She was born in 1874 as Grietje Hayes Boomsma in the country village Giekerk, municipality Tietjerksteradeel, about 6 miles northeast of Leeuwarden, in the northeastern part of the Dutch northern province Friesland, the first of eight children of the 38 years aged laborer Haye Johannes Boomsma and Klaaske Sytzes de Vries.

Grietje Hayes Boomsma, 17 years aged, farm maid (boerenmeid) and residing in the village Oenkerk, about 8 miles northeast of Leeuwarden, emigrated in May 1892 to North America. She came to the United States with her parents, three sisters (Susie, Dora, and Annie), and three brothers (Sam, Mike, and John). They all settled in or around Chicago.

In 1892 Grietje Hayes Boomsma met at a church patronized by the Dutch in Chicago the three years older Fokke Tuinstra, who emigrated in April 1891 from the Dutch northeastern province Groningen to Chicago, Illinois, USA. In December 1891 he returned for four months to the Netherlands to get his parents and three siblings to the USA. On 19 August 1893, approximately one year after they had met, Grietje and Fokke were married in Chicago. They lived in the Chicago area for 19 years, during that time they also had the first nine of their 14 children: Peter (1894), Hooie (Harry, 1896), Roel (Ralph, 1897), Klaske (Clara, 1899), Ben I (1900, who died at birth, or soon after), Ben II (1902, likewise died at a very young age), Bessie (1906), Agnes (1908) and Richard (1910).

In June 1900 Grietje (25 y), her husband Fred Tuinstra (27 y, dairy farmer), their children Haaie (4 y, born in February 1896 in Illinois), Roel (2 y, October 1897, Illinois) and Klaske (1 y, June 1899, Illinois) resided in Hyde Park Township, 99 Street, Ward 34, in the southern part of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Two houses further on her sister-in-law Riemke Tuinstra DeVries lived with her husband and three children too and in a street further on, 97 Street, her parents lived with four of her sisters.

Census 1910: Grietje, her husband Fokke Tuinstra, their children Peter (18 y), Harry (19 y), Ralph (12 y), Clara (11 y), Elizabeth (9 y), Agnes (2 y) and Grietje (1 y) lived in Cook County, Illinois, very probably still in Chicago.

They moved then to Racine County, in the southeastern part of Wisconsin, near Lake Michigan, where in August 1911 their son John was born, followed by Reka (1914), Samuel (1916), Anna Susie (1919) and Henry (1920).

Census 1920: Fred and Grietje Tuinstra resided with their children Bessie (13 y), Agnes (11 y), Richard (9 y), John (8 y), Hera (5 y), Sam (3 y) and Anna (1 y) in Racine County, Wisconsin.
In 1930 Fred Tuinstra (57 y), his wife Grace (57 y), their children Richard (20 y, born in Illinois), John (18 y, Wisconsin), Reka (15 y, Wisconsin), Sam (13 y, Wisconsin), Susie (11 y, Wisconsin), Henry (10 y, Wisconsin) and Fred's brother Wiebe Tuinstra (47 y, Holland) lived in Raymond, Racine County, Wisconsin.
Census 1940: Fred Tuinstra (67 y, farmer), his wife Gretchen (65 y), their son Henry Tuinstra (20 y, farm laborer), daughter-in-law Myrtle (19 y) and granddaughter Lillie (2 y) lived at an own farm, worth $3200, in Raymond, Racine County, Wisconsin. They lived in 1935 at the same house

In August 1948 Mr. and Mrs. Fred Tuinstra of Franksville, Racine County celebrated with all their 12 children and grandchildren their 55th wedding anniversary at the Congregational Church at the village of Union Grove, 9 miles southwest of Franksville.

Grace died of cancer on 24 March 1959 in Racine County, Wisconsin at the age of 84 years, her husband Fred Tuinstra died in the same year on 2 October at the hosptal of Milwaukee at the age of 87 years.