Settlements
BELGIANS IN AMERICA:
Belgian settlements by State
Belgians
Settlements in PENNSYLVANIA
at the time of
the Civil War
Wyoming, Luzerne et Sullivan Counties
Jean-Baptiste Claes, né en 1811 et lieutenant d'infanterie dans
l'armée belge, fut mis en non activité en juin 1841. Il se rendit aux Etats-Unis en 1849 pour étudier les possibilités d'établissement de colons belges.
A Philadelphie, il eut des pourparlers avec Mark S. Mange, un négociant qui
allait devenir consul de Belgique dans cette ville, et qui proposa au
Gouvernement belge des terres situées dans le nord du pays. Ces terres étaient
situées dans les Wyoming, Luzerne et Sullivan Counties.
En janvier 1850, le gouvernement ne voulut pas donner suite à ces
propositions et Claes continua a explorer les Etats-Unis. Il revint en Belgique
en 1855 et essaya encore, en avril 1856, de se faire nommer agent du
Gouvernement belge pour les émigrants de Belgique aux Etats-Unis, mais sans
succès.
Sources
: Antoine De Smedt : Voyageurs Belges aux
Etats-Unis
Antoine De Smedt : l'émigration belge aux Etats-Unis
Moniteur Belge du 8 septembre 1849 p. 2631
Archives du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères
Allegheny County
Nuns of St. Clare - St. Clare's young ladies' academy, Allegheny
city
In the year 1828 Sister Frances Van de Vogel, a nun of the Order of St Clare,
belonging to a wealthy Flemish family, arrived from Belgium accompanied by
another nun of the same Order, and established a convent in Pittsburg. For a
short time they occupied a house on the cliff overlooking the Allegheny River,
but at length purchased sixty acres of land on the hill west of Allegheny Town,
where they erected a large frame convent and academy. Rev. Charles B. McGuire,
pastor of St. Patrick's Church and their ecclesiastical superior, took a lively
interest in the foundation and encouraged it by his influence and counsel. The
spot where the convent, which is yet standing, was built was named Mount
Alvernio, but has since been known as ° Nunnery Hill." Rev. Vincent Raymacher,
O.S.D., was the first chaplain, but he was soon succeeded by Rev. A. F. Van de
Wejer, O.S.D., a Belgian, who refined until the convent was abandoned. When
Bishop Kenrick visited it in company with Bishop Conwell, June 27th, 7830, the
community had increased to fourteen members, and the academy, although not
enjoying the degree of patronage expected, was still in a flourishing condition.
This was the only house of the order in the United States at that time; for
although a foundation was made many years before at Georgetown, D. C., it had
long since been abandoned. Another house was established at Green Bay, Wis
cousin, in 1830 The nuns continued in their quiet and unobtrusive way to work
out the ends of their institute, and little further is known of their history
until the storm arose which resulted in their expulsion and the sale of their
property. This untoward event, which was painted at the time in the darkest
colors by sectarian bigotry, is simple in itself and easily explained, although
even yet it is looked upon by some as a dark spot in our history. And since I am
of necessity constrained to give a sketch of the community, I deem it best to
enter into a circumstantial account of the whole affair and thereby set the
matter at rest. I have been at great pains to collect and sift the accounts of
the very few who remember it, and the statement will be found to coincide with
the card which Bishop Kenrick found it necessary to publish. The circumstances
are briefly these: A young lady, remarkable for the eccentricities of her piety,
lived in Allegheny and by visiting the convent became known to the nuns. It is
also probable that she asked to be admitted into the community, and was not
accepted. She went at length to Wisconsin and taught school for some time near
the convent of the Order in that State, and was finally admitted into the
community. In time she was sent to the convent at Allegheny, but not having the
requisite letters was not admitted. She stopped with a friend until she could
write for letters and receive them. But these did not secure her reception, for
Madam Van de Vogel was not aware that she had an ecclesiastical superior in this
country after the death of Father M'Guire. The consequence was that Bishop Rese,
of Detroit, who held that office, interposed, and, after inflicting certain
censures on two members of the community, ejected all the nuns from the convent,
May 17th, 1835, and sold the property. Madam Van de Vogel went to Rome, and the
other members of the community, after remaining in a house in Allegheny for
about two years, supporting themselves by needlework or living on the charity of
their friends, either returned to Europe or attached themselves to other
religious communities.
