The Beij family emigrated from Leiderdorp, Zuid-Holland to the United States in 1860 and settled in Paterson, NJ. Miss Beij wrote back to her old neighbors in the Netherlands. This letter still exists today. Unfortunately, it is not known (yet) who this family is.

The letter

Page 1

Transcription

Daar ik de pen opneemd om u een paar letters toe te zenden wij zijn allen gezond en hoop van u het zelfde te hooren daar wij in een lange tijd niets van u ver noome te hebben ge achte buure anders schrief zansje noch wel een ... maar van niet hoorren wij ... meer sins u dat fottegraffie ... hebben gezonden sins die tijd heef wij niets meer van u vernoomen ook niets geen antwoord op de laatste brief die wij u toegezonden met de bedankt je hebben daar wij u vriendelijk bedankt voor zo mooij geschenkte dikwijls denk ik er aan, aan het broederpat en ook aan de kenese die daar woonde altans aan u huisgezin daar ik de meeste vrienschap aan had

Translation

Paterson, 20 October 1867
As I take up my pen to write a few letters to you we are all healthy and I hope to hear the same from you because we have not heard from you in a long time dear neighbors otherwise Zansje used to write but we have not heard from you since we sent you the photograph since that time we have not heard from you no answer to the last letter we sent you where we thanked you kindly for the beautiful gifts I often think of the Broederpat [name of the street where they used to live? ed.] and also of the acquaintances who lived there meaning your family who were the best friends of me

Page 2

Transcription

ik hoop nu gouw antwoort te krijgen hoe u allen het maaken het is nu 7 jaar ge leeden 22 octoober kwame wij in Ameerieka met vreug de en ge not wan toe was ik noch zoo rijk dat ik de bijde kindere noch bezat en toen (ik) die misse moest is mijn rijkdom weg; schoon de kleijne Anna? die ik tot mij genoome heef daar heb ik veel plezier van die groeit goed en die is 7 jaar oud 24 september geweest zij gaat naar school en leert goet, ik denk veel aan Bettje die zal wel groot weezen --- de vamielje is alle gezond behalleven moeder is ziek schoon zij tog weer aan de betere hand is zij is nu 83 jaar oud hoe maakt het de oude grootmoeder

Translation

I hope to receive an answer soon now how you are all doing it is 7 years ago 22 October we came in Amerika with joy and pleasure because then I was rich still having both my children and when I had to miss them my wealth was gone although little Anna [hard to read because of missing piece, ed.] who I took into my home gives me a lot of pleasure she grows well and she is 7 years old on September 24 she goes to school and learns well, I think about Bettje a lot she must be big by now -- the family is all healthy except mother is sick although she is getting better she is 83 years old now how fares the old grandmother

Page 3

Transcription

leeft zij noch wel ik hoop veel niews te hooren en geef mij gouw antwoord ik hep toch noch wel eens plan om naar holland te koomen maar wan neer kan ik noch niet schrijven het is het best als ik eens koomen kan als maar onverwacht ofver te koomen en dan de vrinden en de bekenden eens op te zoeken ik hep noch een broeder en een zuster in holland schoon neefjes en nigjes een heeleboel maar ik hoor van geen een een letter dus of geen zuster of broeder meer leeft ik begrijp er niet van

Translation

is she still alive I hope to hear much news write me an answer soon I do have plans to come to Holland sometime but I can't say when yet it is best if I can come unexpectedly and visit the friends and acquaintances I still have a brother and sister in the Netherlands and many nephews and nieces in law but I don't hear from any of them so it might be that no brother or sister is alive anymore I don't understand it.

Page 4

Transcription

dus geachte bure laat mijn brief niet onbeant woord ik verwach van u een letter terug en ik hoop dat u alle in goede welstand zijt hoe maakt het de buure van der horst het met zijn kinderen en hoort u ook zoms van mevrouw kun… haar vamielje of zij alle noch gezond zijn het zouw mij tog noch wel eens een genoege doen al ik u alle noch een kan bezoeke en alles in goede welstand mogt terugvinden wel in afwachting daar ik mij noem
Miss Beij
aan alle gedag
mijn adres is holsman striet 44
kijk niet naar mijn vouwte

Translation

So dear neighbor please don't leave my letter unanswered I expect a letter back from you and I hope you are all in good wealth how are the neighbors Van der Horst and his children do you hear sometimes about Mrs. Kun…[hard to read, ed.] her family whether they are all healthy still it would really please me if I can visit you all once again and find everything in good order awaiting your reply I call myself
Miss Beij
Hello to everyone
My address is Holsman Street 44
Don't look at my mistakes [the Dutch word for 'mistakes' has 3 mistakes in it, ed.]

Background information

The information in the letter indicates that the Beij family emigrated in 1860, arriving in the United States on 22 October of that year. The woman who wrote the letter lost two children. A husband is not mentioned in the letter. Apparently her mother lived in the United States as well. The woman lived in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey at the time this letter was written. This town was near the Passaic Falls.

Passaic Falls, NJ

When in the Netherlands, the family lived in the Broederpad in Leiderdorp. Today, this road is a part of Leiden and known as the Rijnkade.

Unfortunately, the names of the people involved are not known (yet). Perhaps further research in the Leiden municipal archives can shed some light on this. Any additional information about this family is greatly appreciated.

Last week, my friend Mary Risseeuw from Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and I gave a presentation at the International Congress for genealogical and heraldic Sciences in Maastricht. The title was "We're all fresh and healthy. Emigration from the Netherlands to the United States in the 19th century. The slides are now available online.

I've just added a Dutch genealogy store to the site. In this store, visitors can buy books, DVDs and prints about Dutch genealogy, history and culture. I've selected publications that I think would benefit somebody researching his Dutch roots. The store is powered by Amazon. This website receives a commission for all sales, enabling this website to remain free.

Many Dutch people took American names when they came to the US. Some common combinations are listed here. All of these combinations have been found in actual documents, even though the translations aren't always what you would expect.

Death records are a part of the civil registration. A death record lists the following data:

• Place, date and time of death
• Names of parents
• Names of spouses
• Name, profession and age of the one registering the birth
• Names, profession and age of the witnesses
• Often: address where the death took place

Drenthe is a province in the north of the Netherlands. It borders on the province of Groningen in the North, Germany in the east, Overijssel in the south and Friesland in the west.

The capital city of Drenthe is Assen. Other large towns are:

• Emmen
• Hoogeveen
• Meppel

One of the many emigrants from Winterswijk was Garrit Hendrik MEERDINK. He emigrated when he was still a bachelor and settled in the United States. Here he was first married to Janna Hendrika NIJENHUIS and later to Janna Berendina LENSINK.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, conditions in Europe were poor. Crops were failling all over Europe and many people hardly made enough money to feed their families. For this reason, many people decided to emigrate to the United States, where farmland was plenty and people hoped they could begin a new life. In the Netherlands, some people also had religious reasons to emigrate. The had seceded from the Dutch Reformed Church and were being oppressed by the goverment. The United States offered to them not only better economic prospects, but also the chance to celebrate their religion as they saw fit.