Hortensia Augustina Vannieuwenhuyse

Comments: Born in Waardamme, Belgium.
Father: Desiderius Vannieuwenhuyse
Mother: Maria Carette 1860-1944

From Johan Verplancke:
As Hortensia just had a baby (their daughter Laura Maria, born on April 29th, 1906) when Julius travelled on May 5th, 1906 on board of the Zeeland to America they decided that Hortensia and their daughter would take the passage on a later date.  Hortensia and Laura shipped in on the Kroonland on September 21st, 1907 and arrived at New York on October 1st, 1907.

Hortensia VanderSchaegen was born in Belgium and grew up in the region of Flanders. When she was 7 years old, she attended a special school in West Flanders where she honed her bobbin lace working skills in which the lace is made on what is known as a “pillow”. She would spend each day working at her “pillow”, with only an hour away from it in which she worked on book work. When she was a little older, she was one of the dozen selected lace workers chosen to make a section of a wedding dress that was worn by an Italian princess. In 1907, she emigrated to the United States and eventually settled with her husband, Julius, in Iron Belt. In her later years, she would make visits to the Iron Belt School and give demonstrations on how she made lace. She also entered her work in the Iron County Fair (in which she won a blue ribbon). Examples of her work, as well as her “pillow” are currently on display at the Iron County Wisconsin Historical Society Museum. This picture was taken in 1952 for an article about her and her artistry. Source: The Iron County Museum.