The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-02
Dr. FAMILY
REACHES IOWA
81
:
Fourteen Of Them Living on Farm
Near Pella Where the Dutch
Formed a Settlement
Back In 1s4s.
THE ONE WAY OUT
Live on Forty Acre Farm Rented at
50 Per Acre and All Are Busy
Now Putting in the
Seeds.

PELLA, Ia May 2.-That Dam fam
i'y have discovered the "One Way
Out" if anyone has.
They can't speak word Of English.
but they can teach us lesson in soly
Ing the problem of living.
They've been in America only a
week or SO but they are already set
tied on an Iowa farm, six miles from
here-snugly settled in six-room
house on 40 acres of rich Iowa land
ia of them.
Where will they sleep? Goodness
knows. But they won't be in six
room house on rented farm very |
long.
| They have all come over here to
work-from the baby boy to the faith
4 er. They will work hard and save
their money and in few years they'll
/ own their own farm and maybe the
one next to it.
The Dam family came from Nieuw
Beyerland, near Rotterdam. The faith
er, Jacob Dam, was baker and he
couldn't do any more than get barely
enough to feed the IL hungry chill
dren His problem was much the
same as countless American working
men in countless American cities.
He started to solve the problem and
4 he. was helped by letters from his
friends in the big Dutch settlement at
Pella He decided to give UP every
thing in Holland to sell everything
he owned, give up his trade and be-
come a farmer in America.
He figured the thing out systematic
ally. He didn't know anything about
farming and knowledge was necess-
ary-so two years ago he sent his
! Oldest son, Jan Johannes to Pella. A
year ago, the next boy, Gys Bertus,
aged 10, joined his brother and the
| two went to work as farm hands.
In the meantime the father saved
. his money and by the time the two
, boys knew farming he had the means
Z to bring the remaining II to Amerl'
. ca. The boys had chosen the farm
They rented the 40 acres in January
for 81 an acre. The father sold his
effects and started for America, tim
ing his arrival just at planting time.
Z The Dam family got here to find
their 40 acres plowed and ready fol
the seed. They arrived at Pella one
day. moved to the farm the next and
the following morning. they were busy
planting.
= The Dutch settlement at Pella wa'
!. founded 63 years ago by 200 plonees'
n led by Rev Henry p Scholte. These
~ pioneers had nothing but perseYef
. ance and an ability to toll. They lef
4 Holland because they believed Il
Il church reform and because they want
9 ed a place where they could improv'
their conditions. They bought LAM
"a for s1.25 an acre This land is nov
IN selling around s125 an acre.
V The Dutch settlers become Amer1
IS can citizens as soon as possible. The
20 go to church regularly aud offer
of They are strong for education rher
" are schools galore and a college u
ys Pella.
~ The farmers who have been her
any length of time have fine brio
in homesteads, big barns AMI autonit
IN hiles. They carry their produce
ne auto trucks.
20 Some of the farmers who hay
TO lately come over wear wooder shoe
co and have little but the clothes O
If. their backs.
al The Dam family have received n
.r- end of attention since they ,anded
America They were photographed
New York and Chicago and Pe'la 81
points en- route Mrs. Dam wa aske
at the Pella farm to bring out h
ID family and pose for picture. 81
didn't IKE the idea
.si "Why do they photograph rs
much?' she asked through an into
prefer. rs it disgrace to have b
family in America? | am proud
J. nv children and l don't wan The
"a pictures printed and fun roSed
- them in the papers,''
Mrs. Dam has reason to 'lo pre-
:. :, of her big family. They are . stnri
-, lot. Life with her may be cne Da
thing after another but she and =
d rest of the Dam flock will be ridi1
in their own auto while some Of I
l l rest of us will think it luck 70 ha
~ car fare.
- So don't Dam the Dam family.
5
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