my mother (Flore Steelandt Lievrouw) had an older sister: Romanie who married a Desmet here in Detroit, Michigan in the early 1920's. In fact, my father came to the United States to live in 1909 with that Desmet man - who was a friend of his in Belgium. There were several Desmets here in Michigan, because I remember them as being friends of my mother and dad.
When the large group of Belgians came to the United States in the early 1900's, many of them moved to Michigan. The climate in Michigan is not too diffeerent from what they knew in Belgium, Michigan was growing fast,and there were jobs to be had. Most of the Belgians built houses close to each otherin the Detroit area, as they could understand each other's language and customs. Most of them were freinds and went to cafes together and beer gardens.
I know that I spoke Belgian (Flemish) before I spoke English, even though I was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1919.
The Belgians were hard working people and good citizens. They very seldom got into trouble.
Now, they do not live in close areas near each other any more, as they are inter-married with people from different countries and are scattered all over as part of the melting pot of many different nationalities that make up the people of the United States.
We have tried very hard to establish if we were related, but cannot find a confirmed link. I love Jeanine Desmet and Paul Lievrouw. We seemed like family right away when they came to visit. Such good people. They knew my cousin Maria Hoffman Lievrouw, who had homes in both Brussels and Dentergem.
I feel we are related in the heart! Somehow, my father's parents had 19 children. My dad was the second youngest, his sister Alida being the youngest. Surely in this large family there must be some cousins somewhere! As far as I can figure out, my father (Jules) was the only one of his family who moved to America. Although Maria made many trips to visit us - and was goingt to move here before her untimely death.
In a small country like Belgium, it seems to me that some where back in time, there must have been one Lievrouw family that started it all! I am very proud of my Belgian heritage.But, I cannot discover if my father's parents had sisters or brothers or cousins - or what their backgrounds were.
I have been trying for years to trace the Lievrouw people here in the United States; but I have had no luck in finding close relatives; although I have met corresponded with many, good Lievrouws.
I do a lot of writing and am working on my Memoirs. I write a full page for the newspaper every other week about Senior citizens in this area. I would like to leave a record of what I think and feel about things for my great grandchildren. I wish I had known my grandparents.