America Letters from Wausaukee to Antwerp 1887-1937

216 Pages·2010·26.753 MB·English

by  Victor Debot, Louis Slaets, Joanna Wuyts, Henry DeRoeck

AMERICA
Letters from Wausaukee to Antwerp
1887-1937

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AMERICA
Letters from Wausaukee to Antwerp
1887- 1937
by
Victor Debot, Louis Slaets,
Joanna Wuyts
and
Henry DeRoeck
61h edition
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This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, without permission.
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'Yow CLY~ notto-7,u,y~CVVl'.Yboil:Y Ct1r'th.e-v~CLY~
alrea..d.'.)' too-~ ~over-; the,, fewer-the,,
be,tte,v. T ~ nobod.'.)' thaty ow CLY~~ to-
A 1nulav.'
Victor Debot, Mastodon, May 12, 1887
'Being outside the zone of tornadoes and pe1iodic
droughts, there is no place on the continent where man has
a better chance to attain a great old age and succeed in the
pursuit of health, happiness and the almighty dollar.'
Wausaukee Independent, Jan. 25, 1896
'Her-~ O"llU'l caU.4r-rn,e.-al,wet::YK' LO'tA.4-~of
V0t'\4; Ct1r' Ludov~ w iey {U-Kt ChYi,ft'uvvv Y\.Cl.#te.I.'
Louis Slaets, Wausaukee, Feb. 13, 1902
'It w~to-~ oo.a, t,wA mui:av.
/he,v~ wll)., "&/€ elect"l-01'W{or CV n,e,\{} pr-~~
yea¥ eutdt d,wr~the,, CANWtp~ em:ployme.t'it
g.et¥ WOYl€/for a.,bOtAi: CV yea¥.'
Louis Slaets, Wausaukee, Jan. 14, 1908
·w~ CLY~ happy tha;ty ow }t'Jl, wr-i;te,; to-~
othenv~ it: w~ b-€/Ct1r'~W~ wev~~
d.e.ctd,.,
Louis Slaets, Wausaukee, Jan. 6, 1930
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CONTENTS
Foreword 7
Preface 9
Introduction 11
Editorial Comments 18
Acknowledgements 19
Family Tree 20
The Letters
1. Mastodon, Thursday May 12, 1887, Victor Debot 21
2. Big Wausaukee, Thursday Feb. 7, 1889, Victor Debot 25
3. Big Wausaukee, Friday Aug. 15, i890, Victor Debot 27
4. Big Wausaukee, Tuesday Aug. 15, 1893, Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 28
5. Big Wausaukee, Monday Apr. 30, 1894, Joanna Wu}ts-Slaets 30
6. Big Wausaukee, Monday July 30, 1894, Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 32
7. Wausaukee, Monday Oct. 1, 1894, Louis Slaets 33
8. Big Wausaukee, Sunday Mar. 31, 1895, Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 35
9. Wausaukee, Sunday Jan. 26, 1896, Louis Slaets 38
10. Wausaukee, Monday Oct. 4, 1896, Louis Slaets 39
11. Wausaukee, Monday Apr. 12, 1897, Louis Slaets 41
12. Wausaukee, Saturday May 22, i897, Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 42
i3. Wausaukee, Wednesday Sept. 22, 1897, .Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 43
14. Wausaukee, Friday Nov. 5, 1897, Victor Debot 46
15. Wausaukee, Tuesday Dec. 13, 1898, Louis Slaets 49
16. Wausaukee, Sunday Aug. 20, 1899, Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 51
17- Wausaukee, Sunday Feb. 11, 1900, Joanna Wuyts-Slaets 54
18. Wausaukee, Sunday Aug. 18, 1901, Joanna Wuyts-SlaeLc; 55
19. Wausaukee, Thursday Feb. 13, 1902, Louis Slaets 57
20. Wausaukee, Sunday Dec. 20, 1903, Louis Slaets 59
21. Wausaukee, Sunday Jan. 28, 1906, Louis Slaets 61
22. Wausaukee, Tuesday Jan. i4, 1908, Louis Slaets 64
23. Wausaukee, Friday Mar. 27, 1908, Louis Slaets 66
24. Wausaukee, Sunday Mar. 21, 1909, Louis Slaets 68
25. Wausaukee, Wednesday Feb. 16, i910, Louis Slacts 71
26. Wausaukee, Tuesday Jan. 7, 1913, Louis Slaets 72
27. France, Monday Dec. 2, 1918, Henry DeRoeck 74
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28. France, Monday Feb. 10, 1919, Henry DeRoeck 75
29. Wausaukee, about 1929, Louis Slaets 77
30. Wausaukee, Monday Jan. 6, 1930, Louis Slaets 77
31. Wausaukee, Sunday Jan. 18, 1931, Louis Slaets So
32. Wausaukee, Sunday Dec. 4, 1933, Louis Slaets 81
33. Wausaukee, Monday Dec. 10, 1934, Louis Slaets 84
34. Wausaukee, Sunday Dec. 15, 1935. Louis Slaets 85
35. Wausaukee, Sunday Dec. 5, 1937, Louis Slaets 88
The Families
1 The Adrianus and Catherina Verbruggen-Peeters family in Belgium 91
1.6 The Joannes and Joanna Verhoeven-Peeters family in Belgium 92
2 The Jacobus and Angelina Peeters-Slaets family in Belgium 93
