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Collection Overview
Abstract
The Dutch Immigrant Letter Collection includes a wide spectrum of Dutch immigrant experience-Protestant, Catholic, and secular-and it is the only major collection of its kind. To assemble the Immigrant Letter Collection the archives conducted four major manuscript collection campaigns in the Netherlands and the United States between 1976 and 1990. These efforts accumulated at least eight thousand items-letters, travel accounts, immigrant memoirs, and photographs.
Of the 4,970 letters gathered (1838-1958), 2,793 were American postings and 2,179 were from the Netherlands to the United States. Half of the letters from immigrants cluster between 1873 and 1893, accurately reflecting the numerical configuration of Dutch immigration. Moreover, immigration peaks in 1848-1857, 1867-1888, and 1892-1915 are followed a year or two later by peaks in correspondence.
Unfortunately we acquired no useful examples of two-way correspondence. Furthermore, the immigrant letters represent at best 0.0032 percent of an estimated 889,000 letters mailed from the United States to Holland between 1890 and 1930.
All names reflect the original spellings, so try variants spellings (i.e. ij / y); variant spacing (i.e. vanden / van den); and variants of v.d. names (i.e. van de / van den / van der).
The collection includes letters, diaries, travel accounts, memoirs, recollections, and journals. These sources provide a wide range of viewpoints and materials for discovering the spirit and character of the immigration experience. Herbert J. Brinks, curator of the Archives from 1972-1995, collected and used the letters in the research for the following books: Schrijf Spoedig Terug, 1978; Write Back Soon, 1986; and Dutch American Voices, 1995. Nearly all the material in this collection has been transcribed and translated. This is indicated for each item in a separate alphabetized guide, Dutch Immigrant Papers Guide, and on our web site: http://library.calvin.edu/guide/collections/hh/in_house_resources/immigrant_letters/dutch_letters. Additions continue.
Subject/Index Terms
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
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Series 1: Last Name: A],
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Series 2: Last Name: B],
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Series 3: Last Name: C],
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Series 4: Last Name: D],
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Series 5: Last Name: E],
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Series 6: Last Name: F],
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Series 7: Last Name: G],
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Series 8: Last Name: H],
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Series 9: Last Name: I],
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Series 10: Last Name: J],
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Series 11: Last Name: K],
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Series 12: Last Name: L],
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Series 13: Last Name: M],
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Series 14: Last Name: N],
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Series 15: Last Name: O],
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Series 16: Last Name: P],
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Series 17: Last Name: Q],
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Series 18: Last Name: R],
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Series 19: Last Name: S],
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Series 20: Last Name: T],
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Series 21: Last Name: U],
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Series 22: Last Name: V],
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Series 23: Last Name: W],
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Series 24: Last Name: Y],
[Series 25: Last Name: Z],
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All]
- Series 25: Last Name: Z
- Box 76
- Folder 16: Zahn, Jan George. Letters: 8 items, transcription and translation. Muscatine, Iowa - Zutphen, Gelderland. J. G. Zahn to relatives. --- 1856-1858
- Folder 17: Zande, Menard. Letter: 1 item, with transcription and translation. Elspeet, Gelderland - USA. M. Zandee to relatives. --- 1892
- Folder 18: Zandstra, G. Letter: 1 item, photocopy. Netherlands - Flint, Michigan. G. Zandstra to J. Zandstra. --- 1975
- Folder 19: Zeilstra, Albert. Letter: 1 item, photocopy, with transcription and translation. Grand Rapids, Michigan - Grijpskerk, Groningen. A. Zeilstra to Jacob De Waard. --- 1882
- Folder 20: Zervaas, Pieter. Letter: 1 item, photocopy, with transcription and translation. Keokuk, Iowa - Groningen, Groningen. P. Zervaas to relatives. --- 1862
- Folder 21: Zevenbergen, P. W. Letters: 4 items. Rotterdam, Zuid Holland - Hull, Iowa. P. W. Zevenbergen to Herman Van de Vegte. --- 1975-1979
- Folder 22: Zieck, Cornelis J. Letter: 1 item, photocopy. Rijswijk, Zuid Holland - Platte, South Dakota. C. J. Zieck to H. de Jong. --- 1952
- Folder 23: Zieleyn, Herman and Mannes Veldhuis. Contract: 1 item, photocopy. Fillmore, Michigan - Overisel, Michigan. --- 1883
- Folder 24-26: Zijlman, Klaas and Trijntje Wolfis. Letters: 26 items, photocopy, with translation. Holland, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois - Roden, Drenthe; and Bedum, Groningen. K. and T. Zijlman to F. Wolfis. --- 1882-1926
- Box 77
- Folder 1: Zondervan, Tjerk and Maartje Lautenbach. Letters and genealogical data: 15 items, photocopy, with transcription and translation. Paterson, New Jersey - Tzummarum, Friesland. T. and M. Zondervan to relatives. --- 1893-1911
- Folder 2: Zuiderveen, Harm. Letter: 1 item, photocopy, with transcription and translation. Kalamazoo, Michigan - Netherlands. H. Zuiderveen to friends. --- 1903
- Folder 3: Zwart, J. Letter: 1 item, photocopy. Breda, Noord Brabant - Den Helder, Noord Holland. J. Zwart to C. Lebbe. --- 1945
- Folder 4: Zwemer, A. Letter: 1 item, photocopy, with translation. Vriesland, Michigan - Kampen, Overijssel. A. Zwemer to Helenius De Cock. --- 1859
- Folder 5: Zwijnenberg, Gerrit J. A. Letter: 1 item, transcribed photocopy, with translation. Hardenberg, Overijssel - Grand Rapids, Michigan. G. J. A. Zwijnenberg to Johanna Heemstra. --- 1946
- Folder 6: Zylstra, J. Letters: 2 items. Zaandijk, Noord Holland - Grand Rapids, Michigan. J. Zylstra to Minnie Vander Woude. --- 1924-1926
- Folder 7: Zylstra, Pieter and Trijntje Hekstra. Letters: 139 items, originals in Dutch and English. From Grand Rapids, MI to family in the Netherlands. --- 1948-1962
- Folder 8: Zylstra, Rein R. Recollections: 1 item, 12 leaves, photocopy, with translation. Nijmegen, Gelderland - Charles Mix County, South Dakota. --- 1885-1902
- Folder 9: Across the Atlantic. Hospers and Aanen Families Correspondence --- 1880-1934
Browse by Series:
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Series 1: Last Name: A],
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Series 2: Last Name: B],
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Series 3: Last Name: C],
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Series 4: Last Name: D],
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Series 5: Last Name: E],
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Series 6: Last Name: F],
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Series 7: Last Name: G],
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Series 8: Last Name: H],
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Series 9: Last Name: I],
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Series 10: Last Name: J],
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Series 11: Last Name: K],
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Series 12: Last Name: L],
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Series 13: Last Name: M],
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Series 14: Last Name: N],
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Series 15: Last Name: O],
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Series 16: Last Name: P],
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Series 17: Last Name: Q],
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Series 18: Last Name: R],
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Series 19: Last Name: S],
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Series 20: Last Name: T],
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Series 21: Last Name: U],
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Series 22: Last Name: V],
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Series 23: Last Name: W],
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Series 24: Last Name: Y],
[Series 25: Last Name: Z],
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All]
