I am excited to announce I have joined the editorial board of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. The Record, as it is colloquially known, is a peer-reviewed journal focused on scholarly research into New York families. The Record has appeared for more than 150 years and is the second oldest genealogical journal in English that is still being published today. It is published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. The Record often features families who lived in … [Read more...]
New Netherland Settlers Project
24 May 2024 by 13 Comments
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society just announced an exciting new project. They launched a multiyear project to develop detailed, peer-reviewed sketches of all the people residing in New Netherland prior to 1664. I am proud to announce that I will be one of the researchers on the project. I will prepare sketches, review and select source material, and advise the project about the information architecture and direction, and scope. I will be working on the project … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Identical place names in New and Old Netherland
13 September 2023 by 2 Comments
If you are doing in New Netherland, the Dutch colony in what later became New York and the surrounding area, you may come across place names that exist in both the (old) Netherlands and New Netherland. When you come across a place in records and you cannot find the person in the records of that town, consider that perhaps the other place is meant. For example, a New Amsterdam marriage record may refer to a bride from "Vlissingen" without specifying whether that is the town on Long Island or the … [Read more...]
Quick tip – 400 Years of Dutch-American Stories
28 September 2022 by Leave a Comment
The National Archives of the Netherlands publishes a monthly series of stories about the 400 years of Dutch-American history. Past issues include stories about the name New Amsterdam, a woman named Mayken van Angola who was freed from slavery, and Dutch-American relations. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Podcast episode about New Netherland and Slavery
16 March 2022 by Leave a Comment
Andrea Mosterman features in episode 324 of the podcast Ben Franklin's World. The episode is called "New Netherland and Slavery." She discusses how the colony of New Netherland took shape, and the ways how the West India Company and private persons used enslaved labor to develop the colony. … [Read more...]
Source: Emigrants to New Netherland (1650-1664)
25 October 2019 by 3 Comments
The New York State Archives in Albany houses many colonial Dutch records. Among those records is an account book of the West India Company, which includes payments for passage to New Netherland from 1650 to 1664. This is a great source of information about New Netherland ancestors. Example: Teunis Kraij This entry for Teunis Kraij translates to: Teunis Kraij from Venlo, debit for passage and victuals when he came here on the ship Draetvat [Wire Cask] on 2 April 1657 AD, skipper Jan Jansen … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Women in New Netherland conference
13 September 2017 by 1 Comment
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in New York State, there will be a conference about "Women In New Netherland." Organizer: New Netherland Institute Dates: 22-23 September 2017 Where: Albany, New York More information: Women in New Netherland Conference page … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Two New Netherland Articles Published
9 August 2017 by 5 Comments
Two of my clients published articles in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (April 2017 issue) for which they used research I did for them: Harry Macy, "Origin of the Amerman and Terhune Families, and their Founding Mother Geertje Dirks." This article includes research I did to identify the origins of Albert Terhune, patriarch of the New Netherland Terhune family. Adrian Burke, "A Note on Origins of Alexander Glen, Alias Sander Leendertz Glen, of Schenectady County, New … [Read more...]
Quick tip – New Netherland digitization projects
26 October 2016 by Leave a Comment
On both sides of the Atlantic, records are being digitized that will help us trace New Netherland ancestors. The New York State Archives is digitizing the New Netherland records. With funds provided by the Dutch government, they are digitizing 9,500 pages of records not already digitized. These include New Amsterdam council minutes, correspondence, Fort Orange records and registers of the Provincial Secretary. Read more about the project at the New York Historical and Biographical Society … [Read more...]
The Bed-Wetting Colonist
5 August 2016 by 4 Comments
Even after twenty-five years as a genealogist, I am often amazed of the level of detail we can find in archival records. Here is one of the things I ran across when searching for a New Netherland ancestor of a client. In 1652, the colony of New Netherland—which encompassed large parts of what is now the state of New York—was eager for new settlers to arrive. The almoners' orphanage in Amsterdam was approached to send orphans. The almoners' orphanage was the orphanage that took care of the … [Read more...]
