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Note: N216 Covenant Reformed Church, Keystone and Terrace
His name “Charlie” was given to him by an immigration official.
At his naturalization hearing, Jelle could recite the entire Constitution with amendments and knew all the states and their capitals. Lived at 236 Trowbridge in 1922. Worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad Aug 1914-July 1922 in the East Washington St. Shops as a car repairman until they went on strike. 1911 picture of him in the Car Shop Force.
Carole Johnson writes on 8/12/01: Coincidentally, Mother called me today to remind me that yesterday, 8/11/01, would have been Grandma & Grandpa Nauta's 95th wedding anniversary---They were married in 1906 in Bolsward, NL. They had a civil ceremony first, then went to the church to be married by a dominie. One week later, they sailed for America. It took them two weeks to cross the Atlantic, and they carried all their belongings in one wooden chest. They entered the US at Ellis Island, and left from New York for Iowa. One or both of them had a sign on his/her back saying, "Help this party along---This party does not speak English." They were traveling by train, and stopped in Indianapolis to visit some of the Dutch immigrants who had settled here [primarily, one of the Dewitte brothers],---the brother DeWitte told Grandpa that he could get him a job in Indianapolis on the Pennsylvania Railroad, where DeWitte worked [salary: $11 a week], so this is where Jelle Jelles Nauta and Janke Lammertsma Nauta made their home. As for the date of this picture, which was taken at 240 South Trowbridge, Mother will try to figure out the date for us---she knows it was taken before she graduated from grade school in 1930, but can't be more precise without doing further checking.
Jeannette recounted to me last year [2011] that when she was a girl the chest Jelle and Janke brought with them across the ocean sat in their home on Trowbridge, in the sitting room I think she said. She and Gertie had always shared a bed when they were growing up. Whenever Gertie was gone, sleeping over at a friend’s house, Jeannette would sleep in that chest while she was gone.
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I remember my mom saying they had to return to America because of the outbreak of World War I - the talk of war worried Janke and Jelle that they might get stuck in Holland. They had gotten word by telegram that Tietje was dying. Mom also said that her Mom and Dad left Holland originally because there was no work and that they had sponsors in Indiana. Roberta
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