IMMIGRATION TO OCONTO COUNTY, WISCONSIN

Belgium (in yellow) surrounded by the nations that  historically ruled it over nearly 2000 years.

As with most present day European countries, Belgium has seen a great share of change, more so in recent centuries. Ancient Celtic tribes inhabited the land in earliest times. These ancestors were descendants of ancient Gaul. Troops of the Roman armies, under Julius Caesar, marched in, encountering the local population  of Belgae people in 57 BC. Romans named the newly acquired province Gallia Belgica.

Rome, gradually falling on hard times, hired a Germanic tribe of Franks to oversee Gaul, which included Belgium.  By the early 400's AD, Rome had lost this part of Europe and the Franks took over independent power, establishing  their Meroving capital at Tournai in  and holding large parts of today's France, Belgium and parts of southeastern Germany.  Clovis I lead Meroviangian rule over the territory and brought Christianity to the population of ancestors by 500 AD. After his death Meroviangian power gradually lost hold until it was overpowered by Pepin, III , the father of Charlemagne, in 751 AD. Emperor Charlemagne went on to succeed his father to the throne and expanded the empire to nearly all of Europe except for Scandinavia and Spain by 800.

To Belgium, this reign brought about the beginnings of trade along it's Scheldt River and the conservation and expansion of learning and fine arts. The death of Charlemague saw Belgium go first to one of his three sons, Lothier of the Middle Kingdom, then split between the other two kingdoms under Germany and France. The influence of both kingdoms from the late 800's is still present today.

Invasions of the Vikings  followed and that eventually lead to Belgian trading with the Norse settlements that developed along European rivers in subsequent centuries. The Flanders part of Belgium became a grouping of independent city states made wealthy by the weaving of imported English wool, that sold well throughout Europe. This prosperity brought with it a struggle for influence over profits between England and France during the Hundred's Year War, 1337 to 1453. The ancestors in Belgium independent cities were brought under control by  Philip the Good in Brussels and the economy, as well as the culture again prospered, with the paintings of  master artists reaching new levels of excellence.

From the mid 1500's and continuing through the next several centuries, Belgium ancestors were caught in the political struggle between Catholic and Protestant  rule. Spain first held much of Belgium, but later lost the northern Belgium territory to the League of Nobility, lead by Protestant William of Orange. Again, Belgians were split into the Spanish Netherlands of the south and the northern United Provinces. During this time, the rivers and ports of Belgium silted up or were closed to navigation, severely affecting trade and prosperity in the once important European ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges. The Dutch port of Amsterdam now offered itself as the major trade center.

The Belgium ancestors were only beginning to experience being at the center of political tumult as the French fought the Spanish in Belgium. The Dutch, English, and Austrians, fearing the expansion of France along their borders, joined the fracas that lasted  until 1713 when France conceded the Spanish Netherlands to Austria. The ruling Hapsburg family of Austria had little effect on Belgium, which redeveloped an autonomous identity and declared independence from Austria during the French Revolution in 1789. Austria quickly regained control only to lose it to France again in 1795, which plundered Belgium of it's resources. Belgian males were forced into the French Army. The Belgian ancestors' protests were as harshly dealt with by the French as they had been generations before by the Spanish.

Once Napoleon became leader of France, Belgium was able to open it's Scheldt River and ports to trade, which stimulated industry and commerce. With the fall of Napoleon, Belgium became a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, until 1830, when Belgian ancestors mounted a revolt that lead to the recognition of Belgium as an independent state on January 20, 1831. For the first time in centuries, Belgium was not ruled by another nation. However, the road to independence also lead to considerable economic struggle in an effort to gain a foothold in world trade. The population grew faster than the establishment of jobs and incomes, leading to overcrowding and poor health conditions. Weather conditions had become drastically colder in what is called the "Little Ice Age" and much of Europe suffered from increasingly poor crop yields. Difficulties for working families continued to the point that out of 7 live births, on average, 3 to 4 would die in infancy and 1 to 2 more would likely die before adulthood.

Language has played a huge role in Belgium's past, which continues to the present day. Today political struggles with languages of Walloon and Flemish have their beginnings in the times immediately following the death of  Emperor Charlemagne in the 800's AD.

Walloon
Medieval  Walloon is a language developed between the 8th and the 12th centuries from the early Gaul languages. It was spoken and preserved throughout the periods of Burgundian,
Spanish, Austrian, French, and Dutch domination that preceded the establishment of the Kingdom of Belgium, declared in 1830. Modern scholars debate whether Walloon is an original language that was influenced by standard French, or was primarily the standard French language influenced by the local Walloon dialect.

