Grace (Meppelink) Berens,
granddaughter of Gerrit Klanderman, original Borculo resident
written by Michael Steenwyk, grandson of Grace Meppelink Berens
This article was written by Michael Steenwyk, but in the interest of helping to make it more understandable, I submit this:
Class of 1926 Copied from the back of the picture, "Teacher Tony Mulder Front Row: Janet Geurink Groenhof, Margaret Fortuin De YoungChicago, Ill, Carrie Schout VandenBosch, Grace Blauwkamp Grasman, Grace Meppelink Berens, Gertrude Vollink Raterink (Deceased), Fanny Weenum Nyenbrink Back Row: Jacob Wabeke, James Luurtsema, Enno Kraai (Deceased), William Blauwkamp The inserted picture was taken of the class 51 years later at a reunion. The nine surviving class members were at the reunion.
#7 Grace (Meppelink) Berens - The Borculo Girl
Written 6 & 27 March 2005 by Michael Steenwyk
My grandma was born on 24 March in 1911 in a farmhouse in the town of Borcolo Michigan. Dr. Masselink and her Aunt Sena Bos who was the sister of Gertrude Marie Klanderman attended. Dr. Masselink came to the farm house on the cold snowy day by horse and cutter. Grace was the fifth of eight children born to Hendrick Jan (Henry John) Mepplelink and Gertrude Marie Klanderman. They were from oldest to youngest; Henrietta (later married to a brother of my grandfather named Henry, known to most people by the name Hank") Then John, later married to Elizabeth Scholma. Next was born Gerrit, later married to Johanna Gruppen. Then Sena, later married to Stanley Forner. The next child, number five was my grandmother Grace. Then came George, who later married Wilhemina Goeman. Then Jennie, who later married Harvey Busman, and last of all Jeanette, who later married Gerrit Ponstein. Grace's mother (Gertrude Marie) was born on the 6th of June in the year 1876 under rather unhappy circumstances. She was the youngest of the four children. Gertrude Marie never knew her father Gerrit Klanderman. Gerrit had been born in the Netherlands in 1839 and immigrated to the USA with his family in 1865. He had married Hendrika Goselink in Kent County on the 25th of March 1867. The Preacher was Rev. Cornelius Vander Meulen of Second Reformed Church of Grand Rapids. Shortly thereafter they moved to Borculo and had a daughter named Hendrika. She died at age of one year and one month. In the years following, they had three children; James, one of the first white children to be born in the Borculo area, then Sena, then Dena. In 1876 Hendrika was pregnant again. Gerrit was a peddler by trade according to the Death Index. What that realty meant was that he had a store in Borculo. He traded with the Indians and settlers in the area. While fetching supplies from Zeeland, he was caught in a rainstorm and must have gotten soaking wet. From that soaking he developed pneumonia and died on the 3rd of June in the year 1876. He was buried on the 6th of June early in the day and his daughter Gertrude was born later the same day. The daughter born that day on th 6th of June 1876 was Gertrude Marie Klanderman, mother of Grace Meppelink, my grandmother.
Grace's father, Hendrick Jan in German or in English, Henry John Meppelink, had also come to the USA as an immigrant. He was a butter maker by trade and 26 years of age when he arrived with his mother Sena or English Siena (Wuppen) and siblings on a ship (the Opdam) in 1893 from Emlichheim, the County of Bentheim, Germany. Henry's father John Meppelink had died of TB on the 11th of March 1886 near Gross Ringe, Germany. Soon after arriving in the States, Henry had married a Borculo girl by the name of Gertrude Marie Klanderman (February 1 1905 at Borculo). As I wrote earlier, Henry and Gertrude had eight children named Henrietta, John, Gerrit, Cena (or I think also spelled Sena), then my grandmother Grace born in 1911. Three more children were born after her. They were George, Jenny, and Jeanette. Grandma grew up in the town of Borculo. She shared a bedroom with her sister Cena. Her closest friend in school was Fannie Weenum. The children walked to school in good weather, cutting across the fields. In bad weather they were taken by cutter or sleigh. The school she attended (Later used as the Schoolhouse Restaurant and now is the District 5 Schoolhouse Wedding and Event Cemter) had grades Beginner through 8th Grade under one roof. Grace liked the subject Spelling the most and Arithmetic the least. On Valentines Day the children made their own valentines for little parties they would have. Grace graduated from the 8th grade at that school. While growing up, when she needed a special place to be alone she would go to the barn. She was not always alone there. Many times she and the other children would play "hide and seek" there. They also had pet cats which she would occasionally "dress up". The girls also had dolls. These were made out of a block of wood with a face drawn on them. In the Fall, corn silk from the wrapping around the ears of corn were saved for doll hair. Then a piece of cloth was wrapped around the doll and a piece of string was tied around it to keep it in place. It was simple "homemade" fun. During the week Grace had chores to do; feeding the pigs and chickens. When school was done for the week there would be chores to do on Saturday morning and play time in the afternoon. Sundays were a day to attend church which Grace liked very much. There was more playtime in the afternoon for the children. Her favorite time of the year was New Years Day. On that day the children would go to the two stores in Borculo and receive two bags of candy each. This was the era when an ice cream could be purchased for a dime, yet that was a lot of money.
