Rolffs stamboom / Family tree - ROLFFS, Johanna Christina

Events

Type	Date	Place	Description	Notes
Birth	1900-02-25	Sprang-Capelle, Noord Brabant, Nederland	^1a
Death

Attributes

REFN

9222

Parents

Father	ROLFFS, Hendrik Ludolf [I1585]
Mother	VOS, Cornelia [I7276]
Siblings	ROLFFS, Hendrik Jacobus [I9162] ROLFFS, Dirkie [I9223] ROLFFS, Dirk [I9224] ROLFFS, Ludolph Hendrik [I9225] ROLFFS, Cornelis [I9226]
Half Siblings	ROLFFS, Stillborn son [I9192] ROLFFS, Willem Hendrik [I8684] ROLFFS, Anna Wilhelmina [I9163]

Families

Married	Husband	ZYLSTRA, Rienk [I9310]
	Marriage	1920-09-01 at Jasper County, Iowa, U.S.A. ^1b
	REFN	3271
	Children	ZYLSTRA, Martin Gene [I9311] ZYLSTRA, Ludolph [I9312] ZYLSTRA, Ivan Edgar [I9313] ZYLSTRA, Robert Elmer [I9314] ZYLSTRA, Quinten Paul [I9315] ZYLSTRA, Seymour [I9316] ZYLSTRA, Cornelia Joan [I9317] ZYLSTRA, Bertha Lois [I9318] ZYLSTRA, Revena Ellen [I9319] ZYLSTRA, Rolland Duco [I9320] ZYLSTRA, Linda Jean [I9321] ZYLSTRA, Arthur Lee [I9322]

