GENERATION 8 – MINNE HANS (HARRY) DE JONG>DEYOUNG AND YTJE F. HENDRIKS (DIJKSTRA) DYKSTRA

Minne Hans (Harry) de Jong>DeYoung was born on 27 Sep 1860 in Jelsum, Leeuwarderadeel, Netherlands .  He died on 11 Apr 1936 in Kent, Washington. He immigrated to the United States on 3/21/1882 with his brother Berend on the Amsterdam.  They left from Rotterdam and traveled by steerage. His occupation was listed as unskilled laborer.

In 1890, while living in Grand Rapids, Minne, married Ytje Dijkstra (for more on the Dijkstra family please go to their family page). Minne had probably met her brother Pieter (Pete) who had immigrated from Friesland in 1888. Pete had a sister Luurtske (Lucille) Dijkstra Emelander living in Grand Rapids who immigrated there around 1880. (For more information on the Emelander family please see their family page.) Pete paid for his sister Ytje’s passage to the United States. She arrived in early 1890 and was married in April 1890. Consequently, I suspect it was an arranged marriage because she was married by April of 1890 – just two to four months after coming to America. After being in Friesland and seeing where both Minne and Ytje grew up, it is doubtful they knew each other in Friesland, plus Minne has been in the United States eight years by the time Ytje arrived.

Ytje F. Hendriks (Dijkstra) Dykstra was the daughter of Hendriks Liebes Dijkstra and Harmke Jans  de Ham. She was born on 30 Jun 1866 in Marrum, Netherlands. She died on 25 Mar 1956 in Woodinville, Washington.

Dijkstra mean of the dyke and the Dijkstras lived in a very poor rural area just next to the North Sea.  It must have been so cold there during the winters as the winds blew off the sea.

Ida used to tell the stories to Frances DeYoung Gasslander of digging potatoes in the fields until  her hand bled.  According to Titia Piers even in the 1960 and 1970’s children were given a dine to  dig the pota toes our of the very wet soil in the north of Friesland.

Minne Hanzes (deJong) DeYoung and Ytje F. Hendriks (Dijkstra) Dykstra were married on 30 Apr 1890 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were married in the 11th Reform Church in Grand Rapids by Peter DePree, Pastor Witnesses were Hans M. DeJong and Antje B. Kroll.

They had 4 children:

i. Hans John DeYoung.  He was born on 05 Mar 1891 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He married Saryelen Priest. They were married on 15 Aug 1913 in Kent, Washington. He died on 02 Jan 1966 in Woodinville, Washington.

ii. Hendrik Lewis DeYoung. He was born on 15 Oct 1892 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He died Jan 1966 in Olympia, Washington.

Berend Franklin DeYoung. He was born on 31 Aug 1894 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He died Feb 1968 in Tonopah, Nevada.

Harmke (Harriet) DeYoung. She was born 1899 in Kent, Washington. She died in 1970 in Los Angeles, California.

This is a picture of the Minne>Harry and Ytje>Ida de Jong>DeYoung’f family in 1904.

Minne (Menno) Hans DeYoung family in 1904. From left to right back: Berend (Ben) Hans John (John), and Hendrik (Henry).  Front: Ida, Harriet, and Minne.

By 1898 Pete Dijkstra had settled in Washington and sent for his sister and her family to join him. Minne, Ytje and their three sons: Hans John (John), Hendrick (Henry), and Berend (Ben). They all left for Washington by train in 1898 with all their belongings in a rail car. After living on Whidbey Island for awhile, they eventually settled in Kent, a suburb to the south of Seattle which was fertile farm land and is very reminiscent of Friesland. It was here the boys asked their parents if they could Americanize their name to DeYoung because they were tired of being teased at school. Somewhere along the way Ytje became Ida and Minne became “Harry” (although he was called “Menno” by his family, and that’s what is on his death certificate and gravestone).

Menno worked at the Carnation Milk Can Factory in Kent, Washington where he was a handyman. Eventually his son John also went to work there until they closed down the can factory in about 1922. Above is a picture of the Carnation Can Factory .

The following is from a article in the Carnation Family New, October 1920.

“CARNATION OLDEST EMPLOYEE”

Mr. Harry DeYoung is the oldest employee in the Carnation Family. He was born in Holland on September 27, 1860, came to the United States in 1880, landing in New York, after which he went to Grand Rapids, Mich, where he resided until 1897. Getting the Western fever, he left Grand Rapids in 1897, and came to Kent, Washington. After living in Kent three years he started to work on March 1, 1900, for the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk County, now the Carnation Milk Products County Mr. DeYoung has been continuously in the employ of this company ever since. The length of time with this company will be 21 years next March. Harry has not only been the longest in our employ, but everyone know him to be one of our best employees, no work is too hard, and he is always here. We are glad to report that Harry’s health is much improved since his recent illness, and we hope to see his smiling face with us again soon. The fine looking girl in photo with Mr. DeYoung is his grandchild, the daughter of our popular pressroom foreman, John DeYoung.

One of the great family stories is how the family name changed from de Jong to DeYoung.  Apparently in those day people didn’t necessarily spend the money to have their name legally changed.  They just changed it.  Although my Grandfather could speak English, Grandmother Ida’s English was limited.  One day the boys came home from school and ask if they could change the spelling of their name from de Jong to DeYoung the Americanized version.  They were tired of being teased in school.  In Grand Rapids I’m sure it was not a big deal to have the name de Jong, but in Washington where Scandinavians were the majority, I’m sure it was.  Needless to say the name was changed and we have been known as DeYoung ever since.

I can remember as a child going down to visit my great grandmother in the house (below) in Kent that Minne built. 

Although I was very young, I vividly remember there was no indoor plumbing and we had to use the outhouse,  I was fascinated by the fact my great grandmother had a bedpan. Funny what we remember as a small child. She was a very sweet lady and this is how I remember her. 

Minne DeYoung died in April 1936 in Kent, Washington. Ida (Dykstra) DeYoung died in 1956 in Woodinville, Washington.  They are both buried at the family plot in Kent, Washington.

Every Memorial Day my parents and usually my sister and I go down to the Cemetery and decorate all the graves with many flowers. It is a nice family ritual.  Here is a picture of my parents with my cousin Jean Gasslander Bloom.