Susanna B. Duerksen
Married Name:
Susanna Duerksen Goossen
Born: May 5, 1876
Place: Gnadenthal, South Russia
Died: December 5, 1950
Place: Marion County, Kansas
MOTHER:
Aganetha Balzer
FATHER:
Johann Duerksen
SIBLINGS:
Maria B. Duerksen
Johann J. Duerksen
Heinrich J. Duerksen
Helena B. Duerksen
Peter J. Duerksen
Katherina B. Duerksen
Jacob J. Duerksen (1/16/1867-1/25/1867)
Cornelius Duerksen
Aganetha Duerksen
Gerhard J. Duerksen
Eva B. Duerksen
Anna B. Duerksen
David B. Duerksen
SPOUSE:
Franz M. Goossen (12/17/1876 – 5/15/1943)
Married: April 20, 1900
Place: Marion County, Kansas
CHILDREN:
Franz D. Goossen (1/22/1901 – Unknown)
Johann D. Goossen (10/24/1902 – 2/17/1964)
William F. Goossen (5/29/1904 – 4/23/1938)
Abraham B. Goossen (10/23/1905 – Unknown)
Alvin L. Goossen (2/18/1907 – Unknown)
Ferdinand S. Goossen (6/21/1908 – Unknown)
Edward D. Goossen (10/20/1909 – Unknown)
Heinrich D. Goossen (11/1/1911 – 1/1/1958)
Cornelius D. Goossen (9/1/1913 – 11/3/1959)
Walter D. Goossen (6/21/1915 – Unknown)
FOSTER CHILDREN:
Anna Hiebert (adopted at age 14)
Hilda Hiebert (adopted at age 4)
Widowed: May 15, 1943
A TRIBUTE TO FRANZ M. and SUSANNA (DUERKSEN) GOOSSEN
Written by Son Alvin L. Goossen
This home was established in 1900 and lasted until 1943, nine miles southwest of Hillsboro, KS. This is where all of us ten sons were raised. We received our elementary school training in a one teacher, one room school house just a little over one-half mile south of our home. This was the same school where my father had gone to school in the 1880’s. The community language was the dialect commonly known as Low-Dutch. English and High German were taught in our country school. My father often said: “Low-Dutch – Family language, High German – Church language, English – Business language.” We learned all three quite well.
The farm consisted of 560 acres of ground with excellent improvements on it. The farm was sometimes called Goossenville. The title resulted from a manufacturing company on the place. My father invented and patented a grain-dumping box with an automatic end-gate for a Model T Ford Truck. We made and sold about ninety of these dump boxes. They discontinued in 1926 when Henry Ford converted his factory to build Model A Ford Trucks. After this we built our own house moving outfit in our shop. We moved many building within a radius of thirty-five miles in each direction from our home. The house moving was continued until about 1940, when the equipment was sold.
In 1926, Father became interested in Thomas County land. He felt that some of us boys needed to go where there would be more room for farming. In 1927 he bought 480 acres of ground. He was thoroughly convinced of the richness of the soil, even in 1934 and 1935 when hardly anything was raised, the dust was blowing, and the depression hit hard. Father always encouraged us to stay, and we did. In 1942 all our farm ground produced wheat, thirty bushel or more per acre, even the stubble ground which had not been farmed since the harvest of the year before, yielded thirty bushels per acre in volunteer wheat. At one time we were six brothers living at Colby, KS. Father always seriously considered making an irrigation well, but this did not materialize in his life time.
Going to church was a very important part of our family life. During most of my life at home, we had two Model T Fords in which the whole family could go to church. How well I remember on Sunday afternoon in winter when we came in from playing outside, Father sitting in the old rocking chair by the round oak heating stove reading the large German Bible. Sometimes he told us what he had read. Mother also quite often told us a Bible story.
On January 22, 1926, my parents adopted two foster daughters. Anna, age 14 and Hilda, age 4. Their parents, Peter E. and Aganetha (Schmidt) Hiebert both were deceased. The mother was my cousin from the Duerksen side. They both stayed until they got married.
Back Row: Frank D., Alvin L., Mrs. Frank D. Goossen, William F.,
Edward D., John D., Mrs. John D. Goossen, Anna Hiebert
Middle Row: Cornelius D., Heinrich D., Walter D.
Seated: Ferd S., Franz M., Hilda Hiebert, Susanna, Abraham B.
In May 1937 our family got together for the last time. We numbered 39 people. A family picture was taken. Less than a year later our brother, William, went home to be with his Lord and Savior. Since then the parents and other brothers have slipped into eternity, and now we are waiting for the rapture, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a joy to know that Christians never say a final goodbye. While death breaks all earthly ties, we have the sure hope that those who die in the Lord are in the presence of the Savior and will return with Him in glory. I Thess. 4:14
