Page 80 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

national Reformed Church failed and the "second separation" or
"Doleantie" occurred in 1886.

With so much turmoil in his personal and public life, it is easier to
understand why Jan Poot accepted an offer to minister to a Dutch church
in America. It also appealed to his restless nature and wanderlust. He
traveled frequently while a minister in the Netherlands and never settled
in one place for very long when in America.

Jan Poot gave up most of his social position in life to move the family and
servants to America in 1887, when Willem was nine years old. Their
destination was Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Making the move was a major undertaking. Imagine sorting through a
house full of possessions for seven children and two parents. Think of
all the people to be contacted - relatives, church functionaries,
parishioners, and servants. There would be numerous crates and trunks
of belongings to pack, and others to sell. They needed to determine
which servants would commit to coming along. Jan Poot also authorized
a second edition of his book "Romeinen Negen" with the publisher in
Leeuwarden.

One sad farewell was to their trusty spaniel dog. One evening, the dog
was taken about five miles away in a closed carriage. However, he was
back on their doorstep by 5 o'clock the next morning. Willem did not
know what final arrangements were made for the dog, but only that he
was left behind.

The children looked forward to the great adventure with both
anticipation and fear. One of the maids told the children how they would
live in a wooden house in America. This sounded flimsy to children who
had only seen homes built of brick. The most frightening information
was there were Indians in America. Fortunately the Indians would be a
long distance away from their new home.

Potential emigrants in the Netherlands heard many stories about
America. The steamship companies painted an idyllic image of the New
World to promote business. Recent immigrants in America often wrote
letters that were overly optimistic and omitted the difficulties. This
example is from Reverend Seine Bolks from Michigan:

"Nobody admired the homeland; no, we feel we don't have any
problems. (...) And something which says even more: we have total
religious liberty. (...) The poorest people here have a better life than the
richest people in the Netherlands. You work here for yourself and you
aren't a slave of somebody."

- Coming to America - page 2 -