Sorry...my email was sent before I finished it. My granddaughter has a school paper to do...she can use some help! The assignment is... Discuss in the paper the information gathered detailing the characteristics of your particular ethnic background which conform you or do not conform to the commonly held ideas. This should be as personal as possible to enable the paper to be revealing. (5-6 pages) Everyone is a consequence of their ancestral origins. Genetically, and through association, you have become reflections of them. The discovery of these origins enables you to identify ethnic groups that have influenced your development. An understanding of these ethnicities become valuable tools for self- realization. Family values, attitudes concerning life and even the celebration of holidays can be associated with your familial beginnings. She is going to compare and contrast them with what qualities, values, and traditions we have. I am assuming we are part Dutch...I am a direct descendant from Cornelius Melyn and John Winans. This is all I could find on the net about Dutch qualities. The Dutch are seen as sensible, hard-working, and thrifty. hey are very direct. Depending on your point of view, this is rude, tactless or refreshing. Dutch people spend less, and when they do spend it is on more practical items than extravagant decorations and status symbols. When given a chance to practically economize, they will. Alice La Rue ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.

In my humble opinion, (maybe I am too direct) Dutch people are all of what you said below. But there are reasons for that thinking. Holland is a small country. There is a saying God created the heavens and the earth and the Dutch created the Netherlands. Land is a premium and the economy depends on mercantilism. The Dutch invented the stock market. Business is very much a way of life. Trading and bartering is very much a sociological norm for the Dutch by necessity. The Dutch are a hardy people. The old diet was bread, beer, and fish! But beyond this something I have always noticed about Hollanders. They blend in. Where ever they go they blend in. People often point out that say Japanese are "buying" up America but they never notice the Dutch quietly going about their business, which is business. A factoid is besides the British the Dutch own more real estate and businesses in America than anyone else, and you would never know it. This is why the Dutch, in general had pretty good relationships with Native Americans. They wanted trade and they did not want anything to hurt that trade. Also the Dutch have been big liberals for centuries. Because they accepted other Europeans and other religions, including Judaism, they attracted wealth and other cultures that have made them a great nation. Like America that diversity has given strength while the other European nations are trying to catch up. The European Union is just a mock up of the Benelux trade agreement between all of the Low Countries. Ah yes, the Dutch are often overlooked but their effect has not been. Ed, proud to be a Nederlander! Sorry...my email was sent before I finished it. My granddaughter has a school paper to do...she can use some help! The assignment is... Discuss in the paper the information gathered detailing the characteristics of your particular ethnic background which conform you or do not conform to the commonly held ideas. This should be as personal as possible to enable the paper to be revealing. (5-6 pages) Everyone is a consequence of their ancestral origins. Genetically, and through association, you have become reflections of them. The discovery of these origins enables you to identify ethnic groups that have influenced your development. An understanding of these ethnicities become valuable tools for self- realization. Family values, attitudes concerning life and even the celebration of holidays can be associated with your familial beginnings. She is going to compare and contrast them with what qualities, values, and traditions we have. I am assuming we are part Dutch...I am a direct descendant from Cornelius Melyn and John Winans. This is all I could find on the net about Dutch qualities. The Dutch are seen as sensible, hard-working, and thrifty. hey are very direct. Depending on your point of view, this is rude, tactless or refreshing. Dutch people spend less, and when they do spend it is on more practical items than extravagant decorations and status symbols. When given a chance to practically economize, they will. Alice La Rue ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DUTCH-COLONIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments on qualities and traits of our Dutch heritage, and how they learned of their Dutch ancestry. ...sharing that at first I only knew of Dutch ancestry through my dad's parents who immigrated in the early 1920s until I began researching my mom's 1710 Palatine ancestry and discovered a treasure of Dutch ancestry whose lines married into the German/Swiss Palatine lines, with the Dutch lines going back thru the early 1600s settlers in New Amsterdam. On my more recent Americanized Dutch grandparents - some generalities are definitely true - they were a hard-working and thrifty folk who quietly worked and saved their way up to a comfortable wealth like others after losing everything in the depression, again like other Americans. They assimilated well into the new culture, though my grandparents' parents were austere and stern folk, perhaps from all they'd already been through in life unless