Nicholas Zandstra

In 1891 Nicholas' both parents immigrated -on different dates and ships- from the Netherlands: the 15 years old gentleman's servant Trijntje Deruiter arrived on 26 March 1891 on the SS Spaarndam at New York, Castle Garden, and the 23 years old laborer Barteld Zandstra arrived there too on 9 April 1891 on the S.S. Veendam. Bartele H. Zandstra (25 y) and Tryntje K. Deruiter (18 y) married on 6 February 1893 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

In 1903 the family Zandstra moved to a farm in the community of Oak Glen, Cook County, Illinois, located just south of Chicago and west of the village of Lansing.

In April 1910 the 13 years old Nicholas, born in Illinois, lived with his parents and seven siblings at their own farm in Thornton Township [incl. Oak Glen], located just south of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

Between April 1910 and April 1911 the family Zandstra moved for some years to the settlement of Hardin, located about 60 miles northeast of Denver in Colorado, and next, in 1913, they returned to Lansing, Illinois. Shortly after, they moved to Munster, Indiana, 45th Avenue near the Hart ditch, where Nick's siblings Gary and Dot (Jeanette) were probably born. (The Zandstra children walked to the Christian Reformed school in Highland from here.) In 1917 they moved to Highland, Indiana, on Kleinman Road near the Cady ditch. Nick's sister Babe (Catherine) was probably born here.

On 5 June 1917 the 21 years old farmer Nick B Zandstra was living at Lake Basin, Stillwater County, Montana, when he was administrated on a WW I Draft Registration Card. He was of medium heigh and build, had gray eues and light hair.

Nicholas Zandstra died in November 1918 at the age 22 years from the Spanish Influenza in Rapelje, an unincorporated farming and ranching community in the midsouthern part of Montana. In 1913 a post office was first established at Rapelje. Originally the town was named Lake Basin, but the name was changed to Rapelje (after a Northern Pacific Railway executive) in 1917. A railroad destination point, Rapelje developed into a reasonable town with a number of grain elevators, a school district, an evangelical church, and a main street that was originally intended to be developed into a boulevard. When agricultural industry began to decline, the railroad pulled out of Rapelje and the town began falling into decline as well, losing much of its regional importance. In 2000 the Rapelje area had a population of approximately 110 people.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 9 2020, 2:03:17 UTC