An American in…Holland?
As an expat growing up in Holland, I was constantly reminded of the role the Dutch played in the American tradition of Thanksgiving—not as direct participants, but as hosts to the English Pilgrims before they emigrated to America. The Pilgrims were religious dissenters of The Reformation who fled England in 1608 and arrived in Amsterdam. A year later, they moved to the South Holland city of Leiden where they lived for the next 12 to 20 years.
The three primary churches where they worshiped are the Vrouwekerk (in ruins today: the Pilgrims who settled Manhattan worshiped here), Hooglandsekerk, and Pieterskerk.
Today, the American Thanksgiving is celebrated every year at Pieterskerk as a way to celebrate the Dutch assistance given to the Pilgrims. The records at Pieterskerk reflect the births, marriages, and deaths of the pilgrims while living in Leiden. Next to the Hooglandsekerk church stands a medieval building (built in 1365) known as the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum (Beschuitsteeg 9). It is dedicated to the Pilgrims and you can see many original artifacts from the time they lived in Leiden.
They Come Into America…
By 1620, the first Pilgrims began to leave Leiden for America. The first group left Leiden by canal on 1 August and arrived at Delfshaven, a small borough of Rotterdam. The small town was situated on the banks of the river Nieuwe Maas and it grew up around the city of Delft. From here, they boarded a ship called the Speedwall and sailed for Southampton. The Speedwall was not sea worthy enough to cross the ocean so they transferred to a ship called The Mayflower.
The church they worshiped at in Delfshaven, the Oudekerk, is still standing and used by the Protestant Church for religious services.
Did you know that Philippe de la Noye was baptized in Vrouwekerk, left Leiden in 1621 on the second Pilgrim ship called the Fortune, and that his aunt married the Pilgrim leader, Francis Cooke?
Of course you knew this. But here’s what you probably don’t know. His descendants include: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Philippe’s last name was later changed to Delano), Ulysses S. Grant, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Orson Welles, and Richard Gere.
Do we have a lot of stories? Of course we do. I’m looking forward to sharing these with you.
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– Stew
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