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| Notables (U.S.): Bob Beauprez · Louis Hennepin · John Vanbiesbrouck · George Van Biesbroeck · Pat Du Pre |
| Regions with significant populations |
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| Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, California, Minnesota |
| Languages |
| Related ethnic groups |
Belgian Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Belgian ancestry. 'Belgian' is not considered an ethnic term (Flemings and Walloons are the two largest ethnic groups in Belgium[1]). There were no Belgians (and thus no Belgian Americans either) prior to 1830, the de jure establishment of Belgium (although the name 'Belgium' was already used prior 1830 to distinguish the Southern Netherlands from the Netherlands). Prior to this, immigrants from the region that is present-day Belgium identified themselves as either Dutch or French Americans, hence tracing family roots to a place in Belgium does not make one a Belgian American per se.
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Already in the seventeenth century are known Belgian colonies in some of the old British Thirteen Colonies of United States. So, already had Belgian settlements in New York (in Wallabout, Long Island, and Staten Island), and in New Jersey (Hoboken, Jersey City, Pavonia, Communipaw, and Wallkill), that are knew by the first settlers in New York and in the Middle States. In fact, the place names of these places are derived from the name the Walloons inmigrants who settled there, as well as from the Dutch version of Walloon words used to describe a locale. Also had Belgian settlements in Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, established primarily by Walloons, many of whom came to United States in ships of the Dutch West India Company, founded this, by the William Usselinx Flemish.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, participated in U.S. history, notable Belgians left their mark on this country. So, is Lord Baltimore, Whose family in Flemish Belgium Were aristocrats. Belgian officers Also Fought During The Revolutionary War, Some Of Which Were: Charles De Pauw (Fleming Who Accompanied Lafayette to America), Ensign Thomas Van Gaasbeck, Captain Jacques Rapalje, and Captain Anthony Van Etten, and the Captain Johannes Van Etten.
The first major wave of Belgians That Came to United States was established during the nineteenth century. They came looking financial opportunity and a better life for their families, as other Western Europeans. Belgian immigration is registered since 1820. From this year up 1910, immigrated 104,000 Belgian to United States; but from 1910 to 1950, the number low to 62,000 Belgians in this country. Between 1847 and 1849, when Belgium had diseases hard and economic deprivation arrived to United States 6,000 to 7,000 Belgian a year. In this moments most of the people that coming to the United States were farmers, agricultural laborers, and miners; crafts people (as carpenters, masons and cabinetmakers); and other skilled tradespeople (as glass blowers and lace makers). In later years, especially after the two World Wars, many people of Belgium arrived to United States, seeking work in the universities, laboratories, and industrial corporations. From 1820 to 1970, approximately 200,000 Belgian people was settled in the United States. Each year since 1950, has remained a fixed quota of 1,350. However, in 1981, Belgians represented no more than 0.4 percent of the foreign-born population. [2]
In Nineteenth-century most of the Belgians were established in places determined by the economic opportunities that were in them. Thus, it created significant communities in West Virginia; Detroit (Michigan); Door County, Brown County, and Kewaunee County in Wisconsin); and Indiana. Currently, there are also large communities of Belgian Americans in Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, Washington, and Oregon. Many towns and cities across the United States bear the names of their counterparts in Belgium: Liege, Charleroi, Ghent, Antwerp, Namur, Rosiere, Brussels.
Wisconsin's and the United States' largest Belgian American settlement is located in portions of Brown, Kewaunee and Door counties adjacent to the waters of Green Bay; in 1994 there a historical marker was placed and dedicated at Namur (Door County), Wiscosnin with the surrounding area on the National Register of Historic Places. Walloon-speaking Belgians settled the region in the 1850s and still constitute a high proportion of the population. A variety of elements attests to the Belgian American presence: place names (Brussels, Namur, Rosiere, Luxemburg), a local French patois, common surnames, unique foods (booyah, trippe, jutt), the Kermiss harvest festival, and especially architecture. Many of the original wooden structures of the Belgian Americans were destroyed in 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 modest size and gable-end, bull's-eye windows. Some houses have detached summer kitchens with bake ovens appended to the rear. And the Belgians, many of them devout Catholics, also erected small roadside votive chapels like those in their homeland.
According to the 2000 U.S. census, there are 360,642 Americans whose ancestors came from Belgium. The states with the largest Belgian communities are:
Other significant communities are found in Florida (14,751), New York (12,034), Indiana (11,918) and Texas (10,595).
The majority of Belgian Americans are Roman Catholic, although some are Presbyterians and Episcopalians. By 1900, Belgian religious orders was important in 16 states. So, the Sisters of Notre Dame, from Namur, Belgium, could establishing bilingual schools in 14 of those states; the Benedictines built missions in the western part of the country, and the Jesuits, founded St. Louis University in 1818 and they expanded the reach of the University with the use of Belgian teachers and benefactors. However Belgian immigrants do not usually have churches of their own in this moments, mainly because they attending Catholic churches founded by other ethnic Catholics. However, two of the more homogeneous groups, those in Door County, Wisconsin, and those in Detroit, Michigan, could establishing churches of their own.
Since then the Belgians established several churches in United States: So, in 1853, a Belgian missionary, Father Edward Daems, joined with a group of immigrants establish a community in Northeast Wisconsin in Bay Settlement. By this reason, they called it Aux premiers Belges —The first Belgians. By 1860, were built St. Hubert's Church in Bay Settlement and St. Mary's in Namur. Also build in the nineteenth century: St. Michael's, St. John the Baptist, and St. Joseph's (in Door County), French Presbyterian Church (in Green Bay) and Small roadside chapels for the people who lived too far away to attend parish churches regularly.
Also, in 1834, Father Bonduel of Commnes, Belgium, 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 185, Catholics in Detroit were a sizable group. In 1884, the first Belgian parish was established.
Now, however, Many Belgian Catholic parishes Have Disappeared or merged with Other parishes now that priests are scarce.[2]
Belgian Americans fought in American Revolutionary War, in both World Wars and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During World War I, Belgian Americans gave generously to the children who were victims of that war. This did that an official delegation from Belgium was to United States in 1917 to honor their efforts. In a reverse effort. [2]
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