an interview with Grandma Slotemaker

This 'interview' with Grandma Slotemaker is excerpted from a book called Legacy for my Loved Ones, a memory book which asked a series of questions which, with some prompting, Grandma answered.

A Legacy for my Loved Ones

Name: Sylvia Nieveen Slotemaker

Birth date: December 16, 1904

Place and time you were born: Platte, South Dakota

Physical description (including adult height, weight, eye and hair color): Five feet, 6 ½ inches tall; 138 lbs; brown eyes; gray hair

Your background nationality: Holland

The towns or cities in which you lived while you were growing up: On a farm between Lynden and Everson. Also on Grover Street, corner of Grover & 8^th.

Your church affiliation then: We attended the First Reformed Church.

Date you started school: 1910

Names of elementary and high schools: Timon School, fifth grade I started Lynden Christian.

Life Work

What did you do when you went to work? Candled Eggs before I was married

Over the years, what were some of the different jobs you held? Worked in the cannery 3 years after I was married.

Your Marriage

Date of your marriage: March 10, 1927

Name and physical description of your spouse: Cornelius Slotemaker, 5 ft 8 in tall, light hair, Blue green eyes.

The towns and cities where you lived together: Ferndale for a short time, Lynden, Van Buren Road 17 yrs.

Your children’s names and birth dates: Arlene, April 20, 1929. Jack, December 12, 1930. Ruth, December 12, 1934. Melvin, March 18, 1939. Ivan, November 14, 1940. Gerry, October 26, 1943

Date of your retirement: I was 62

Hobbies and activities pursued during retirement: Member of Sr. Center, crocheting

Any organizations to which you belonged: Member of Grace Baptist Fellowship, 1 year vice Pres. & 1 year sec. of the Missionary society, Sec. Of Sun School & librarian for 8 yrs.

Favorites

Color: blue

Radio program (include a past favorite): Haven of Rest

What was your favorite place while you were growing up?
The banks of the Nooksack River

What was your favorite subject while you were in school?
History & Geography.

Who was your favorite teacher and why?
George Rammerman. He was a very understanding man.

What was your favorite toy when you were a child?
Two rag dolls, Jennie & Rosy.

What are your most prized possessions?
 Children & grand children.

What are some things you don’t like to do?
 (washing windows, driving in the dark, and so on). Driving or riding in the fog.

While you were growing up, did you have any clothing or shoes that you didn’t like wearing?
 No.

Do you remember the first time you were away from home? (Where did you go? Who did you go with? And so on): Occasionally I would stay with my uncle and aunt overnight.

When I Was Young

Did you come from another country? No.

Did your parents come from another country? Yes. The Netherlands.

What was it like to come to America, for you or for them? My parents did not know each other in Holland. My father was 17 and my mother was 12 but she studied English in school she spoke good English, my father did not. They met in Platte, S. Dak.

Were you born in the United States? Yes

Did you live in the country or in a city? Country

What was your home like? It was comfortable

Your community? It was a friendly community

What was your room like? (name some of the things in your room). I had a single room a little small. It had a single bed, nice dresser and a chair. A clothes closet.

Did you share your room? No.

What was your favorite spot at home? (family room, kitchen, somewhere outdoors, and so on). I liked all the rooms.

What do you remember doing when you had nothing special to do? I would go to the river.

In what room did your family tend to gather? In the kitchen or dining room.

What were your parents’ names? Melle Martin Nieveen, Addie Nieveen

What were their occupations? Farmer. Housewife.

What were some of their outstanding characteristics? Their honesty & kindness

What illnesses did they suffer from? My father had a tumor on the brain. He died of that. My mother had Parkinsons.

What were their ages at death? Father was 54, mother was 69.

Where are they buried? Monumenta cemetery near Lynden, Washington.

How did your mother seek to comfort you? By talking to me.

Did she sing lullabies to you? No.

What were some of the foods she cooked that you especially enjoyed? (Include recipes, if available). My mother was a good cook.

What did you father talk about? He talked much of Holland.

Were your parents strict with you? No

How did they punish you if you disobeyed? They talked to me in love & consideration.

What are the names and birth dates of your brothers and sisters? (If you do not know their birth dates, write how much older or younger they were than you): Cornelia Brune, 12 yrs. older than I am--Mattie Zoet, 10 yrs. older--Martin Nieveen, 7 yrs. older

What were they like as people? They were hardworking people, made a good living for their families.

What were some of the times you remember having with them? Picnic, Christmas gatherings, Thanksgiving.

What did they become when they grew up? Cornelia & Mattie housewives, raising a good family.

Where are they now? They are gone.

What were the names of your aunts, uncles, and grandparents? Martin Melle Nieveen. Martye Smit. Lodewijk Engelbertus Grommers. Cornelia Franssens. I never knew my father’s parents nor my mother’s father.

How did you spend you summer days? I picked raspberries. Playing along the river.

Your winter days? Played in the snow. Skating.

What were the chores for which you were responsible? Helping in the house and I also had to milk one cow.

