I grew up in a Dutch-American community where there were still monthly church services in both Dutch and distinctly separate Frisian. My mother would never describe someone as being Fries without also saying he was stubborn. So growing up with these stubborn devout post-war immigrants,  I burst out laughing when reading you describe them as natural pirates.

So any of us from the southern provinces (I’m of mostly Zeeuwse descent) would have been considered a Frank?

Beth E Postema