Letter about the death of Gertrude Iedema Dykstra
This is a transcription of a hand-written letter from Martha Ella Dykstra Register (known as Ella) to her sister, Lena Dykstra Shackleford, describing the death of their mother, Gertrude Iedema Dykstra on the Dykstra family homestead at Nashua, Montana, on Monday, December 7, 1931. When this was written Ella was 48 years old and Lena was 40. Others mentioned in the letter are Ben Dykstra (then age 44); Celia Dykstra Moecker (30); “Baby” (Amarylis) Moecker (4), who later married Victor Weinmeister; Cecil Dykstra (42); Charley Dykstra (46); and Albert Dykstra (35). Ella also mentions two of her children, Milton and Ellis, but I have no information about their ages at the time.



Nashua, Montana Jan. 11, 1932

Dear Sister Lena & Family,

Greeting in Jesus’ dear name. Will try at this time to answer your dear letter, this is the first week we have been alone just our family since Mother taken sick. Mother taken sick Dec. 1. Ate her dinner as usual. Her & I were left alone at the table. I noticed she didn’t look well so I asked her if she felt sick. She said “yes, I believe I am having a dumb chill”1. That was her last meal at the table. She took some quinine and went and lay down on a cot in the sitting room. I got a comfort and put it over her. She took some more quinine that night. Said she thought she had the grip2. Didn’t seem to worry her none. Next day Wednesday she couldn’t keep anything on her stomach, complained of her head aching. She took salts3. Ben came down that night. Told him about her sickness. She visited with him, said Ella was more worried than she was. She slept in Bedroom. Every morning she dressed herself then lay on the cot. I wanted to bring her bed in the sitting room, she said no. Thursday afternoon she says “If I live ‘til Saturday I will be just as old as my mother got.”4 I said “You are not thinking of dying now are you Ma?” I asked her if she wanted a doctor. She said no. Grip sometimes lasts two weeks. Friday she seemed better. Ben came again that night. She told him not to worry. Saturday morning our Pastor came down, prayed with & for her. Said Mother was sicker than we thought. Better have a doctor examine her. Faith & prayer helped her. She enjoyed some soup, ate a soft Boiled egg. Said she didn’t want a doctor. Told me to go to Glasgow and get her some medicine. Then after I left she became worse. Celia came then, wanted to phone for a doctor. Mother said that was foolishness. She undressed herself, went to Bed as usual. Developing a serious cough, getting weaker every day. About 3 o’clock in the morning she called me. She got up, was not able to get back in Bed. So I waited on her, put her to bed. Next morning about 8:30 she got up, picked up her clothes, walked into the sitting room with them. I fixed the rocker for her, fixed her a weak cup of coffee. Said it tasted good. I saw she was failing fast. I told her there was no need of dressing as I was going to put the Bed in the sitting room that day. She was too sick to eat. Her head was shaking terrible. She sat in the rocker over an hour. She seemed to be praying most of the time. I said come Ma, lean on me, you are getting too tired. She had weakened so I could hardly get her in Bed. Got her fixed for a nap. Celia & Baby came then so they visited for awhile. I did the housework and got dinner. Celia waited on Mother. About five o’clock Celia says she needed to go

1 A “dumb chill” was an intermittent fever with no well-defined chill. 2 “Grip” was a common term for influenza. 3 Probably Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). The name is derived from Epsom, England, where certain wells were known to produce mineral water containing magnesium sulfate. 4 Gertrude lived until Monday, December 7, two days after the Saturday mentioned here.

home, for me to come in and look at Ma and see if I didn’t think we had better get the doctor. I came in, looked at her, burst into tears, and said yes. I saw then she had real pneumonia. Went out & prayed, sent for our Pastor and his wife. They came and prayed. She got Better. Doctor came from Glasgow, have none at Nashua. Said she had Pneumonia. Middle lobe of right lung was affected. That account of her age would be Fatal. So Celia stayed all night as she was too sick to be left alone any more. Pastor prayed for her, went home. I went to bed too uneasy to sleep, slept about 2 hours, got up, saw she was failing fast. Celia phoned Cecil Dykstra & Ben to come at once. At five o’clock she seemed to be sinking. Clock struck six she knew it. At seven she said she was dreaming. I asked her what she saw. She said “lots of things”. Milton got our Pastor, he prayed then asked her how it was with her now, if Jesus still saves her. She said yes. Her voice was getting weak. Then she asked him to Pray. Then she prayed in Dutch. She seemed ready and wanting to go. May God Bless her memory. We buried her in her grey voile5dress in a grey casket. She made a lovely corpse. I did not know how big a place she had in my life ‘til she left her place empty. She wanted to be buried beside Pa in Galpin Cemetery. She lived to be 74 years 5 months 21 days. She died Dec. 7 at 11 a.m., buried 9th.

5 Voile is a lightweight, semi-sheer fabric made from cotton, silk, rayon, or other materials. 6 Presumably Fred Shackleton, to whom Lena Dykstra Shackleton was married. 7 “It is Better Farther on” is the title of a hymn that was popular at the time. 8 Ella’s husband, Miles Register, had a rural mail-delivery route.

Fred 6 used to sing “it is better farther on.”7I believe Mother knew at Thanksgiving time that her time was short on Earth. None of the children from a Distance came. Albert doesn’t know it yet as far as I know. When she taken sick I opened a can of white grapes for her as she liked them. I never expected Mother to go with Pneumonia. God must have had a hand in it. God took her about as easy as he could take her. I believe it was God’s time for her to go. God surely took care of her to the very last. I was surely sorry you and Charley were not here but then some things cannot be helped.

Times are hard in Montana. Depression and no crops. Most of Farmers are on the Red Cross. Our route 8 was cut down to 3 times a week Aug 15, 1931 so we have less to spend now but we are glad for the little. Whole lot better than none. Well, how are you all anyway? We are as well as usual except Ellis is not well. We are hoping he soon will be well. It will be 4 weeks tomorrow since Celia and Harold left for Miles City, Montana. Harold entered the hospital for operations. I suppose Celia has written to you. Rest are in bed asleep. May God’s Blessing be upon you and yours. Write soon. Forgive me for not answering sooner. With lots of love, Ella
loiscourtney1 originally shared this to Courtney Family Tree