The stories section is inspired by my grandmother, Beppe Visser. She left Friesland in 1954 - but her heart never really left.

Akke de Jong Hoekstra: by Eric Hoekstra

Eric Hoekstra has submitted the story of his great-great grandmother, Akke de Jong Hoekstra. Eric has been an active participant in the i-Friesland project, see also his many postings to the genealogy forum, where he has responded with assistance to many of our visitors who are researching their family roots.

The Ballad of Schiermonnikoog: by Alice Fenenga Roos

Cornelia Warner has sent a poem written by her grandfather's half-sister in the 1950s. It tells a romantized tale of a pirate and a maiden on the Frisian island of Schiermonnikoog.

The Hidden Truth: reprinted from the Jerusalem Post

Rob Shealtiel was an Amsterdam Jew who survived World War 2 hiding with a kind Leeuwarden couple. His father perished in the Sobibor concentration camp and much of his family history was lost in the Holocaust. He has spent a great deal of effort researching his family genealogy, demonstrating the importance of roots.

My Grandma: by Marilyn Haschemeyer, Illinois, USA

Frederika Marie (Reka) Litchsinn left her home in Ludigsdorf, East Friesland aged 18 in 1884, enduring many hardships on the ship to America, bound for a small town in Illinois, an area that would become known as New Friesland. One-third of the German Frieslanders left their homeland to start a new life in the 1800s.

Beppe's Story: On our way to become Canadian citizens

Text from a speech my grandmother gave to a Canadian women's institute on Canada Day about her experience immigrating to Canada. This page is dedicated to her - she came to Canada in 1954, but her heart never really left Friesland.

An Italian Traveller's Tale of 1894

A fascinating and flattering portrait of Friesland in the the late 1800s in which an Italian traveller decribes a magical Friesland - beautiful women wearing shining golden helmets, painted carriages drawn by swift proud Friesan horses, literate and articulate peasants. This is a lengthy chapter so it is in Adobe Acrobat format - you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader - which can be downloaded for free at Adobe's site.