After Albert left the army (1876), he bought a piece of land of 2000 square yards (.4 acres) in what would later be called “The Stutenstreek”. He paid 460 guilders (125 dollars) for the land and a small house was built on it for 200 guilders (80 dollars). Albert and Tietje made a good start in their married life. They owned their own house and vegetable-garden. They had a tablecloth on the table, and they even had a wooden floor in the house, which was not common in those days. Most farmhands had only a dirt floor.

In that same year his brother Siepko also built a house next to Albert and his cousin Arend Hassing did the same on the other side of the house. These families did help each other when necessary. Both Albert and Siepko had to hurry to get their houses ready because Tietje was already 8 months pregnant when she got married (November 8, 1878). Siepko had to hurry even more because their daughter Martje was born on October 24. Albert and Tietje’s daughter Stientje was born December 12 of that year. Both little girls were christened on the same Sunday July 13, 1879.

Albert and his family lived about 15 minutes walking distance from the village of Woldendorp, on a path which was later called after them — “Stutenstreek”. There were only five houses on that clay-path. Albert was a hard-working farmhand, and he worked for a rich but honest farmer, named Bosker. Albert was a sober man and never drank or smoked.

Their house was small. Only one living room, a small kitchen and a small barn. In that one room they had to sleep, eat and live. When the family grew, Albert built two beds in the barn for the boys. They had a garden for vegetables, potatoes and for the goat. They had chickens and a hog in the barn for the winter. They had all kinds of fruit in the yard like berries and cherries, apples, pears and prunes.

Mother Tietje was a very strong Christian, and she often said, “Eternity will not be long enough to thank God that we may know that Jesus Christ gave his life for us sinners and that we will be saved through mercy.”

Theirs was a large family, but they were not poor by the standards of those days. In the autumn the hog was slaughtered. That hog had been raised and fattened during the year and in November it was slaughtered at the house in the open air. Tietje used to say then: “Aren’t we rich? A slaughtered pig in the chimney and peat in the barn, so we can stand the winter.” She was always very thankful for what the Lord gave her and her family.

The peat for the stove was delivered in November and the man who brought it, used to get an alcoholic drink (jenever) and the children had great fun because every year he used to say: “I love to drink it because that is my medicine.” White bread was too expensive to buy, they always ate ryebread. Albert and Tietje wanted their children to have a happy Christmas, so they paid a few cents extra each week to the baker and then at Christmas, they received a nice raisin bread. That bread was put in the cabinet and the little children once in a while opened the drawer to touch and see that delicious looking raisin bread.

[Berend, Trijntje, Elizabeth, Pieter, Elizabeth]

Rientje was born in 1891 on February 27 at 1 AM. The winter of 1890/1981 was the most severe winter ever recorded in the history of the Netherlands. The winter started already in November. By Dutch standards it was bitterly cold, but just before Rientje was born the weather changed and the ice started to melt. Many people died in that winter from the flu.

When Ena was born in 1893, Albert and Tietje decided to leave the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk (Reformed Church) and they joined the Gereformeerde Kerk (Christian Reformed Church) where Ena was baptized. [The “Doleantie” (meaning to feel sorrow) had begun in 1886]

Stientje Stuit, the oldest daughter got married (May 16, 1900) to Hinderik Beekhuis, a farmhand from Woldendorp. When Hinderik came to their house the first time to court Stientje, all the little ones were instructed to behave well. Stientje was not a strong girl, so her parents were a bit worried, but Hinderik promised that he would take good care of her.