1

Bakkers: Culture change
2005
Prince Edward County, Ontario

2

The challenge was more than just learning English. When they first arrived everything was unfamiliar, from food to cleaning products, and you never quite knew what was expected of you. Working in a household or on a farm provided an opportunity to acclimatize and to learn "Canadian Ways"

3

Arnold deVries: 1st Breakfast
2005
Cressy, Prince Edward County, Ontario

4

Johanna on cleaning the school
31 January 2006
Trenton, Ontario

5

Johanna on her 1st job
31 January 2006
Trenton, Ontario

6

Dini Kamink at the Keogh's
1956
Fish Lake, Prince Edward County, Ontario

7

Although they had undergone hardships during the war, the Netherlands was much more densely populated and most homes had running water and electricity. For many families the conditions in rural Canada were quite an adjustment. Young Dini Kamink remembers thinking "Oh my, what are we coming to here" when she first inspected the three-seater out house at the house of her Aunt & Uncle where she stayed when her family arrived in Canada.

8

Huiskamp house
1949
near Wellington, Ontario

9

This was one of the houses the Huiskamp family lived in during their early years in Canada. It is typical of the houses at that time in that "It didn't have a lick of paint on it" and had no insulation to speak of. However they were better off than many in that they had hydro.

For women with large families the effort required to keep the house clean and do laundry must have been daunting. The winters were colder and the summers hotter and more humid than they were accustomed and the tenant houses that many found themselves in were often small for the number they held, with few amenities and had not been well maintained.
The language barrier and the distances between farms made them feel isolated.

10

Johanna on housework
31 January 2006
Trenton, Ontario

11

Isolation
31 January 2006
Trenton, Ontario

12

The deVries first car
1948
Cressy, Ontario

13

The purchase of the first family car was a milestone in the lives of the immigrants that is often documented in family albums. Because of the more established public transportation system, the more compact nature of the country and the greater use of bicycles, many had not owned cars in Holland, but found that they were a necessity in Prince Edward County. As soon as they could afford it, they purchased secondhand cars or trucks. Several of our contributors told stories of taking a few practice drives around the farm, after buying their first car and then going into Picton to take their drivers test. Everyone received their license on their first attempt. A car increased their mobility and employment options and diminished their isolation. Those with cars were immediately pressed into service to pick up other members of the Dutch community.

Auke deVries with the family's first car. The tennant house provided by August Kaiser is visable in the background.

14

Van Soelen family
1951
Bloomfield, Ontario