The (de Jong) DeYoung Family
DeYoung Page 2
In 1890, while living in Grand Rapids, Minne, the oldest son, 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 sometime before 1885. 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. 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.
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) .
Minne (Menno) Hans DeYoung family in 1904.
From left to right back: Berend (Ben) Hans John (John), and Hendrik
(Henry).
Front: Ida, Helen, and Minne.
Menno worked at the Carnation Milk Can Factory in Kent, Washington where he worked as a handyman. Eventually his son John also went to work there until they closed down the can factory in about 1922. Below 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.
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 the outhouse and being fascinated by the fact my great grandmother had a bedpan. Funny what we remember as a small child. She was a very sweet lady.
Minne DeYoung died in April 1936 in Kent, Washington. Ida (Dykstra) DeYoung died in 1956 in Woodinville, Washington.
Their oldest son John (my grandfather) married Ellen Priest in 1918. She had moved to Kent (via LaBam, Washington) from Arkansas about 1911 or 1912.
They had 6 children: John Milford "Milford" (1914), Anna Frances "Frances"
(1916), William Lowell "Lowell" (1920), Robert Taylor "Bob" (1924), James Henry
"Jim" (1928), and my Father Frederick Allison "Al" (1929).
On the right is a picture of John and Ellen taken at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1963. All of their children have lived to celebrate their 50 year wedding anniversary. We think that is quite an accomplishment. The grandchildren have not been so fortunate. Like most families today, the younger generation has had had several divorces.
Next is one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents taken in the 1950's. Below is a picture of the DeYoung children and their spouses at my Uncle Milford and Aunt Frances' fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1988.
From Left to right are Robert Taylor (Bob) and my his wife Barbara Mae Koontz,
William Lowell "Lowell" and his wife Stella Pascoe, John Milford "Milford"
and his wife Frances Pemberton, my Father Frederick Allison "Al" and my Mother Donna
June Pemberton, Anna Frances "Frances
DeYoung and
her husband Richard "Dick"
Gasslander, and James Henry and his wife Dorothy Jean Pemberton. (As a side
note three DeYoung boys married three Pemberton girls. Plus my Mother and
Aunt Dorothy are identical twins. Consequently, six of us are double cousins. It
is very confusing to everyone, including the family sometimes!)
Here are most of the cousins in 1988.
The
back row is: Lance DeYoung (double cousin), Larry DeYoung (double cousin), John
DeYoung, Rick DeYoung, Diane DeYoung (double cousin), Patricia DeYoung Rigali,
Kate Gasslander Lickey. The front row is: Jean Gasslander Bloom, Linda
DeYoung Cooper (double cousin), Lucy DeYoung (double cousin), Terri DeYoung
(double cousin), and Virginia DeYoung. Missing are Mike DeYoung, Dennis
DeYoung, and Edith DeYoung Matulka.
My Grandfather John also worked in Kent for the Carnation Can Company as a "tool and
die man." When they shut down the factory about 1920 he could have transferred
to Carnation's factory in San Jose, California. He went to San Jose to get
settled while my Grandmother Ellen, who was pregnant with Bob, rented their house and packed
their belongings for the move.
John
called and told Ellen he didn't like San Jose and they weren't moving. To the
right is a picture of their house in Kent with Ben DeYoung's car in the driveway
(John's brother).
After coming back to Kent he then worked in Seattle and in a hardware store in Auburn. In 1925 the family moved to Woodinville when he purchased a General Store from Mrs. Clara Teegarden.
The following excerpt is from a Community Profile written about my
Grandmother in 1969 for the local newspaper. The first part of the story
talks about how the DeYoung's moved from Kent to Woodinville.
"If the late John DeYoung hadn't scanned his Sunday paper one
day in 1925, the Northshore community would have been poorer in many ways.
"We lived in Kent and my husband had a good job," recalls his
widow, Ellen DeYoung. "But he always wanted his own business."
When John DeYoung discovered a general store for sale in the classified ads, "We
climbed right in the car and drove to Woodinville that Sunday," Mrs. DeYoung
said.
What the DeYoungs saw of Woodinville and Clara Teagarden's
general store that day convinced them the community had a future.
Borrowing $700 and investing every cent of his own, John
DeYoung bought the store, where the Woodinville Texaco station is located today.
"I had misgivings about moving to a jumping-off place where
logging was the only support of the town," Mrs. DeYoung remembers. "But I
decided to help make the community better."
In the 44 years since that afternoon Ellen DeYoung has been
true to her word. Setting the pace with her tireless efforts on behalf of civic,
business, and religious activities, she imbued her six children with the same
dedication to public stewardship.
Yet she will say modestly, "No mother could be as lucky as I.
All my six children are around me. Besides, I have 15 grandchildren and one
great-grandchild."
Her husband, who died several years ago, began his
contribution to Woodinville when he built his own general store and post office
beside the old one.
In another building across the road, he operated a
lettuce-packing shed. When that era ended, John DeYoung converted it to a feed
and fuel operation."
The above picture of the Teagarden General Store was taken in about 1905. My Aunt Anna Frances remembers the building and says it looked about like the picture when they bought the business and moved into the back of the store in 1925. I look at that picture and I can't help but wonder what my Grandmother must have thought. My Aunt says even though she was only nine she was none to happy about moving to Woodinville. Kent was a city with sidewalks and Woodinville was a logging town with dirt roads. I don't think my Grandmother could stand living in the General Store because they didn't live in the back of the store too long before they rented a home in Bothell about 2 miles away. They obviously had a dream.
I have the contract between my Grandfather and C. J. Teagarden for purchase of the business
"Woodinville, Wash. Feb. 7, 1925.
Received of John DeYoung $200 for option on store until five o'clock p.m. on Feb. 10, 1925. Consideration to be: Twenty five hundred ($2500.00) for goodwill, truck and fixtures on accompanying list. All other goods and stock in store at current wholesale prices. Damaged or obsolete goods, not to exceed one hundred dollars in original value, to be arbitrated. Rent to be paid monthly in advance at fifty dollars per month. Two year option on building at a price of ($4000) four thousand dollars from which the first two years rent is deductible leaving a net purchase price of $2,800 if bought at the two year limit. All repairs and alterations to building to be made at the expense of the lessee. Also an unexpired lease on F. hall building used for hay storage to be included with rental of store building at no extra charge."
/s/ C. J. Teagarden
Accompanying List - Ladders, counters, shelves, gasoline pump, stove to go with building
$25.00 - 1 scale - computing
$30.00 - 2 scales - platform
$30.00 - 1 Refrigerator show case
$20.00 - 1 Safe
$20.00 - 1 Cash register
$100.00 - 1 Acct. register
$20.00 - 1 Check protector
$? - Post office fixtures - boxes
$15.00 - 1 meat block
$10.00 - 1 cigar case
$10.00 - 1 bread case
$100.00 - 1 Garford Truck
$40.00 - 1 Coal oil tank
$25.00 - 1 Cylinder oil pump
$5.00 - 1 pop rack
$0 - 1 Cookie rack
$0 - 1 hand grain truck
When my Grandfather bought the business he had a partner A.M. Waage who had been in the grocery/hardware business around Kent. I am not sure what percentage of the business he owned but after my Grandfather caught him stealing Grandfather bought out Mr. Waage's share of the business.
I know from my Aunt Anna Frances that after about a year my Grandfather wanted to sell the business and leave Woodinville. He said it was kind of a rough town and not a very good environment to raise his children. My Grandmother's response was so typical of her. She said that it was up to them to make it the type of town where they wanted to raise their family, and she did.