Our Sources for this website

The genealogical part of this website is entirely the result of many years of research by Marijn Claeys and privately published in 1990 under the titel "De Familie Noë in en om het Meetjesland"  (The Noë Family from the Meetjesland).

Marijn's first book was called "De Familie Van Damme, Kaprijke - Eeklo - Sint-Jan-in-Eremo" ("The Van Damme Family, Kaprijke - Eeklo - St-Jan-in-Eremo").  For those who speak Dutch here is the website.

Then followed a book entitled "Een Stam CLAEYS uit Waarschoot, bijna vier eeuwen in Kaprijke" ("A CLAEYS Tribe from Waarschoot, almost four centuries in Kaprijke"), privately published in 1987.

This was followed by the above mentioned book on our Noë Family, the subject of this website.

Marijn also published a volume on the Gyssels family which you can find here (in Dutch only I'm afraid).

And he is currently working on a publication of the Estate Reckonings of Assenede, one the 4 Corporations.  The first of 5 volumes of this work has already been published.

I'm sure I may say in the name of all those who were privileged to read one of his books we are most grateful to him for his work.

"Historische verkenningen in het Meetjesland" ("Historical Reconnaissance Trips in the Meetjesland"), 1982, pp. 351 by Daniël Verstraete published by the "Heemkundige Werkgroep Daniël Verstraete" ("Regional Committee Daniël Verstraete")

"Bezoek aan de Moerdorpen Sint-Laureins, Sint-Jan-in-Eremo and Sint-Margriete" ("Visits to the peat villages Sint-Laureins, Sint-Jan-in-Eremo en Sint-Margriete") by Luc Stockmans, 1997 published by the "Heemkundig Genootschap van het Meetjesland" ("Regional Society of the Meetjesland")

And here is an excellent guide to our Meetjesland: "Streekgids Meetjesland" (Meetjesland Regional Guide) by Walter Notteboom, Toon De Kesel, Marc Schoonackers, Robert De Lust, Jacques Cleppe and Ivan Hoste, published in 1998 by "Natuur en Landschap Meetjesland vzw" (Meetjesland Nature and Landscape") and the "Uitgeverij de Eecloonaar" ("uitgeverij" = publisher; "Eecloonaar" or "Eeklonaar" in the latest revision of our spelling means "inhabitant or native of Eeklo").

We sincerely hope there will soon be a new expanded edition of this marvelous guide.

And then there is "Watervliet, Koningswens en Ridderdroom" ("Watervliet, a King's Wish and a Knight's Dream"), a great book by Mr. Jozef De Paepe, published in 1999 by Taptoe.  It is an invaluable source of information not only on Watervliet but on much of our Meetjesland because it goes into such great detail.

We also received permission to quote here on this website at length from yet another marvelous Taptoe book called "Karel Lodewijck LEDEGANCK" by Marc Van Hulle.  Ledeganck was Eeklo's most famous son.

Then there is the "Geschiedenis van de Parochie Wachtebeke-Overslag en het Kerkgebouw" (History of the Wachtebeke-Overslag Parish and the Church building) by the Heemkundige Kring "Oud-Wachtebeke", the Old-Wachtebeke Regional Circle, 1996.  We are most grateful also to them and especially to Mr. P. Hesters for their permission to quote extensively from their work especially on the history of Wachtebeke and the Overslag.

"Brandende Polders" (Burning Polders) by Jozef De Paepe, Ivan De Wilde and Marc Van Hulle was published by Uitgeverij Taptoe in 1994.  It tells us about some of the things that happened in the last few few weeks leading up to the liberation of our Meetjesland in September 1944.

"Het Meetjesland, per gemet gemeten" by Jacques Cleppe (photography), Robert De Lust (text), Ronny De Schuyter (poetry selection) and Marc Schoonackers (photography) published in 2003 by the Uitgeverij de Eeclonaar.  The last word in the title "gemeten" means measured.  A "gemet" is about half a hectare.  The plural of "gemet" is "gemete" or "gemeten" and the second syllable is pronounced exactly like the first syllable of "Meetjesland".  Indeed some people think that's where the name Meetjesland comes from.  This is a beautiful book with plenty of gorgeous pictures, poems and informative texts.  Perhaps you can still get a copy somewhere:  ISBN: 90-74128-97-1.

We also want to mention a book called "Napoleon", by Paul Johnson, an eminent historian.  (Penguin Group, 2002, ISBN: 0-670-03078-3)  It shows us a less glorified side of this failed dictator.

We are most grateful to Mr. Romano Tondat for allowing us to publish here excerpts from "Ons Meetjesland" (Our Meetjesland), a periodical which he edited for many years.

We also owe a lot to Mr Martin Acke whose excellent and ever so detailed website on Zelzate (in Dutch) can be found here.

"Heemkundige bijdragen uit het Meetjesland", 2003, Number 1 (Regional Contributions from the Meetjesland) has a great contribution by its editor, Mr. Paul Van de Woestijne entitled "Meetjesland Painters in the Memoires of J.B. Lybaert".  We are most grateful to him for permission to use his information.

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Most recent update: 06 juillet 2011