Today Walloon is spoken in the modern southern Belgian provinces of Hainaut, Liège, Namur, Luxembourg, and southern Brabant (they are called often Wallonia), in tiny parts of Northwestern France, mainly in the city of Givret in the department of the Ardennes, and in the region of Green Bay in the United States (Wisconsin), where a compact group of Walloons settled in the 19th century, primarily from the Namur and Liège areas in Belgium. Since 1990 there has been increased interest and support for the social use of Walloon in Belgium in an effort to preserve the endogenous languages on the street and in law. It is enjoying a Belgium resurgence in writings, theater, and music including rock bands.

Flemish
Flemish language of northern Belgium was derived from ancient Germanic languages. Generally regarded as the Belgian variant of Dutch rather than being separate, Flemish is spoken by approximately 5.5 million people in Belgium, where it is one of the official languages, and by a few thousand persons in France.  Flemish and Dutch are closely related with the difference between them sometimes being compared to the difference between American and British English.  Still, northern Belgians and some scholars hold that they have gradually differed sufficiently since the 16th century, when the northern part of Belgium (Flanders) was controlled by the Northern Provinces (now Netherlands) and should be described as separate languages. Once Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands, Flemish language was considered the less desirable to the Walloon/French speaking Belgians who populated the upper levels of society in the past. Today Flemish has finally gained equal economic and social status in Belgium.

There were two large waves of Belgium immigration to North America in the 1800's. The first was in the 1840's and 50's.  Since passage from Belgium to the American northern continent cost less to land in Canada than in the US, many European immigrants took that opportunity.  The first transitions were made considerably easier with the sharing of language and religion in the established French settlements. Many stayed in Canada. Others rapidly continued westward, working their way from one settlement to the next until they reached US entry places such as Port Huron in Michigan, which had a rapidly growing Belgium community centered around the Catholic church pastored by  Rev. John Reichenbach who was born at Connor's Creek, Detroit, in 1840, and ordered to Malines, Belgium, December 23, 1865. He founded the parish in Port Huron. He was followed by the Rev. Edward E. Van Lauwe who was born at Ghent, Belgium, October 13, 1836. Word about the opportunities opening up in the new State of Michigan, and in the old French settlement of Green Bay, Territory of Wisconsin, spread quickly among the Belgian people of Canada and back to the homeland in Europe.

With their skills,  hard work and peaceful ways, the Canadian government classified Belgium among the “preferred countries,"soon beginning active and vigorous recruitment  in Belgium during the 1860's. This lead to a second wave of Belgium immigrant ancestors to enter the US from Canada in the 1870's. Belgian emigrants, whose primary skills included fishing, mining, lumber harvest and production, mercantile, textile weaving and homestead farming, were ideal new residents to open land development.  Wisconsin had well established Belgium Flemish settlers in Milwaukee, Sheboygan and Washington County, as well as Walloon settlers in Milwaukee, Door and Brown Counties, from Green Bay northeast to Sturtevant (where the Walloon language is still spoken), all at ports along Lake Michigan within relatively easy access by Canadian and Belgium European migration water routes. Until 1851 Oconto County was part of Brown County.

University of Wisconsin - Door County Belgian-American Research Collection
Introduction/Background
One of the country's largest concentrations of Walloon speaking Belgians is found in northeastern Wisconsin, resulting in a unique cultural and social flavor. The largest wave of Belgian immigration to Wisconsin occurred in the mid-1850s. While the 1850 U.S. Census lists only 45 persons of Belgian nativity in the state, by 1860 the number had increased to 4,647. The 1890 U.S. Census also shows that 81% of Belgians in the state lived in the northeastern counties of Brown, Kewaunee, and Door. The Belgian immigration into northeastern Wisconsin came to an abrupt halt in about 1858, when word reached the homeland of the physical and economic hardships and the cholera epidemic sweeping the settlement.

The first Belgian settlers made a living making shingles and farming small plots of land. This changed in the fall of 1871 when a major fire [please see: Peshtigo Fire Home Page  ] (the same that devastated Peshtigo on the same day as the great Chicago fire) swept through Belgian settlements and virtually destroyed the shingle industry. After the fire, farming became the major industry, but because the farms were small, income was often supplemented in the winter by commercial fishing. Some men also migrated to the lumber camps in northern Wisconsin at Thanksgiving time and returned home in April; during this period, the women and children assumed responsibility for feeding and caring for the livestock.

