1882~1982 Defiance (Iowa) Century Review:
JOHN A. HULSEBUS FAMILY
The grandfather of Pearl Irene Hulsebus (Custer) was Albert B. Hulsebus. who was born January 9, 1812 in Stenfelderfelt, Germany. He was married three times. His third wife was named Frecke.
Pearl's father's name was John A.; he was born in Germany in 1873 and was the son of Albert B. and Frecke. He came to America with his family in the year 1874, and settled near Warrenburg, Illinois. In 1886, Albert B. Hulsebus and the youngest members of the family came to Iowa and settled on a farm near Defiance.
Several years later John A. moved to Minnesota, where he met and married Pauline Wilhelmina Mielke of Springfield, Minnesota. They farmed all of their married lives. To this union nine children were born, two of whom died in infancy. The other seven children were: Raymond married Hazel Rold; Violet married Paul Hulsebus, five children, Milo, Gladys, Inez, Darlene and Calvin; Ivan married Virginia Blunk; Mildred married Clarence Hansen, three children, Dorothy, Betty and Ronald; John married Virginia Philson, three sons, Clinton, Keith and James;
Pearl married Gerald Custer, five children, Jack, Kenneth, Billy, Kay and Paula; Cynthia married Walter Fuester, three children, Roger, Carol and Johnny.
In 1916 John A. and Pauline moved back from Minnesota to the Defiance and Harlan area where they lived until John's death in 1926. Pauline passed away in 1961. John A., Pauline and Violet are buried in the Defiance cemetery.
The Hulsebus family helped organize and were charter members of the First United Evangelical Church in Defiance. This church is now the United Methodist Church. Ivan, Mildred, John and Pearl Hulsebus all graduated from the Defiance Public School.