The Baker and the General Practitioner Fons DeRoeck Writing ‘Letters from Wausaukee to Antwerp 1887 – 1937’, a book about my American family, I had to look up many people who came alive in these old letters. One of them was Alphonse (called Fons or Phonse) John DeRoeck who married Josepha (called Josephine, Josie or Jepha) Marie-Thérèsia Cornelia Debot in Wausaukee, Wisconsin, in 1897. Jeanette Slaets (née Joanna Wuyts) wrote in a letter of September 22, 1897 to her ‘Beloved’ mother-in-law Angelina Slaets in Antwerp, Belgium: ‘…Josepha is thinking of marrying again in springtime. This time to a Flemish boy (Fons DeRoeck) whose parents are also here. They live in Norway...’ Josepha Debot - DeRoeck Four years later (August 18, 1901) In the Michigan Iron county telephone Jeanette wrote: directory I found listed under Norway and its neighborhood, some DeRoecks and I wrote them a letter. That way I ‘…Josephine from Uncle Vic came in contact with several who helped (Victor N. Debot) had a little boy me with finding information, pictures (Leonard E. DeRoeck) in April. and things worth knowing about this Josephine’s husband had an Fons DeRoeck, his family and about accident in Norway about a other Belgium immigrants. month ago. He was out to plunder an eagle’s nest when he With their information and my fell out of a tree at 4 in the searching, for example in the morning. He then tried to reach governmental archives, in Belgium I learned that there was more than one the road by crawling on his DeRoeck family (written as De Roeck in arms till his skin was gone. Belgium) who migrated to Norway. At Almost all the men have been first sight they were not related, but they searching but he was not found. all were natives of Beveren or the Then a little dog, which was villages around in ‘Waasland’ in East- with the men, found him. It Flanders. was just in time as he was Josephine’s brother Edmund (also Ed or almost dead. He was paralyzed Edmond) L. Debot had married a Julia and at the point of death for DeRoeck, also of Norway. Were Julia and Fons brother and sister? several days. He is still weak but can already walk now. To find answers I put some family trees Otherwise they earn their living together and tried to connect the very well in their shop...’ 1 Norway DeRoeck’s with their ancestors Their work was not only dangerous, but in East-Flanders. I didn’t succeed in also a very uncertain job, as they were linking all the DeRoecks as it was too out of work a lot of the time. Since it time consuming, but I found the was so risky, insurance companies were information I needed to complete my not interested in selling policies to book. Before I start telling the story of lumbermen. To provide themselves with my findings; Julia and Fons are siblings. a safety net many men and women became members of one of the branches Let me tell you first something about of the Lodge of the Woodmen. This Josephine Debot. She was born in membership assured that they would Borgerhout in Belgium March 23, 1874 receive money, after paying a monthly and migrated with her family to America contribution, if they were out of work. in 1887. They settled in a forestry camp The Lodge also provided help to the called Mastodon in the north-west of the families of its deceased members. But state Michigan, and ended up in they also joined as it organized pleasant Wausaukee, Wisconsin, a few years social meetings. The Lodge had more later. This pioneer settlement was than two hundred thousand members in established in the middle of virgin forest 1896. They became a life insurance in the north-east of Wisconsin in 1880. company in 1962 and changed the name Josephine married Charles H. to The Maccabees Mutual Insurance Lindstrom Sandstone in Wausaukee in Company. As Charles Sandstone was a 1894. In a letter to Belgium he is called a member of the knights, with whom he Swede, but he was born in Menominee had his life insured, his wife received in the state of Michigan. Josephine and $1,000. Charles were living in the nearby Dunbar, where he worked as edger man Josephine and her son left Dunbar and in a sawmill for the Girard Lumber went to live near her parents Victor and Company. Josephine gave birth to a son Sophie Debot in Wausaukee. Two years Rudolph August 19, 1895 and only a few later Josephine acted as bridesmaid months later her husband, 29 years old, (and my great uncle Louis Slaets was died in a fatal accident. He was running best man) at the marriage of her sister the edger when the