Did you get an allowance? No.

Who were some of your childhood friends? I had several school friends.

Do you still keep in touch? No.

What were some of the games you played together? Run sheep run. Dare Base. Kings Base. Played ball.

Did you have a nickname? Yes, Syb.

How did you get it? My brother gave it to me.

How did your family celebrate special days like birthdays, Christmas, and Easter? Just spent the day together. Did not go out much, those were horse & buggy days.

Were there certain foods or rituals your family enjoyed? Once in a while we would have ice cream, and that was a real treat.

What did you enjoy doing just for fun? Running in the wind. Playing on the log jam.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Never thought of that.

Did you ever lose something of value? No.

Did you ever find something of value? No.

Did any of your loved ones die while you were young? Yes, my father & grand mother.

What do you remember of that time? Not much, I was very young. I missed them so very much.

From what did the person die? Tumor of the brain.

Is it something we can cure today? Probably.

Describe the school(s) that you attended (one room or larger): I started my school Schooling in a one room school, Timon. Grade 5 I started Lynden Christian.

Who were some of your teachers, and what were they like? I had some good teachers, but Mr. Rammerman was the best one. He was highly respected by all the students and parents.

In which subjects did you do the best? History & geography

In which subjects did you have some difficulty? Arithmetic

Did you have class trips? No

What were your major accomplishments in school? None. We all did the best we could.

Did you ever get in trouble in school? No

As a teenager, how did you feel about yourself physically? I thought I was fat so I asked my cousin if I was she said no.

What did you like most about yourself? I liked my dark curly hair.

What skills or talents were you known for then? none

Did you have a hero or a heroine? No

Did your family take you to church? Yes.

To Sunday school? No.

How did you get to church? Horse & buggy

How was church different then? There was no choir, no church organizations, just church. First Reformed Church in Lynden Wash. There was a Sunday School. Later after my mother & I moved to Lynden, I attended C.E.

Memories

How did you meet your marriage partner? I have always known him.

What were some of the things you did during your courtship? Once in a while we would go to a movie, but in a group. Then we would go for a dish of ice cream.

What was the date of your wedding? March 10, 1927.

What was your wedding like? A small home wedding.

What size was it? Family members, uncles & aunts.

Where was it held? In my mothers home.

Was there a reception? Lunch was served.

What did you wear? A colored dress. It was dark pink, had pleats.

What did your mate wear? A suit

Your attendants? none

Did you go on a honeymoon? A short one

If so, where? Went to Seattle on a boat.

Where did you live after you were married? We lived in a rented house in Ferndale. After five years we moved to Lynden and rented a house.

When were you able to purchase a house? After we had been married several years.

What was your first home like? It was quite comfortable. It was on the Van Buren Rd.

Where did you go on vacations and trips? We didn’t have any.

What was the best trip you ever took? Went to Omaha, by plane, a few years ago to visit my youngest son & fam. I had a wonderful time there.

Did you have a place you went to regularly for vacations? no

What things did you like to do to with some friends you enjoyed as a couple? Played games & visited.

Do you still keep in touch? Many of them are with the Lord.

What were some of the games you played? Spin the bottle, etc.

Some of the books you read? I liked to read, especially Christian books.

Before television, what did you do for recreation in the evening? The kids had their games to play. I liked to crochet, etc.

What are your children’s names? Arlene Clara, John, Mathilda Ruth, Melvin Neil, Ivan Lee & Gerald Roy

What are their birth dates? Arlene, April 20, 1929--Jack, December 12--Ruth, December 12--Melvin, March 18--Ivan, November 14--Gerald, October 26

What was a routine day like at your job? After I was married I was a house wife and when the children were born I was a mother. So that was my work.

What did you most enjoy about your life work? Raising a family

Would you have done anything different if you could have done so? No

Did you suffer from any serious illnesses? No

Did other members of your family? Chicken Pox, Measles.

What was your neighborhood like? Your neighbors? It was a good neighborhood. We had good neighbors.

Were some of them close friends? Yes

Were there stores in your neighborhood that you could walk to? Yes. Van Buren Grocery.

In the Course of a Lifetime

Looking back over your life, for what things are you most thankful? I was raised in a good home. Wonderful parents and sisters & brothers

What people influenced your life the most and how? My mother.

What was the best advice you ever received? Do not speak ill of others. Have respect for another persons religion.

Our Spirits Never Die

When and how did you come to realize God’s great love for you and that salvation is a free gift through Jesus Christ? I heard a Bible Teacher explain "Gods way of Salvation". I had never heard it explained quite that way before. It is a free gift.

What do you include in your prayers for your family? That they may realize that they need the Lord. And that they will go to Him.

What are the most important values you wish you could pass on? That it is important to be well grounded in the Word of the Lord.

What would you like to tell your loved one about choosing a marriage partner? Be very sure that you love the one you want to marry.

How would you tell your loved ones they may have security in facing death and the life to come? Put all their trust in the Lord and lean on Him.

What do you believe is the most important thing in all the world? Salvation.

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