Children:| John
| b. Jan 10, 1884 in MI
| d. May 22, 1970 in Edgerton, MN
| m. Clara Muilenburg on Feb 28, 1907 | Henry | b. May 10, 1886 in Hospers, IA | d. Feb 1979 in Leota, MN
| Jennie | b. Jun 7, 1887 | d. Feb 17, 1949
| m. Sam Kreun on Feb 20, 1907 | Anna (Annie) | b. Sep 29, 1889 | d. Oct 8, 1966 in Hills, MN
| m. Art Muilenburg on Feb 10, 1909 | Diena | b. Dec 12, 1891 | d. May 1985 in Edgerton, MN
| m. William Zwart on Feb 20, 1914 | Tillie | b. Oct 10, 1896 | d. Dec 1985 in Leota, MN
| m. William Beukelman on Dec 17, 1917 | George | b. May 27, 1900 | d. Feb 15, 1990
| m. Alice Eernisse on Feb 14, 1924 | Josie | b. Jun 11, 1902 | d. Jan 1987 in Edgerton, MN
| m. Chris Blom on Sep 20, 1923 | James | b. Jan 22, 1905 | d. Jan 1986 in Edgerton, MN
| m. Theresa Olivier on Jan 26, 1927 | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Derk's father died when Derk was approximately nine years old. At the age of ? Derk came to America alone to find work and to establish a future home in a Free Country "not ruled by dictator or king". He migrated as far west as Michigan and took up work in a furniture factory in Grand Rapids. After being there a year or more, he received an order from the German government to return at once to his native land and report for army duty. He refused and ignored the summons.
In 1885, they moved to Hospers, Iowa where farming became their occupation, and remained there until 1895. By then Iowa land was getting expensive as they thought and hardly worth the price asked so they began looking for cheaper land. They became part of a pilgrimage consisting of relatives and others who chartered an eleven car railroad train and took all their possessions of furniture, farm equipment and stock and moved to Stuttgard, Arkansas, where they hoped to start a new settlement and where seemingly good land could be bought for $3 to $5 an acre. But the area proved to be wet and damp, very hot and unhealthy so that several of that Dutch colony lost their lives in the first year there. Good crops as they were accustomed to were impossible to produce there, so within one year of leaving Iowa, they returned once again to their original farm and remained in Iowa until 1900.
By now the family was growing up and more farm land was needed, so again they moved, this to to Southwestern Minnesota, which was still in the process of becoming settled. They erected a set of buildings near Leota which was to be their home for the next ten years. Like many others, they lived through hard times as well as the good, but through all of it, the Lord blessed them in all their undertakings, and they retired at the early age of fifty years. Their spiritual life was never neglected, as 'First' things always came first, and the children were taught to serve the Lord. Church services were faithfully attended, and any church work delegated to them was promptly taken care of, and this was always impressed upon the children.
They retired in the village of Leota where death overtook them in 1944. After an illness of about five years, Trude passed away on August 11, 1944 at the age of eighty years, and Derk followed on November 19 at the age of eighty-five. Their children all remained in the Edgerton/Leota area, while many of their grandchildren went on to acquire higher education and became farmers, teachers, businessmen, farmers and ministers in many different states and localities.