Rinze Jans Nauta
Rinze was a man of his times. He did not believe an education was necessary. School was for school and only for a few years for his children and home was for work. My mother couldn't take her books home to study. She hid them under leaves on the way home. My uncles only went to the third or fourth grades. My mother went to the 8th grade. When my grandmother got sick, my mother quit school to run the house because she was the oldest daughter. Rinze worked in Grand Rapids for John Widdcomb Furniture Co as a laborer until he had enough money to buy a farm .He had 13 cows. 12 Holsteins and 1 Jersey for the house and 80 acres..They produced everything except coffee, tea and sugar. He never drove a car or tractor. He always farmed with horses, retiring in 1945 when he was 70. He did buy a car, a used 1919 Ford but told the man to "show Mart" his son. During the Depression, my mother told me that her father "always had a bag of potatoes for someone who needed them". The Nautas did not attend church. My mother was the only one who went to Sullivan Christian Reformed Church near their farm. I don't know if they were bitter against the church because of the problems in Frisland or because they were isolated. I do know that most of my grandmothers family, the Dreyers, were very religious. I do have their Dutch Bibles so I assume they attended in the Nederlands. In 1948, my grandmother had a heart attack and was bed ridden. Rinze did the cooking and cleaning. He had been in the Dutch army as a cook for himself and was paid by someone to serve their tern too. I have a picture of him in his uniform. Their children, John, Nick, Mart, and my mother all took turns driving to the farm. Mart lived in Grand Haven so he was the closest but the others drove an hour each way. Our day was Sunday. I know my mother went other days especially at the end just before my grandmother died. Then she went every day and was there with my father on the day she died. After Elizabeth's death, Rinze moved to Grand Rapids, living several weeks with John, Nick and us. This was not a very happy time for him. He died in December, 1955. He was buried on what would have been my grandmother's birthday 12/31/55.
Rinze trouwde met Elisabeth Nammens Dreyer, dochter van Nammen Martens Dreyer en Hittje Folkerts Kamstra, op 18 Mei 1899 in Oostdongeradeel. (Elisabeth Nammens Dreyer werd geboren op 31 Dec 1878 in Holwerd en overleed op 2 Mrt 1954 in Fruitport, Ottawa County, MI 410.) |
Rinze was ook bekend als Reno.