Recordings from the Old Country
Today I listened to side 1 of a recording my great grandfather made on a cassette tape, recounting his life in The Netherlands. He was born and lived there with his father, two brother's, two sister's and grandmother. His mother had died from untreated appendicitis when he was very young. When my great grandfather was 14 his dad died, and the kids were alone at this point. After a few years of living as orphans on their own my great grandfather who was now 16 and his brothers and sisters decided to sell their 4 acres of land, their home and everything in their possession and leave for America. There first home was in Newland, Indiana - and eventually my great grandfather ended up on the West Coast. He made this tape in his bedroom in Santa Maria in 1972. Here are a few excerpts from side 1 of the tape.
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"This is Sat. June 24th and this tape is going to be just for you children only. Some of you children have asked me if I wouldn’t make a tape and tell you some of the experiences I had back in the “Old Country.” So I’ll do the best I can. I wouldn’t do it for anybody else but for you children of course, you understand. I’m in my studio here in Santa Maria. Oh if you want to call it my office you can, even call it my bedroom if you wish. But here I am, and now I’m going to have to let my mind go back to the “Old Country,” way back there. I guess the best thing to do is to start from the ground on up, way way back there.
About the first experience I’m going to have to give you would be in regard to my neighbor. Our neighbors there… remember we lived right on the canal there… we had a neighbor girl that I played with…just a little fella…I must’ve been 4 years old, because I went to school at 5. I played with her that one particular day I remember. While we were playing and just having a good time we had a sand pile that was right near the canal. I guess the canal must’ve been about 4-5 feet. The water itself was kind of a bank. So we were playing just on the bank there, just having a good time, and I remember the little girl about my age, she was standing up facing the canal and she had a little dog, a playful dog. That dog came and just put his front feet right on her and she was facing the canal and over she went into the canal. It so happens she fell between a boat, a little row boat there and a dike. The only thing I could do was, at least I guess it was the best I could do... I just jumped in the boat and grabbed the little thing. But I was so small I couldn’t lift her up, but I could hold her head above water, so that’s what I did, and I just held her head above water. Then our neighbor across the canal saw the situation. She began to scream and people came running out. So she was pointing at the water there. And the hired hand came out and he saw the situation so he came in the boat with me and he pulled her out. Well that was my first experience as a little fella.
And then (around the same time) I remember another neighbor girl, whose backyard was right in connection with ours. Her and I would play together... I don’t know whether it was the dress she had on or what, but they had a rooster and that rooster either didn’t like her or didn’t like the dress she wore... That rooster went after her and she began to scream and I got mad. Now when I get mad better kinda look-out cause things will happen. I went after that rooster and I kicked that thing all over the place. I guess she didn’t have much use for me, but anyhow the war was over-with and I saved the girl."
The last year when I was in school I had an uncle who lived way out, in order to get to his place you would have to walk 10 or 15 miles to get to his place. But to get there by boat it would be maybe 3 miles. I’m guessing now, I would figure about 3 miles. But anyhow my uncle lived way out there and a neighbor. The two of them nobody else around within miles and I don’t know what happened but something happened and they got mad at each other and they wouldn’t talk to each other. Well my cousins had gone to school with these neighbors in their boat, but now since they were mad at each other of course they couldn’t do that. So other provisions had to be made... it was my business to see that my cousin went to school as well as I went to school myself the last year. That meant that I would have to take a boat. This is a row boat with also a sail on it. And I would go 3 miles to pick up my cousins, bring them back to this town I told you about Sijbrandaburen, which lies between Terzool and Gauw. I would leave my cousins there, I would walk on to school. I’d have my day finished at school, I’d come back to Sijbrandaburen, pick up my cousins bring them back to home and then come home. I don’t know how long I did it, maybe all summer. But anyhow that kept me busy haha. Sometimes what I enjoyed most is when the wind was blowing heavy and I could sail, I loved to sail. But those were some of the experiences."
Another thing that comes to mind is that once a year in the fall of the year they have what they call a circus comes to town. Now this circus consists of a merry-go-round and a lot of concessions what have you. As far as we were concerned that thing was of the devil. We didn’t dare to go downtown. Boy that was out. Talking about riding a merry-go-round. You’d go to hell soon enough. Well sir I never did ride a merry-go-round. But to tell you the truth I never cared for anything much going around like that, it made me dizzy. Well we were not allowed to go to town whatsoever but they would give us… now this circus would be there about oh I don’t know about 4 or 5 days maybe. And they would come with ships. Those ships of course sailing vessels and that’s where they would carry their cargo and one day one evening we might go to town just to get some kind of a donut. And were they ever good. I had never tasted anything like it. So they would give us a dime and I’d go to town and get those donuts and my oh my never had anything like it. Now as far as church is concerned I should say that we are very strict, very religious. And may I say we had some wonderful people there in spite of all the religion. Because some of it was just the religion, but some of it was real, and I will ever thank god for that training we had there...
Now I have listened to this part of the tape and there’s one or two things I would like to mention just a little bit more about and that is first of all the one of my dad. You remember I told you that he died when I was 14 years of age. Now he was a man that was very highly respected by the people in the little town that we lived in. I think the population was approximately 700, something like that. And when he passed away, the people wanted to do something for him at the funeral and they didn’t know what to do, so they talked it over and somebody must have suggested...they said “well let’s sweep the walk over which we’ll carry his body.” Now we lived by a canal there and this walk was I’ll say 10 feet wide maybe something like that. And all the people of the town they got their brooms out and swept the walk over which they carried by father’s dead body. May I say that I had a good day."
