Meidam, Steven VanOoyen

1848 - 1937  (89 years)    Has 8 ancestors and 10 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Meidam, Steven VanOoyen
  Born	17 May 1848	Geldermalsen, , Gelderland, Netherlands
  Gender	Male
  Immigration	1851
  1890 Census	1890	Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
  	1890 Census Veterans Schedule Appleton page 18 Veterans Schedule
  Biography	1911
  History of Outagamie County, Wisconsin Page 0870
  STEPHEN MEIDAM, a highly esteemed retired citizen of Appleton, now living retired at his residence No. 1089 Morrison street, was born in Holland, May 17, 1848, and is a son of John and Richa (VanSmallan) Meidam, natives of that country. The family came to the United States in 1851, settling first in New York, and in 1853 came to Appleton. John Meidam was a farmer and timber hewer, owning twenty acres of land which is all situated in the Sixth Ward, and the present residence of Stephen Meidam now stands upon a part of the old homestead. John Meidam died in 1867, his widow surviving until 1907, when she passed away at the age of eighty-two years. They were the parents of nine children, of whom five survive, as follows: Dennis, superintendent for the Riverside Association, Appleton; Mary, the wife of Peter Van Oyen, a farmer of Maine township; Miles, proprietor of the Roger grain house of Appleton; Henrietta, the wife of Cornelius Van Wyk, a farmer of Grand Chute township; and Stephen. Stephen Meidam attended the district schools of Grand Chute township and the public schools of Appleton, and at the age of eleven years began working in the old stove factory in Appleton, where he continued about three years. His next employment was in the hub and spoke works, and in August, 1864, he enlisted in Company E, Fifth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and served one year. At the battle of Petersburg he received a severe gun-shot wound in his left leg, which necessitated the amputation of that member above the knee, and he was confined to the hospital four months. He was mustered out of the service in September, 1865, at Washington, D.C., and immediately returned to Appleton. He secured whatever employment he could find, and notwithstanding his injury he readily found work at farming, railroad construction and hub and spoke making, and about 1880 he commenced gardening, selling his product in Appleton and being very successful in that line. In 1909 he retired from active life and sold all his property except one acre, on which his residence, built in 1905, now stands. Mr. Meidam's career is one which might well serve as an example for the youth of today, proving as it does that the man in whom there is the right spirit may succeed in life no matter what handicap he starts under. He has always been a hard and faithful worker, and he may now look back over a useful and well-spent life, secure in the knowledge that he has the honor and esteem of his fellow-townsmen as a brave soldier in time of war and a public-spirited citizen in time of peace. Mr. Meidam attends the Congregational Church, although he is not a member thereof. He is connected with George D. Eggleston Post, No. 133, Grand Army of the Republic, Appleton, and in politics is a Republican, his townsmen having elected him to various places of honor and trust, including that of alderman of the Sixth Ward and supervisor. Mr. Meidam was married September 14, 1872, to Julia Van Oyen, who was born in Erie county, New York, May 2, 1853, daughter of John J. and Antonia (Steenis) Van Oyen, natives of Holland who came to America in 1851. They located first in Erie county, New York, where Mr. Van Oyen was engaged in clearing timber. He first came to Appleton in 1853, where he first followed his trade of mason for a few years, and then purchased a farm in Grand Chute township. Later he moved to Buchanan township, and continued there until his death, caused by an accident, in 1874. Mrs. Van Oyen continued to live on the Buchanan township property until 1889 when she moved to Appleton and in that city spent the remainder of her life, her death occurring in 1908. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom eight are living: Julia; Peter, a farmer of Maine township; Anna, the wife of Fred Smith, a hotel proprietor of Verona, North Dakota; Jennie, the wife of Daniel Merenes, a retired citizen of Appleton; John, engaged in farming in Grand Chute township; Elizabeth, who married Fred Schmidt, janitor at the Court House, Appleton; Dennis, a paper maker of Appleton; and Margaret, the wife of Theodore Zeidler, a farmer of North Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Meidam have had two children: John S., born October 6, 1874; and Henry M., born April 25, 1878. John S. Meidam, who is a carpenter in Appleton, was married (first) to Lena Rau, who died in 1901, leaving one daughter, Dorothy, born October 16, 1898, and he married (second) Edith Wilharm, by whom he has had one daughter, Marcella, born in November, 1910. Henry M. Meidam was married to Anna Van der Weist, and they have had two children: Julia, born October, 1904, who is deceased; and Stephen H., born November 25, 1906. Henry M. is a teamster and makes his home in Appleton.
  	Meidam, Steven VanOoyen Biography from History of Outagamie County, Wisconsin; 1911.
  Died	16 Jul 1937	Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
  Person ID	I121979	1FamilyTree
  Last Modified	9 Feb 2018

  
  

  Father	VanOoyen, Hendrik,   b. 22 Apr 1820, Geldermalsen, , Gelderland, Netherlands ,   d. 22 Mar 1849, Geldermalsen, , Gelderland, Netherlands  (Age 28 years)
  Mother	VanSmallen, Reka,   b. 1 Jan 1822, Tricht, , Gelderland, Netherlands ,   d. 17 Jun 1904, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 82 years)
  Family ID	F47424	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	VanOoyen, Julia,   b. 2 May 1853, , Erie County, New York, USA ,   d. Abt 1923  (Age 69 years)
  Married	14 Sep 1872	Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
  Children	+ 1. Meidam, John,   b. 6 Oct 1874,   d. Aft 1940  (Age 66 years) + 2. Meidam, Henry Miles,   b. 28 Apr 1878,   d. 6 Jan 1963  (Age 84 years)
  Last Modified	1 May 2010
  Family ID	F47431	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Load the map	Born - 17 May 1848 - Geldermalsen, , Gelderland, Netherlands Married - 14 Sep 1872 - Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA 1890 Census - 1890 - Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA Died - 16 Jul 1937 - Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set