The Claeys Family — Maldegem to the USA

The name Claeys appears repeatedly in the Maldegem emigration material, revealing several interconnected migration routes toward the United States in the final decades of the nineteenth century.

One early departure is Vital Claeys (°1 Feb 1858), who left on the WAESLAND in April 1892 for Paterson, New Jersey. Shortly thereafter followed Stephanie and infant Theophiel, also bound for Paterson. Census notes confirm that Leonie (Claeys-Buysse) travelled with her husband Vital, forming a clear family unit abroad.

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St Louis Branch

Another strong Claeys concentration settled in St Louis, Missouri. Here we find Jan Frans Claeys (FRIESLAND, 1893), Emiel C. (FRIESLAND, 1893), and Leopold Claeys, who travelled in 1905 on the FINLAND and again in 1909 on the ZEELAND, joining family members already established there.

Passenger notes repeatedly mention parents Petrus Claeys and Amelie Logiest, suggesting a structured and well-coordinated migration from Maldegem toward Missouri.

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New York & Chicago

The Claeys presence also extended toward New York and Chicago, Illinois. Alfons Claeys (RHYNLAND, 1893) and Stephanie Claeys (RHYNLAND, 1893) appear in New York-bound records, while Jan Frans Claeys headed to Chicago.

These multiple destinations illustrate not a single migration wave, but a network of Claeys households stretching from New Jersey to Missouri and Illinois.

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