-John DeYoung
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I've had this tape for almost a year now, and this was my first time I've listened to it. When I pressed play and heard his voice, this man I've only ever heard stories about... it really moved me. I felt light and dizzy at hearing his voice. I actually wanted to cry. Maybe because it's so special and touching to be able to have this very tangible connection with this part of my history, and my family's history. To hear his Dutch accent, and imperfect but near perfect English, was just.... well it felt familiar in a way. A familiar ghost I never knew but have always known.
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"This is Sat. June 24th and this tape is going to be just for you children only. Some of you children have asked me if I wouldn’t make a tape and tell you some of the experiences I had back in the “Old Country.” So I’ll do the best I can. I wouldn’t do it for anybody else but for you children of course, you understand. I’m in my studio here in Santa Maria. Oh if you want to call it my office you can, even call it my bedroom if you wish. But here I am, and now I’m going to have to let my mind go back to the “Old Country,” way back there. I guess the best thing to do is to start from the ground on up, way way back there.
About the first experience I’m going to have to give you would be in regard to my neighbor. Our neighbors there… remember we lived right on the canal there… we had a neighbor girl that I played with…just a little fella…I must’ve been 4 years old, because I went to school at 5. I played with her that one particular day I remember. While we were playing and just having a good time we had a sand pile that was right near the canal. I guess the canal must’ve been about 4-5 feet. The water itself was kind of a bank. So we were playing just on the bank there, just having a good time, and I remember the little girl about my age, she was standing up facing the canal and she had a little dog, a playful dog. That dog came and just put his front feet right on her and she was facing the canal and over she went into the canal. It so happens she fell between a boat, a little row boat there and a dike. The only thing I could do was, at least I guess it was the best I could do... I just jumped in the boat and grabbed the little thing. But I was so small I couldn’t lift her up, but I could hold her head above water, so that’s what I did, and I just held her head above water. Then our neighbor across the canal saw the situation. She began to scream and people came running out. So she was pointing at the water there. And the hired hand came out and he saw the situation so he came in the boat with me and he pulled her out. Well that was my first experience as a little fella.
And then (around the same time) I remember another neighbor girl, whose backyard was right in connection with ours. Her and I would play together... I don’t know whether it was the dress she had on or what, but they had a rooster and that rooster either didn’t like her or didn’t like the dress she wore... That rooster went after her and she began to scream and I got mad. Now when I get mad better kinda look-out cause things will happen. I went after that rooster and I kicked that thing all over the place. I guess she didn’t have much use for me, but anyhow the war was over-with and I saved the girl."
The last year when I was in school I had an uncle who lived way out, in order to get to his place you would have to walk 10 or 15 miles to get to his place. But to get there by boat it would be maybe 3 miles. I’m guessing now, I would figure about 3 miles. But anyhow my uncle lived way out there and a neighbor. The two of them nobody else around within miles and I don’t know what happened but something happened and they got mad at each other and they wouldn’t talk to each other. Well my cousins had gone to school with these neighbors in their boat, but now since they were mad at each other of course they couldn’t do that. So other provisions had to be made... it was my business to see that my cousin went to school as well as I went to school myself the last year. That meant that I would have to take a boat. This is a row boat with also a sail on it. And I would go 3 miles to pick up my cousins, bring them back to this town I told you about Sijbrandaburen, which lies between Terzool and Gauw. I would leave my cousins there, I would walk on to school. I’d have my day finished at school, I’d come back to Sijbrandaburen, pick up my cousins bring them back to home and then come home. I don’t know how long I did it, maybe all summer. But anyhow that kept me busy haha. Sometimes what I enjoyed most is when the wind was blowing heavy and I could sail, I loved to sail. But those were some of the experiences."
Another thing that comes to mind is that once a year in the fall of the year they have what they call a circus comes to town. Now this circus consists of a merry-go-round and a lot of concessions what have you. As far as we were concerned that thing was of the devil. We didn’t dare to go downtown. Boy that was out. Talking about riding a merry-go-round. You’d go to hell soon enough. Well sir I never did ride a merry-go-round. But to tell you the truth I never cared for anything much going around like that, it made me dizzy. Well we were not allowed to go to town whatsoever but they would give us… now this circus would be there about oh I don’t know about 4 or 5 days maybe. And they would come with ships. Those ships of course sailing vessels and that’s where they would carry their cargo and one day one evening we might go to town just to get some kind of a donut. And were they ever good. I had never tasted anything like it. So they would give us a dime and I’d go to town and get those donuts and my oh my never had anything like it. Now as far as church is concerned I should say that we are very strict, very religious. And may I say we had some wonderful people there in spite of all the religion. Because some of it was just the religion, but some of it was real, and I will ever thank god for that training we had there...
Now I have listened to this part of the tape and there’s one or two things I would like to mention just a little bit more about and that is first of all the one of my dad. You remember I told you that he died when I was 14 years of age. Now he was a man that was very highly respected by the people in the little town that we lived in. I think the population was approximately 700, something like that. And when he passed away, the people wanted to do something for him at the funeral and they didn’t know what to do, so they talked it over and somebody must have suggested...they said “well let’s sweep the walk over which we’ll carry his body.” Now we lived by a canal there and this walk was I’ll say 10 feet wide maybe something like that. And all the people of the town they got their brooms out and swept the walk over which they carried by father’s dead body. May I say that I had a good day."
-John DeYoung
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I've had this tape for almost a year now, and this was my first time I've listened to it. When I pressed play and heard his voice, this man I've only ever heard stories about... it really moved me. I felt light and dizzy at hearing his voice. I actually wanted to cry. Maybe because it's so special and touching to be able to have this very tangible connection with this part of my history, and my family's history. To hear his Dutch accent, and imperfect but near perfect English, was just.... well it felt familiar in a way. A familiar ghost I never knew but have always known.