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.

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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.

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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]

Family/Spouse: Elmer Williams. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Ella

Altje married Harm Jan Meester on 19 Feb 1908. Harm was born on 12 Apr 1881; died on 29 Dec 1947; was buried in State Line Cemetery, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Ellsworth, MN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Date taken from headstone.

Died:
On 22 March 2020 during the Covid-19 outbreak, Shirlee DeHaan recounts this about John's death:

March 1919, this man-John DeHaan-became a victim of the Flu of 1918 (Spanish flu). He left behind his wife and two young sons, ages 3 and 4.5 years. He was the grandfather we never knew...He was recovering and went out to do chores; relapsed, caught pneumonia and died. Grandma would talk to mom when they were alone. She never talked about him to us kids or in front of grandpa Ben.

John married Mabel Adelia Schlotfeldt on 14 Jan 1914 in George, Lyon County, IA. Mabel (daughter of Henry Hans Schlotfeldt and Gesina M. Scherff) was born on 4 Nov 1894; died on 12 Jun 1970. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Harry N Cone. Harry was buried in Rock Rapids, IA - River View Cemetary. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Helen Dehaan

Family/Spouse: Charles Henry Busch. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Anna married Charles Harms in 1917. Charles (son of Wiebe Harms and Maltilda Schultz) was born on 18 Jun 1890 in Iowa, USA; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Leroy Milo Johnson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Becky VanDyke states that he lived in Rock Rapids, IA in 1776.

Family/Spouse: Ruth Hoogland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Alice Anne Haymann. Alice was born in Private. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Funeral Announcement

John DeHaan, age 78, of Hills, MN died Sunday at Royal C. Johnson Veterans Memorial Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD following an extended illness. Funeral services will be 10:00 AM Wednesday at Apostolic Christian Church in Lester, Iowa with the Church Ministers officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be 2979 PM Tuesday at the Apostolic Christian Fellowship Hall in Lester with the family present from 7979 PM. Roste Funeral Home of Rock Rapids is in charge of arrangements.

John DeHaan was born March 2, 1916 at Rock Rapids, Iowa the son of John and Mabel (Schlotfeldt) DeHann. He grew up and attended school near Rock Rapids. During World War II, John served his country in the United States Army Air Force, first stateside and later in the South Pacific.

On August 22, 1942 John was united in marriage to lone Moser at Dakota City, Nebraska. After their marriage John returned to active duty until receiving his honorable discharge on October 25, 1945. John and lone moved to Hills, Minnesota where they farmed for six years John then started his own construction company, DeHaan Construction, and did general construction until retiring in 1981. In February of 1994. he became ill and for the past several months has been in and out of the hospital. Last Sunday morning John died at the Royal C. Johnson Veterans Memorial Hospital in Sioux Falls at the age of seventy-eight.
Surviving are his wife of fifty one years, lone of Hills, Minnesota along with four children, Susan Vander Wolde and her husband Arlen of Valley Springs, South Dakota; Sharon Gerber and her husband, Ernest of Danville, Indiana; Tim DeHaan, and his wife, Lois of Hills, Minnesota and Shirlee DeHaan of Sioux Falls. Also surviving are sixteen grandchildren, two Great-grandchildren and one brother, Roy DeHaan and his wife, Alice of Inwood, Iowa. Preceding John in death were his parents, John and Mabel DeHaan and his stepfather, Ben Cutler.

John married Ione Louella Moser on 22 Aug 1942 in Dakota City, Dakota County, Nebraska, USA. Ione (daughter of John Moser and Rose Celia Kellenberger) was born on 14 May 1919 in Lester, Lyon County, Iowa, USA; died on 27 Jan 2005 in Hills, Rock County, Minnesota, USA; was buried on 31 Jan 2005 in Apostolic Christian Church Cemetary-Lester, IA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Lucy Busch

Notes:

Lana Kratz of Texas is the daughter of Lucy Busch.

Lucille married Ernest Peter Huisman on 10 Dec 1941 in Rushmore, Nobles County, MN. Ernest was born on 25 Dec 1918; died on 27 Nov 1960. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Gladys Christensen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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

Family/Spouse: Linda Sandholm. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Roger R. Klaassen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Donna Hitt. Donna was born in 1948; died in 1971. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Born in Rock Rapids, IA

Sharon married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]