William and Katherine/Nellie Van Doorn

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William Van Doorn was born March 15, 1874 in Rochester, New York. He was baptized as “Willem Van Doorn” on April 26, 1874 at the First Reformed Church of Rochester, New York. He moved with his family from Rochester to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1879.

After Adriaan’s death in 1896, William became the guardian of Jennie Van Doorn. On October 1, 1897, he purchased the 57 Congress Avenue property (Lot 16 Block 2 of the Merrill and Nims addition to the City of Grand Rapids) from Martin Van Doorn for the price of $1000.

In 1900, William was still a single man at age 26 working at a furniture factory in Grand Rapids. He lived with his niece, Jennie Van Doorn, at 57 Congress Avenue.

William Van Doorn and Katherine (Katie) Holtman were married by the Rev. James Ossewaarde on November 8, 1900 at the Bethany Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Bethany Reformed Church was founded in 1893 by members of Third Reformed Church as an English speaking alternative to the Dutch services offered by Third Reformed. 

In 1906, William and his family were still living at 57 Congress Ave.  He worked at the Nelson-Matter Furniture Company as a “carver.”   Jennie Van Doorn continued living with the family until 1908 when she married Dirk Isenga. She was employed at the Herold-Bertsch Shoe Company.

William lost his first wife, Katherine, at an early age. Jeannette Isenga said of her Aunt Kate, “in 1911 all the furniture factories in Grand Rapids were laying workers off. Widdicomb [Furniture Company] went into receivership. My mother believed this caused Aunt Kate’s problem. The problem at the furniture factory [where Will worked] caused her to worry how she and Will could feed, clothe, and educate their family. That was uppermost in her mind. In the past, she had been prone to bouts of depression during the change of seasons. She was depressed in the Spring and again in the Fall. 

She stayed with my (Jeannette’s) parents a short while and was content carrying my sister Marion around. Neighbors asked my Mother if she wasn’t afraid that Kate would harm the baby. Mom said no. She is content. At the last she refused to eat. Aunt Lizzie came from Detroit to try to get her to eat. But she would not. She believed they were trying to poison her.”

My grandfather’s (Harold Van Doorn) earliest childhood memory was that of her funeral, specifically the black horse-drawn wagon carrying her coffin, moving slowly down the street to the cemetery.

William married his second wife, Nellie Rookus, on February 19, 1914. Nellie did not like city life. William gave up his job at the furniture factory, sold his home at 57 Congress Avenue, and purchased a 20 acre farm at 571 Center Street on the outskirts of Coopersville, Michigan. Kent County records show that William and Nellie sold the 57 Congress Ave. property on May 1, 1917 to Charles and Lillian Foth for an undisclosed sum. 

The very same day, the Van Doorns purchased the Coopersville farm from George Worden for what appears to be the assumption of Mr. Worden’s $2200 mortgage. After he moved to Coopersville, William made his living as a farmer selling milk, eggs and cucumbers, among other things. My grandfather jokingly called it his “pickle patch.”

The 1918 Ottawa County directory shows that William owned 1 horse and 3 cows.

In 1920, the former Van Doorn home at 57 Congress Avenue was destroyed to make way for a school.

Jeannette Isenga described Will as a very quiet, calm, pleasant man. Will was small in stature. He was idolized by his niece Jennie Van Doorn. The general consensus among the family is that he was not a very good farmer. However, he was able to eke out a living.

Jeannette described Nellie as a nervous, fidgety person. Nellie got along with Geb, but did not get along with either Arnold or Harold. In fact, Arnold refused to move with the family from Grand Rapids to Coopersville.

William died of a heart attack while trying to extricate a wagon that had become stuck in the mud. After his death, Nellie kept their two milk cows and about 100 chickens. She didn’t like to milk the cows because it made her nervous. Harold and Gerald milked the cows for a short period of time. However, Gerald had to be away for a while for health reasons and Harold’s schedule required he be at work at 6 AM. So Nellie sold the cows, but kept the chickens. She sold the eggs to the local A&P grocery store.

Nellie sold the farm to Simon and Albertha Vander Ploeg on March 6, 1946 for an undisclosed sum and moved to Zeeland to live with her sister Hattie Rookus. The Vander Ploegs immediately turned around and subdivided the property into a sub-division. Maps showing the location of the farm are provided on subsequent pages.

Nellie died on October 9, 1949. Her will, dated December 10, 1947, named Arnold Van Doorn as the sole executor. I was surprised by this, since by all accounts, they did not get along. Perhaps she knew he was likely the only family member capable of obtaining a bond for the full value of the estate. The bond was set at $9000. 

An inventory of estate assets included:

· A US Series “E” savings bond  $43

· A life insurance policy from Bankers Life Company $1000

· 33 shares of Investors Mutual, Inc. No Value Listed

· Lot # 61 of Schilleman’s Addition to Zeeland $300

· Savings Account at Old Kent Bank  $1460

· Savings Account at Zeeland State Bank $719

· Promissory Note from Gerald and Gayl Van Doorn $1400

Nellie bequeathed the sum of $700, which she had inherited from her parents, to her three sisters, Maggie Brower, Minnie Geerts, and Hattie Rookus. She bequeathed a lot she owned in Schilleman’s Addition to the City of Zeeland, to her sister Hattie Rookus. The remainder, which was the bulk of the estate, was bequeathed equally to her stepsons Arnold, Gerald, and Harold Van Doorn.

After paying the funeral expenses, other miscellaneous debts, and meeting the other conditions of the will, I estimate each of these men should have received approximately $1000.