The Van Alstyne Family of New York

 My 8th great-grandfather, Jan MARTENSE (Jan s/o Marten) was also known as Jan DE WEVER (the weaver) in Colonial New York. He is the immigrant ancestor of the VAN ALSTYNE family. 

His wife was identified as Dirkje (sometimes written as Dirckien) Harmensdr. (or Harmense, meaning daughter of Harmen) BOERTGENS, in a notorial paper dated 24 May 1658 at Amsterdam.

I have found baptism and marriage records as well as notarial records for the family in the Netherlands.Continue reading at The Van Alstyne Family of New York

New Netherland Settlers: The Straetsman Sisters & Their Six Husbands

 The  Straetsman sisters Barentje and Teuntje were from Culemborg  Netherlands. In 1630 the West India Company conquered part of Brazil and  the colony of New Holland (now present-day Recife) was founded. 

Dutch  troops were sent to Recife and Olinda in Pernambuco Brazil and no doubt  Barentje and Teuntjes first husbands were among those sent to maintain  order. 

They settled first in Brazil before 1637 and then New Netherland  circa 1657.

More at The Straetsman Sisters Barentje & Teuntje and Their Six Husbands

New Netherland Settlers: The Stevensen and Jacobsen Families

 

A brief excerpt from my book New Netherland Settlers: The Stevensen and Jacobsen Familes was previously published as The European Origins of Steven Janse Coning in the December 2001, Vol. 6 No. 4 issue of New Netherland Connections. 

My book completes several years of research into the origins and descendants of Steven Janse Coning who was baptized in 1617 in Nijkerk and settled in New Netherland with his wife Maria Goosens circa 1649. By 1663 Steven and Maria had at least 7, possibly 8 children. 

After their divorce in 1663 Steven and Maria married other spouses, and Maria had one more known child born to a man named Jacob whose surname is unknown. This book follows Steven, Maria and their descendants to three generations.

Continue reading at New Netherland Settlers: The Stevensen and Jacobsen Families 

New Netherland Settler Harmen Janie Ryckman

1644 Marriage of Harman Janss Ryckman

 Harmen Janse Ryckman (my 9th great grandfather) came to the New World with at least one child - his daughter Margarita (Grietje) Harmense Ryckman. By 1662 Grietje had married Jacques Cornelise Van Slyke the son of Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke and his Mohawk wife, Ots-Toch. Jacques and Grietje settled in the new village of Schenectady. Grietje's father lived in Albany as early as 1666 and there he died circa 1677

Read more at Harmen Janse Ryckman in New Netherland

The Barheit Family Revealed: A Genealogy of Hans Coenradt and Barenjte Jans Straetsman

The exact date of Hans Coenradt arrival in New Netherland is not known but it is most likely he was among the refugees fleeing Recife Brazil in April 1654. 

The first record found indicating he was in New Netherland is dated in Albany (Fort Orange) in early December 1655. Sometime between April 1654 and December 1655, Hans arrived in New New Netherland. As New Amsterdam came into view with its gallows and weather beaten wooden houses dominating a raw, windswept landscape, the Barheit family must have had mixed feelings. 

Continue reading at 

The Barheit Family Revealed: A Genealogy of Hans Coenradt and Barenjte Jans Straetsman, the Immigrant Ancestors of the Barheit Family of Albany New York

Understanding Dutch Patronymics

The Dutch were much slower than the English in adopting surnames as we know them. Patronymics ended theoretically under English rule in 1687 with the advent of surnames, but not everyone followed the new guidelines. In the Netherlands, patron ymics ended mostly (especially Friesland) during the Napoleantic period around 1811 when everyone had to register and select a family name.

The most common Dutch naming custom was that of patronymics, or identification of an individual based on the father's name. For example, Jan Albertszen is named after his father, Albert. Albertszen means son of a man named Albert. The patronymic was formed by adding -se, -sen, or -szen. Daughters would very often have the ending -x or -dr. added. For example, Geesjie Barentsdr. (Barentsdochter) is named after her father Barent. 

