Barsema Family of Holland

Effie Barsema and Marguerite Durr Barsema

Peter Barsema came to the United States 13 October 1873 in the ship Nevada. He was born in March of 1848 in Grotingen, Holland. He married Marguerite Durr. On the passenger list she is listed as "Greetja". Peter was a straw peddler in Chicago. He is listed in several books about the area.

Peter and Marguerite had nine children. Two must have died as infants as in the 1910 census it says Marguerite had nine children but only seven are living. Some of their children were Fannie (1874), Nellie (1877), Effie (1879), Theresa (1889), Louis (1891), and Clarence (1893). Apparently the three unknown children were born between Effie and Theresa.

Daughter Nellie married Fred C. Oldenberg 29 April 1896 in Chicago. Daughter Effie married Charles C. Kruse in 1904 in Chicago. Daughter Theresa married Charles Bennecke. Clarence married an Ida and Louis a Myrtle. Effie, Louis, and Clarence seem to stay in close touch and are either living in the same household or next door. Also next to Effie and Clarence in 1930 is a William Barsema family. William must be either a brother or cousin of Peter. Perhaps after Peter's death he is staying close to the family.

William is born in 1857 in Holland and is married to Nellie. They have children Cornelius, Nellie, Gertrude, Kathleen, Bertha, and William Jr. The Barsema families seem to remain in the Proviso, Cook, Illinois area.

Beginning Life in Clam Lake, Wisconsin

As this bad economic period begins it brings me back to the 1929 depression. My parents were married in 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. With the job losses at that time they decided to move to some land they owned in rural Wisconsin.

A train took them to the town of Glidden about 20 miles from their land. Irma was dressed for the train journey in a suit and high heels. A freight wagon was hired to haul their baggage but it would not take passengers. Irma and Clarence had to walk. The wife finally removed her shoes and walked barefoot. What an introduction to Clam Lake, Wisconsin.

Kafka Goes to Ireland #3 Kafka the Pioneer Dog Series

Kafka Goes to Ireland

#3 Kafka the Pioneer Dog Series

Karl and Kafka take a trip to Ireland on a cruise ship. Karl's mother was from Ireland and he had always wanted to travel there. In Wexford, Ireland Karl met his Donnelly cousins Chris and Lockey and their children Ian and Thomas. The family takes them to see the Shannon River, the Rock of Cashel, and the Cliffs of Moher. One weekend they went to Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. Here they saw the Liffey River and Trinitiy College. A favorite trip for all of them was the ferry boat to the Aran Islands.

Karl and Kafka hated to leave Ireland and their Donnelly cousins but they needed to travel back to Wisconsin. Kafka hopes Ian and Thomas will come and visit him.

Kafka on the Wisconsin Farm-#2 Kafka, the Pioneer Dog Series

Kafka on the Wisconsin Farm

#2 Kafka, the Pioneer Dog Series

Kafka loves the many farm animals. Flossie and Belle are big horses that do work on the farm, give rides to church, and transport the family to town. Kafka and Georgie the cat enjoy the dairy cows and their rich milk. Soon they discover that a new family is moving next door. McKay, Lauren, and Emma are the children in the family and they love to play with Kafka and the other animals. Enjoy the adventures of building a barn, harvesting vegetables from the garden, and gathering in the grains.

Kafka on Lake Superior-#1 Kafka, the Pioneer Dog Series

Kafka on Lake Superior

#1 Kafka, the Pioneer Dog Series

Join in the adventures of Kafka, a young black labrador dog. Kafka and his owner Karl , a newspaper editor, enjoy the company of Sonja and her Grandfather. They visit Lake Superior where they go fishing. They go to Bayfield County where they enjoy the apples. Then they take a boat ride to the Apostle Island where they enjoy seeing a light house. Enjoy the colorful pictures of the area.

MATTHEW PATTON (PATON)

One of our great great great grandfathers was Matthew Patton. He was born about 1600 at Rosehall, Kilmarnock, Scotland. On 19 June 1639 he was married at Old Kirk Parish, Midlothian, Scotland. Matthew, a shoemaker in Newmilns, Scotland, was taken at Pentland, and executed at Glasgow, December 19, 1666.

Matthew Paton was tried along with three others who had been taken prisoner with him, and in site of every plea set up in their behalf all four were put to death. They were executed that day. "The men were most cheerful, and had much of a sense of the Divine love upon them, and a great deal of peace in their suffering." (Rambles Round Kilmarnock by Archibald R. Adamson, 1875).

Matthew was beheaded in the town square for his beliefs. The Stuart kings harboured the belief of the Divine Right of the Monarch. They believed that they were the spiritual heads of the Church of Scotland. The Covenanters believed that no man, not even a king, could be spiritual head of their church. Only Jesus Christ could be spritiual head of a Christian Church. There is a plaque and a monument erected in Matthew's honor.

The Kistler Family

George Washington Kistler was born 10 May 1833 in Cass County, Indiana and died 28 April 1900 in Soldier, Shawnee County, Kansas. He married Emily W. Martin 27 August 1856 in Carroll County, Indiana. Emily was born in 1834 in Pennsylvania and died in 1868 in Shawnee County, Kansas. George later married Mary Bond.

George and Emily had seven children: Frances (1857), Lewis C. (1859), Elnora (1861), Alvaretta (b and d. 1861}, Ida (1863), Charles (1864) and Emily (1867). The family lived in Soldier, Shawnee, Kansas.

George Kistler was the son of John and Frances Kistler. They came from Pennsylvania and settled in Cass County, Indiana. John Kistler was married four times. The last three times to women who already had families. Plus John also raised the children of two older daughters who passed away during childbirth. He frequently had a dozen children in his home: his own children, stepchildren, and grandchildren.