An 1889 History of the Dutch in Michigan

On 13 June 1889, the Honorable G.J. Diekema summarized the history of Dutch immigration to Michigan at a meeting of the State Pioneers Association held in Lansing Michigan. His speech, "The Dutch in Michigan," was published in in the Dutch-language newspaper De Grondwet in Holland, Michigan on 25 June 1889. This is an English translation from that article. 

The Dutch in Michigan.

SPEECH, DELIVERED BY THE HON. G. J. DIEKEMA AT A MEETING OF THE STATE PIONEERS ASSOCIATION IN LANSING, MICH., JUNE 13, 1889.

Since the time when the Dutch first came to America, settled on Manhattan Island and founded New Amsterdam, the emigration in colonies from the Netherlands to America ceased completely until the year 1846, when a colony under the leadership of Rev. A. C. Van Raalte came to this country and settled in Western Michigan.

Two principal reasons led to this emigration, namely:

FIRST. The circumstances of the time were in the Netherlands, as in other countries of Europe, extremely unfavorable and became more and more oppressive for the working classes. Poverty was greatly increased by repeated failures of the potato harvest, which product was one of the principal foodstuffs for the poorer classes of the population in the Netherlands. Something had to be done to bring relief to the people. There was no chance of improving their condition in the mother country and only emigration could provide that desired outcome.

SECONDLY. There was great dissatisfaction among a large part of the Dutch people about the laws of the country concerning public worship. The Netherlands then, as now, had a Church, which, although not an actual State Church, was under the supervision and administration of the State. The preachers were appointed by the State and paid from the national treasury. No one was allowed to preach without permission, on penalty of a hundred guilders for each sermon delivered in violation of this. Naturally, discontent arose over such a state of affairs, and in 1834 seven Ministers rebelled, preached independently of the authority of the State, were expelled from the State Church, and immediately founded a church of their own. Their followers regarded them as martyrs to a holy cause, and thousands soon rallied to their banners.*

The officials of the government, wishing to suppress this revolt against the established Church, revived an antiquated law, which, though not expressly revoked, was no longer considered a law of the land at all. It formed part of the code of Napoleon, under whom Holland had been governed for a time before 1815, while it was part of the French Empire. In this law Napoleon, in order to suppress the free declaration of the people on subjects which were contrary to his interests, forbade all gatherings of more than nineteen persons for any purpose not recognized by law. This law, which had long been a means of oppressing the Dutchman loyal to his country, was now used by the House of Orange for a still more contemptible purpose. It was declared applicable to the assembly of the Separatists.

At first the Courts of Justice severely imposed heavy fines. These, however, were readily paid by the poor people from their small earnings, and fines and oppression only served to incite their zeal. The government soon became somewhat more sedate. On request, a special permit was given to each local congregation, on condition that it would support itself and its own poor. They had to pay their share in the maintenance of the established Church and the local poor, and to this was added the condition that they would renounce all claims to the material goods of the established Church. Here religious oppression was coupled with heavy financial obligations.

In the winter of the years 1845-46 a meeting was held of the leaders who were in favor of emigration. At this meeting a Commission was appointed to approach the government with a proposal to establish a colony in the Dutch East Indies and to settle on the highlands of Java. The government replied that it was not competent to favor such a plan on the religious foundation on which it rested. Attention was then directed to the Cape of Good Hope, but the choice did not fall on this country. At last it was decided to go to the land of good prospects, where freedom had found a home and where the weary soul could serve its Maker without legal restrictions.

On the 14th of September 1846 the first colony said farewell to its fatherland, looked for the last time upon the ground which contained the dear bones of their ancestors, and sailed from Rotterdam in the American ship "The Southerner" under the command of Captain Crosby.

Their leader was Rev. Albertus C. van Raalte, a solid young man, well educated in literature and theology. In him lived a large heart, a powerful mind and a great soul. He was a born leader. He spoke with irresistible eloquence and prepared all his plans with the skill and caution of a skilled statesman. He was the Moses, chosen by God, to lead his followers from a land of slavery to this Canaan of rest.

On the 4th of November 1846, after a stormy voyage of 47 days, they landed in New York. From New York they left by steamboat for Albany and from there via Buffalo and Cleveland to Detroit.

Although Wisconsin was for a long time the most thought of as their destination, the season was so far advanced when they reached Detroit that it was considered dangerous to go further that year.

Fortunately, work was found for the men at the St. Clair shipyards during the winter.

While at Detroit, Van Raalte and his party were warmly welcomed by Gen. Lewis Cass, Hon. Theodore Romeyn, Dr. Duffield, Hon. C. C. Trowbridge, and Rev. M. West. These men played a large part in keeping the Colony in Michigan.

