Petronella M Kilsdonk
1885 - 1961 (75 years)-
Name Petronella M Kilsdonk Born 14 Dec 1885 Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin 
Gender Female Died 05 Jul 1961 Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin Buried St John Cemetery, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin - New/1A/24
Person ID I4094 Little Chute Genealogy Last Modified 18 Sep 2004
Father Johannes Kilsdonk, b. 30 Sep 1859, Uden, Noord Brabant, Netherlands , d. 10 Nov 1924, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 65 years) Mother Mary VanAsten, b. 20 Dec 1860, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 02 Apr 1946, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 85 years) Married 21 Oct 1884 St John Nepomucene Church, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin Family ID F1387 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family John Arnold Verstegen, b. 02 Nov 1881, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 05 Dec 1956, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 75 years) Married 28 Jul 1908 Holy Cross Church, Kaukauna, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin Children 1. Beatrice Verstegen, b. 08 Nov 1908, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 19 Jun 1972 (Age 63 years)2. Leo John Verstegen, b. 18 Oct 1909, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 12 Dec 1948 (Age 39 years)3. Agatha Levinia Verstegen, b. 10 Jan 1911, d. 27 Jan 1911 (Age 0 years) 4. Helen Marie Verstegen, b. 02 May 1912, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 13 Jun 1992, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 80 years)5. Paul John Verstegen, b. 30 Jan 1914, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 16 Nov 1981, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 67 years)6. Irene Bertha Verstegen, b. 24 Aug 1916, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 16 Apr 1994, Ripon, Fond du lac Co, Wisconsin (Age 77 years)7. Jerome Alois Verstegen, b. 24 Sep 1918, Wisconsin , d. 15 Jun 1985, Omak, Okanogan Co, Washington (Age 66 years)8. Stanley Edgar Verstegen, b. 01 Jan 1921, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 12 Feb 1975, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 54 years)9. Rita Joan Verstegen, b. 12 Apr 1925, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 23 Feb 2020 (Age 94 years)Last Modified 21 Jul 2022 Family ID F1409 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Notes - Little Chute Historical Society 2010 Cemetery Walk
Petronella "Nellie" (Kilsdonk) Verstegen
Hello, my full name is Petronella Verstegen, but I was best known as "Nellie."
I was born on December 14th, 1885 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. I am the oldest child of five born to my parents, Johannes and Mary (VanAsten) Kilsdonk. I am of Dutch descent. I attended school only through the 8th grade.
In 1908, I married John A. "Rube" Verstegen. We moved to Little Chute where we had nine children. The four boys were Leo (Baker), Paul (Lefty), Stanley (Bud) and Jerome (Boney) Verstegen. The five girls were Beatrice (Bea), Helen, Irene and Rita. One of my daughters (Agatha) preceded me in death.
I know that it will be hard for the younger generation to comprehend the hardships of our generation. During the years of raising our family, life was not always easy but we had a big garden, raised our own chickens and rabbits and had apple trees. I did a lot of canning to make things last. We had no running water for a while, but collected rain water which ran into a cistern where we pumped it up to the kitchen. Sometimes aging parents would also move in and my mother, Mary VanAsten Kilsdonk, lived with us for many years before she passed away.
I always had cookies in the cookies jar for my grandchildren. I also enjoyed planting flower gardens. My favorite flowers were sweet peas, tulips and four o'clock's.
My four sons' were in WWll and the flag in the front window of our home had four blue stars on it, which I am thankful, never had to be changed to gold stars.
I was known as a good cook and cooked at Hammen's and many neighborhood weddings in my later years.
But, I would really like to be remembered for the help I gave mother's delivering their babies. In those days phones were not common and people did not go to the hospital. I found myself being asked to help and that's where I began being a midwife.
I often worked with Dr. Doyle, who I affectionately liked to refer to as "Good Old Doc Doyle", but sometimes the baby arrived before the doctor would get there and I would be there by myself to assist.
In many cases parents and midwives had to make do with things on hand. I remember one case where the baby arrived small and was turning blue. I lined a large basket with a wool blanket, filled quart jars with heated water, then wrapped towels around the jars and placed these around the infant to keep it warm.
In the winter it was often a challenge just to get to the house! One winter evening around 12:00a.m., there was a knock on the door. It was Dr. Doyle. He wondered if I would assist him. This night we went over the old Little Chute Bridge all the way to Darboy. It was a long, cold and slippery trek during those days.
I even had the privilege of helping my oldest daughter Helen deliver her children in their home on Main Street. They were Beata Hinkens, Van Eyck, Hahn, Romy, Daryl and Duane Hinkins and Bonnie (Hinkens) Thews.
In the mid-forties the younger doctors wanted women to go to the hospital to have their babies. One doctor agreed to deliver a baby at home but insisted on having a nurse there. When it came time for the baby to be born, the nurse could not make it and so the husband came to me and explained the situation. Even though I knew the doctor wanted a nurse there, I agreed to go with him, but told him that if I was asked I would have to tell the doctor I was a midwife and not a nurse. But luckily he never asked me.
After many years of delivering babies, most women began having babies in the hospital and my role as midwife was done.
Later in life when my health started to fail, I stayed with my children; Rita De Bruin, Bud Verstegen, Bea Smith and Irene O'Connor.
On July 5 ,1961, I passed away at the age of 75.
- Little Chute Historical Society 2010 Cemetery Walk