rivers. Where they came from is pretty foggy but that they started reclaiming the muddy land from the sea is evident. Eventually the country called Friesia covered the whole coast of what is now The Netherlands and Germany. For centuries they fought off invaders. Unfortunately when they weren't fighting with others they fought with each other over control. (Sound familiar?) Finally, after a series of name changes and being divided and re-divided between 1798 and 1810 under Napoleon, Friesia lost it's ancient name. It now remains only in the province (state?) of Friesia in the north west corner of The Netherlands and in our beloved Ostfriesland (East Friesia) in Germany.


IN THE USA
From 1850 to 1900 there was a mass immigration from this the Ostfriesland area of Germany due to war and wide spread hunger. It was a chance for the common man to improve his families lot in life. Most of this group settled in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin. In some of the German villages over half of the population departed. The port of entry for a large percentage of the immigrants was New Orleans. They then traveled up the Mississippi River to the Heartland of America.

For the settlement of the farm country of Illinois timing was everything. Much of this area was sparsely settled because the land was wet, heavy black gumbo, covered with deep rooted prairie grass. It was impossible to plow without stopping every few feet to clean the blade. Then the curved "self cleaning" plow was invented and perforated tile was installed around the fields and the land rush was on. A far seeing man named Scully bought a huge portion of the land and paid the fare for families from his native land to come and be tenant farmers. Of course many paid their own way and worked in other jobs.

This was an industrious group and they did well in their new land. For many years they kept their old customs and spoke Low German so named for the low, flat terrain of their native land, reclaimed from the North Sea. Then came WW1 and to be German was shameful in America. Everyone was anxious to appear patriotic so much of our heritage was lost. The few that appeared too loyal to Germany had their houses and fences painted yellow by "real Americans" in the middle of the night. My grandfather was one of them but his reaction was not of fear but of defiance (or stubbornness, depending on how you look at it). "If a yellow house means I'm German then I will show that I'm proud of it." he said (in German, of course). He painted the rest of the house yellow and that is the color it stayed until he died.

____
John took the surname "DeHaan" when he arrive at Rock Rapids, IA. The story was passed down that this was done due to mail delivery problems with another John Haan family down the road. The census data confirms this was his first cousin married to Bessie Rieman.

______
From "In and Around George" 1871-1912
John De Haan -- and his wife lived here from 1890 (perhaps earlier) until 1895. At. that time they lived near Lyon County First Presbyterian Church and near Rev. Henry Wortman's home. The children remember how often the Wortman children would stay with them when their parents were busy. In 1895 they moved to Riverside Township, and later they returned to George, living at 107 West Indiana Avenue. Their children were John (married Mabel Schlotfeldt); Ella (Mrs. Harm Meester); Agnes (Mrs. Harry Cone); Helen (Mrs. Charley Busch); Anna (Mrs. Charley Harms); and Elizabeth (Mrs. Elmer Williams).

On the picture with Mr. and Mrs. De Haan is their grandson Win Harms.

Johann married Hilka Garrels on 18 Aug 1887 in Grundy Center, IA. Hilka (daughter of Garrett F Garrels and Antje Klingenberg) was born on 23 Jun 1867 in Germany (Most Likely Ostfriesland); died on 6 Jul 1937; was buried in Colfax Center Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Grundy, IA USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• : 16 May 1984, Grundy Center, IA

Notes:

1895 Census confirms birth year. 1915 Iowa census shows an HL Garrels from Canaan, Henry Iowa at about the same age. It is possible he is a brother. He lists Germany as his birth place. Also listed in Henry, IA is an Albert L Garrels in 1930 census (about same age).

Iowa Death Records show her mother's name is Aije, not Antje as it appears on the ship's passenger manifest. It seems to indicate her maiden name was Klingenborg

Garrels were also present in Ireton, IA. The earliest known from 1839 could have been her mother. At least one of Hilka's children was born in Matlock, Sioux County, IA, which is very close to Ireton. Appears to be many Haans in the area as well, so this is likely the family that appears to be related to Hilka.

1880 Census shows a Harmon Garrels and siblings living with Weert and Sara Garrels in Franklin, Des Moines, IA. His birthplace is listed as Ostories Laduch.

1920 Census confirms German heritage. So does her obituary.

It is unclear at this point the exact location from which Hilka emigrated. Census data and her obituary shows she came from Germany, and her name is spelled "Hilke", the German form. According to her obituary she is from the Emden area, Ostfriesland, Germany. Emden may have been her port of departure. Most immigrants from Germany at that time came to the US through New Orleans.

Lana Kratz, a decendent of Hilka, stated in an email that her mother told her that Hilka was from Emden. It is unknown as to where her mother received that information. It was possibly passed down from generation to generation. It is confirmed by information of Familysearch.org.

There is another family from the same area (Theodorus Garrels and Hilke, or Hilka according to census, Harms) who came from Germany. Hilka came from Ostfriesland, but it is unclear the origin of Theodorus. In any case, their families have many similarities. Birth dates of the children are within 2 years from each other. Their childrens names are Trientje (Trina), Agnes (?), Harm, Elske (or Elka), Helen (Hilka). Theodorus and Hilke Harms were married in Parkersburg, Butler County, IA. You will find Haan's and Garrels both in that county. In fact, there was a Bena Garrels born in Emden who immigrated with her parents, Jacob Sluiter and Anna Garrels.

From Appledorn genealogy:
[387] Theodorus Garrels married Hilke Heren Harms in 1885. Mrs. Garrels was born Hilke Heren in Ogle County, llinois. Her parents died when she was very young and she lived with the Wesley Harms family. At the age of eight 8
moved with her foster parents to near Parkersburg, Iowa where she lived for many years. Here she met Mr. Garrels. They were married and soon after that moved to Lyon County. The Garrels farmed until they retired to George many years later.


[386] [SOURCE] "In and Around George, Iowa 1871 - 1912" [GEO 0148]
Cresent Publishing Company, Hills, Minnesota, 1971
reprinted: Kruger Office Supply, George, Iowa, 1998

[384] [SOURCE] 1900 USA Census - Iowa (Lyon County), Wheeler Township
Supervisor District No.: 11; Enumeration District No.: 57
Page 74A; Sheet: 10; Line: 46

[385] [SOURCE] Germans to America, Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby, Scholarly Resources
listed as Garrels, Theod., age: 22; ship's name: Weser
manifest ID: 36138, embarkation: Bremen, debarkation: -