On November 4, 1938 in a church in Holland, Arnoldus Jabocus (Jacob) Geelen and Elisa Hubertina (Elizabeth) Thiesen were married in a humble double wedding. Could they even have imagined what the next 86 years would bring?
Their beginnings were humble as well, spending the first several years living on Jacobs’s Mother’s farm in Velden.
Now when I say humble, I mean humble.
The main building had a house and a barn under the same roof. There was no indoor plumbing, no phone, no radio, and no Facebook. Can you imagine?
It was out of these humble beginnings that something extraordinary was formed. A family.
First came Chris, born in in 1939. Followed by Frank in 1940. Then Tina in 42, Theresa in 43, and Nelly in 44. And that was just the first half.
To make it an even 10, this was followed up with John in 1946, Anna in 47, Gary in 49, Mary in 1950 and finally baby Everet in 1952.
10 kids. Can you imagine?
As if having 10 children to care for wasn’t enough, those years also saw Holland right in the middle of World War 2 from 1939 to 1945.
I had the pleasure of visiting Frank a few times over the past few months in the hospital and he shared some memories from those war times.
As the war moved West and Holland was invaded by the Germans, the family would often hear planes and bombs overhead at night. This prompted Jacob to build a bomb shelter attached to the basement of the house. It was in that very bomb shelter where Nelly was born in 1944.
Frank shared with me a vivid memory of a discovery they made one day. Returning to the house after spending the night in the bomb shelter. Jacob (my Grandpa) found a grenade laying in his mother’s wardrobe. Apparently, it had gone through the roof at some point through the dark of night and settled nicely, right there in her bedroom.
Can you imagine?
Luckily, the grenade hadn’t gone off, but to be safe, Jacob carefully picked it up and very gently carried out into the field, far away from the house, where it could be safely detonated.
Frank also reminisced about interacting with the German soldiers directly. At some point during the war, a few of these German soldiers showed up at the Geelen farm looking for a place to stay. They were offered some quarters and proceeded to move in. Can you imagine? The enemy living right there in your house with you!
But Frank remembered them as being quite friendly and nice to interact with.
One memory that stood out for him specifically was when some other German soldiers had orders to go around and collect livestock from the various farms in the area. The soldiers that were living in the house gave Jacob the heads up that this was happening. Together they dug a hole, placed a live pig in it and then covered it with brush. When the soldiers came to collect the livestock, they found no pigs in the barn and luckily never discovered the pig hiding in the hole nearby.
Can you imagine how nervous you would be hoping to not get caught? What would have happened if they discovered you were hiding a pig?
Can you imagine?
By 1948, with the war now over for a few years, some people in Holland started to leave for Canada. Among them were Harry and Truus Hendricks (Truus was Elizabeth’s sister) followed by Jake and Mien Thiesen (Jake was Elizabeth’s brother).
The Geelen family was now starting to be separated with a few of Elizabeth’s siblings in Canada. But Jacob and Elizabeth decided they needed to stay in Holland for the time being to take care of Jacob’s mother (Christina).
But in 1951, Christina passed away and the wheels were set in motion for Jacob and Elizabeth to follow the other family members. So, on May 7, 1952 all 12 of the Geelens (Jacob, Elizabeth, and all 10 kids) along with Aunt Agnes boarded the Waterman ship in Rotterdam and headed…. for Canada.
What incredible boldness and courage it must have taken, after already going through a world war, to pick up your family and head to a completely unknown country.
I can’t even imagine what that would be like.
They arrived in Quebec on May 16 (imagine, 9 days on a ship at sea) and eventually settled in Thamesville, Ontario.
That first year, the gang of 12 lived with Uncle Henry and Aunt Helen in a farm house south east of Ridgetown, which I’m told DID have indoor plumbing.
Finally! Thank goodness!
Jacob and Henry shared farming duties and the kids were enrolled in a local one room school for grades one to eight. Not one of the kids could speak, read, or write a word of English.
Can you imagine?
After struggling in the first year, in a new country, learning a new language, and a new way of life, the kids soon started to thrive.
After moving to a different place on Highgate Middle Road in March of 1953, the kids started attending Cleaves, another one room school house for grades 1 to 8. It was there that they encountered a phenomenal teacher, Mrs. Gillard, who encouraged the kids to speak as much English as they could, especially at home. This not only helped the kids learn the language, but Jacob and Elizabeth as well. By the time they left that school 4 years later, Elizabeth was reading the local newspaper and Jacob gave a thank you speech to the community…both in English.
The family moved several times. In 1957 to a 100-acre farm in Fletcher. In 1958 to Harold Cambell Farm. Then in 1961, into the first farm that Jacob and Elizabeth purchased on their own. This one in Duart, south of Highgate.
As you can see, there was a lot of moving and a lot of farming throughout those years. In fact, every summer, anyone in the family that was 8 years or older, would be working 8:00am to 5:00pm every day on the farm.
Frank said he could remember laying awake at night staring at the stars praying it would rain the next day so they wouldn’t have to work.
It was tough. It was work. It was a lot of moving. But they were a family.
With all the farming background, it was only natural that Frank would go on to enrol in Ridgetown Agricultural College in the fall of 1959, graduating in 1961 with honors.
Over the next 10 years, each of the siblings continued to move on, starting their own families. By 1971, with Jacob’s health starting to decline somewhat, they sold the farm and moved into a bungalow in Ridgetown, Everett being the only kid to move there with them.
I have many fond memories of that house. From all the incredible windmills on the lawn hand built by Jacob (my Grandpa Geelen). Of the smell of Elizabeth (my Grandma Geelen’s) incredible chicken soup cooking in a pot on the stove.
Unfortunately, Jacob passed away in November of 1981 after living many years with health concerns. But the family continued to gather at that house in Ridgetown.
I can remember making the trip a few times a year, first from our family home in Uxbridge and later from our home in Little Britain. Where the highlight would always be to visit with my cousins who could come from all around to gather at Grandma’s house.
But on May 27, 1998, Grandma passed on as well.
From those humble beginnings, after 10 kids, a world war, so many moves, including to a whole new country, learning a whole new language, you don’t have to imagine. An extraordinary family, with extraordinary character, and some extraordinary experiences were formed.
Today, many members of the Geelen family remain close. With Frank’s passing, only 5 of the 10 siblings remain. But the tradition of family gatherings lives on.
In a new tradition, initiated by Nelly over 15 years ago, every summer, many Geelens can be found gathering for a week together at Gull Lake where the next generation of cousins have continued to forge deep relationships.
Families scattered across Ontario, still come together to connect, to remember, to enjoy each other’s company, and to build new memories.
Almost 90 years after they married in that humble double wedding in Holland.
Can you imagine?