Young farming couple Ter Horst-Somsen saw no future in the Netherlands
On June 8, 1918, Johan Hendrik ter Horst was born on the Egelsmaat farm in the rural district of Lintelo, near Aalten. Everdina Geertruida (Dien) Somsen was born on 6 November 1918 on the Olde Kleuver farm in the district Haart, also near Aalten. On April 1, 1948, Johan and Dien married in Aalten.
The young couple wanted to farm, but there was no room for them on either family farm – the older brothers took over the farm, as usual. So they had to find another farm, but that turned out not to be easy. When they were selected for a farm in the polder, they saw only one choice: to emigrate.
Shortly after their marriage, the young couple left for Canada by ship on June 4, 1948. They settled in the area around Chatham and Wilkesport, in the province of Ontario. There they ran a dairy farm during their working lives. Their marriage remained childless.
Dien died in 2004 and was given her final resting place in the cemetery of Wallaceburg, Ontario. Johan followed her in 2013 and was buried with his wife.
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