Belgian Americans
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Belgian Americans are
Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...
who can trace their ancestry to people from
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, most Belgian immigrants arrived during the 19th and the 20th centuries. According to the 2019 U.S. census, there are 339,512 Americans who identify themselves as partially or fully of Belgian ancestry.


History

During the 17th century, colonists from the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) lived in several of the
Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...
of
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. Settlements already existed in New York in Wallabout (Brooklyn), on
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and
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
and in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
( Hoboken,
Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
, Pavonia, Communipaw, and Wallkill). Later, other settlers moved into the Mid-Atlantic States. Many names are derived from the Walloon Reformed immigrants who settled there and the Dutch versions of Walloon words that were used to describe locales. There were also Southern Netherlands colonies in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
,
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
established primarily by Walloons, many of whom arrived with the
Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...
(founded by Willem Usselincx, a Fleming). The first major wave of people from Belgium arrived to the United States during the 19th century to look for better economic and social conditions for their families (in common with other Western Europeans). Belgian immigrants were first registered in 1820, and until 1910, 104,000 Belgians entered the U.S. and from 1910 to 1950, the number dropped to 62,000. Between 1847 and 1849 when Belgium was plagued with disease and economic hardship, 6,000–7,000 Belgians a year arrived in the United States.
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
, Belgium also one of the largest ports for immigration to America, and regular Red Star Line ships connected the port with the United States and Canada. During this era, most Belgians coming to the United States were farmers, farm workers, or miners; craftsmen (such as masons, cabinetmakers or carpenters); or other persons engaged in commerce (such as lace-makers or glass blowers). During the 20th century, many Belgians arrived in the United States to work in spaces such as universities, laboratories and industry. This is especially true after the world wars ended. Several Dutch-language newspapers were published by Belgian immigrants, including the ''Gazette van Moline'' (1907–1940) and the '' Gazette van Detroit'' (1914–2018). From 1820 to 1970, about 200,000 Belgians immigrated to the United States. Since 1950, about 1,350 Belgians migrate to the United States each year.And in keeping with the Belgian farming heritage, Wisconsin's first organic hemp farming operation is near Brussels, Wisconsin, which provides edible hemp products; and is founded by a fifth-generation Belgian, Stacy Deprey-Purper. The company is called Native Roots Hemp.


Demographics

During the 19th century most Belgians settled in places that offered greater access to employment, establishing significant communities in
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
;
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
; Door,
Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...
and Kewaunee Counties,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, and
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. There are also substantial communities of Belgian Americans in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
,
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
,
North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, Washington and
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
. Many towns and cities across the United States bear the names of their counterparts in Belgium: Liège, Charleroi, Ghent, Antwerp, Namur, Rosiere and Brussels. Wisconsin and Michigan have the United States's largest Belgian American settlement, located in portions of Brown, Kewaunee and Door counties adjacent to Green Bay. In 1994 a historical marker was dedicated at Namur, Wisconsin, denoting the surrounding area on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Walloon-speaking Belgians settled in the region during the 1850s, and still constitute a large part of the population. The '' Gazette van Detroit'' was a widely distributed Flemish newspaper in Dutch and in English that was published in Detroit, Michigan, from 1914 to 2018. A number of elements demonstrate the Belgian American presence: placenames (Brussels, Namur, Rosiere, Luxemburg, Charleroi), a local French
patois ''Patois'' (, same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or sl ...
, common surnames, unique foods ('' booyah'', ''trippe'', ''jutt''), and the Kermesse harvest festival and architecture. Many original wooden structures belonging to Belgian Americans were destroyed in the Peshtigo fire, a firestorm that swept across southern Door County in October 1871; a few stone houses (made of local dolomite) survived. More common are 1880s red-brick houses, distinguished by their modest size and gable-end and bull's-eye windows. Some houses have detached summer kitchens with baking ovens appended to the rear. The Belgians, many of them devout Catholics, also erected small roadside votive chapels like those in their homeland.


Population

According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 360,642 Americans whose ancestors came from Belgium. The states with the largest Belgian communities are: *
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
: 57,808 (out of 5,363,675 = 1.08%) *
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
: 53,135 (out of 9,938,444 = 0.53%) *
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
: 34,208 (out of 12,419,293 = 0.28%) *
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
: 26,820 *
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
: 15,627 (out of 4,919,479 = 0.32%) *
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
: 14,751 * New York: 12,034 *
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
: 11,918 *
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
: 10,595 *
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
: 9,651 Also, some middle-sized communities are in Washington,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
,
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
and
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
.


Religions

The majority of Belgian Americans are
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
although some are Presbyterians and Episcopalians. By 1900, Belgian religious orders were present in 16 states. The Sisters of Notre Dame, from
Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...
, established bilingual schools in 14 of those states, and the Benedictines built missions in the West. The Jesuits founded St. Louis University in 1818, expanding the university's influence with Belgian teachers and benefactors. Belgian immigrants do not usually have churches of their own and attend Catholic churches that were founded by other ethnic Catholics. However, two more-homogeneous groups (in Door County,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, and
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
) established churches of their own. Since then, Belgians have established several churches in the United States. In 1853, a Belgian missionary, Father Edward Daems, joined with a group of immigrants to establish a community in Bay Settlement, Wisconsin known as ''Aux premiers Belges'' (''Naar de eerste Belgen'') ("to the first Belgians"). By 1860, St. Hubert's Church had been built in Bay Settlement and St. Mary's in
Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...
. Also built in the 19th century were St. Michael's, St. John the Baptist, and St. Joseph's in Door County; the French Presbyterian Church in Green Bay; and small roadside chapels for people who lived too far away to attend parish churches regularly. In 1834, Father Florimond Bonduel, from Commnes, was the first priest to be ordained in Detroit. The first Catholic college (1836) was operated by Flemish Belgian priests, and the first school for girls was founded in 1834 by an order of Belgian nuns. By 1857, Catholics in Detroit were a sizable group, and in 1884, the first Belgian parish was established. However, many Belgian Catholic parishes have disappeared or merged with other parishes because of the shortage of priests.


Military service

Belgian Americans fought in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, both world wars and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Belgian Americans gave generously to the aid of children who were victims of the war, which resulted in an official delegation from Belgium to the United States honoring their efforts in 1917.


Notable people


See also

* Jessé de Forest * Belgian Canadians * Belgium–United States relations * European Americans *
Dutch Americans Dutch Americans () are Americans of Dutch and Flemish descent whose ancestors came from the Low Countries in the distant past, or from the Netherlands as from 1830 when the Flemish became independent from the United Kingdom of the Netherla ...
* French Americans *
German Americans German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...
* Luxembourgish Americans


References


Further reading

* Bayer, Henry G. ''The Belgians: First Settlers in New York and in the Middle States with a Review of the Events which led to their Immigration''. New York: Devin-Adair Co., 1925. * * * Coolsaet, Rik (2024)
''Voyage to America''
Brussels, April * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Belgian-American Research Collection


at
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at Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay {{Authority control European diaspora in the United States
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...