Barriers of language and rural poverty tended to isolate and insulate the Belgians from their neighbors. While Belgians from both the Flemish and Walloon provinces have settled in Northeastern Wisconsin, the Walloons have remained a more homogeneous, readily identifiable ethnic group. The Belgians in this area generally believe, erroneously, that Walloon is only an oral (not written) language, and because it has been passed down orally in this part of the country, it may be regarded as a folk language. Walloon is a French patois. French was used in church records, correspondence, mourning cards, etc. Today, many Belgian descendants still reside in the 35 square mile area settled by their ancestors. In many cases, farms have been in the same family for over 100 years. Fourth and fifth generation Belgians still speak together in Walloon, and continue such customs as the celebration of Kermis (a harvest festive held in early fall) and the erection of a “maypole” in the yard of a winning political candidate. The presence of small wayside religious shrines also illustrates Belgian influence.
 

There were few family farms in early Oconto County. In the 1860's Belgium born Oconto County residents were primarily male with the majority working in connection with the lumber industry. They worked the woods, harvesting logs in winter, joined the river runs in Spring that brought the logs to the mills, and had mill jobs the rest of the year. For the mills, these jobs included men who fished the branded marked logs out of the river at each mill, built dams for mill ponds and winter harvest ponds,  ran various aspects of the sawmill process of making logs to lumber, or worked in the large farms owned by the mills to provide animals and crop food for the winter camps, boarding houses, and draft animals.  Older and permanently injured men had to work, there was no retirement. Often they progressed in the system to cleaning up the tons of sawdust in the mill (which was often dumped in the rivers in early time and later burned in huge metal towers or used on muddy roads). Sawdust made the already extremely dangerous saw mill work even more threatening by adding the elements of quickly combustible particles to the air and obstructing movement in the mills. Fires and explosions of saw dust happened often. Other less vigorous men went on the sharpening the saws and other tools, helped the mill cooks with cleaning, food preparation, water and firewood, or on the farms where they fed and watered stock and worked in the gardens. Literally, there was no rest for the weary.

A very few Belgian men were accompanied by wives. A check of immigration dates indicated that quite a few worked in Oconto for a year or two and then had their wives come over. Most were single when they came and later married local women. There were few single Belgian women and their jobs were usually work as servants, seamstress/launderess, or in the grist mills.

The Peshtigo Fire, of October 7, 1871, destroyed great tracts of woodlands in Oconto County along the whole Wisconsin northeastern coast of Lake Michigan, which opened previous logging land to homesteading and brought Belgium settlers from other parts of Wisconsin as well as a large influx from Belgium in the early 1870's through 1890. These were often families who went into farming, however millwork remained a steady income provider. The Belgian immigrant children grew up to marry all nationalities, as the numbers of Belgians in Oconto County were not large and often scattered.

1900 Oconto Belgium Born Residents & US Immigration year

CHASE

Denney, John 1880
Denney, Eugene 1880
Ding, Carl 1854
Ding, Josephine  1870 (wife of Carl)
VanVort, Victor 1892
Klopman, Peter 1865
    Klopman, Vondesands no immigration year (born in Belgium wife of Peter, married 33 years)
Bush, Lucie 1860
Thyrian, Alex 1882
    Thyrian, Phillisin 1882
    Thyrian, Joseph 1882
    Thyrian, Gustav 1882

LITTLE RIVER

Carriveau, Marie 1854 (wife of Frank from French Canada)
Vaes, Christoph 1855
    Vaes, Angeline 1855 (wife of Christoph)
Hautebrook, Jon   1855
    Hautebrook, Antonette 1857 (wife of John)
La Court, Elizabeth 1856 (widow living with son Joseph of Wisconsin)
Lorang, John 1867
Nurenhausen, Francis 1871
    Nurenhausen, Maria 1868 (wife of Francis)

LITTLE SUAMICO

Detiege, Charles 1855
    Detiege, Theressa 1855 (wife of Charles)
Smith Angeline (nee Detiege) 1855

MAPLE VALLEY

Crambletts, Margaret No immigration year  (born in Begium wife of Joseph )

