In 1892 their neighbour (and cousin) Arend Hassing and his wife had an auction and sold everything they had. With their five children they emigrated to Kalamazoo Michigan USA, on February 15, 1893. He became a celery farmer there. Later, the Hassing’s would write letters about their life in Kalamazoo and so, Berend (Ben) decided to emigrate also.

In 1903, seven days before the youngest Stuit child, Roelf (Ralph) was born, Ben said goodbye to his parents and left for America. With his fiancée Eika (Agnes) Klooster, he went to Rotterdam, where they went on a boat that left on May 23. When they arrived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, they were met by their relatives Arend Hassing and family. On July 8, Agnes who was five months pregnant, pretended to be 18 years when they got married in Kalamazoo, though she was only 16. Two years later, on May 27, 1905 Pieter (Peter) also emigrated to Kalamazoo. (48 years later, also on May 27, his niece Dina, with family, would emigrate to Canada.)

In 1906, around September, Tietje wrote to her married daughter Stientje in Vlagtwedde that she was planning to pay them a visit. She would take the omnibus from Woldendorp to Winschoten on Monday morning and if the weather was nice, she would walk from Winschoten to Vlagtwedde (a four hour walk). She planned to go back home on Friday morning with the omnibus to Winschoten and to walk from Winschoten to Woldendorp (also a four hour walk).

[This is where correspondence continues the story]