I am looking for information on my Grandmother Irma Maria Van Hulle 12-November 1877- 24 March 1915,
Her parents were Joannes Baptist Van Hulle & Leonie de Jaeger. My Father is Leon Matthys born in Zomergem 18 March 1904-12 March 1975 in Swan Lake ,Manitoba , Canada. His Father was Camiel Matthys 9 June 1872- 25 June 1919 from mustard gas poisoning. His second wife changed his name to Kamiel and my Grandmother's name to Maria Irma on his obituary card, which might complicate things. The stepmother was Irma Maria De Coster. Would like some imformation on her also. She may have had a son.
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Do you know where your grandmother was born?
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She was born in Zomergem, Belgium
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Your grandmother's birth record should be in this collection:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/005205425?cat=1482315
Look through this and find her birth record. Then find as many siblings as you can, then the parents' marriage, then their birth certs.
Here are the records for Zomergem:
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Thanks,I found her birth certificate, her brothers, my Dad's and his oldest brother. You have helped me soooooooo much.
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Margaret,
I am so glad to hear this. It's nice to know that we have helped someone.
Please use this forum when you need help again.
Fritz
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I have been looking for the record that shows my Father-Leon Cyriel Matthys left Antwerp to go to Canada around 1927. Jenny De Wulf was along with her parents on this ship "SSMelita" and is still living in Manitoba. She told me Mar 17,1927 they arrived in Nova Scotia in Canada. Her Father was Domien De Wulf. Her Dad was promised work with Henri Van Mol. I found Uncle Omer Matthys (Matthijs) came from Antwerp to St. John's , New Brunswick 18 Feb 1929. Her was heading to Canada to be with his brother Leon Cyriel Matthys who was working on a farm in Treherne. Dad told me He work for Mr. Mestdagh in Treherne when he first arrived in Canada. Would You be able to tell me where I should look to find the written details of my Dad arriving in Canada by boat. Thanks Dad was born 18 March 1904 and told me He was 28 when He came to Canada. Thank You in advance. Margaret (Margie) Matthys Pantel
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Bit short of time now, will reply end of week.
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A quick aside for today,... Do you have any idea, what language your father used,? French,Flemish, Dutch?
If Flemish, as i strongly suspect;we have several local patios here, and it could narrow down the search.
As you say Jenny De Wulf is still alive, she probably could tell you what dialect he mastered....,and
that would really help me.Also , do you happen to know the first name of mr Mestdagh?
My search returned very lean yesterday. It only returned the location of the passenger lists.
(canada)- still have to browse it.
if you have other clues,...military service,letters he wrote,things he spoke of.... pitch them.
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Dad spoke only Flemish @ this time. He came from Zomergem, Belgium
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Uncle Omer only spoke Flemish, but the passenger list was all written in English.
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i have found some info, Margaret,but i will try to post it on Saterday.
Still no trace of your father,but i found out he did not came to Canada with either the Melita or
The sistership. So the manifests will never show his transit via St Johns.
Adrien
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Apparently The Ss Melita and the Sistership SS Minnedosa actually made their last voyage on the route
To Saint John's exactly on the the days that were mentioned by Jenny De Wulf. This was very accurate.
3 days later, The Minnedosa came to the mooringplace in St Johns for the last time,joining her sistership.
The route was altered then,and both Minnedosa , and Melita took on a new route, not so much different
of the previous.Roughly the port of entry changed to Quebeq, wich was closer to Winnipeg,and a bit shorter in time.The ships worked in both directions, when one was making the trip to Quebeq; the other sailed back to Antwerp,..making a loop.So the pathway to Saint Johns was halted on 17 and 20/03/1927.
After that , on the new route to Quebeq; the service went on to the year of 1931( I have evidence), and was indefinetly halted in that year...And this is the nasty part, you told me your father was born in 1904
and was 28 when he came to Canada.
So 1904+ 28 is ====>1932(end of it) as year of entrance to the new world, so it is not possible that Kamiel entered via the ships Melita/ Minnedosa in 1932.The ships both were laid-up and sold to Italy.
So your father took another route/ship , either from Antwerp or Cherbourg to Canada.
I dicovered that the warehouses , and boarding buildings of the Red Star line in Antwerp still exist today.
They made a museum out of it, restored it, and made it operational for tourists and emigrationrelated
investigation.The berths and mooring place is still the same.
