Dutch Ohioans

Numerous Ohioans are descended from Dutch ancestors.

In 1860, 328,249 immigrants lived in Ohio. These people accounted for fourteen percent of the state's population. By 1900, the number of immigrants in Ohio rose to 458,734, but the percentage of the population that was foreign-born declined to eleven percent. Most of these immigrants in 1900 came from Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, and other Western European countries, such as the Netherlands, yet a growing number of Eastern, Southern, and Northern Europeans were also migrating to the state.

In 1900, approximately ten thousand Dutch immigrants resided in Ohio. The immigrants or people claiming Dutch ancestry lived in practically every Ohio community. Dutch migrants began to arrive in Ohio in sizable numbers by the early nineteenth century. By 1850, nearly two hundred Dutch-born people resided in Cleveland alone. Their numbers continued to swell, reaching more than one thousand people by 1910. Initially, most Dutch migrants settled along Lake Erie, especially in Cleveland, where they found jobs in factories, worked as day laborers, or became farmers. Many Dutch residents also worked as sailors or fishermen. Immigrants who were more successful established businesses that supplied their fellow migrants with traditional Dutch products. The Dutch immigrants initially tended to settle in their own communities, preferring to live among people who shared similar cultural beliefs and spoke the same language as they did.

Dutch immigrants congregated together partly out of camaraderie but also out of fear. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many native-born Americans feared outsiders. Some of these people objected to the immigrants' religious and cultural beliefs, while others believed that the foreigners would corrupt the morals of United States citizens. These people also contended that the quality of life within the United States would decline, as there were not enough jobs to employ the millions of people migrating to America. Many native-born Americans hoped either to limit immigration or to force foreigners to convert to American customs and beliefs. The leaders of this movement were the Progressives of the late 1800s and the early 1900s. To accomplish their goals, the Progressives implemented numerous reforms, including settlement houses, which taught foreigners American practices. The Progressives also called for laws that would either limit or ban the cultural practices of recently arrived immigrants. It would take several generations before the immigrants became truly accepted by the vast majority of white Ohioans.

Most Dutch immigrants arrived in the United States prior to World War I, but a second large influx occurred in the years immediately following World War II. World War II devastated the Netherlands, prompting many Dutch people to seek greater opportunity in the United States. Over the succeeding decades, Ohio's traditional Dutch communities began to lose their cohesiveness. As other Ohioans became more tolerant of the Dutch, many Dutch communities began to disintegrate. Many Dutch residents moved into other communities, while non-Dutch people began to infiltrate the traditionally Dutch neighborhoods. Second and third generation Dutch Ohioans also preferred the more open and free lifestyle of Americans, causing these Dutch to reject their traditional and more conservative customs and beliefs. By the 1930s, the Dutch language was no longer used in the various Dutch churches established in Ohio.