OCONTO - EAST WARD

Grysell, Casimer 1866
    Grysell, Johanna 1866 (wife of Casimer)
Williams, Joseph 1855
Williams, Polydin 1855
    Williams, Matilda 1855 (wife of Polydin)
Vanderwall, Edward  1873
    Vanderwall, Melina 1873 (wife of Edward)
Hught, Antone 1860
    Hught, Louise 1871 (wife of Antone)
Hendricks, Frank 1890

OCONTO WEST WARD

Falque, Louis 1883
Allurt, Noel 1875 (wife of Hubert  Allurt)
Noel, Constance 1870
    Noel, Rosie 1871 (wife of Constance)
 Neuville, Mary 1890 (widow, husband was born in Belgium)
    Neuville, Larin 1890 (son of Mary)
Destiche, Stuart immigration unknown (born in Belgium)
    Destriche, Emelia 1876 (wife of Stuart)
Schollaert, Alphine 1888
    Schollaert, Mathilda 1888 (wife of Alphine)
    Schollaert, Joseph 1888 (son of Alphine)
Detage, Jahn 1880
    Detage, Cammelia 1891 (daughter of Jahn)
Lemay, Cecilia 1884 (wife of Ovide from Fr. Canada)
VanReguhem, Frank 1889
Gauthier, Julius 1875
Detage, Andrea 1893
Van Duransh, Edward 1890
    Van Duransh, Clemence 1891 (wife of Edward)
    Van Duransh, Emily 1891 (daughter of Edward)
Verhcheeke, Bruno 1892
Schalet, Peter 1893
Molier, Charles 1892
    Molier Lena M. 1892 (wife of Charles)
VanAcker, Charles 1887
    VanAcker, Philomina 1887 (wife of Charles)
Quester, Frank 1882 (widowed)
    Quester, Clemence 1882 (daughter of Frank)
Van Hecke, Ivo 1881
Walgert, Domen 1894
    Walgert, Decian 1894 (wife of Domen)
    Walgert, Celina 1894 (daughter of Domen)
    Walgert, Liza 1894 (daughter of Domen)
Hanquet, Charles 1887
    Hanquet, Laurmene 1887 (wife of Charles)
Lacompte (LeComte), Geort 1886
Frist, Albert 1856
Grip, John 1893
Francis, Ceasar 1871
La Compt (LeComte), Antolin 1882
La Comte (LeComte), Francese 1882
Burnette, Many 1890 (wife of Albert whose parents were Belgian)
Poirier, Antone 1880
    Poirier Larinece 1872 (wife of Antone)
Deterville, Emil 1873
Dehut, Joseph M.  1856
Smith, Mary 1866 (wife of Edward)
Ruel, Mary 1887
    Jackson, Mary (nee Ruel) 1887 (daughter of Mary Ruel)

OCONTO SOUTH WARD

Williams, Clem 1855
Routheu, Isedore 1855
Dhoudt, Joseph 1881
    Dhoudt, Cordelia 1882 (wife of Joseph)
    Dhoudt, Elodia 1882 (daughter if Joseph)
    Douhdt, Alice 1882 (daughter of Joseph)
DeBaets, Henry 1881 (lives with Joseph Dhoudt family)
Martin, Bruno 1882
    Martin, Matilda 1882 (wife of Bruno)
Fumelle, Michael 1855
Caraveau, Mary 1880 (wife of Tehodore)
Wetock, Charles 1881
    Wetlock, Philistene 1881 (wife of Charles)
Lacourt, Camillia 1882 (widow, husband was born in Belgium)
Bouie Edward 1884
Caraveau, Ageler 1855 (wife of John from Canada)
Vanhefta, Zeak 1889
    Vanheta, Barbara 1889 (wife of Zeak)
Boes, Leo 1882
    Boes, Rachel 1882 (wife of Leo)
Creal, Frank 1880
    Creal, Matilda 1883 (wife of Frank)
    Creal, Joseph 1883 (son of Frank)
Kremers, Matilda 1884 (wife of Peter of Bohemia)
Messenger, Mary 1884 (wife of Herbert)
Slock, Angelor 1891
    Slock, Lena 1882 (wife of Angelor)
Decloux, John 1869
Lealieu, Joseph 1860
    Lealieu, Frances 1860 (wife of Joseph)

OCONTO NORTH WARD

Augerman Orian 1880
    Augerman, Philomine 1882 (wife of Orian)
Yunkle Philomine (nee Marauton) 1871 (wife of David whose mother was from Belgium)
    Marauton, Herman 1871 (widowed father of Philomine)
Schacht, Sophia C. 1869 (wife of George)
DeBeck Alfred 1852