It was long in doubt whether they would settle in the Saginaw Valley or in western Michigan. The reasons which finally led their leader to choose Western Michigan and to establish Holland in Ottawa County I wish to borrow chiefly from a speech made by him in Holland at the celebration of the fourth centennial of their settlement in 1872, when he spoke as follows:

"Although the Americans recommended the places near the rivers and generally thought it too risky to settle here; although the Dutch feared the great forests; although this place exposed my family to the greatest hardships of pioneer life, yet the confluence of so many advantages, even though they could be developed but slowly at first, left me no doubt as to my duty. I knew that the rich forest soil was best adapted for growing winter wheat and for dairying. That, in consequence of the manufacturing industry and shipping, much higher market prices could be obtained here than in the distant West. That the country near Lake Michigan was protected by the water from severe frost, and that it was an excellent region for tree fruits. I chose this place after due consideration, because of the great variety of its resources, and impressed with the idea that in order to develop the Dutch migration into a power, we must keep together for mutual aid, and that our surroundings must have this variety of resources, that labor and capital might be able to work there.

The object which I had in settling between the Kalamazoo and Grand rivers was to obtain the advantages which both offered for the employment of our laborers, and at the same time to establish a center for a united spiritual life and the labor of God's Kingdom."

On the 12th of February, 1847, the little Colony reached the spot chosen by its leader—the mouth of Black Lake, in Ottawa County. Time fails me to relate the great troubles and many privations which they endured. They did not understand the language of the people with whom they had to deal. They could not wield the woodman's axe; there were no roads, no open cultivated places, and no provisions nearer than Allegan. They had but little money, and must find work at once or suffer want; the number of their sick and dying soon increased, and there was no physician among them; but let it be recorded that in the midst of these great trials devotion to the principles for which they had left their native land, so full of sacred memories, held them up, and that they made the woods resound with the singing of their Psalms.

As soon as the news of their safe arrival and permanent settlement in Holland arrived, a general emigration to that country took place, which lasted during the years 1847-'49, the greater part of whom joined Van Raalte in Michigan. Then there was a standstill of about five years, when a new flood of emigration came, which lasted until the time of the [American Civil] war. Since the end of the war there has been a continuous influx so that now the Dutch emigrants and their descendants number no less than from 75 to 100,000.

The City of Holland had not enough industrial establishments to give employment to those who did not wish to devote themselves to agriculture, so that a great number went to the cities surrounding Holland, and the Hollanders in Grand Rapids, according to the calculation of the present Mayor, now number not less than 15,000.

Flourishing Colonies also exist in other parts of Kent and Ottawa Counties, and in the Counties of Kalamazoo, Allegan, Muskegon, Newaygo, Missaukee, Oceana, and Berrien.

Wherever the Dutch are found in Michigan, they possess the following principal qualities:

1. Industry and thrift. They are willing to work and save their earnings, so that whether they live in cities or in the country, they soon own their own homes. The agricultural region around Holland within a circle of 16 to 20 miles is entirely in their possession and they have made it a true paradise so that in solidity of buildings and fertility of soil it can compete with the older settlements of the State.

2. They are known for their honesty. A Dutchman's word is as good as his signature and that is as good as a mortgage on his farm. When this trait was once discovered by the American merchants, they gave the first colonists the opportunity to buy everything they needed on credit and saved them from many hardships. Thus virtue rewarded itself. It pains me to say that some of their descendants have learned the ways of the country and have not fully maintained the good name obtained by their fathers.

3. The third trait I wish to mention is religious loyalty. The religious inclination of a Dutchman is very great. As soon as the first settler had built a temporary home for himself, he began to build a house for God, and wherever you go in a Dutch settlement in Michigan today, you will always find a well-built, well-finished, and freshly painted church. The house of their worship must never show signs of decay. The country is literally strewn with churches, and what is better, they are always filled on Sundays. Neither rain nor wind prevents a Dutchman from attending religious services, and I am proud to say that this trait distinguishes his descendants.

One of the main ideas of the founder of the Dutch Colony was that in order to Americanize the Dutchman, in order to develop a strong and influential citizenry, a liberal policy of education must be followed. The free school was from the beginning a favorite institution, and as early as 1851, only three years after the first settlers had arrived, a "pioneer school" was opened, in which opportunity was given for higher education. This "school" was placed under the care of the Reformed Dutch Church of America, and was soon known as the "Holland Academy" and later as "Hope College." Of the 134 students of this College, 67 studied theology and became ministers. I do not believe that there is another College in this country that has 50 per cent of its students in the pulpit. This clearly shows that the sons of the emigrants of 1847 are filled with the same religious zeal and spirit that inspired their fathers.

Besides the students of the College, hundreds have been educated in the preparatory school connected with it, and as the sons and daughters of this institution have entered society to undertake each their various tasks, of which the teaching in our schools was not the least, they have permeated the entire population with their good influence and have contributed much to that complete Americanization of our citizens which, in comparison with other regions, where foreigners have settled in large numbers, is indeed surprising, so that Gov. Bagley, when he attended a reunion of his regiment in Holland in 1875, after having stayed with us for two days, asked that a Dutchman be shown to him before he left.

The Dutch have played their full part in the material development of the State. They have always been quiet and obedient to the laws. They become citizens of the country as soon as the law permits them to do so. They love their adopted country, and during the Civil War they fought with the same heroism that distinguished them when they drew the sword under the House of Orange. I firmly believe that when a future historian writes the history of this great State of ours, he will not do his task properly unless he sketches the influence of the Dutch in Michigan.

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*It seems to us that our friend here and in what follows does not do full justice to the religious movement which resulted in the "Secession" in the Netherlands. —Ed. Grwt.
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