An individual could also be known by his place of origin. For example, Cornelis Antoniszen, my 9th great- grandfather, was known in some records as 'van Breuckelen', meaning 'from Breuckelen' (Breuckelen being a town in the Netherlands). The place-origin name could be a nationality, as in the case of Albert Andriessen from Norway and my 9th great-grandpa, originator of the Bradt and Vanderzee families - he is entered in many records as Albert Andriessen de Noorman, meaning the Norseman.

Continue reading DUTCH PATRONYMICS OF THE 1600s

V is for Van Names

Olive Tree Genealogy is continuing a new Alphabet Genealogy series of blog posts. I'm not following the usual way of going A-Z surnames. Instead I will create a one word "tag". Then I will share an ancestor (mine, my husband's, an inlaw's or one of my children's) who fits the tag

Today's letter is V for Van Names. I have several, all from Holland. They all ended up in New Netherland (present day New York) in the 17th century. You can read about some of them on my New Netherland Settlers section.

Vanderburg
Van Alstyne
Van Horn
Van Rottmer
Van Slyke
Van Schaik
Van Woert
Van Valkenburg

N is for New Netherland

Olive Tree Genealogy is continuing a new Alphabet Genealogy series of blog posts. I'm not following the usual way of going A-Z surnames. Instead I will create a one word "tag". Then I will share an ancestor (mine, my husband's, an inlaw's or one of my children's) who fits the tag

Today's letter is N for New Netherland

Many of my readers know I have dozens of New Netherland ancestors. For those not familiar with the term, New York state was originally settled by the Dutch and named New Netherland. If you have New Netherland ancestors please take a look at my pages with ships lists 1624-1664 including an exclusive project I have been working on for many years - compiling lists of those who sailed to New Netherland that are not found on published lists.

You will also find a history of New Netherland, and several interesting databases where you might find an ancestor name.

Some of my many New Netherland ancestors can be found on my site:

* BRADT. BRATT Bradt Family Descendants of Albert Andriessen de Noorman aka Bradt
* DAMEN Damen Family Descendants of Jan Cornelise Damen from Bunik Netherlands
* LEROY. LARAWAY. AUDY.  Simeon LeRoy dit Audy French settler to New France (Quebec) then New York
* PIER Pier Family Jan Theunissen and Arent Theunissen Pier and their descendants
* POST The New Jersey Post Family Descendants of Adriaen Crijnen Post. Book Available
* RYCKMAN Ryckman Family Harmen Janse Ryckman of New Netherland
* VAN ALSTYNE The Van Alstyne Family - The descendants of Jan Martense de Wever aka Van Alstyne
* VAN SLYKE. VAN SLYCK The Van Slyke Family - The descendants of Cornelise Antonissen Van Slyke and his nephew Willem Pieterse Van Slyke. Two books on the family also available
* VAN VALKENBURG Van Valkenburg Family Lambert Van Valkenburg and his son Jochem Lambertse
* VROOMAN The Vrooman Family in New Netherland New York Book Available

D is for Dutch Ancestors

Image by ArtTower from Pixabay

Olive Tree Genealogy is continuing a new Alphabet Genealogy series of blog posts. I'm not following the usual way of going A-Z surnames. Instead I will create a one word "tag". Then I will share an ancestor (mine, my husband's, an inlaw's or one of my children's) who fits the tag.

Today's letter is D and the tag word is Dutch. I have so many Dutch ancestors who left Holland for New Netherland (New York) that I've lost count! Here are the names of twelve with their years of immigration.

