VAN REGENMORTER, PETER AND CARRIE (BOS)
Peter Van Regenmorter was born January 25, 1885 in Holland, Michigan. His father Jacob was killed in a train-pedestrian accident when Peter was 11 years old. At that time he was forced to quit school to help work to provide food for the family.
He worked in the Heinz Pickle Company making baskets for fruit and pickles in the winter months, and herded cows in the summer.
Because of his dislike for factory work, he chose to go west by catching rides on the trains. He went to Galveston, Texas where he worked on a farm. The heat and humidity was more than he could stand and needed a change.
His sister was dating a seminary student, Rev. Gerrit Bosch, who had a summer charge at Hospers, Iowa. She wrote Peter and told him Sioux County in Iowa was the land of milk and honey, so he should come to Sioux County and fmd work. During his first year in Sioux County he worked for Remke Kooi, and then for A.J. Sandbulte. Both families have many descendants in the Sioux Center area. He then went to work for Dirk Bos (also spelled Bosch) who was married to Wichgertje Sneller, a daughter of the pioneer Rijk Sneller. Dirk Bos had several daughters. Peter married Carrie Bos in 1915. They moved to a rented farm 2 miles west and 13,4 miles north of Sioux Center. After renting for many years, they purchased the farm. They were active members of the First Reformed Church and regardless of road conditions and weather, made every effort to attend, many time with horses and sleigh.
Peter and Carrie Van Regenmorter family: L-R seated: Winnie (Mrs. Ben Vonk Jr.), Peter, Carrie,
Richard Standing: Dick (deceased), Jacob, Henry
To this union was born 6 children: Jacob, who now lives in Jensen Beach Florida, twins Henry and Dick (Dick passed away in 1985), Winnie, Mrs. Ben Vonk Jr., William and Richard, who all live in Sioux Center.
The Peter Van Regenmorter family engaged in what was called general farming. The farm consisted of 360 acres which was farmed with 14 horses. They had a dairy herd of 26 milk cows which in the early years were milked by hand without the convenience of a milking machine. They usually had from 300-400 little pigs from sows farrowed on their farm and raised to 210 lbs. They also had 700 laying hens and usually fed 40-50 head of feeder cattle. In 1919 Peter was listed in the county farm atlas as "a breeder of white leghorn chickens" He had a parent flock for the Herb and Goldie De Jong Hatchery of Sioux Center. All of the Van Regenmorter children had large numbers of laying hens on their farms. Richard continued in the poultry business which is now known as Van's Poultry Farm Inc.
In 1942 the first tractor was purchased from the Sioux Center John Deere dealer, a small H John Deere with a 2 twelve inch Moldboard plow. Each year they hoped for an early oats harvest and after the grain was harvested, Pete and Carrie would load up the family and make the long trip back to Holland, Mich. to visit his family there.
In 1936 the entire crop was lost to a hail storm which was accompanied by high winds. They lost all the young pullets who were outside, and the cattle had large welps on their bodies. All the windows in the house were broken, and while the family was coming downstairs, Peter held an ironing board in front of the broken window to keep the children from getting hit by the large stones.
Due to asthma and a heart condition, Peter retired from farming in 1951, and William and Richard farmed it as Van Regenmorter Brothers until .1959 when Richard and his wife Phyllis went full time into poultry.
The Van Regenmorter farm was purchased by William and is being farmed by his son Verlyn.
by Richard Van Regenmorter