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Immigration and Westward Movement
My Name is Anneke Van Noordwijk. I am an immigrant from the Netherlands. I left for the US with my brother Hamel because my father had been jailed for not paying taxes. We hoped to find a new life in America. When my brother ran off with a girl he hoped to marry, I decided to move to Oklahoma and start a farm. New York reminded me of Hamel everywhere I went and I couldn't take it anymore. I also hoped to find a better job ther than the one I had in a factory This is a timeline of my experiences. -
Leaving the Netherlands Part 1
Today I have left for the U.S. My parents have encourgaed my older brother, Hamel, and I to emigrate from our home. Taxes are high in our nation, and my father could not pay. He had been taken to jail, and my mother told us to leave the mess that they had made and start over. I have taken some old, valuable books that my parents owned, along with a bag of tulip bulbs from my mothers garden and a painting my father had bought. Continued -
Leaving the Netherlands Part 2
It was by a man named Van Gogh and called 'Cipressen' (Cypresses). I am hopeful that in America, the taxes will not be as low and I will be able to find a good job with fair pay. I pray that I will never end up in the situation that my father did. -
On the Boat
We have been on the boat for a long time now. Hamel is getting bored, and has been asking the captain (who is Dutch), "Zijn we er al?" (Are we ther yet?) "Nee." (No.) He replies. "Wanneer krijgen we er?" (When will we get there?)Hamel asks him. The captain replies, "We zullen er niet voor een paar dagen. Rust en genieten van de reis." (We won't get there for a couple of days. Calm down and enjoy the trip.) I sure hope we get to America soon, or Hamel's going to drive me crazy. -
Arrival at Ellis Island
We have arrived at Elis Island. The building is crowded and dirty, but the thought of entering the USA is exciting and I can't stop tallking to the man behind me."Ik ben zo benieuwd naar New York! Denk je dat je zo goed als iedereen zegt dat het is?” (I am so excited to see New York! Do you think it'll be as good as everyone says it is?)I say. The man gives me an odd look. “Anneke, laat de arme man alleen!”(Anneke, leave the poor man alone!) Hamel whispers to me. "Fijn, Hamel." (Fine, Hamel.) -
Ellis Island Medical Inspections
We have finally reached the inspections. The medical inspector gives me commands in a strange language. “Open your mouth,” He says. I stand there with a baffled look on my face. He takes my jaw and wrenches it open violently. I squirm as he examines my gums. "Hold still!" He says to me. "Ik kan niet begrijpen dat u!" (I can't understand you!) I say. He closes my mouth and says, "You've passed." I don't understand what he says, so I stand there. He pushes me into the next line. I have passed. -
Ellis Island Legal Inspections Part 2
“Mijn oudere broer Hamel.” (My older brother Hamel.)“Waarom hebben jullie?” (Why did you come?) “De belastingen in mijn land zijn zeer hoog.”(The taxes in my country are very high.) “Gefeliciteerd. U hebt uw inspecties,” (Congratulations. You’ve passed your inspections.) He says. I smile and leave the inspection area, and Hamel is already waiting for me. -
Ellis Island Legal Inspections Part 1
During the Legal inspection, I actually manage to get an inspector who speaks my language. “Wat is uw naam?” (What is your name?) He asks. “Mijn naam is Anneke Van Noordwijk,” (My name is Anneke Van Noordwijk) I reply. “Hoe oud ben je?” (How old are you?) He asks again. “Negentien jaar oud.” (19 years old) I say. “Waar komt u vandaan?” (Wear did you come from?) “Nederland.” (The Netherlands.) “Wie zijn jullie?” (Who did you come with?) Continued -
The Museum Man Part 2
“What do you have to sell me?” The man says when I walk up to him. Marjolijn says, “Books and a painting.” I don’t understand what she says, but I trust her to say the right thing for me. “Let me see them,” the man says. I pull the books out of my bag and hand them to him, along with the painting. “And who is this by?” He says, pointing at the painting. “Wie is dat?” (Who is it by?) Marjolijn asks me. “Van Gogh,” I say. Continued -
The Museum Man Part 3
“I’ve heard of him! How did you get it? Ah. Dutch. I forgot.” The man says. “It’s a beautiful painting. I own a museum, a very famous one, actually, and I will put it into it. What’s it called?” He asks. “Hoe het heet?” (What’s it called?) Marjolijn translates. “Cipressen,” (Cypresses) I reply. “Cipressen. I don’t know what that is in English,” She adds. The man replies, “Ah, I’ll give you a half million dollars for it.” Continued -
The Museum Man Part 1
I’ve settled nicely into the New York lifestyle. Hamel and I are staying in a complex with some other Dutch immigrants named Marjolijn, Johanneke, Nikolaas, Espen and Willem. Today I’ve gone to the marketplace to sell the books and paintings that I brought with me. I walk up to a man that holds a sign that says, “Will buy art and other valuables.” Marjolijn, who knows some English, explains to me that this man will buy my books and my painting. Continued -
The Museum Man Part 5
He chuckles. If I had known what he was thinking, I don’t think I would’ve minded. I was content with the amount I had gotten from the sale. -
The Museum Man Part 4
I can understand most numbers in English, and this makes my jaw drop. “That much?” Marjolijn says to the museum man. “Yes. Van Gogh’s are worth very much. Come inside and I’ll get you the money.” A hour later, the museum man sits smugly in his room while Hamel and I are celebrating the successful sale. ‘They have no idea what a good deal I got on that,’ He thinks. ‘I should’ve paid almost 10 times that!’ Continued -