Gallery

Hendrik Ludolf ROLFFS children 1914

Johanna, Dick, Grandpa Rolffs, Durkie

1944 - Hendrik Ludolf Rolffs children and partners

Rienk Zylstra and Johanna Rolffs

RIENK ZYLSTRA and JOHANNA Rolffs marriage certificate

RIENK ZYLSTRA and JOHANNA Rolffs family

Rienk Zylstra and Johanna Rolffs

Narrative

Johanna Christina Rolffs was born on February 25, 1900 in
the province of Noord Brabant, Sprang Cappella, the Netherlands. She was the eldest daughter of Hendrik Ludolph and Cornelia Vos Rolffs. Johanna was named for her maternal grandmother, Johanna, Christina Ros Vos.
Her children have memories of Johanna relating to them many interesting incidents of her childhood years in Holland. She remembers going with her father to the docks, where the fishing boats came in, to purchase fresh fish. One Sunday morning, when she was four years old, Johanna stayed home from church with her father and he took her to his blacksmith shop behind the house, and pierced her ears. When her mother came home she' was quite upset that this had been done on the Lord's Day. Johanna loved to walk on stilts and recalled that she was quite adapt at doing this. Johanna learned the art of knitting while attending class at the young age of four. She also learned to do 'other kinds of needlework as a child and became very skilled at these arts, enjoying them throughout her lifetime.
In July of 1914, Johanna came to America at the age of 14 years with her parents, brothers and sisters. The family settled in the Sully, Iowa area and Johanna began working out by helping with housework in several homes in the area. She was very determined to learn the English language and worked hard to accomplish this. Soon after their arrival from Holland she began working for an American family. She always felt this was of great benefit to her both in learning English and in becoming better acquainted with the American way of life. She also spent much time on her own learning the language by
a comparative study of the Dutch and English Bibles.
Johanna married Rienk Zylstra on September 1, 1920 in Sully at the home of her parents. They were married in the morning on a very rainy day. They had a meal at noon for the guests and a reception in the evening for the young people of the Church.
Rienk and Johanna began their life together on a farm north of Sully in Richland Twp, Sec 20. While living here their first five children were born-Martin in 1921, Ludolf in 1923, Ivan in 1924, Robert in 1925, and Quinten in 1926.
They moved from this place to a farm one mile northeast of Lynnville in Lynn Grove Twp. Sec. 1 in 1927. Here a sixth son, Seymour was born in 1928.
Another move was made in 1929 to a farm north of Sully in Richland Twp. Sec. 9. In the fall of that year the clover hay set seed and the seed was sold. With the profit from this Rienk and Johanna purchased a new 1929 Chevrolet. After having six sons they were very happy to welcome into their home a baby girl, Joan, born in the summer of 1930.
March of 1931 meant still another move, this time to a farm south of Grinnell in Richland Twp. Sec. 2. Before they moved the house on this farm was destroyed by fire so Rienk and Johanna moved with their family of seven children into a new chicken house on the place until a new house could be built. Some difficult times were experienced at this time during the drought of 1934. Some of the boys remember of going with the horse and wagon to the school to get water from a well there. After a rain in July, Rienk· planted ten acres of soybeans which were later pulled up and used for hay as they didn't mature. Everything edible that could be found was collected and used for food, such as wild plums and greens from the roadside ditches. Rienk and Johanna were always thankful that even through some lean years they always had enough food and other necessities for their family. Although she was very busy with her family, Johanna spent much time reading to her children. Her older children remember the times when the family was unable to attend Church due to bad weather or illness and Johanna would read stories to them from the Children's Story Bible. She also had a treat talent for telling stories, which she often did when her hands were busy mending or darning socks.
The next move brought them to a farm northeast of Sully in Lynn Grove twp. Sec 4. Martin was called into the service in 1942 and spent three years in Hawaii before returning home. He had been gone only three months when he received a letter from home telling him that he had a new baby sister, Linda, who had been born on his 21st birthday. More changes took place before he returned home. Ludolph was married in 1943. Ivan also left home as he entered the U.S. Air Force about this time. Two other sons were drafted into the army (Quinten and Seymour) a few years later during the Korean War. Arthur-was born in the year 1944, also before Martin returned home.
In February of 1952 Rienk and Johanna bought a farm south of Sully in Lynn Grove Twp. Sec 28. This was a 120 acre farm purchased for $150.00 an acre. In 1962 they sold the farm for $300.00 per acre. Although there were still five children at home, Rienk and Johanna still found room in their home and hearts for a little boy, David Engeseth, from Chicago who spent seven summers with them. His father had been a friend of Martin in Hawaii and appreciated the opportunity for his son to spend time on the farm. Bertha and Revena were married soon after they moved and Rolland entered the Army. After caring for such a large family for so many years it was quite an adjustment for Rienk and Johanna with only two children at home. They kept very busy however with their work on the farm and in the home and also with the Church and school activities which had always been an important part of their lives.· Rienk served as an elder in the church in Sully for many years and latter in Pella at the Calvary C.R.C. He also served as a member of the Sully Christian School Board, Pella Christian High-Board and Dordt College board for several years. Johanna,was an active member of the Ruth Circle in the Sully church, serving as President and as Bible leader and later was a member of the Calvary Willing Workers. She was also a charter member of the Sully Christian School Circle in which she took an active part.
In 1963 Rienk and Johanna retired from farming and moved to Pella where they bought a home at 609 Madison St. Shortly after moving to Pella, Rienk became a field agent for Pine Rest Christian Hospital and continued this work for several years. He loved working in his yard and small garden. Now that she had more spare time then she'd had in many years, Johanna spent many hours doing handwork and reading. They always enjoyed the visits of their children and grandchildren.
After living here for seventeen years, Rienk and Johanna moved to Fair Haven East, a retirement home in Pella. Shortly after moving they had a household sale keeping only what they needed for their room. Johanna had been having health problems for several years making it increasingly difficult for her to keep up the home and do the cooking. At Fair Haven their meals were prepared for them and it was much easier to care for a single room rather than a house and yard.
Johanna enjoyed improved health while living in Fair Haven and spent many happy hours visiting with the residents there. She could often be found sitting in her chair doing her handiwork or reading. On Sunday morning in February of 1981, Rienk fractured his hip when he slipped on a patch of ice while going out to start his car for Church. After almost a year of many complications and repeated hospitalizations, Rienk was no longer able to remain at Fair Haven so he entered the New Sharon Nursing Home in January of 1982. He was later transferred to the Pella Community Nursing Home and remains a resident there.
Johanna continued to live at Fair Haven until May of 1982 when she fell in the bathroom one night, fracturing her hip. She was taken to the hospital where surgery was scheduled to repair her hip two days later. She didn't have to go through the surgery, however, because early in the morning on May 26, Johanna was called home to be with her Lord. She was a wonderful devoted Christian woman. One who lived her faith and showed her love for others and for her God. She spent much time reading her Bible and in prayer and meditation. Being unable to sleep the night before she'd gotten up and fallen, she lay in bed and prayed for each of her children and grandchildren. The night before her death, her daughter Linda stopped by the hospital to see her and offered to stay with her through the night. Johanna answered, "You just go home to your family, the Lord is with me". This is a great comfort to her family to know that this was her testimony in her final hours on earth, just as it had always been throughout her life.

(Source: Hendrik Ludolf Rolffs book)