While growing up another special occasion was Thanksgiving. They always had gravy and biscuits as well as mince and pumpkin pies. (My grandma continued this tradition when she was older, always bringing gravy and biscuits to family reunions. They were very good.)
As Grace got older, she began to do outside work of babysitting and house cleaning. One of her first jobs was for a Pastor, Rev. Steigenga of Grand Haven. She took care of his four children. Eventually Grace went to Grand Rapids to work, staying in town all week and coming back to Borculo for the weekend. She made $5 a week for her work as well as a place to stay during the week. It should be noted that Grace never had a driver's license. Times were hard, but young people found time to be together. My grandmother met my grandfather while at a young people's outing at Overisel Christian Reformed Church. (On her way home she sat on his lap in the backseat of an over crowded car.) My grandfather was Herman Berens. I do not know a lot about his growing up years except that he was born in Bentheim, Michigan, and shortly moved with his family to Fremont, Michigan. Then when he was about 11 years old, his family moved back to Allendale, Michigan. I know that for a time Herm worked at Pine Rest Mental Hospital in Cutlerville, before being married. He also worked at a number of other jobs once he was married, before becoming a house mover.
Grace and Herm were married on the 6th of August 1932 in the Parsonage of Byron CRC by the pastor. It was not a church wedding with people present in the audience. There were only two witnesses beside the pastor performing the ceremony. They were Grace's sister Henrietta as well as her husband Henry. There was no honeymoon for the new couple, as this was during the Depression times. The newly married couple lived with Henry and Henriette (Brother of Herm and sister of Grace), at a rented home on Celery Avenue South of the town of Byron Center, Michigan. So two brothers married two sisters , and not only that but they even lived in the same house for a couple years. They worked the land near Byron Center on shares and in return had a place to stay and some of the income of the crop. I think they raised celery. This property was on the West side of Celery Avenue just north of the 100th Street (at one time, the third house). The house may be gone by now. When I last checked and drove through this area there were houses on the west side of the road, but it was hard to tell if some had been taken down.
About a year after being married, my grandpa and grandma had their first child, Justin, in that house on Celery Avenue. Next they moved to a number of different addresses. My mother, Mildred Ann, was born in 1934 while they lived in Grand Rapids on Crofton Street. Later a son Harley was born while they lived on Royal Oak. After that they moved to the Jennison area. Here they lived on Filmore Street, just East of 42nd Avenue. Later a man named Bill Koekoek (pronounced Coo Coo!) lived in this same house. Their son Ray was born here at the house on Filmore Street.
The next story occurred at the house they lived at for many years located just around the corner on 42nd Avenue, just north of Filmore Street at what is today the site of Grand Valley Auto Parts. Here they had a phone, the old crank style. The phone number was 11-F-5 or 2 long rings and one short ring. Grace remembered one time there was a bad thunder and lightening storm. Everyone was in the house and a particularly loud crack of thunder sounded. Suddenly while the whole family watched, a ball of fire came out of the mouthpiece of the telephone and went straight over to the sink and down the drain. She said she would never forget that experience. I remember my mother, Mildred, telling me this story on numerous occasions when I was a child. This home was owned by the Berens and had been owned by two brothers who used a building as a blacksmith shop. My Uncle told me the story of how the house had mice and bugs in it when they bought it, so they had to fumigate it.(They used a product called "The breath of Death" according to my Mother) and closed it up for period of time before occupying it. My Uncle remembers going there to work and seeing a bird land on the roof. Suddenly it fell down the roof deader than a doornail. It must have been a strong fumigant! So the house was fumigated, cleaned, and aired out. The Berens lived here for a short period of time. Next the family moved into a white house. Three more children were born while they lived this location; Ivan, Louise, and Bob. One more child was born but died at birth in 1958. She was named Kathy. Grace said that was very hard. In 1959 the family moved from this farm to a home at 4724 Baldwin Street just East of 48th Avenue. On the Southeast Quadrant of said streets my grandparents had a house and a large frame barn as well as a big wood and tin outbuilding where grandpa kept his house-moving equipment I will never forget the pleasant sights and smells of walking through the back porch and up the cement steps into the main part of the house. The house was sided with grey shingles and had a three-stall garage attached to the west side. Grandpa also had a junkyard in the back with many old cars. When we were younger we would play in them when we visited Grandpa and Grandma's house. We would sit in the old junked cars pretending to drive.
Here my Grandfather and Grandmother lived until my grandfather's death in March of 1982. My grandfather was in the hospital for a period of time before he died of leukemia at home. He was 75. My grandma continued to live in her own house for many years, having a son Bob and daughter-in-law Pam living just across the field on 48th Avenue. Finally in the Summer of 1998 she moved to The Laurels in Hudsonville for a year. Then in 1999 she moved to Haven Park Christian Nursing Home in Zeeland. She lived there for about the last 5 years of here life. She went home to be with Jesus at about 10:00 PM on the 3rd of March 2005. On the night she passed away at the Rest Home, my Aunt Bernice, Uncle Bob, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Louise, and Uncle Jus were all by her bedside. She was a sweet godly woman, who always had a smile and a good word to say to everyone who came across her path.