9. The History of the Dutch Settlement in
Lancaster County, Nebraska
Written by Gustav Adolph Bade
Lincoln, Nebraska, July 8, 1938
A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the
Graduate College in the University of Nebraska in Partial
Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
Department of History
[Note: This thesis was transcribed
from a photocopy of the original thesis, which we obtained in
September 2006 from Mrs. Ione Heinen of Oostburg, Wisconsin.
Ione Heinen is an avid collector of genealogical information about
several Dutch immigrant families, including the TeSelle family.
She offered us a copy of the original 1938 Gustav Bade thesis for
non-commercial use in our TeSelle Family website. This
document was previously unknown to us. We have scanned the
photocopy into the computer, and transcribed the contents into this
website. Mr. Dirk Willem te Selle of Enschede,
Netherlands, has translated the document into Dutch, and the Dutch
translation is included in the Dutch portion of this TeSelle Family
website. We are very grateful to Ione Heinen and Dirk Willem
te Selle for their efforts in bringing this important document to
the attention of TeSelle family members through this website.]
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
[Note: The Table of Contents
shows the original thesis headings, although the original page
numbers have been eliminated and replaced by direct links to the
referenced web pages.]
Chapter
INTRODUCTION
I ORIGIN OF THE
SETTLERS
A brief
history and geography of the Netherlands
Characteristics of the Hollander
Gelderland
and Zeeland:
Geography
Characteristics of the land and people
Topography and fertility of the soil
Occupations
Agriculture predominant occupation
The lot
of the peasant farmer
The farm
house
The
daily diet of the peasant
Characteristics of the peasant farmers
Servants
and their duties
Superstitions of the Gelderlander
Religion
and religious customs
The Heer
Pastoor and his sermons
Education
Summary
II IMMIGRATION AND
SETTLEMENT
Dutch motive
for coming to America
Their future
home
The journey
across the
Atlantic
Financial
status at the arrival in New
York
Period of rapid
Dutch immigration into Wisconsin
Motive for
migrating to
Nebraska
Methods of
obtaining land
Effect of the
Homestead Act upon immigration
The advance
guard of the
colony
The arrival of the
first group of families
Their
experience
Single men
take up homesteads in the colony
Other groups
arrive
The Walvoord
family
arrives
William Daharsh
comes to the settlement
A. Vandertook
settles at Holland
Migration
from Missouri
Settlement
made in Buda Precinct; Its
result
Daughter
colony organized in
Kansas
Daughter
colony organized at Linden, Washington
Financial
difficulties and hardships of the Dutch pioneers
Summary
III LIFE AND HABITS OF
THE DUTCH PIONEER
South Pass
Precinct as the pioneers found
it
Farm
improvements
Fire
guards
The
dugout
The
construction of the
dugout
The
experiences of the pioneers in their new
home
Furniture and
other equipment of the dugout
Fuel
Daily
dish
Capturing of
wild
game
Serving of
meals
Means of
procuring
groceries
Part played
by the wives of the
pioneers
The first
marriages
The first
babies born in the settlement
Customs
peculiar to the Dutch
pioneers
Experiences
of the
pioneers
Mr.
Brethouwer established the first store
The business
purchased by Mr. Walvoord
The second
store established at Holland
The store
used as a meeting place by the pioneers
The village
in
1900
The Fourth of
July celebration at Holland
The other
villages naar the
settlement
Other
business
enterprises
The railroad
through South Pass Precinct
Participation
of the Hollanders in building the road
through South Pass Precinct
Political
opinions of the
settlement
Summary
IV HEALTH PROBLEMS OF
THE PIONEER SETTLEMENT
Health
hazards of the pioneer
settlement
Lack of
medical
aid
Home remedies
of the pioneer mother
Contagious
diseases
Fever and
ague
The pioneer
mother and the
midwife
Mrs. Carlson
as a
midwife
The hardships
of a
midwife
The country
doctor
Dr.
Brethouwer and his medical
practice
The first
doctor
Dr.
Demoree
Dr. Tou Vella
The Dominee
advertizes for a
doctor
Dr. Was comes
to the
settlement
Doctor Was
The
doctor's early
career
His
reception at
Holland
His
first
case
His
success in obstetrics
His lack
of success in other fields of medical knowledge
The
doctors establishment of a new
location
Hardships encountered by Dr.
Was
Summary
V HISTORY OF THE
CHURCH AT HOLLAND, NEBRASKA
A brief
history of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands
The Dutch
Reformed Church founded in America
Conditions
limiting the growth of the
church
A split in
the church in
America
A plan of
union and independence from the mother church
The growth of
the church after 1847
The
organization and doctrines of the Reformed
Church in
America
Spiritual
expressions of the pioneer settlers at Holland
Early places
of
worship
A Dutch
Reformed Church organized at Holland
The first
minister and church
Erection of
the second
church
Plan of
construction
A brief
history of the ministers at
Holland
The
organization and doctrines of the church at
Holland
The
Missionary
Society
Other
churches organized within the
settlement
Early customs
of the church at Holland
Marriage and
divorce
The
daughter's
engagement
The wedding
feast and dowry of the bride
The church
becomes modernized
Summary
VI EDUCATION IN THE
PIONEER SETTLEMENT
The school
and its value to a community
Educational
background of the Dutch pioneers
The first
school established in the Dutch settlement
The location
of the first school
The first
teachers
The temporary
school
buildings
The curricula
and
textbooks
The first
permanent school
building
Contractors
for the new
building
The teacher's
salary
Early
attendance
Length of
term
The school's
early equipment
First Dutch
pioneers to become members of the school board
Organization
of other schools in the settlement
Relatíonship
of the school and church
The Dominee's
interest in education
The school
building as a center of social activities
The school
building used for political purposes
Isolation of
the pioneer
school
The blizzard
of
1888
Educational
handicaps in the pioneer settlement
The Dutch
pioneers' educational
ideals
Summary
VII THE EVOLUTION OF
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture
in the Dutch
settlement
Handicaps in
the development of agricultural methods
Breaking the
sod
Agricultural
equipment of the Dutch pioneer
The progress
of the colony
The pioneers'
knowledge in maintenance of farm equipment
A blacksmith
shop established at Holland
Modern
machinery and its effect upon production
A new epoch
in the development of farm methods
The threshing
machine and the steam engine
The
milk-skimming
station
The
Hollanders' acceptance of modern farm methods
Agricultural
statistics of the Dutch pioneers
Summary
VIII THE DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF TODAY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
General Accounts
Local Publications
Manuscripts
Personal Interviews
ILLUSTRATIONS
Original homesites of Dutch
pioneers in Lancaster County
A group of
pioneers
At the Fourth of July
celebration
The church and its
organization
Twentieth wedding
anniversary of Dominee and Juvrouw Huizenga
A mission fest during the
“eighties”
Agricultural census
report
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