Martinus (van Iperen) van Eperen (1892 - 1953)

Ancestors

Biography

Martinus was born in 1892 in Uden, Noord-Brabant.^[1] He was the son of Johannes van Iperen and Adriana Maria van der Burgt.

The family immigrated to North America with their five children, leaving Uden on May 14 1900 according to the Uden population register. ^[2] Maria and her five children left Rotterdam on the Holland-America Line's ship Maasdam on May 3 1900. The fare was paid for by J van Iperen, her husband, who had apparently traveled to America before them. Their destination was De Pere, Brown County, Wisconsin.^[3]

The family settled in Little Chute, Outagamie Co., Wisconsin, United States, where John and his sons Walter and George worked as laborers on June 1 1905. The family (listed as either Eppuren or Eppeeren) lived in a house which they owned with a mortgage with seven children: Walter 18, George 16, Martin 13, Henry 12, Annie 9, Johny 4 and Gilbert 9/12th, the last two born in Wisconsin.^[4]

In the 1910 United States Census on April 10 1910, the family (listed as Van Eperen) had seven children with the addition of Arthur, age 3. Gilbert (Gijsbert) was not listed as he had died.^[5] In America, the family name became van Eperen (or Van Eperen or Vaneperen) presumably because the Dutch "I" sounded like the English "E".

Martin registered for military service in World War I on June 5 1917 in Little Chute. He was working at a paper mill, the Combined Lock Paper Co. of Combined Lock, Outagamie, Wisconsin. He was 24 years old, of medium height and build, blue eyes and black hair.^[6] He entered the United States Army shortly thereafter and served as a private in 52 Company, 13 Battalion, 159 DB. He was discharged from the hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 5 1918.^[7]

Martin was naturalized an United States citizen on August 17 1918 in Louisville, Kentucky, while he was serving as a private in the United States Army at Camp Zack Taylor (Camp Zachary Taylor). His petition for naturalization, filed August 15 1918, stated that he was single.^[8]

On January 5 1920, Martin, age 27, was single and living with his brother Henry, age 26, and Henry's wife Rose, age 20, in St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota. Martin worked as a molder helper in an iron foundry.^[9]

On April 11 1930, John Francis Van Eperen, age 28, and Mary Mayme (DeBruin) van Eperen, age 28, were living in a house they owned on Mill Street in Little Chute which was valued at $3,500. John was working as a laborer in a paper mill. They had two children: Earl, age 3, and Jerome, age 2, and a boarder, John's brother Mart van Eperen, age 37, a laborer at a paper mill and a veteran of the World War.^[10][11]

Martin, age 39, married Nicolasina Francisca Coppens (1894-1975) (Frances), age 38, on January 28 1932.^[12] Frances had been married twice before.

On April 20 1940, Martin, age 48, was a cook on a tugboat and he and Frances, age 46, were living in a rented house at 278 Grand Avenue in Little Chute with his stepson Herman de Leeuw, age 21, a woodworker at a paper mill.^[13]

Martin registered for the World War II draft on April 25 1942 in Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin. He was 45 years old, listed Mrs. Frances van Eperen of 153 E. 3rd St, Kaukauna, as his contact and his employer was Thilmann Pulp and Paper Company, Kaukauna. He was 5' 6", 149 lb., with blue eyes, gray hair, ruddy complexion and a scar on the left side of his lower lip.^[14]

On April 10 1950, Martin, age 57, was living alone as a lodger at 161 W. Wisconsin in Kaukauna. He was separated from Frances and working in maintenance for the City Streets Department of Kaukauna.^[15] It is not known whether they divorced.

He passed away in 1953 at age 60 and was buried at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.^[16]

Sources

1. ↑ Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum Geboorteregister Uden 1892, archiefnummer 50, inventarisnummer 8018, aktenummer 92 Gemeente: Uden Periode: 1892 [1]
2. ↑ Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum Bevolkingsregister I-M, archiefnummer 7652, inventarisnummer 1561, blad 813, aktenummer 2 Gemeente: Uden Periode: 1900-1920 [2]
3. ↑ Ancestry.com Year: 1900; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 14; Page Number: 343 [3]
4. ↑ Family Search "Wisconsin State Census, 1905," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-63V9-4GJ?cc=1443899&wc=M6P7-BPJ%3A37224601%2C37428201 : 1 April 2016), Outagamie > Little Chute > image 10 of 13; State Historical Society, Madison. [4]
5. ↑ Ancestry.com Year: 1910; Census Place: Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin; Roll: T624_1731; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0142; FHL microfilm: 1375744 [5]
6. ↑ FamilySearch "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8Q1-KG2 : 30 December 2021), Martin Van Eperen, 1917-1918. [6]
7. ↑ FamilySearch "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3MC-J9J5-F?cc=2968245 : 8 August 2019), > image 1 of 1; citing NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985). [7]
8. ↑ Ancestry.com The National Archives at Atlanta; Atlanta, GA; Military Petitions For Naturalization, Compiled 1918-1921; NAI: 5675842; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States; Record Group Number: 21 [8]
9. ↑ Ancestry.com Year: 1920; Census Place: St Paul Ward 9, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: T625_854; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 110 [9]
10. ↑ Ancestry.com Year: 1930; Census Place: Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 0041; FHL microfilm: 2342338 [10]
11. ↑ Family Search "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9SC-BD8 : accessed 11 May 2022), Mary Van Epern in household of John Van Epern, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 41, sheet 15B, line 64, family 302, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2604; FHL microfilm 2,342,338. [11]
12. ↑ Ancestry.com Wisconsin Historical Society; Madison, Wisconsin; Wi Marriage Records 1907-1939 [12]
13. ↑ Ancestry.com Year: 1940; Census Place: Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin; Roll: m-t0627-04509; Page: 17B; Enumeration District: 44-48 [13]
14. ↑ Ancestry.com The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the State of Wisconsin; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M2126; Box or Roll Number: 322 [14]
15. ↑ Ancestry.com United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin; Roll: 4278; Sheet Number: 16; Enumeration District: 44-72 [15]
16. ↑ Find A Grave Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2929141/martin-van_eperen : accessed 11 July 2022), memorial page for Martin Van Eperen (21 Jun 1892–23 Mar 1953), Find a Grave Memorial ID 2929141, citing Wood National Cemetery, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA ; Maintained by Sue Butterfield Picard (contributor 47207644) . [16]