1. Cornelis Van Slyke from Holland to New Netherland (New York) in 1634
2. Albert Andriessen de Noorman (Bradt family) from Norway to New Netherland (New York) in 1637
3. Leendert de Grauw from Holland  to New Netherland (New York) in 1637
4. Cornelis Van Schaik to New Netherland (New York) in 1640
5. Jan Snediker from Germany to New Netherland (New York) in 1641
6. Lambert Van Valkenburg from Holland  to New Netherland (New York) in 1643
7. Adriaen Crijnen Post from Brazil  to New Netherland (New York) in 1650
8. Christian Van Horn from ?  to New Netherland (New York) in 1653
9. Jan Van Alystyne from Holland to New Netherland (New York) in 1655
10. Willem Pieterse Van Slyke from Holland to New Netherland (New York) in 1655
11. Herman Coerts from Holland  to New Netherland (New York) in 1659
12. Soert Olferts (Shuart family) from Holland to New Netherland (New York) in 1663

So there you have just a few of my many Dutch ancestors to North America. Do you have any Dutch family?

Are You a Taelman/Talma descendant?

If you descend from Douwe Harmanse Taelman & Dirkje Teunise I have good news. A new book on the family has just been published.
 
The Taelman family in America descends from two sons of Douwe Harmanse and his wife Dirkje Teunise. Douwe was born in Friesland, married in Amsterdam, and emigrated to New Netherland in June 1658. Eventually the family settled in New Jersey. This book follows the first two generations of Douwe and Dirckje in the New World.

Available now on Amazon.com and on Amazon.ca
 
New Netherland Settlers: The Taelman Family is the 14th published book in my New Netherland Settlers project. The complete list is available on my New Netherland page




 

FInding a Mennonite or Amish Ancestor

Menno Simons

Do you have Mennonite ancestors? I have several, all of who came to Ontario Canada in the early 1800s.

Menno Simons (ca 1496-1561) was a Dutch religious reformer. In 1536 he left the Roman Catholic priesthood because of his disagreement of infant baptism and other Catholic teachings. He organized and led the less aggressive division of Anabaptists in Germany and Holland. The name Mennonites is derived from his name, although he did not actually found the sect. The Mennonites were a Protestant sect which arose from Swiss Anabaptists. They were also called Swiss Brethren.

During the sixteenth century, the Mennonites and other Anabaptists were relentlessly persecuted. By the seventeenth century, some of them joined the state church in Switzerland and persuaded the authorities to relent in their attacks. The Mennonites outside the state church were divided on whether to remain in communion with their brothers within the state church, and this led to a split. Those against remaining in communion with them became known as the Amish, after their founder Jacob Amman. Those who remained in communion with them retained the name Mennonite

A few Dutch Mennonites began the immigration to America in 1683, followed by a larger immigration of Swiss-German Mennonites beginning in 1707. In the 1870s Dutch Mennonites, who had settled in the German Kingdom of Prussia and then Russia, moved to the United States and Canada where they became known as Russian Mennonites.  Many Mennonites settled in Pennsylvania. Large numbers immigrated further into Ontario Canada especially Waterloo County

My Mennonite ancestors who came to Ontario Canada were Burkholder, Gingrich, and Hunsicker

• Burkholder Mennonite Genealogy - Ancestry of Jacob Burkholder of Hamilton Ontario (Switzerland to Pennsylvania to Ontario)
• Gingrich Mennonite Genealogy - Gingrich Family, Switzerland to Pennsylvania to Ontario
• Hunsicker Mennonite Genealogy - Hunsicker, Hunsecker, Hunsiker, Hunziger, Huntzinger and Hunsucker families of Switzlerland 

You may find the following links of help in your own research for your Mennonite ancestors

Mennonite Ships Passenger Lists
Mennonites to Canada
Mennonite Family Trees
Historical Mennonite Overview

New Netherland Settlers Van Slyke Family

"New Netherland Settlers Van Slyke Family: Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke 1604-1676 & his French-Mohawk Wife Ots-Toch" 

  30+ years of research pulled together. 3rd Edition of my Van Slyke book. 366 pages, over 1200 footnotes

Now available on Amazon

In 1634 the Dutchman Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke set out on a perilous journey to New Netherland (present day New York). He was a thirty year old carpenter and mason whose skills were desirable in the new colony. Little did he know that a lifetime of adventure and hardship awaited him.

