John Rooks Portrait and Biographical Record, Pages 464, 465 JOHN ROOKS, an enterprising general agriculturist and leading citizen,pleasantly located upon section 36, Holland Township, Ottawa County, Mich., is anative of the Netherlands, and was born in Wenterswick in 1837. His parents,Gerrit and Catherine (Hesselink) Rooks, also born in the Netherlands, were of athrifty and industrious ancestry, highly respected among the people where theiruneventful and upright lives were passed. The father was born not far fromWenterswick, in the year 1802, the year of his wife’s birth being 1809. Afarmer by occupation, he tilled the fertile soil of his early home and alsoworked as a wood sawyer. His parents were poor, and when only a boy he began thework of life, receiving but a limited education in the common schools of hisbirthplace. He was not the possessor of landed property, but in the Old Countryrented land. The sons and daughters of the father, ten in number, were all bornin the Netherlands. By a first marriage the father had two children, Henry andHannah, both deceased. After the death of the first wife, marrying the mother ofour subject, the father gathered about him the large family who lateraccompanied him to the United States. Of the eight sons and daughters of the second marriage, the eldest diedyoung, and Albert, Lydia and John are also deceased; the others are Minnie,Gertrude, John and Gerrit. In 1855, with all the family except the daughterLydia, the father and mother emigrated to America, and after leaving theseaboard had just money enough to get to Michigan, where they at once locatedupon a forty-acre farm, purchased by the father. Then an old man, he cleared offthe dense woods of the homestead, ably assisted by his sturdy sons, who lent awilling hand in the improvement of the home to which they had looked forward forso long. The father, a pious man and devout member of the Reformed Church,survived his journey to the United States only about eight years. John Rooks had hired out in the Old Country, and soon after arriving inMichigan began for himself by working on farms and in mills; and, carefullyhoarding up every dollar while engaged in laboring for others, he was finallyenabled to purchase the forty-eight acres where he now lives. This, mostly wildland, he cleared, cultivated and improved, and, prospering through self-reliantindustry, added other acres, now owning one hundred and twenty-eight acres, uponwhich stand excellent and commodious barns and a comfortable and attractiveresidence. When twenty-eight years of age our subject was united in marriage with MissClara Mulder, daughter of William and Effie (Skipper) Mulder. Mrs. Rooks, a mostestimable lady, was born in the Netherlands in 1844, and was only three years ofage when with her parents she emigrated to America and made her home in Holland.Eleven sons and daughters have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Rooks. Fourdied in infancy. The surviving are: William, Gerrit, Albert, Peter, Herman,Leonard and John, the last two now attending Hope College. Albert is a finestudent and graduated with honor from Hope College. Gerrit graduated inbook-keeping from the business college at Grand Rapids. William is attending aveterinary school in Canada. Our subject and his worthy wife are valued membersof the Seceder Church, and have shown themselves friends to educationaladvancement by giving to their children every possible opportunity to improvethemselves and thus prepare to occupy with honor any work, public or private, towhich they may be called. Politically a Republican, Mr. Rooks is interested inboth local and national issues and intelligently posted in all matters tendingto the promotion of welfare, and does his full duty as a true andliberal-spirited citizen.

Portrait & Biographical Record of Muskegon & OttawaCounties, Michigan 1893, Chicago: Biographical Publishing Company

Transcriber: Susan Gates Davis
Created: 28 April 2003
URL: Biographies