Want to visit??
open google streetview
typ at the prompt.
Montevideostraat 3 Antwerpen.
Hit enter, zoom in to street view.
It is the red building that says Red-Star line.The bert is behind the buildings on the opposite side. After the strange roofed building, wich were their warehouses.
Maybe this evening i will post the evidence i found about ending the St Johns route and the decommisioning of the ships.
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He was 24 I believe when he came to Canada and I thought that would have been in 1928.
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Well, -no, actually your first initiating line was as follows---(quote Margaret)"Would You be able to tell me where I should look to find the written details of my Dad arriving in Canada by boat. Thanks Dad was born 18 March 1904 and told me He was 28 when He came to Canada. "(unquote Maggie); see earlier posting. This was correct and in harmony with what if found.
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Your father did not enter Canada via Melita/Minnedosa/St John's; before 1932 ,but in the last months of the year, say november 1932
(as he was fully 28 years of age, and was born in 1904 okt /november that year) .
It is carved in stone, '1932' as immigrant, '1934' as applicant/naturalised as Canadian citizen at the request of the government of the
commonwealth of nations,the Canadian government.(Signed dokument)approved as citizen.
What do we know???really?
1932 entry after leaving Zomergem via Antwerp. (route unclair),.. need specification.
1934 naturalisation (approved) as dokument shows.
Swan Lake ; works for Mestdagh as potatofarmer??????(the Mestdaghs were known potato farmers)
Manitoba under Winnipeg? , possibly came via Saint Pierre & Miquelon on a fishing boat that sailed between Miquelon and Cherbourg.
Îmmigration was halted during his year of entry,and strongly disencouraged, this was also the reason both ships changed their routes, and halted after 1931 , the last mass-migration waves fell silent .
Possibly , given all the above, Leon came via America on the route Antwerp New York and futher to the great lakes and Michigan, Moline? to work for the John Deere factory's and entered Canada around that area of the five lakes...or via St Pierre and Miquelon?
he --Knew the Mestdaghs before--hence was promised work in advance..;
Hmm, this is enough food on the plate to search for long times to come.
Can you give me words to search, Maragret?,
for example potatofarming, lineseed, beet, Waarschoot, Beke, Lovendegem, Eeklo,Somerghem, Lieve, or other examples, like say the death of his father in 1919 (mustardgasrelated) wich battlefield, Poelkappelle, Westhoek, Langemark, Kortrijk, Ursel, anything at all
that is in your memory and possibly can help me?
Adrie
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http://www.mijnplatteland.com/meetjesland/ons_meetjesland/1986_1/oud_Zomergem.html
Zomergem = Somergem around the time your father left it.
1900 to 1940
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My Dad died in 1975. I was young when He told me these stories, so nothing was documented. I have a picture in Canada of He and Uncle Omer working in the Hudson Bay area working to build a railway. Leon Van De Walle was also there. Leon Van De Walle later lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Dad did not know Mr. Mestdagh previous--he was someone looking for someone to work for him. He was a farmer. I got Dad's age mixed up by adding 1904 plus 24 years to make around 1928. Sorry for this error. Jenny told me that Dad would carry her on the boat to give her parents a rest. I am thankful for the information that You are giving me.
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In my searching about Zomergem, sometimes i 'll something of interest to you, because of the
nice and informative pictures in it. Sometimes these pages are full of story's.
This is one of them.Really touching the story's.
Zomergem=Somerghem,Somergem, Beke, Waerschoot, Lovendegem.They are all parishes from one another, and dissolved into each other.
Lately , some years ago,even Zomergem itself , and Lovendegem,merged to form a new municipality called Lievegem.(Named after the river Lieve)that runs true it.
Taken all together,the whole area is referred to as 'Meetjesland', and that term is a word like
'Corn Belt, Bible belt,tornado alley,etc, its a containerterm.'
I live in it, The former Zomergem is nearly spitting distance from my house. I live at the edge of
the 'Meetjesland', In Zelzate.
so believe me if i sat that, in the link i will provide, that Beke =Zomergem,and Waarschoot is Zomergem,all bordering Lovendegem, aside from the river 'Lieve'
Its not in English but the picures speak for themselves.
Roughly it shows Zomergem in the time he left it.I have to close in on that timeframe,...