Source : Lambing, Andrew Arnold, : A history of the Catholic Church in the
dioceses of Pittsburg and Allegheny : from its establishment to the present
time; New York: Benziger Bros., 1880, 536 pgs.
1428 : Lefevere
Berks County
CHURCH OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.— The earliest Roman Catholic
Church in the county was erected in this township in the eastern section, about
a half-mile from the county line. The first church was built, in 1743, by the
Rev. Theodore Schneider, from Bavaria, for the "Society of Jesus." During his
efforts in this behalf he was assisted by the Mennonites and Schwenkfelders.
This building is still standing in a good state of preservation. The record of
baptisms begins with the year 1741, and includes, among other districts,
Maxatawn, Tulpehaken and Goshenhoppen. Two patents were taken up for land— one
for one hundred and twenty-one acres by Father Neale, in 1747, and the other for
three hundred and seventy-three acres by Father Greaton, in 1748. A substantial
brick church was erected in front of the old church in 1837, including a
steeple, in which two superior bells were placed. The church was recently
improved, figures were introduced and fine lamps were supplied for evening
services. Two masses are conducted on Sundays.
In 1882 the old mission-house was torn down and a brick residence was erected
for the priest. A new cemetery was set apart and consecrated October 6, 1876.
Rev. Augustus Bally began his service here November 1, 1837, and he
continued to officiate as priest with great success for a period of forty-four
years. He died January 28, 1882. He was a native of Belgium and won a high
position as a priest in this denomination. He possessed an active mind, and he
was recognized for his liberality and enterprising spirit. Besides completing
the church, which had been begun before he arrived, he also erected a fine brick
school-house.
Source : Montgomery, Morton L., History
of Berks County, 1886.
Lycoming County
a biography:
John J. BIEBER
Northampton County
THE LEHIGH ZINC COMPANY.
About the year 1830, the attention and curiosity of the farmers of the vicinity,
was excited by the discovery of a strange mineral deposit upon the lands of
Jacob Ueberroth, in Saucon Valley. The character of this deposit was unknown and
unsuspected, but thinking it possible that it might prove to be as valuable as
the ordinary iron-ore, the proprietor took a wagon load of the strange substance
to the "Mary Ann Furnace," in Berks county, to be smelted. The attempt was a
failure, and the subject was for the time dropped. No further attention was paid
to it until the year 1845, when, by chance, the deposit came to the notice of
Mr. William Theodore Roepper, who, after examination, pronounced it to be
"calamine," the hydro-silicate of zinc. This discovery led to a development of
the apparently inexhaustible mines which have now fed the Zinc Works at South
Bethlehem, for almost a quarter of a century. Under the superintendence of Mr.
Samuel Wetherill, works for the production of zinc-oxide, in furnaces, and by a
process, of his own invention, were erected, in 1853, on land which he had
purchased of C.A. Luckenbach within the limits of the town plot of Augusta.
These works were completed at a cost of $85,000, and on the thirteenth of
October, 1853, the first zinc-white ever made in America was produced in these
works, by the combined processes of Wetherill, and of Richard Jones, Esq.
At the commencement, the works were run by an unincorporated association, which,
however, was, on the second of May, 1855, incorporated by Act of Legislature, as
"The Pennsylvania and Lehigh Zinc Company," with a capital of $1,000,000; the
object of which organization, as set forth in the Act of incorporation, was "for
the purpose of mining zinc-ore in the counties of Lehigh and Northampton— of
manufacturing zinc paint, metallic zinc, and other articles, from said ore, and
of vending the same." The originators of the company were residents of New York;
and Thomas Andrews, of that city, was the first president.
Mr. Wetherill continued in the superintendence of the works from the
commencement of operations until September, 1857, when he was succeeded in that
office by Joseph Wharton. During the administration of Mr. Wetherill (a little
less than four years), 4,725 tons of zinc-white had been produced, and many
experiments had been made looking towards the production of metallic zinc, but
these had been only partially successful.
On the sixteenth of February, 1860, the corporate title of the company was
changed, by Act of Legislature, to the present one, "The Lehigh Zinc Company."
In the previous year, Mr. Wharton had contracted with the company for the
erection of works for the manufacture of metallic zinc, and the construction of
these was intrusted to Louis De Gee, of the firm of De Gee, Gernant & Company,
of Ougree, Belgium, who had been induced to come to the United States for this
express purpose. These works were completed, and the first metalic zinc was
produced in them in July, 1859. Three experts in this department of the business
were at that time imported from the spelter and oxide works in Belgium. Their
names were Andre Woot Detrixhe, Francois Lemall, and
Jean
Henrard. Importations of Belgian experts and workmen have since then been
made by the company, at various times.
