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Jacob Dirksen  1841 - 1916

• .		I15284 Sarah and Jacob were married February 12, 1896. The pictured children are all his brother Abraham's. Left to right they are: Sarah 14 years 4 months old. Katie 16 yrs. 6 mos. Jacob 54 yrs. and 4 mos. Henry 25 yrs. 3 mos. his daughter Agnes, 20 mos. Sarah Funk Dirksen 50 yrs. and 3 mos. Lizzie 18 yrs. 1 mo. Abraham Adam (A.A.) 12 years 10 mos. The oldest child Mary (21 yrs. 5 mos.) was in Montana with a new baby. News reports of the arrival of the Vaderland 27 Jul 1876. Jacob's Diary reveals he sold his farm to brother Cornelius on 23 Feb 1892. The 1893 Brotherfield Plat Map shows the SW Quarter of section 9 belongs to Cornelius Dirksen. Jacob moved north to Logan County in ND where he loaned (on 25 Arp 1892) $15 to his oldest brother Johann to file on land in Logan County.
  		i15284 A comparison of facial features for everyone in the above photo with other photos known to be that person.
  		I15284 There are three known copies of this picture. One says on the back it was taken in Escondido, CA in 1908. Jacob was probably there to (among other things) visit his sister Elisabeth Dirksen Heinrichs who died 10 Feb 1914 in Escondido. Other New Home, ND Advent's were coming to California at the time. David Toews ended up in Dinuba, the Abraham Toews family in Shafter. But Jacob and Sarah returned to New home, where they are buried.
  		I15284 This picture is in the family of Louis T. Dirksen, son of Jacob's son Cornelius Dirksen. Louis told how he remembered this day when he was about 10 years old and Jacob and Sarah came to visit his home just north of the New Home, ND SDA church. Louis would stay with Jacob and Sarah from time to time in the New Home village. He remembered that Sarah made very good fried potatoes! Kathy Sperling provided this Dirksen Genealogy from her files.
  		I15284 Jacob owned the land under New Home village. The New home post office was across the street to the east. Descriptions of Lowery Township from the Jamestown, ND Centennial and the Woodworth Rustler. When the railroad came to Woodworth, not New Home, it died out. "The place began to deteriorate and people began to move away", Alfred Vote.
  		I15284 His descendants. From Kathy Sperling.
  		I15284 It is not known if this is the same jacob Dirksen. But he was quite a traveler and might have been thinking of a move to Minnesota. ?
  		I15284 Jacob died of "Dropsy". An old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water. In years gone by, a person might have been said to have dropsy. Today one would be more descriptive and specify the cause. Thus, the person might have edema due to congestive heart failure. Edema is often more prominent in the lower legs and feet toward the end of the day as a result of pooling of fluid from the upright position usually maintained during the day. Upon awakening from sleeping, people can have swelling around the eyes referred to as periorbital edema. The Middle English dropesie came through the Old French hydropsie from the Greek hydrops which in turn came from the Greek hydor meaning water. -Lillian Thiesen's research. After Jacob died his estate probate became a nightmare. What he had owned, was subject to much conflict. In the end lawyers got most of it, and Jacob's many heirs received very little. The following link contains 157 pages of probate documents revealing the interesting, but ultimately sad tale of Jacob's Estate Probate.