OCONTO FALLS

Gauthier, Cons. 1870
    Gauthier, Locadie -  no year given (born in Belgium, wife of Cons.)
Halstead, Mary - no year given (born in Belgium, wife of Lelin)

TOWN OF OCONTO

Albert, Antone 1855
    Albert, Ferdinande 1856 (wife of Antone)
    Albert, Paul 1856 (father in law of Antone)
    Albert, Mary 1856 (mother in law of Antone)
Degnaff (Degeneffe), Irene 1855 (wife of Depole of Canada)
Degnaff (Degeneffe), John 1854 (living with Degnaff nephew)
Lecoe (Pecor), S. Fabry - 1857
    Lacoe, (Pecor), Meary - 1857 (wife of S. Fabray)
Rusen, Mary 1855 (wife of Chas. whose parents were Belgian born)
Van Coby, Lewis 1871
    Van Coby, Louisa 1879 (wife of Lewis)
    Van Coby, Louisa 1879 (daughter of Lewis)
    Van Coby, Edward 1879 (conceived in Belgium, born in 1880, son of Lewis)
Speller, Peter 1871
Hausman, Charles 1880
    Hausman, Sofda 1880 (wife of Charles)
    Hausman, Luo 1880 (son of Charles)
    Hausman, Edward  18-- (son of Charles)
Rosenerant, Cate  no year of immigration (widowed wife)
Cota, Mary 1863 (widowed wife of Canadian)
    Cota, Joseph 1870 ( brother of Mary)
Dedore, Charles 1889
    Dedore, Elizabeth 1882 (wife of Charles)
Anterhrast, Mary no year of immigration (wife of John, husband's parents of Belgium)
Lapage, Aretine 1856 (wife of Canadian Frank)
Gretan,  Maxema 1871
    Gretan, Plege 1871 (wife of Max)
    Gretan, Adaline 1871 (daughter of Max)
Culignon, Frank 1875
    Culignon, Levander 1875 (wife of Frank)
Depew, Fred  1862
    Depew, Anne 1862 (wife of Fred)
Wittateck, Jacob   1873
    Wittateck, Matilda no year of immigration (probably 1873, wife of Jacob)
    Wittateck, August  no year of immigration (probably 1873, brother of Jacob)
Dwent, Peter  1888
    Dwent, Louisa 1889 (wife of Peter)
Delwean   1854
Gauthier, Joseph  1862
    Gauthier, Mary  1856 (wife of Joseph)
Shermon, Roger 1883
Lehrect, Joseph  1856
    Lehrect, Mary F. 1856 (wife of Roger)
Depaw, Zole no year of immigration (born in Belgium, wife of John whose parents were fo Belgium)

PENSUAKEE

Liegeois, Florian 1855
    Liegeois, Notasie 1855 (wife of Florian)
Lafave, Paul, 1855
    Lafave, Josephine 1856 (wife of Paul)
Vlies, Victorine 1871 (wife of Emil, his parents are of Belgium)
Legelois, Carl  1864
Laduron, John  1854
Mocco, Felix 1870
    Mocco, Felicia 1870 (wife of Felix)
Dukester, Nick 1862
    Dukester, Godelia 1861 (wife of Nick)
Mocco, Sylvania no year of immigration (born in Belgium, wife of Alexander whose parents were of Belgium)
Thome, Charles 1870
    Thome, Flora 1870 (wife of Charles)
Longrie, Charles 1861
La Court, Alphonse  1858
    La Court, Caroline  1858 (wife of Alphonse)
Delcourt, Charles 1871
Francart, Herbert 1856
Vandenack, Emil  1853
Delwich, Henry  1855
Falquar, Joseph  1871
Ladrow, Jerry  1855
    Ladrow, Tillie  1856 (wife of Jerry)
Ladrow, Bony  1855
Noel, Frank 1855
    Noel, Josephine 1855

STILES

Gauthier, Leonard  1872
    Gauthier, Mary  1871 (wife of Leonard)
Rouer, Charley  1854
    Rouer, Flora  1883 (wife of Charley)
Exferd, Mary E. 1851  (wife of Michael)
Dallas, Jack  1856
    Dallas, Phillipine  1856 (wife of Jack)
Dallas, Flora 1864  (widow)

ARMSTRONG (NOW MOUNTAIN)

Founder, Gust 1855

LENA

Longeois, Joseph  1845
Dunks, John  1856
Bruschy, Mary no year of immigration  (wife of Joseph)