plank that was being Mary and Emile Everix. Her new trimmed pinched the saw and was brother-in-law Emile had invited a thrown back, striking him in the side. As friend, Fons DeRoeck of nearby Norway. he was a member of the Dunbar Tent They both came from East-Flanders in K.O.T.M. (Knights of the Maccabees Belgium and were bakers by trade. Lodge of the woodmen) he was brought Emile was a son of the well-known down to Wausaukee by a special train, Everix baker’s family in Beveren and the Dunbar Maccabees being on board. Fons was born in Rupelmonde. Emile Josephine’s cousin and my great uncle and Mary started the Everix Bakery, Louis Slaets, the president of the which became one of the most modern Wausaukee Maccabees, and his fellow bakeries in the state of Wisconsin. knights followed in the impressive ceremonies of the Order and marched in Fons wasn’t the only DeRoeck at that the funeral procession which was one of marriage as his father John, his the longest ever seen in the vicinity. Also stepmother Sophia and his sister Julia Josephine’s parents, Victor and Sophie were guests. Cupid was also invited as (Fien), were members. Josephine married Fons in November 1897 in Wausaukee and Julia married The brotherly society of the members Josephine’s bother Ed Debot May 11, the Lodge of the Knights (and Ladies) of 1898 in Norway. the Maccabees were mostly ordinary people such as foresters and woodmen. 2 But wasn’t this an article about Fons However men were also needed to work DeRoeck! in the woods, cutting timber for the mines, and also work for the railroads, Let start in Belgium. so that iron ore could be transported. Simon P. De Roeck was born in Bazel, Many of the Belgium people were store now a part of Kruibeke, in East-Flanders and saloon owners. One of them was an about 1785. Simon married Aurelle Bollé Isidoor Joossens (in the USA spelled as of Rupelmonde and she gave birth to Jossens) born June 12, 1857 in Beveren Josephus J. in Rupelmonde March 19, (Vrasene) in the province East-Flanders. 1819. He migrated two years later than the Josephus married Desideria F. family DeRoeck and opened a saloon in Vercammen and their son Desiderius Norway, and was a good friend of (John) De Roeck, born in Rupelmonde Josephine’s parents. In 1892 Isidoor was May 30, 1851 married Delphina Van the president of the Flemish Landeghem. Five children were born; Brotherhood of Norway and the nearby Fons, Frank, Clara, Julia and Susie. Vulcan. This club was formed so that After the death of their mother in 1880 the Belgian could get together and their father John remarried Anna fraternize, and they also had a bicycle Sophia S. Staes. After the birth of Emma and a pigeon racing club: the Belgian and Maria the family De Roeck migrated Pigeon Club. They also came together to from Rupelmonde to Norway in 1884. play music and to sing their Flemish Fons was 10 years old. songs. Three hundred and one people lived in Norway who were born in Belgium in 1900, and ten years later almost twice as many: 573. As many of them built their houses in the same part of Norway it resulted in a Belgian quarter and even a street was called Belgium Town Road. The majority of them had a Flemish name and many had their origin in the Belgian province of East-Flanders. Nearly all of their descendants left Norway and settled all over America. Today Norway has a population of about 3000 and around 160 of them are of Belgian ancestry. Arriving in Norway the family DeRoeck had to find a place to live, earn a living and send their children to school. They Edmond and Julia in 1898 were probably sent to the parochial school next to the Roman Catholic Norway is situated in Dickinson County Church on Sunset Hill. The pastor was in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Father Kehoe and he had enlarged the Michigan and was originated in 1877 as church and built the school in 1883. But an iron ore-mining town and the first thing they, and also their incorporated as a city in 1891. It parents, needed was a thorough attracted many immigrants from command of English. Scandinavian countries, Belgium, England, France, and Italy. Most of the John and Sophia De Roeck opened a immigrants worked in the mines. saloon at 412 Nelson Street but they had 3 no luck. It was June 9, 1888, a very hot professor at the University of summer day and many people were out Wisconsin, hence the naming of a of town when a fire started in one of the part of the university after Debot business houses in Nelson Street.