Dutch Chicago: A History of the Hollanders in the Windy City (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America) [Hardcover]

Robert P. Swierenga (Author)

Book Description

Series: Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America | Publication Date: November 2002

Now at least 250,000 strong, the Dutch in greater Chicago have lived for 150 years below the radar screens of historians and the general public. Here their story is told for the first time. In Dutch Chicago Robert Swierenga offers a colorful, comprehensive history of the Dutch Americans who have made their home in the Windy City since the mid-1800s. The original Chicago Dutch were a polyglot lot from all social strata, regions, and religions of the Netherlands. Three-quarters were Calvinists; the rest included Catholics, Lutherans, Unitarians, Socialists, Jews, and the nominally churched. Whereas these latter Dutch groups assimilated into the American culture around them, the Dutch Reformed settled into a few distinct enclaves the Old West Side, Englewood, and Roseland and South Holland _ where they stuck together, building an institutional infrastructure of churches, schools, societies, and shops that enabled them to live from cradle to grave within their own communities. Focusing largely but not exclusively on the Reformed group of Dutch folks in Chicago, Swierenga recounts how their strong entrepreneurial spirit and isolationist streak played out over time. Mostly of rural origins in the northern Netherlands, these Hollanders in Chicago liked to work with horses and go into business for themselves. Picking up ashes and garbage, jobs that Americans despised, spelled opportunity for the Dutch, and they came to monopolize the garbage industry. Their independence in business reflected the privacy they craved in their religious and educational life. Church services held in the Dutch language kept outsiders at bay, as did a comprehensive system of private elementary and secondary schools intended to inculcate youngsters with the Dutch Reformed theological and cultural heritage. Not until the world wars did the forces of Americanization finally break down the walls, and the Dutch passed into the mainstream. Only in their churches today, now entirely English speaking, does the Dutch cultural memory still linger. Dutch Chicago is the first serious work on its subject, and it promises to be the definitive history. Swierengas lively narrative, replete with historical detail and anecdotes, is accompanied by more than 250 photographs and illustrations. Valuable appendixes list Dutch-owned garbage and cartage companies in greater Chicago since 1880 as well as Reformed churches and schools. This book will be enjoyed by readers with Dutch roots as we

Product Details

• Hardcover: 928 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802813119
• ISBN-13: 978-0802813114
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #379,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where are all the other Dutch/American books ????, February 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dutch Chicago: A History of the Hollanders in the Windy City (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America) (Hardcover)

This has to be the best Dutch/American book written to date. Countless times I have been dismayed at the lack of Dutch/American books written , and the lack of those displayed or for sale in predominant Dutch areas. This book whets the appetite , but we need more. More books on the old country in English , and more on the Dutch immigration to the US.

This book is a treasure of facts and stories of the Dutch immigrant's experience coming to Chicago. Squabbles in the churches , dutch clubs , and how the Dutch shaped Chicago areas , like Pullman , Roseland , and Englewood.

A must read if you are into history and the Dutch. It filled in some blanks of my own understanding of my upbringing !

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, August 27, 2004

By 

D. Toren (Roanoke, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dutch Chicago: A History of the Hollanders in the Windy City (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America) (Hardcover)

My Father's side of the family grew up in Cicero, and this book is a fantastic resource to see what it was like for my ancestors. Some of it is a little dense, and it focuses quite a bit on the church and religion, but that's understandable since that was one of the main things that held the Chicago dutch together. I have to give it 5 stars, though, just for the fact that there is a picture of my grandpa in this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly detailed, April 7, 2008

By 

Linda Austin "Moonbridge" (USA Midwest) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dutch Chicago: A History of the Hollanders in the Windy City (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America) (Hardcover)

Swierenga does a fantastic job of pulling out all the details, both historic and personal, of the Dutch people who settled in the Chicago area. From religion to schools, societies, businesses, politics, to the "other Dutch," this book covers it all and includes wonderful photos of old Chicago, the farms, churches, schools, transportation (horse-drawn wagons, milk trucks, garbage trucks, etc) and families. Much of the book deals with the religious aspects of Dutch immigration and life as religion played a huge and fascinating part in the daily lives of the Dutch. "Dutch Chicago" is an amazing compilation of history and geneaology entwined with personal stories and interesting tidbits... very readable, very educational.