Skip to main content

Shhh, I'm Back. Don't Tell Anyone.

By
Once again I've fallen into the black hole of no posts for months. But today I've been going through my old emails and found some ideas that I can post. Sorry about my slacking. I'm actually writing this sitting an hour from Blauvelt NY having attended a seminar about the history around this area Wednesday night. My brain is humming with ideas. (you can probably tell I borrowed this from Wikipedia)


Dutch Language Distribution in the United States. (LOOK Indiana is dark Blue!)

There has been a Dutch Presence in America since 1602, when the government of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands chartered the Dutch East India Company with the mission of exploring for a passage to the Indies and claiming any uncharted territories for the Dutch republic. The rest of the story I've written about how the English took the colony away from Holland.

Dutch was still spoken in many parts of New York at the time of the Revolution. For example, Alexander Hamilton's wife Eliza Hamilton attended a Dutch-language church during their marriage. Martin Van Buren, the first President born in the United States following it's independence, spoke Dutch as his native language, making him the only president whose first language was not English.

In a 1990 demographic consensus, 3% of surveyed citizens claimed descent from Dutch settlers. Modern estimates place the Dutch American population at 5 million, lagging just a bit behind Scottish American and Swedish American.

Notable Dutch Americans include the Roosevelts (Theodore, Franklin Delano, and Eleanor) Marlon Brando, Thomas Alva Edison, Martin Van Buren, and the Vanderbilts. The Roosevelts are direct descendants of Dutch settlers of the New Netherlands colony in the 17th century.

Only 150,000 people in the United States still speak the Dutch language at home today concentrated mainly in Michigan (i.e. the city of Holland), Tennessee, Miami, Houston, and Chicago. The Dutch language is studied as a novelty in mostly Dutch communities of Pella, Iowa and San Joaquin County California which also has a renowned Dutch and Frisian settle history since the 1840s.

A vernacular dialect of Dutch, known as Jersey Dutch was spoken by a significant number of people in the New Jersey area between the start of the 17th century to the mid-20th century. With the beginning of the 20th century, usage of the language became restricted to internal family circles, with an ever growing number of people abandoning the language in favor of English. It suffered gradual decline throughout the 20th century and it ultimately dissipated from casual usage.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

de Vries, Hans de Vries. Almost.

By
In 1967 THE James Bond (Sean Connery) decided to step away from the world of James Bond films. EOS studios thus had to find a replacement. It came down to 5 men. 2 Brits, an American, a Australian, and a Dutchman. John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, George Lazenby, and Hans de Vries. None of those names ring a bell? George Lazenby won the part for the 6th Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. A movie that has been lauded both as the worst and one of the best Bond films in the franchise. If you haven't seen it, you should. It was the Bond film that 'Breaks the Fourth Wall', Bond gets married, wears a kilt, and goes skiing. But the reason for this post is instead of this; (Yes, THAT is James Bond) We could of had this. Improvement? Probably not. He looks a wee bit angry. Plus, no one watches OHMSS anyway. So, did de Vries have a movie career after Bond? Ha, no. The only notable movie rolls I can find for him were pre bond. And that was ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"My Knitted Boyfriend"

By
Yes. You read that correctly. And no, I am not buying one. I used to have my dog sleep on my bed when I was little but that was when I was 7. Noortje de Keijzer  (her website) a Dutch designer and illustrator has designed a life-sized, yes life size, knitted pillow in the shape of a man. Or a boyfriend. Whichever you prefer.   Keijzer's " My Knitted Boyfriend " (click this link. It shows the different accessories and the book that accompies your 'man') project consists of two different oversized cushions, "Artur" (white guy with brown hair) and "Steve (darker guy with black hair)." The pillows come with a number of accessories, including knitted moustaches, glasses, watches, bow-ties, and even tattoos. There's also an illustrated book to show you what you can do with your knitted companion.   Keijzer had her mother and grandmother hand-knit the body pillow. (Slave labor?, I'm still wondering why she couldn'...
2 comments
Read more

Why Orange?

By
( There was a picture of a orange shirt here but now it doesn't seem to be working ) Have you ever wondered why the Dutch National Soccer team wears the color orange when the colors on their flag are red, white, and blue? The simple answer is that orange is the color of the Dutch Royal Family which hails from the House of Orange. The original orange (William I of Orange also know as William the Silent) organized the Dutch revolt from Spain. Unlike other Royal houses that were eliminated or viewed with contempt by the populace; The Dutch Royal House are still very popular in the Netherlands. The color orange has come to signify the country and therefore a national pride. On royal birthdays the tricolor flag is flown with an orange pennant above. Each year on April 30th, Amsterdam and the entire country turn orange. Revelers sing "Oranje boven, orangje boven. Leve the koningin!" (Orange on top, Orange on top. Long live the Queen!) The Soccer team's nickname is Oranje wh...
Post a Comment
Read more