Within a few years after his arrival in the New World he would meet a French-Mohawk woman named Ots-Toch. Together they carved out a life in the wilderness, raising three children who became valued interpreters for the Dutch, British, and Iroquois.

This is the story of Cornelis and Ots-Toch, and of Ots-Toch’s father Jacques Hertel, interpreter in New France (present day Quebec) to Samuel de Champlain, the Father of Canada.

This book also follows the descendants of Cornelis and Ots-Toch to 5 generations.

See the full list of available New Netherland settlers books

New Netherland Settlers The Barheit Family

New Netherland Settlers: The Barheit Family Revealed: A Genealogy of Hans Coenradt and Barenjte Jans Straetsman, the Immigrant Ancestors of the Barheit Family of Albany New York

Available on Amazon.com , Amazon.ca
60 pages
8.5" x 11"

The exact date of Hans Coenradt’s arrival in New Netherland is not known but it is most likely he was among the refugees fleeing Recife Brazil in April 1654.

The first record found indicating he was in New Netherland is dated in Albany (Fort Orange) in early December 1655. Sometime between April 1654 and December 1655, Hans arrived in New New Netherland. As New Amsterdam came into view with its gallows and weather beaten wooden houses dominating a raw, windswept landscape, the Barheit family must have had mixed feelings.

New Amsterdam in 1654 was a frontier outpost filled with brawling sailors and rough-looking fur traders. Over fifty grog houses catered to a never-ending stream of men dropping in for a little fun on their way to or from Massachusetts or Virginia.

The Barheit Family Revealed ends speculation as to the origins of Hans and his wife Barentje, as well as providing sources proving the names of their descendants to 3 generations .

See the full list of available New Netherland settlers books

New Netherland Settlers - The Straetsman Sisters

New Netherland Settlers: The Straetsman Sisters Barentje & Teuntje and Their Six Husbands Authored by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

 Available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca,

8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
92 pages

The Straetsman sisters Barentje and Teuntje were from Culemborg Netherlands. In 1630 the West India Company conquered part of Brazil and the colony of New Holland (now present-day Recife) was founded.

Dutch troops were sent to Recife and Olinda in Pernambuco Brazil and no doubt Barentje and Teuntje’s first husbands were among those sent to maintain order. They settled first in Brazil before 1637 and then New Netherland circa 1657.

Descendants of Teuntje Straetsman will find sourced details of Teuntie and her four husbands Jan Meyering, Jueriaen Haf, Tieleman Jacobsz vander Meyen & Gabriel Corbesy.

Descendants of Barentje Straetsman will find sourced details of Barentje and her two husbands Hans Coenradt Barheit and Jacob Janse Gardenier aka Flodder.

See the full list of available New Netherland settlers books

Lodewyck Cornelis Post New Netherland Settler

New Netherland Settlers: Lodewyck Cornelis Post & His Wife Agnietje Bonen by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

Available on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
84 pages

 Sometime between October 1647 and July 1652, Lodewyck Cornelils Post, his wife Agnietje Bonen, and their children left Amsterdam Holland to settle in New Netherland (New York). Research into Naarden Holland church records has revealed Lodewyck’s birth and his parents’ marriage in that city.

When Lodewyck and his family arrived, New Amsterdam’s population was just over 600 people and it was growing rapidly. New Amsterdam’s gabled homes, the Dutch language being spoken, and Dutch laws in place would have offered comfort to newly arrived Lodewyck and Agnietje.

Court records in New Amsterdam (New York City) reveal 20 years of Lodewyck’s involvement in various cases. Often he was being taken to court for money owed to others in the community. Lodewyck was also involved in attempts to protect his daughter Belitje from her abusive husband.

