Sitting at her dining room table, JoLynn Yenne sifts through over a century of family history. Family portraits, wedding photos, school report cards and handwritten notes are piled up with adoration. 

A third-generation member of the Siderius family, Yenne is passionate about remembering her family's legacy and sharing it amongst relatives and the local community.  

This summer, like every third summer, the Siderius family reunion brought in 172 people, ages 7 weeks old to 94 years old, to the Flathead Valley. It’s a time to celebrate the homestead, perseverance and future of the family. And the journey that Gertrude and Evert Siderius, Yenne’s grandparents, took when they moved to Montana over 100 years ago.  

Jolynn Yenne is the daughter of Henry Siderius, one of Gertrude and Evert’s sons who eventually took over the family farm.  

Inheriting the job from her mother, Yenne is the historic bookkeeper who has expanded the collection to include scrapbooks, posters and family timelines. She takes the intricate pages of the family's past to the reunions, allowing members to learn about their shared history. 

The reunions are a testament to the family’s togetherness, she said.  

Mitchell, a brother of Henry’s and the ninth born to Gertrude and Evert, put his estate into a trust fund so the family could fund reunions in perpetuity. The first was in 1985. 

"It’s just so important,” Yenne said. “Just discovering what they did and realizing we have so much to be grateful for. The reunions are a time to do that.” 

The family immigrated from the Netherlands to Michigan and then to Kalispell in 1908. In 1911, Gertrude and Evert purchased 75 acres south of Kalispell, along with their six children at the time, marking the beginning of a legacy of raising cattle by the Siderius family.  

At the time, the family members lived in a tiny house on that piece of land still owned by the family today. Gertrude and Evert had 14 children, 12 of whom lived under that roof together.  

In 1917, the family purchased what was referred to as the “forever farm,” Yenne said, pulling out custom paintings of the property. The property was 240 acres south of Kalispell, used for dairy farming, and was where Yenne grew up. It cost $10,000.  

This year, Yenne prepared a game of trivia to play at the reunion. Who were Gerturde and Evert? Answer: the homesteaders and original patriarch and matriarch. How did Evert pass away? Answer: sickness he contracted in the Netherlands in the early 1920s. What was one of the hardest moments of the family’s history? Answer: the death of 6-year-old Edward at the forever farm. 

“The lives of this family are important,” Yenne said through tears. “[Edward’s] life has filtered through the generations with many heartfelt stories. We’re lucky for that.”  

As the family continues to expand and grow, more Sideriuses are making donations to the reunion fund to keep it going. Mitchell’s contribution funded the first few decades of reunions, but the family plans to continue by bringing fun, knowledge and sharing the beauty of the property the ancestors of the family loved to the forefront.  

“At these reunions, we get to see all these cousins you don’t see for years, talk to them, interact together,” said Greg Sanders, a nephew of Yenne’s. He was in attendance for the latest reunion.  

Reflecting on years growing up on the farm, Yenne said that all family members played a part in the work that had to be done. After the death of Yenne’s grandma in 1950, Yenne’s father, Henry, bought the farm and made the switch to raising beef cattle rather than dairy cows.   

Henry served as one of the Flathead County delegates to the Montana Constitutional Convention in 1972. It is one of the things Yenne is most proud of when talking about her family. His signature is cemented in state history.  

She also reflected on a recent advancement in cementing the family legacy, memorializing a section of the Rail to Trails path where it crosses onto the “forever farm.” While the family no longer owns the property, it is still a testament to over 100 years of life, struggle, victory and memories for Sideriuses. 

Today, Siderius family members live in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Wisconsin and Colorado. Others moved away and came back. Of the 14 original children, 10 lineages were represented at the reunion this year.  

Sanders said that no matter who attends, there is always a new birth to hear about, a new death to reflect on and new people to meet.  

“That’s what's nice about the reunions,” Yenne said. “It’s all of us.” 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].