that is more of their Dutch heritage. They were proud to be American, but never lost site of being Dutch. Their families were "well off" in the Netherlands, but came for a better life after the effects of WWI. In each family, the father and oldest son came to work here, saved their money, and brought the rest of the family over a few years later. They settled in Dutch enclaves in Michigan at first and later in northeastern New Jersey. They were a respectful people of others and ways not their own. My grandfather's younger brothers fought with fellow Americans in WWII. On arriving here at 16, my grandmother was placed with first graders to learn English and made to sit at their small desks, and was so humiliated she quit school to go to work as a "nanny" for a physician, and later a seamstress. She never finished school, nor did she ever learn to drive. It was the custom for mothers to secure jobs for their daughters, and fathers got jobs for their sons or worked in the family business - which took place in my grandparents' lives but not in their children's lives. My grandparents followed the Dutch naming pattern with their own children, but not at all among us grandchildren. I was told one did NOT marry outside your provincial peoples in Nederlands - which attitude carried over in America with my grandmother's mother (a family from Brabant and Rotterdam) being rather upset at first that my grandmother's choice of a beau in Michigan came from Uithuizermeeden, Groningen of all places! But ruffled feathers soon settled down. It is believed my grandmother's family, Vos, have French blood in their veins; however, that was vehemently denied by my dear grandmother; it was horrifying to her that she may have French blood as the French from Napolean and before were not held in high repute. Yet, they held very few intolerances of other people or nationalities around them. Their days were punctuated by set schedules - tea/coffee breaks were important. Every day of the week held certain tasks, every week, for all the years they were alive. You knew she did laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, baking on Friday, cleaning on Saturday. Their Dutch Reformed Church was an important aspect of life. They read from a Dutch Bible (and received magazines in Dutch), but also had an English Bible to read to their children and grandchildren. Dutch holidays were sort of celebrated yet when I was a child, i.e. Christmas was different - Christmas Day was spent at morning church service, never ever for opening gifts; that we did the week before. We grandchildren eventually changed that. Yet, we also celebrated American holidays with a party or picnic. Dutch foods were routinely made, though not as much by the next two generations. Though they did not return to Holland in later life as did one of their sons and their daughter, their house was obviously Dutch in decor - Blauw Delft and other items of genuine Dutch make were collected and displayed. They spoke Dutch on occasion to avoid their children or grandchildren knowing what the conversation was about, but I never took the time to learn the language or many of the songs from my grandmother, though I recall some words and did learn to count in Dutch. My husband's paternal grandparents immigrated from Holland also in the 1920s, while his mother's Dutch families came to New Jersey in the 1800s - they seemed to follow more Dutch traditions than did our families who came over in the 1920s. The Stubborn Dutchman epithet is accurate - a nickname I earned in school, again among many Dutch classmates. Thanks for allowing me to share -- Linda ----- Original Message ----- From: <ALarue3325@aol.com> To: <Dutch-Colonies@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 7:09 PM Subject: [DUTCH-COLONIES] Qualities & Traits of the Dutch > Sorry...my email was sent before I finished it. > > My granddaughter has a school paper to do...she can use some help! > > The assignment is... > > Discuss in the paper the information gathered detailing the > characteristics > of your particular ethnic background which conform you or do not conform > to > the commonly held ideas. This should be as personal as possible to enable > the > paper to be revealing. (5-6 pages) > > Everyone is a consequence of their ancestral origins. Genetically, and > through association, you have become reflections of them. The discovery of > these > origins enables you to identify ethnic groups that have influenced your > development. An understanding of these ethnicities become valuable tools > for self- > realization. Family values, attitudes concerning life and even the > celebration of holidays can be associated with your familial beginnings. > > She is going to compare and contrast them with what qualities, values, and > traditions we have. > > I am assuming we are part Dutch...I am a direct descendant from Cornelius > Melyn and John Winans. > > > This is all I could find on the net about Dutch qualities. > > The Dutch are seen as sensible, hard-working, and thrifty. > hey are very direct. Depending on your point of view, this is rude, > tactless > or refreshing. > Dutch people spend less, and when they do spend it is on more practical > items than extravagant decorations and status symbols. When given a > chance to > practically economize, they will. > > Alice La Rue > > > > > > ************************************** AOL now offers free email to > everyone. > Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DUTCH-COLONIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >