Published Date: October 24, 2021

In East Frisia, the farmland was poor and scarce. Too many people had too little food, and men were tired of military conscription. These intrepid travelers sought a better life.

When they boarded ships to make the trans-Atlantic journey, these intrepid travelers knew they would probably never see their homeland or some family members again. Many ultimately settled in northeastern Champaign County. They took up residence in areas around Flatville, Royal, and Gifford. Whole families soon made the journey and joined to form new East Frisian communities.

In 2018, the audio interviews were reformatted and digitized, and audio transcription was completed in 2021. This work was funded in part by grants from the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board.

The East Frisian oral histories are now safely preserved and more easily accessible than ever before.