Page 79 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

COMING TO AMERICA

From 1847 and until about 1900, large numbers of people emigrated
from the Netherlands to America. Some moved because of religious
issues, others hoped to find economic opportunity. In the 1880's the
Frisian farmers experienced agricultural problems which became an
incentive for many to travel to America. Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin
were the most popular destinations.

Many people from Friesland settled in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A Scotsman
had introduced celery growing to America in Kalamazoo. Later, circa
1870, a Dutch immigrant named Cornelius De Bruin, perfected a new
variety that grew exceptionally well in the soggy Michigan "mucklands".
Speculators had snapped up most of the land in Michigan in the 1830's,
but the undesirable mucklands were still available for a cheap price. The
industrious Dutch were the only people willing to clear and grade this
difficult land. Celery was a labor-intensive crop, and most farmers would
not even attempt to grow it, but the Dutch farmers did. The typical hard-
working farmer could be nearly self-sufficient by his second year, and
make a profit in his third year. By 1890, Kalamazoo had become the
"Celery Capital of the World" and proudly promoted itself as "Celery City".

Although the Dutch were a "minority", they were the largest of the
foreign born nationalities in this area, and outnumbered the German,
British, and Irish populations. The American-Dutch residents formed an
immigrant aid society to assist Dutch coming to the United States.
Organized groups of up to 300 Dutch would arrive in Michigan, then split
up to go to the various communities they had selected to live in. It was
only natural that the growing Dutch population called for ministers to
serve them, and for Frisians, what better than a minister from their old
home, and one whose beliefs would be compatible with their own.

The year 1886 must have been a very difficult year for Jan Poot. His
infant daughter Engelina died in September. The evangelical group that
published "The Eternal Life" had undergone some disturbing changes.
The liberal independent theologian D. P. Faure, a close relative to group
member H. E. Faure, had shown himself to hold rather extreme mystical
views. D. P. Faure and the magazine editor P. Huet had discussed
theology for years. Ultimately this had a negative influence on Huet, who
had been a stalwart conservative religious leader. In 1886 Huet
published opinions in "The Eternal Life" that indicated the beginnings of
an unraveling of his conservative religious faith. In 1887 he privately
admitted to losing his belief in key Christian concepts and that he was
interested in mysticism. Publication of "The Eternal Life" ceased in 1887.
Furthermore, Jan Poot was frustrated when attempts to change the

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