Tragedy for an Immigrant Family (Origins 43:1, Spring 2025)

Tragedy for an Immigrant Family (Origins 43:1, Spring 2025)

The Spring 2025 issue of Origins is in print and in the hands of subscribers. Here is a free article from the Spring issue. In it, Robert Schoone-Jongen tells the story of the Wispelwey family. It migrated from the Netherlands to the United States in 1910, arriving in 

A School, a House, and a New Purpose

A School, a House, and a New Purpose

In 1917 there was a major debate ongoing among Christian Reformed folk around Prospect Park, NJ. They needed to decide if it was time to establish a Christian high school. Most people in the mainly blue-collar, immigrant community saw education beyond the basics of reading 

Albertus Van Raalte, Religious Entrepreneur (Origins 41-1–Free Article)

Albertus Van Raalte, Religious Entrepreneur (Origins 41-1–Free Article)

The Spring 2023 issue (Volume 41, Issue 1) of Origins: Historical Magazine of the Heritage Hall Archives has been mailed to subscribers. If your not yet a subscriber you can order a copy by emailing Heritage Hall (crcarchives@calvin.edu) or subscribe online. This blog post includes 

Dutch-Indonesian Immigrants, Segregation, and the CRC in the 1950s

Dutch-Indonesian Immigrants, Segregation, and the CRC in the 1950s

On 21 March 1956, my grandparents, Arie and Martha Verhagen boarded KLM flight 603 with their two small children from Amsterdam to New York City. A week earlier they had received visas under the Refugee Relief Act of 1953, allowing their immigration to the United 

Dutch American Women, Silence, and Storytelling

Dutch American Women, Silence, and Storytelling

The fall 2022 issue of Heritage Hall’s print magazine, Origins, included a story by Jane E. Griffioen. Her book London Street: A Memoir has been read widely by people who grew up in Dutch immigrant communities connected to the Christian Reformed Church. London Street is 

Finding Family History in the Pages of the CRC Archive – Part II

Finding Family History in the Pages of the CRC Archive – Part II

See previous blog post for part I of this story. As assistant to the secretary of the Calvinist Resettlement Service, Agnes Flonk handled a good deal of the correspondence between potential sponsors and the necessary bureaucratic organizations. Many of the applicants she worked with were 

Finding Family History in the Pages of the CRC Archive – Part I

Finding Family History in the Pages of the CRC Archive – Part I

On August 27, 1955, Pieter Duinkerken showed up at the offices of the Calvinist Resettlement Committee to speak with Miss Agnes Flonk, the assistant secretary. The committee was created by the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), whose headquarters were in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Duinkerken himself 

Sadie Roelofs and Women Students at Calvin in the 1920s and 1930s

Sadie Roelofs and Women Students at Calvin in the 1920s and 1930s

In November 1928 Sadie Roelofs set off a “November Revolution.” Editor-in-chief of the Calvin College student newspaper, Chimes, she criticized apathy among students and implied the same about faculty, all in a short editorial entitled “Self-Satisfaction.” Other Chimes writers followed her lead. One urged toleration 

Dutch American Women and their Stories (Origins 40:2–Free Article)

Dutch American Women and their Stories (Origins 40:2–Free Article)

In a presentation at the 2021 meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Dutch American Studies, Mary Risseeuw made the case that women have been neglected in the writing of Dutch North American history. There are some important books and noteworthy articles. But she 

Architecture and Philosophy on Calvin’s Campus

Architecture and Philosophy on Calvin’s Campus

This blog post summarizes, excerpts, and links to a story done by Chimes, the student newspaper at Calvin University. The Chimes story is based on a summer research project done by student researchers Gabby Freshly and Natalie Sytsma and supervised by art history professor Craig