Belgian Neighborhood Tour

[oladub]

Gistok, I think it was Van Op Den Bosch rather than Van Den Bosch if I am thinking of the same family east of Balduck.

Brouke's bar was named after its founder Constantine [[Van) Brouke who, very roughly, must have been born around 1890-1900. About 10 years ago in a June 22 issue of the Wall Street Journal, Brouke's bar made the front page A-head column . It was an article about Heinz ketchup bottles being re-filled with generic brand catsup. Someone from the bar explained that the empty bottles were washed out in between refilling them. The WSJ reporter was aghast at what seemed reasonable to Belgians. It must have been cheaper to buy in bulk instead of having to pay for catsup bottles that just get thrown away.

I forgot Allemon's nursury in the above list of businesses and should add Claerhout, VanOpdenBosch, and VanZile Construction outfits.

Lowell, Detroit was the largest Flemish and Balgian settlement in the US. The Green Bay Wisconsin area was the largest Walloon settlement. I often wondered about the name 'Walloon Lake'.

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List of most common Flemish and Walloon surnames.

Find where in Belgium a surname is found. For instance, type in 'De Clerck' and click 'zoek'.