Iwerks / Friesland [a bit OT]

[Gerd Syllwasschy]

Nice history lesson, Harry.

> I noticed (last month when I was in Germany) that Germans call Ostfriesland
> (4) also simply "Friesland", making things quite complex when talking with a
> Dutchman.

I believe most Germans aren't even aware that there is a Dutch province
of Friesland. And to complicate matters further, there is even a German
district (Landkreis) which has the official name Friesland, but in fact
only covers a small part of Ostfriesland ...

> I originally said that Ub Iwerks is of *Dutch*-Frisian origin. But since we
> only have his name (and not his original language or country), Iwerks can
> originate from 2 or 4 (or even from one of the others). I got the
> information that Iwerks is Dutch from a Dutch book...

Even Dave Smith, maintainer of the Disney Archives, states Iwerks was
"of Dutch lineage". So we can take it as official. (To avoid confusion:
Ub Iwerks was born in Kansas, not in the Netherlands.)

> That's a strange conclusion, when you know the above. I am from 3
> (Groningen), and my official first name "Harke" is Frisian. I'd say I am
> "much of a Frisian", indeed (but also "much of non-Frisians").

Just a statistically supported assumption based on your surname ... :-)

Gerd