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Note: BIOGRAPHY: Willem was a minister in the Gereformeerde Kerk in Hyum, The Netherlands 23 Feb 1883, Workum 22 Aug 1885, Goes 17 Jul 1892, and Breda 25 Aug 1895 Until 25 Aug 1903. He then went to the USA in 1904, and served in the Presbyterian Church of Tomales, California. He married Tjitske Jelles Zijlstra 15 Feb 1883 in Drachten, who died in Workum 1887. He married for the second time with Ida Jantina Sijpkens, born 21 Nov 1859, (the widow of Reverend M. Sijpkens) 13 Nov 1888 in Workum. (Reverend Sijpkens was a minister in Bergum 1878, Thesinge 1881, retired 1882(?), and died 1882. 2 daughters. We can understand that in a family with young children there was a need for a female to take care of the housekeeping. The housekeepers that were hired ofte wanted to get married and increased the pressure on the widower. The first wif died shortly after the birth of the third child Jelle Pieter. The second wife got TB and this may have caused the death of Jelle Pieter who died of meningitis. The second wife died of TB. Her daughter Epina (Ina) may also hav had TB (Tuberculosis). Willem went to the USA, exact date not known, but the wedding register of his daughter Aukje mentions, as her place of residence Carlsbad, Mexico, (must have been New Mexico) though she never left Europe. This wedding took place on 13 Oct 1904. That means that her father must have left the Netherlands before tha date. Ds Willem Kapteyn had gotten into some money, probably through marriage. However, he was a gullible person and lost money to a slick salesman who did no deliver. He invested money in a telephone company that went broke. He started to spend time away from the ministry to look after his business in order to sav it. But to no avail. Willem felt that it was not fitting to spend so much tim on his business, and asked to be released from the ministry according to articl 12 of the Church Order. In those days one was a minister for life and a minister was not allowed to take other jobs in order to make more money. The church was obliged to fully provide for the minister. The classis Klundert granted the release from the ministry, but considered that Ds Kapteyn already had violated article 12 and it should be considered whether or not he was guilt of "Faithless desertion of his office", article 80 of the Church Order where desertion is mentioned in that article as one of the gross sins. However, classis accepted that Ds Kapteyn had weighty reasons to act this way and grante the release from office. Reverend Kapteyn was not allowed to preach or officiate at the sacraments in th Gereformeerde Kerk anymore by decision of the classis Klundert. This must have been a very difficult time for the family; a not very good marriage with the fourth wife, an ailing stepdaughter, (Eppina Sijpkens, age 21), and the other children Aukje, 19 years old, Piet Kapteyn, 17 years old, Hilda Sijpkens, 23 years old, and Mientje (Wilhelmina) Kapteyn, 4 years old. Mother Aukje (Mother of Jacob Binnema) has told me several times that earlier her father had been wearing a hairpiece out of vanity, but since the debacle he did not wear his hairpiece anymore. He also had promised his future son-in-law Hendrik (Harry) Binnema to pay for his studies if he wanted to have his Ph.D., but through the failissement he could not fulfill his promise. Disappointed and with an ailing stepdaughter, Eppina, Willem went to the USA to find healing for her in a healthy climate. Apparently they lived in Carlsbad, New Mexico and in El Paso, Texas. In 1905 Eppina died in El Paso. Daughter Aukje Kapteyn married in the Netherlands and remained there. Son Pieter after finishing High School (Gymnasium) came to the USA at age 19 to join his father. He came for two reasons; one, he did not like his stepmother whose cousin had gotten Willem Kapteyn to invest in a telephone company in whic he lost all his money, and two, he did not want to go for military training in Holland. Each male at age 19 had to go into military for one year. Pieter was a peace-loving person. Pieter helped his father delivering milk for a dairy in New Mexico. Pieter Kapteyn also worked on the Railroad. Father and son have worked in San Francisco. Pieter went to the Presbyterian seminary (San Anselmo) and later wa sent out as a missionary for the Presbyterian Church to serve in Cameroon, West Africa. When the (First World) war started, he had to return to the USA. He became a teacher at a high school in Los Angeles, California. He taught Russia among other subjects. The other stepdaughter Hilda Sijpkens married Jacobus Oggel (Oom Koos) and remained in the Netherlands. The youngest daughter Willem had with Ida Sijpkens, Willemina (Mein) Kapteyn also went to Grand Rapids, Michigan with her father. She was for a long time head nurse in Battle Creek hospital Mich. A few times she was able to go for visits to the Netherlands. She married Al Benne. After the death of Eppina, Willem went to California with his son Pieter. To make a living Willem worked on a barbershop in San Francisco, San Anselmo. Som of his customers were professors at the Presbyterian Seminary there, who encouraged him to become a minister again. As a result of this advice he was able to serve as a minister on the Presbyterian Church of Tomales, California. Later he desired very much to return to the church where his Dutch fellowmen belonged. In order to be proposed for the ministry in the Christian Reformed Church he went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he suffered a heart attack whil he was staying with his cousin Gelmer Kuiper. After two days he died 21 September 1913. He was buried in the grave of Gelmer Kuiper. Gelmer Kuiper (wife Angie) was a very important person. He was the lawyer for one of the big railroads. Gelmer and Angie had a daughter that did not live very long. Gelmer Kuiper may have been responsible for getting Pieter the job with the railroad, and also the job as motorman of the streetcar. That streetcar went back and forth across the bridge from El Paso Texas to Jaurez, Mexico. It did this several times a day. One year after the big San Francisco earthquake Willem and son Pieter went to San Francisco where Pieter got a job as motorman. He also was on one of the cable cars. After one year the union called a strike so Pieter got a lot of od jobs, e.g. washing hams for Swift and Company, then working for Hercules Powder plant in Richmond across the bay near Berkeley. He had to buy a pair of overalls each week because the sulfuric acid dripped on them and ate the material. He wore an old pair over the new pair. (Information from the daughter of Pieter Kapteyn: Aukje W. Bertea, 808 Keenan St., Montebello, Ca. 90640)
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