Download or read book Searching for Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors written by Jozef J. Goethals and published by Genealogical Publishing Com. This book was released on 2007 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The book begins with a very informative historical introduction. Readers will learn, for example, that (1) Belgium did not become an independent country until 1830; (2) the area that became Belgium had been a focal point of international power politics for hundreds of years; (3) the inhabitants of Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, constitute 60% of the population, while the remainder are French-speaking and, to a far lesser extent, German-speaking; (4) Flemish emigration to the U.S. began in earnest during the last quarter of the 19th century; and (5) today, there are about 350,000 Americans of Flemish descent, most of whom live in the upper Midwest (Michigan and Wisconsin)"--Publisher website (July 2007).