In 1864 and 1865, the company erected a mill for the rolling of sheet zinc. This
was constructed under the superintendence of Alexander Trippel, who had
previously been sent to Europe to acquaint himself with the methods of this
production. The first sheet zinc was rolled in April, 1865. This was the first
introruction of that art into this country; and all these several works have
continued in unremitted activity to this day, their capacity being; for oxide of
zinc, 3,000 tons per year; for metallic zinc, 3,600 tons per year; for sheet
zinc, 3,000 casks per year, respectively— about one-half the annual consumption
of the country, and of known superior qualities, owing to the unusual purity of
our ores. The mines have been worked to meet the demands of the several
manufacturies, amounting in some single years to 19,000 tons of ore, including
rich blende, which has been developed in the progress of mining.
The mines of the company are situated at Friedensville, in the Saucon valley,
three and a half miles from South Bethlehem. In the working of these mines, at a
very early day, and at shallow depth, water was encountered, and overcome by a
small pump worked by a single horse-power; followed by a donkey pump, which is
now in use for dressed ores. Next came a Burdon engine of thirty horse-power,
followed, in 1863, by a Corliss engine of one hundred horse-power, working a
series of centrifugal pumps which found their limit at a depth of sixty-five
feet, with 1,500 gallons of water per minute. At this time the company decided
to make more lasting provision for controlling the water by establishing power
to raise 4,000 gallons per minute from a depth of one hundred and fifty feet, if
so much should come, and, to this end, they erected and started, in 1865, an
engine of thirty-two inch cylinder and nine feet stroke, working two twenty-two
inch lifting pumps, to which a third twenty-two inch lift was soon added, and
the shaft carried down to one hundred and twenty-two feet in 1866, when it
encountered, and with seventeen strokes per minute, raised 5,600 gallons; and
there found the limit of its capacity. But the engineer, Mr. John West, had
already matured a plan of engine, pumps, and shaft for raising 12,000 gallons
per minute from three hundred feet depth; and, in December, 1868, the company
contracted with Messrs. Merrick, of Philadelphia, for this new engine, and a
year later with Messrs. I.P. Morris & Co., for the pumps, boilers and mountings.
The timber for shaft and pump rods was contracted for, in Georgia. This monster
engine and pumping apparatus was put in motion at Friedensville on the
nineteenth of January, 1872. From the address of the president of the company,
made on that occasion, the following extract is made, as giving some idea of the
enormous power of the machinery: "This is the engine which is destined to become
famous as is the house that Jack built; this is the engine whose cylinder is one
hundred and ten inches, and whose piston rod is ten inches, in diameter, with a
ten-foot stroke; this is the engine that can work ‘comfortably,’ as we are told,
at twelve strokes per minute, and yet is not the least ‘fussy’; the engine, each
of whose walking-beams weighs 48,000 pounds; twenty-six of whose pieces weigh
each upwards of seven tons, and whose entire weight, including girders, is
1,313,300 pounds; the engine that can lift 52,800,000 pounds, or 26,400 tons,
one foot high in one minute of time, with the majestic ease and consciousness of
power with which an elephant lifts a straw; the engine that can raise 12,000
gallons of water per minute, from a depth of three hundred feet; which works,
day and night, without rest; and whose influence is a mighty one towards
transforming the subterranean haunts of Kobalt and gnome, where, from times
Silurian, these spirits have sported undisturbed in the ice-cold sea, that
noiselessly washes the shores of their crystal kingdom."
Sources :
Ellis, Capt. Franklin, History of Northampton County, 1877.
Note : Allegheny City (1788–1907) was a Pennsylvania
municipality located on the north side of the junction of the
Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It
was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. The area today is known as
the North Side of Pittsburgh, and its waterfront district, along
the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, as the North Shore.(Source :
Wikipedia)
a biography:
Peter Charles RENIERS
Dubois County
C'est ici que débarqua en 1863 le premier wallon Louis
LARMOYEUX fondateur d'une verrerie. Suivi bientôt de beaucoup d'autres.
Source : Dentelle belge Vol 3 n° 2 p
1: Sur les traces des verriers et houilleurs wallons, par Jean Ducat
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