Take all the time you need to enjoy it Margaret, i will come back to some of the pictures.
https://www.comeet.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Terug-in-de-tijd-Beke-def.pdf
There is a goodie in it for Dianemarie also , about some Van De Wiele's; can you find them , Diane?
Adrie
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Margaret, just wondering, did you keep the scan numbver, or indexpage number, for your father, or his dad.? If i could see for myself ;i can read the whole text in the body of the scan.This is all Dutch,i want to make sure we are not overlooking anything of importance.
But these catalogue's are big to browse.
Your father-his dad, and his brother would be nice.
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From what I can read of Flemish my Father's birth registration was on film # 005205430 image 153 of 180 His Father was Camiel Matthys and his Mother Irma Van Hulle. I have been to Zomergem 5 times, and have pictures in Canada to show of the farm yard in which He was raised in Oostwinkel, on Langstraat I believe was the street. Dad and my good friend Omer Verhelst from Zomergem know where that farm still is. Dad was born March 18, 1904.
I found a copy of his mother's birth certificate. Irma Maria Van Hulle on film #[005205425] Image 76 of 160. I had a cousin in Ireland transulate it for me. And that is her with her parents names on it.
I found that Omer Camiel Matthys was on the Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 He was 23 and they state born about 1906. The vessel Melita and arrived @ St. John, New Brunswick, Canada on 18 Feb. 1929 . Port of departure was Antwerp, Belgium It displayed 13/9760 #21 brother 2 Somergem Belgian Flemish 108 farmer Brother Mr. Matthys Leon farmer @ Treherne, Man Brother in law Remy C?aes at Somergem "Rho" Belgium ( I know his name was Claeys because he was Tante Maria's husband) His son Julien Claeys died in Zomergem about 4 years ago. The small home in Rho still exhists but has been updated. This is where Dad's parents first lived before they moved to the large farm. Omer Verhelst show me this place. then on the form I see 31638 Ghent which could be 18/1/29 FILM: 89 of 157
Dad's siblings were: Odilon Matthys 11-8-1902 - 12 Aug 1971
My Dad 18-3-1904-til 12-3- 19 75 in Swan Lake, Manitoba Canada
Omer Matthys 07-40-1905 til 12 May 1942
Hilaire Matthys 16-6-1906 -? died in Brussels
Maria Matthys 17-01-1908 til 22-10-1933
Alice Matthys (Zuster Antonin of Bornem) 15-10-1911 til 19-09-1986
Herman Matthys 08-12-1912 til 30-09-1974
Andre Matthys 18-5-1914 til 12 Aug 1985
My Grandfather Camiel had a brother August 17-July- 1885 Zomergem snf firf 16 Feb.1942 in Lembeke He had 4 sister that all became Religious nuns. I did find their birth certificates.
I have copies of the films I found under Matthys Family in Family Search by Margaret Matthys if viewing them would be of help.
Thanks for all the kind work You are doing. I will keep looking for more imformation to give You.
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Dad's Uncle which was August Matthys was on film #005205427 image 17 of 180 born in 1885
Dad's Aunt Pharailde was born 4 Nov,1877 on film #005205457 image 56 of 76
Dad's sister Alice Zulma Matthys film 005205432
There was a booklet written on the Matthys Family Tree, but I do now know of a book on the Van Hulle Family. My cousin had person visit Him asking for imformation for a book, but my cousin was not interested, but the Man gave Marcel the wedding date. The only reason I know this is that I called my cousin to ask if He knew of the wedding date, because I had made a cross-stitch of their wedding picture and I wanted to add the date. He said the man had been @ his place 2 weeks earlier. This must have been about 15 years ago.
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I forgot Dad's brother Valere Camiel 1909 til 1989 in England
I noticed in some places my Dad's second name is spelt Cryil, or that is just how I read Flemish.
Hilaire Julien
Maria Emile Julma
Alice Julma M
Herman Petrus
Andre August
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Due to time issue's i was not able to investigate anything today.But i did read my mails and
your posting here , Margaret.Amazing!; you have more food on the plate then anyone else...
It will take me at least the full week to list it all up, and make a file out of it.
A fast diagonal reading told me Omer died during 1942, In Canada i presume, and might i ask,was this war-related; given '42 is during the war years.
Belgium was partially liberated by the Canadians, as you are probably aware of..This part of Belgium Bordering Netherland was called "The Breskens pocket" and the operation "switchback" if you like the searchterms.
