Individual Details

Residence

The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 491 CORNELIUS JONGEJAN.
Cornelius Jongejan is numbered among the substantial citizens that Holland has furnished to the Yakima valley. He was born in Holland, September 16, 1852, a son of Thomas and Cora Jongejan, both of whom have now passed away. He was reared in his native country, pursued his education there and had reached the age of thirty-six years when in 1888 he came to the United States. He first made his way to Sioux county, Iowa, where he resided until 1899, and was employed a trailway work during that period. The opportunities of the northwest, however,attracted him and in 1899 he made his way to Yakima county, where he rented land for two years. During that period he carefully saved his earnings and by 1901 the sum had become sufficient to enable him to purchase twenty acres of wildland on the Moxee. This he at once began to develop and improve. The land was plowed and he planted twelve acres of it to orchard but afterward took out three acres. He now has a nice orchard, in which he has fine apples, pears and grapes.The remainder of the place is devoted to the cultivation of grain and alfalfa and he has made it one of the attractive farm properties of the district. Upon it he has erected a fine home and there is no accessory or convenience of the model farm of the twentieth century that is lacking upon the place. Its neat and thrifty appearance indicates his careful supervision and his practical and progressive spirit. In his vocabulary there is no such word as fail. He carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes and his life record illustrates what may be accomplished through individual effort and unfaltering perseverance.On the 16th of May, 1878, Mr. Jongejan was married to Miss Jennie Van de Star, a native of Holland, where they were married and began their domestic life, living in that country for ten years ere they came to the new world. To Mr. and Mrs. Jongejan have been born nine children: Coba is the wife of Orval Sullivan, whois engaged in ranching at Wenatchee, Washington; Fannie is the wife of William Gerritsen, a rancher of Moxee; Jennie is the wife of C. M. Sweney; Elizabeth is the wife of Robert T. Kelley and resides in California; Jane and Annie are at home; Tillie married William Huibregtse; Thomas is engaged in ranching on the Moxee. One child died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Jongejan are members of the First Reformed church and its teachings guide them in all the relations of life. In politics he is a republican,interested in the success of the party but never ambitious to hold officehimself. He belongs to the Yakima County Horticultural Union and closely studies all ideas put forth in relation to the development of the fruit raising interests of this section. During the summer of 1918 Mr. Jongejan and his family were the victims of an automobile accident on the Naches river. He had purchased a Buick car and in passing along a narrow road on the mountain his car rolled over and down the side of the mountain, rolling over three and a half times ereat length it landed in a deep ditch filled with water. Mr. Jongejan and his family were in the car. His son Thomas had a leg broken, while the daughter Jane had one of her ribs broken. Mr. Jongejan was badly cut about the head. The family certainly very narrowly escaped death and it is impossible to determine how they managed to escape with their lives. The water was five feet deep in the ditch. William and Jane were caught under the car in the water but managed to extricate themselves. It seemed a miracle that the results were not more serious. The account of the accident was written up in all of the papers and people came for miles to see the place, for the car rolled sixty feet down the mountain side and was badly broken, but it seemed that a kind Providence interfered to save the lives of those who were riding in the machine at the time. Mr. Jongejan deserves great credit for what he has accomplished in a business way since coming to the new world. His capital was very limited at the time when he crossed the Atlantic but he possessed ambition and energy and his wife, too, constantly encouraged him to put forth his best efforts. As the yearshave passed their united labors have brought about most excellent results, Mrs.Jongejan wisely directing the affairs of the household, while Mr. Jongejan has carefully and successfully managed the work of the farm until he is now numbered among the men of affluence of his community.
********************************Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.