Farewell Holland

From the New Netherland settlement to the post-war mass emigration to Canada and Australia, for more than 400 years Dutch emigrants have tried to find a better life in the New World. Reasons to emigrate were divers - fleeing the law (or the in-laws), searching for religious freedom, adventure, but above all looking for prosperity.

The pilgrim fathers

They were not Dutch, but they were probably the most famous emigrants leaving Holland: The Pilgrim Fathers. The first group set sail from Delfshaven in 1620, twelve years after their arrival in The Netherlands.

Wilhelminakade photo set

On Flickr I have posted a photo set of the Wilhelminakade, the Rotterdam quay from where the ships of the Holland America Line set sail to Ellis Island. Many Dutch emigrants to the new world bid farewell to their country, family and friends on the Wilhelminakade.

Introducing the emigrants

The family trees on this website contain several emigrants to North America. Most of them went to the U.S., boarding their ship at the Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam, and entering the States a fortnight later via Ellis Island. In this article, we introduce you to some of these emigrants.

Postwar emigration

Triggered by the ruins of the war, the rampant housing shortage, and the bleak economic prospects in the agrarian sector, emigration from The Netherlands peaked in the fifteen years after the second world war. The most popular destinations were Canada and Australia, and to a lesser extend the U.S., South Africa and New Zealand.

Books section

Lists of books about Dutch genealogy, history, and emigration.

Guestbook

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