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.