• Birth	1 Oct 1841	Alexanderthal, Molotschna, South Russia   [1, 2]
  Immigration	28 Jul 1876	S. S. Vaderland; arrived Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Died	24 Feb 1916	New Home, North Dakota   [3]
  Individual ID	I15284	Brotherfield
  Father	Heinrich Johann Dircks, b. 7 Apr 1809, Schweingrube, Stuhm, Prussia
  Mother	Catarina Adrian, b. 29 Sep 1813, Boenhoff, Stuhm, Prussia
  Family ID	F139	Group Sheet
  Spouse 1	Elizabeth Funk, b. 19 Nov 1846, Alexanderthal, Molotschna, South Russia
  Married	13 Nov 1862	Alexanderthal, Molotschna Colony Russia
  Children	1. Elisabeth Dirksen, b. Abt 1866, Russia   2. Anna Dirksen, b. 5 Aug 1872, Russia   3. Eva Dirksen, b. Abt 1875, Russia   4. Jacob J. Dirksen, b. 28 Jan 1877, Turner County, South Dakota   5. Cornelius J. Dirksen, b. 26 Apr 1879, Parker, South Dakota   6. Abraham Dirksen, b. 10 Sep 1881, South Dakota   7. David J. Dirksen, b. 1 Jan 1885, South Dakota   8. Katherine Dirksen, b. 3 Mar 1888, South Dakota
  Last Modified	02 Aug 2009 18:31:00
  Family ID	F5520	Group Sheet
  Spouse 2	Sarah Funk, b. 19 Nov 1845, Alexanderthal, Molotschna, South Russia
  Married	12 Feb 1896	Richville, North Dakota
  Notes	Married: Marriage date and location from Marvin Dirksen
  Last Modified	02 Aug 2009 18:31:00
  Family ID	F5521	Group Sheet

• Notes

  Birth Source: The Brotherfield MB church records list his birthday as 13 Oct 1841. Brothers in Deed to Brothers in Need , page 295. Birth Source: 1900 US Census, North Dakota, Stutsman County, North Dakota. Death Source: Vote, Betty (b 1944) family group sheet sheet sent 2 May 2001 Immigration Source: Brothers in Deed to Brothers in Need , page 295. Marriage Source: Vote, Betty (b 1944) family group sheet sheet sent 2 May 2001. from Marvin Dirksen: He arrived in America 28 Jul, 1876 and was at Elder Unrau's home on Aug. 5, 1876 (child died there). Probably Daniel Unrau #103793. His neice Ruth Rose Dirksen remembered (6 Mar 2005), "There was a big fight over his clothes, even his underwear. They made a coffin out of boards. We went to their home where I saw them put him in the coffin." Jacob's grand-daughters Ruth Rose and Aldena Dirksen, in a taped conversation from 1999, said, "Someone was having Adventist meetings in Sioux Falls, SD. Annie went to the meetings first, then the family all started coming. Later, he lived there in New Home (ND). He didn't farm or anything, just had a little home there in the village. He was a small man, very little. He had on his black suit. They put him in a plain box coffin and I remember him on the back of a wagon and we all went to the church." From 1880 Census Jacob Dirksen38RPP Elisabeth33RRP Elisabeth14RRR Anna8RRR Jacob3DakRR Cornelius1DakRR From 1885 Dakota Territory Turner County census: Jacob Durkson 45?Farmer Russia Germany wife Elizabeth 39 Russia Germany? d. Anna 14 Russias. Jacob 9 Dakota Russia s. Cornelius 6 Dakota Russia s. Abraham 3 Dakota Russia s. David 5 mos.Dakota Russia/ Jamestown Daily Alert February 26, 1916 page 2 DEATH OF NEW HOME PIONEER New Home, Feb. 24 -- Jacob Dirksen, Sr., died from dropsy. He was 74 yea rs of age at the time of his death. He was born in Russia and came to America in 1875, settling near Sioux Falls, S.D, and from there to Napoleon, N.D, where his first wife died. He then moved to New Home country, being one of the first settlers. He was a very skillful bone doctor, having set many fractured bones and six hours before his death he set a dislocated arm for Mr. Lepoldt's 10-year-old daughter. Mr. Dirksen is survived by his wife, sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren, numbering 72 in all. Funeral services were held in the Adventist church west of New Home. S. S. Vaderland; Arrived Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Sources

  [S1235] 1900 US Census, North Dakota, Stutsman County, North Dakota. [S437] Brothers in deed to brothers in need : a scrapbook about Mennonite immigrants from Russia, 1870-1885, Hiebert, Clarence, editor, (Faith and Life Press, Newton, Kansas, 1974.). [S442] Schrag, Melissa; Letter Oct 1992.