Dirk Nieland (1886-1954) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

Writer and linguist, Dirk Nieland, was born in the Netherlands in 1886. At the age of 19, Nieland immigrated to the United States. Interested in the dialect of immigrants from the Netherlands to Michigan, he wrote the book, Yankee-Dutch published in 1919. On August 27, 1925, he married Anna De Boer.

His second book, ‘n Fonnie Bisnis, was published in 1929. Nieland could speak five languages fluently – Dutch, English, Friesian, German, and Flemish. He could read French and Spanish as well. Dirk Nieland developed throat cancer and on October 18, 1954, he passed away.