2.1 The Ludovicus and Joanna Wuyts-Slaets family in America 94
2.1.1 The Jacobus and Lilianne Lemere-Slaets family in America 99
2.2a The Ludovicus and Rosalia Slaets-Mees family in Belgium 102
2.2b The August and Rosalia Slaets-Hagendorens family in Belgium 103
2.3 The Petrus and Josephina Slaets-De Coster family in Belgium 104
2.4a The Adrianus and Malia Slaets-Bossyns family in Belgium 105
2.4b The Cyrille and Maria Slaets-Van Brussel family in Belgium 106
2.5 The Alphonse and Cornelia van Loon-Slaets family in Belgium 107
3 The Victor and Sophia Peeters-Debot family in America 115
3.1 The Petrus and Anna Debot-Everix family in America 119
3.2a The Charles and ,Josepha Debot-Sandstone family in America 126
3.2b The Alphonse and Josepha Debot-DeRoeck family in America 129
3.3 The Josephus and Catherine Bourdeau-Debot family in Amelica 134
3.4 The Edmund and Julia DeRoeck-Debot family in America 136
3.7 The John and Justina Debot-DeGroot family in An1erica 140
3.9 The Clarence and Agnes Debot-Lindstrum family in America 150
4 The Franciscus and Maria Roes-Slaets family in Belgium 151
5 The Franciscus and Joanna Neefs-Wuyts family in Belgium 152
Chronology 153
Glossary 175
Appendices
1. The Debot's ancestors 183
2. The Peeters' ancestors 184
3. The Slaets' ancestors 186
4. The Everix's ancestors 188
5. The DeRoeck's ancestors 191
6. The DeGroot's ancestors 194
7. Rev. Joannes F. Cautereels 196
8. The baker and doctor Fons DeRoeck 199
9. The baker Emile Everix 205
10. lllustrations 207
11. Sources 209
12. Some websites 210
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FOREWORD
When I was a little boy, my mother told me stories about our family, and her
American uncle had a special place in them. Sometimes, I thought she was
exaggerating. This could be because she had heard the stories from her parents
and repeated them to me years later.
A few years ago, my Aunt Josee showed me letters and pictures from our
American family. 'They were sent to Belgium during the period from 1887 to 1937
by my great-uncle Louis (Denis) Slaets and his wife Joanna (Jeannette) Wuyts
and my great-granduncle Victor Debot.
Wondering about aJJ the people who wrote, appeared and came to life in these
letters, I interviewed uncles and aunts and looked at the family tree made by my
mother. I became more and more convinced that it was worth preserving the
history told in these letters, not only for our family but also for others interested
in the migration from the old to the new world in the late 191h century and the
way of life of these Ameiican pioneers.
I still had many questions and therefore started to look for descendants in
America and Belgium. Many of the relatives I traced became interested in the
project and helped me to figure out the relationships and locations. I was also
very lucky to receive help from a few people who, although not related, searched
through archives in America. Old newspaper clippings and obituaries '<Vere
especially useful in providing information. The result was a Dutch version of
'Letters from Wausaukee to Antwerp' published in January 2005.
The more l bad contact with descendants in America, the more the idea grew
that I should translate the letters and compiles an English version of this book. In
completing this task, I had the help of some kind people who corrected my texts.
This book includes a few more letters than in the Dutch version. These were
written in English by Victor Debot's grandson Henry DeRoeck and sent from
France to Norway, Michigan, at the end of the First World War. You will also find
more newspaper clippings, a family h·ee of the Wausaukee Debot and Slaets
families, a Chronology, more pictures and extra information in some Appendixes.
Most importantly, through this book, I met a number of people who
subsequently became my friends and discovered that some of the stories that I
had thought to be exaggerated were actually true!
Dominique L. Van Rentergem
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