Hamel Runs Off Part 1
Tonight, I woke up to find Hamel missing from his room. I talked to Nikolaas, who had been sitting in the entryway of the building for the past three hours. I asked him if He had seen Hamel leaving the building, and, to my surprise, he had. He said that a young women who lived down the street had come into the entryway. He said that he had asked her many wuestions, but she would not answer. When Hamel came downstairs, they walked out, hand in hand. Continued -
Hamel Runs Off Part 2
He said that he heard them talking as the door closed. Apparently, The women had said, "Hamel, waar gaan we heen?" (Hamel, where are we going?) "Hamel, waar gaan we heen? Western New York waar we kunnen settelen." (To western New York, where we can settle down together.) He said to her. "Goed," (Alright) She replied. I immediatly decided that I would not go after them. They were happy, and so I decided to leave them be. I am going to go west. New York is no place for me without Hamel. -
Preperation for Moving West Part 1
The impact of Hamel's departure still has not arrived, and I hope it doesn't, as I have much to do in preperation for moving. The whole complex now knows what happened to Hamel and where I am going. I still have almost all of the money left from the sale of my painting as I had kept my job at the factory even after the sale, and I used it to buy the supplies needed for my journey. In the previous days, I had boughten a horse and many bags to keep my possesions in. Continued -
Preperation for Moving West Part 2
In a couple days, Nikolaas (who asked to come along with me) and I will leave for Oklahoma where the Homestead Act will grant us free land. I am more excited than I ever have been, even more excited than I was entering the United States. New York has to many reminders of Hamel, and I also hope to find a better job in Oklahoma than the one I have in the factory. Maybe I will start a farm. -
Leaving for Oklahoma
Today me and Nikolaas are leaving. Yesterday, I quit my factory job and packed up all my possesions. Today, I sit on my horse with my possesions rattling around in the bags which accompany me on my horse. Nikolaas says that when he gets to Oklahoma, he's going to work as a miner. We are going along with a wagon train full of other immigrants, some of whom are dutch. -
Resting in Saint Louis Part 1
In the past week, our wagon train has decided that they are going to stop in Saint Louis, Missiouri, to restock their food and water and repair any damage that had been done along the way to the wagons. We are now resting in Saint Louis along with them. The inn that we are staying at is very nice and clean, but they are charging Nikolaas and I more than anyone else. Continued -
Resting in Saint Louis Part 2
Many others in our wagon train immigrated from other countries, including the Netherlands, but all of them can manage to speak english along with their native language, unlike Nikolaas and I. Because of this, most of the people in Saint Louis don't like us, even though people in our train are willing to translate for us. One resident even tried to get Nikolaas thrown out of the inn by saying that he was picking fights, as a dutch immigrant in our train told us. Continued -
Resting in Saint Louis Part 3
After all the problems that not knowing english has brought us in Saint Louis, I think I may need someone to teach me it. Hopefully it'll make Nikolaas and I seem more like the long-time settlers and help us escape prejudice. -
Oklahoma Land Run Part 1
Nikolaas, the wagon train and I arrived in Oklahoma yesterday. A man in the train told us all about the Homestead Act and how it works on the way here from Saint Louis. He told us about how they gave away free land, and about the land runs. Lucky for me, I had boughten a very young and fast horse for the trip to Oklahoma, so I was prepared. The run starts in a minute, and I am saddling up on my horse. Continued -
Oklahoma Land Run Part 2
Nikolaas has left with about a third of our wagon train for a further-west part of Oklahoma. I am now on my own, but I don't care. The gun goes off and my horse lurches forward. Soon, I am ahead of most of the other racers. I quickly spot an ideal property on the top of a hill with a small pond, a strip of trees and a sea of grass. I claim it before anyone else can get there and tie my horse up. Today has been a complete success, and in a month or so I'll have a nice little house on my property. -
Settled Down Part 1
I have compelted my house just yesterday and have started to farm on my land. I have planted half of my plots with wheat and corn today and will plant the rest tommorow. Lately, I have been learning english from my neighbors and I am making a ton of progress. I can now read almost all sentances, so long as they aren't complex. The sun is high in the sky as I sit on my newly-crafted porch. The paperboy goes by and tosses me a newspaper. I skim through it, and only one article catches my eye. -
Settled Down Part 2
"Painter Vincent Van Gogh of the Netherlands died earlier this week. One of his paintings, called 'Cipressen', or 'Cypresses', is in the possesion of the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art. They bought it from a Dutch immigrant about six months ago," It reads. I think to my self, That was the painting I sold! 'Cipressen'! That's my painting, and it's famous! I can't believe it. The painting has helped me so much, and it will reside in the museum long into the future, long past my death.
