searching for relatives of LIEVENS in Illinois.
my granduncle Camille Lievens came in 1914 from Belgium to E4ast Moline. I know that in that timed there came a lot of Flemish - Belgian - people to Illinois. Is there anybody who can help me in my search
rita ievens Belgium

Hello Rita -
I searched on the Ellis Island website for your ancestor. I found this entry - I hope it is him
Camille Lievens age 25 and single arrived at Ellis Island on 24 April 1913 on board the SS Potsdam from Rotterdam, Holland. He was born in Uitkerke, Belgium and his mother's name was Mathilda Lievens. The ships manifest has his final destination as St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada and he was going to a friend who lived there named Alfons Kroms.
I know many Flemish men went there about that time. My own grandfather and 3 great uncles went from Ruddervoorde, Belgium to St. Boniface in 1911. They all eventually ended up in the United States (Michigan).
I live in the Quad Cities area (Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Illinois and Bettendorf, Davenport, Iowa). I have looked in the the local phone book and there are over a dozen people listed with the last name Lievens. If you send me your e-mail address, I could scan that page of the phone book and send it to you.
There is also the Center for Belgian Culture in Moline, Illinois that may be able to help you. Their website is www.belgianmuseumquadcities.org
Also the Ellis Island website is www.ellisisland.org
Hope some of this helps you
Barb

Hello Barb
a great thanks for your help. The Camille Lievens from uitkerke isn't the one I'm searching for. He is from Sint Amandsberg - I found him on the Ellis Island files and my parents had some contact with him and his son before 1960.
We know that they had a son ROBERT born in 1912 in Belgium who came with them to East Moline in 1914. We also known that there is an other Robert F Lievens (problably son of Robert 1912) – he was born in 1932 and died on 1/119/1998 in East Moline – he was a pilot at the US Air Force. He was buried on Rock Island National Cemetry. We have a picture of him in the family album when he was young!!!

Maybe you know some people in New Moline who have contacts with relatives of Robert Lievens

We would be very grateful if you could help us.
my e-mail adres is rita.lievens@telenet.be
Of course we will help you too if you have questions of relatives in Belgium – Europe Ruddervoorde is not so far away and I often examine the national archives so please give me a full name of your Flemish - Belgian ancestor
Rita Lievens - rita.lievens@telenet.be

Hello Rita -
I will probably be going to the Center for Belgian Culture in Moline next week, so I will see if they have any information there that could be useful to you. I will take the information from your e-mail and see if anyone there knows the Robert Lievens family.
Thank you for the offer of help in Belgium. I have been in contact with members of my Flemish family in Ruddervoorde and gotten much information on the VandeKerckhove line. My grandfather was Edmond VandeKerckhove born in Ruddervoorde 3 May 1885. My grandmother was Maria VanNieuwenhuyze born in Waardamme 31 Jan 1886. They were married in Ruddervoorde 19 Apr 1909. Almost all of the VanNieuwenhuyze family including my widowed great grandmother came to the US or Canada.
I will try to find some more information for you next week, and will e-mail you directly if I find anything.
Barb