Thanks for the data;I will try to use my eyes as a plow.
Like to see the decks and chairs and upholstery of the SS Melita?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GmrkAHyNtA
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Oostwinkel Langestraat 1 ; the last availiable google streetview in Belgium dates back to 2009
They were taking the farm down at that time,Maybe its gone now.
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Uncle Omer died in Stalengrad, Russia. He did not realize that He married a german spy. Dad was told by a school friend that he was shot in the legs and bleeding, in World War II, but no one brought Him for medical treatment. They said She spent the remainder of her life in a Belgian jail. She apparently had a son, but no one knows if he was Uncle Omer's son , or her comindant. She was never allowed to see Him again. We do not know his name, or who raised Him. We are guessing that he is not related to us. Her name was Nina. My Dad said Uncle Omer was too kind and too nieve for this world.
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Oh, that is sad. It was a huge home, but none of us Grandchildren ever got to see it inside. You could see the bullet holes in the barn, the flower pots of geraniums on the window sills of the barn. and the Blessed Virgin Mary statue tucked away @ the top. The fence was made of cement. On the left side they were building a new home. This is progress, and we do not know how old these building were, but they must have been very old. Glad I got to take pictures when Uncle Hilaire and my Dad's Godchild Julien Claeys took us there to view from the road.
Thanks You for the great work You have done. Enjoyed seeing where Dad played and worked. I had seen some of the pictures of the inside of the Melita from Jenny (who is now 95 years of age and doing so well). She will be so pleased to see this also. Never dreamed I would see this all and so well filmed. Thank-You
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Grandpa was out walking the 5 oldest kids when they got sprayed with mustard gas. They all kept their heads down like He instructed, but He got sprayed when He checked on them. Dad remembers this well. His second wife, asked Him to sign everything over to her on his deathbed when he asked for a blanket as He was very cold. Shortly after; She let the 2 oldest kids take care of themselves, and different relatives took care of the younger kids. Dad and Uncle Odilon grew up fast.
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I did some research today and found out the old Farm is still there , and a protected
grade-listed building.Here they call that ;Bouwkundig erfgoed.But the location was correct, moreover the old farm consists out about 5 buildings.What could be seen from the road on google streetview is the backside of one of the barns,bordering the road.
The farm itself cannot be seen from the road,because it shows only its back towards it.
But you are correct,about the geraniums,....they are still there,i also found bullethole's
in several other buildings in that street,not that it matters for this case, but it is supportive evidence, and consistent with what you claim.
I think this one is it.If you can confirm i will search for morer pictures and info on it.
It is the only farm in that street old enough to fit the model.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/erfgoed/2625989620/in/photostream/
I do not find Camiel on the film, do you happen to know the indexnumber for Camiel?
Ps, i wrote a mail to the Fenixarchief Antwerpen, about the passengerlists, wait and see.Have to go now.
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That does not appear to be the yard to me, but I was never really on it. It has been awhile since we were in Belgium. The house was much larger, and the barn appeared longer that was close to the road. Time can wear down buildings. I an in Mesa, Arizona for the winter, but all my pictures are @ home in Somerset, Manitoba, Canada. I have lots of pictures of Zomergem. I will be home the middle of April. I will be visiting a cousin on my mother's side in Las Vegas for a week, and will not have access to my computer from the 20th.
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I did not look up my Grandfather Camiel- because a cousin made a book with ancestors on his side back to 1665. Of course that book is in Canada.
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His siblings were :
Marie Julie Matthys Apr28,1871 Oostwinkel (became a nun)
Camiel 9 June, 1872 Oostwinkel died 25 June 1919
Emilie Marie 31 Dec,1875 Oostwinkel -19 Mar 1937 St Niklass (Sister Marie-Caroline)
Pharailde 14 Nov.1877 Oostwinkel-12 June 1949 St. Niklaas (nun)
Elodie Marie 11 July, 1880 Oostwinkel-3 May 1944 Bornem (Sister Marie Emilie)
Irma Marie Julie 15 Apr 1884 Zomergem-19 Dec 1884
August Matthys 17 July 1885 Zomergem-16 Feb 1942 Lemeke ( He lived in Chichago, Illinois, USA for awhile with his wife Martha De Sy
Jules Zomergem 2 June 1886- 6 June 1887 Zomergem
I did find some of these
My Dad's stepmother was Irma De Coster
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