See the full list of available New Netherland settlers books

The Goeway Family Ancestors & Descendants

New Netherland Settlers: The Goeway Family: Ancestors & Descendants of Salomon Abbelse & Barber Philippse

 72 pages. Available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

The story of the Goeway family in New Netherland begins with Salomon Abelse who was baptised in Amsterdam Holland in 1617, and his wife Barber (Barbara) Phillipse who was baptised in 1619 in Amsterdam.

Salomon and Barber left Holland for New Netherland with their children circa 1652, settling in New Amsterdam (present day New York City)

This book provides details of Salomon and Barber's ancestry as well as their siblings and descendants in Holland and New Netherland. Salomon's Freisland origins are also included.


See the full list of available New Netherland settlers books

Captain Adriaen Crijnen Post - a New Book!

New Netherland Settlers: Captain Adriaen Crijnen Post & Claartje Moockers

Available on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca


The Dutchman Adriaen Crijnen Post and his wife Claartje (Clara) Moockers are found in Recife Brazil in 1646. By the time Brazil fell to the Portuguese in 1654 Adriaen and his femily had left for the Netherlands. From there they sailed to New Netherland. 

As a representative of Baron van der Capellan, Adriaen established a thriving colony on Staten Island. The colony was burned to the ground in the Peach Tree War in 1655 and 23 colonists were killed by Indians. Adriaen, his wife, 5 children and 2 servants were among the 67 colonists taken prisoner. 

This book follows Adriaen and Clara in New Netherland and also provides information on their children and grandchildren. 

See the full list of available New Netherland settlers books

Book on the Vrooman Family in New Netherland (New York)

 
New Netherland Settlers: The Vrooman Family: Ancestors & Descendants of the Brothers Hendrick Meesen Vrooman, Pieter Meesen Vrooman and Jacob Meesen Vrooman of New Netherland (New York)

8.5x11"
56 pages
Available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

The three brothers Hendrick Meesen Vrooman, Pieter Meesen and Jacob Meesen came from the Netherlands who came to New Netherland in the early part of the 17th century. Pieter arrived circa 1655, and he and Jacob settled in Albany. Hendrick settled first at Kinderhook, then Steen Raby and finally Schenectady in 1677.

This book traces the Vrooman ancestry back to the brothers' great-great grandfather Gerrit Jans Kerstantsz born in Holland circa 1457, and follows the family down 5 generations.

More books on New Netherland Settlers available here 
 

New Book: Jan Sipkens W.I.C. Soldier, and His Sipken and Sippe Ancestors & Descendants

New Netherland Settlers

Jan Sipken, W.I.C. Soldier, and His Sipken and Sippe Ancestors & Descendants

50 pages. Available on Amazon


Jan Sipkens was a Dutch soldier who settled in New Netherland sometime before October 1674. His marriage intentions were recorded in the New Amsterdam Reformed Dutch Church that month, and they revealed his origins were in Amsterdam Holland.

A search of the Amsterdam church records found his baptism in 1656 to parents Sipke (aka Zipke) Auckus and Baefje Jans. The surname in North America eventually became Sippe as well as Sipkens.

A search of available Amsterdam records revealed baptisms of Jan Sipken’s siblings and the marriage of his parents.  This book details the family in Amsterdam Holland, and New Amsterdam in New Netherland (present day New York).

More books on New Netherland Settlers available here 

Book on Willem Pieterse Van Slyke and Descendants

New Netherland Settlers: Willem Pieterse Van Slyke aka Neef - A genealogy to five generations of the descendants of Willem Pieterse Van Slyke who settled in New Netherland (New York) in 1660 Available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

 Settlement in New Netherland (New York) did not begin until Fort Orange (Albany) was built in 1621. Willem Pieterse Van Slyke sailed from Holland to the New World in 1660 on De Trouw. His uncle Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke had settled in New Netherland in 1634. 

This book follows Willem Pieterse and his descendants down 5 generations. It is fully sourced with footnotes. It also reveals for the first time the origins of Willem and his uncle Cornelis in Breuckelen in the Netherlands.

See the full list of New Netherland Settlers books