Who was George N. MacKenzie?
He was the editor of a series of books that was published in the early twentieth century on colonial families of the United States. These volumes contained genealogies of early families. Unfortunately, I found much of the information in these volumes to be full of errors. Most recently, I found a tree that referenced Everardus Bogardus and Anneke Jans.
Everardus Bogardus is called the first minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam in Colonial Families of the United States of America, Volume I (George Norbury MacKenzie, Editor). This is not correct. In fact, the entire paragraph on Page 224 is full of errors. The paragraph reads:
"Dominie Everardus Bogardus, d. 1647; m. 21st June, 1642, Anneka Jans Roeloff; he was a native of Holland and the first minister of the Dutch Church at New Amsterdam; he obtained a grant of six acres on Manhattan Island, which afterwards became Trinity Church property; his wife Anneka Jans, was a granddaughter of Prince William of Orange, who afteward became King of Holland."
At the time that his book was compiled (1912), in the United States, the Netherlands was often called Holland, This is not really accurate as Holland could refer to one of two provinces, Noord Holland and Zuid Holland. Domine Bogardus was native of Utrecht Province.
Everardus was the second Reformed Dutch minister at New Amsterdam, not the first.
Bogardus did not marry Anneke Jans in 1642. The line in the book following the passage cited above states that Bogardus' son William married August 26, 1659. (See note below.) If Everardus and Anneke married in 1642, Willem would be about 16 or younger when he married.
Looking at the baptismal and marriage records in New Amsterdam in the 1600s, I find it highly unlikely that Willem Bogardus was married at such a young age. Males typically married in their early 20s.The baptismal records begin with the baptism of Jacob Wolpherttz's daughter, Neeltje on September 23, 1639. I found a record of the baptism of Cornelis Bogardus on October 9, 1640, of Jonas Bogardus on January 4, 1643, and of Pieter Bogardus on April 2, 1645.
Anneke Jans and Everardus Bogardus were clearly married before October 9, 1640. Willem Bogardus was their eldest child and was likely born before September, 1639, the date of the first entry in the Doop Book.The records of the city include an entry in which Anneke Jans, wife of Everardus Bogardus sold a hog on October 19, 1638.
It was In 1642 that Anneke Jans' daughter from her first marriage married Hans Kierstede. It was at the celebration of this marriage that Everardus Bogardus was able to garner enough pledges to be able to erect a permanent structure for his church.
The property mentioned in the paragraph did become the property of the Trinity Church in New York City and was the subject of legal battles beginning in the mid-eighteenth century and culminating in the early twentieth century. The descendants never prevailed in their several suits. The reasons are well documented.
Anneka is not the way that Anneke Jans' name was recorded. This is not the way this given name was spelled during this period. Anneke, Annetie, Annetje and Annetjen is the way this name was recorded. She was never Anneka Jans Roeloffs. That would have meant that she was the daughter of Roeloff. And that brings me to the last point.
Anneke Jans was the daughter of Jan. She was not "the granddaughter of Prince William of Orange, who afterward became King of Holland." Willem of Orange, also called Willem the Silent, died in 1584. He was instrumental in uniting the provinces, but he never was a king. Willem I, the first king of the Netherlands, was crowned in 1815.
It is important to keep the Williams straight. Willem the Silent's grandson, Willem, became William III, King of England in 1689. William III ruled jointly with his wife Mary Stuart.
Anneke Jans was the daughter of Tryn Jonas and Jan (patronym not known). She was born in Norway, not in the Netherlands. This story of her parentage appears to have been concocted sometime in the late nineteenth century.
Note: Willem Bogardus was married after October 29, 1659. This is the date on which the marriage banns were posted. "29 Aug. 1659. Willem Bogardus, Van N. Amsterdam, en Wyntje Sybrandts,Van O. Amsterdam."
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Von Limburg is not Dutch
I came across a family tree on Ancestry.com that included General Lewis Cass. I was very much interested in this tree as Lewis Cass' daughter, Matilda was married to a very distant cousin of mine, Henry Ledyard. When I say very distant, he is my 6th cousin 4 times removed.
General Cass was the governor of the Michigan Territory, which at that time included the current states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and parts of North and South Dakota. While researching my family, I found family in Cass County, in most of these states. My grandparents are buried in Cass County, Minnesota. I hadn't connected why so many of these states had a Cass County until I learned about Lewis Cass.
I generally don't spend much time on the ancestors of people who marry into my family. Typically, I try to find out birth, death and marriage dates for the parents of a person who married a relative. When I searched for Lewis Cass, I was surprised how much was written about him. I was also surprised at some of the things written about him or his family that were not correct.
Then I came across another tree that sent a red flag up the pole when I saw it. Lewis Cass had another daughter, Isabella. This tree claimed that she married Baron Theodorus Marinus Roest Von Linburg who was the Dutch Foreign Minister to the United States. The words baron and von were the triggers.
The word Von is German, not Dutch. It translate to the English word of just as the Dutch word van would translate. However, the German word "Von" signifies a person of the nobility of that place whereas the Dutch word "van" simply means of or from. Baron is a title used in the regions that today comprise Germany. It is not a Dutch title.
I came across an inventory of letters and documents relating to the family Roest van Limburg from 1604 to 1978 at the Archives of the Netherlands. Theodorus Marinus Roest van Limburg is addressed in letters as Mr. not as Baron. So where did the author of the tree get this idea that Theodorus was a baron?
So I decided to search further. I found a book that was printed in 1922, "The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922 Volume II." There it was, big as life! But that same search found another book. Only this book is recent (1996). It is entitled "Lewis Cass and Politics of Moderation" by Willard Carl Klunder at Kent State University. To me it looks like Mr. Klunder lifted the text from the 1922 book.
Since it was published by Kent State University, I can hardly blame someone researching Lewis Cass and his descendants for incorporating this junk into their tree.
General Cass was the governor of the Michigan Territory, which at that time included the current states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and parts of North and South Dakota. While researching my family, I found family in Cass County, in most of these states. My grandparents are buried in Cass County, Minnesota. I hadn't connected why so many of these states had a Cass County until I learned about Lewis Cass.
I generally don't spend much time on the ancestors of people who marry into my family. Typically, I try to find out birth, death and marriage dates for the parents of a person who married a relative. When I searched for Lewis Cass, I was surprised how much was written about him. I was also surprised at some of the things written about him or his family that were not correct.
Then I came across another tree that sent a red flag up the pole when I saw it. Lewis Cass had another daughter, Isabella. This tree claimed that she married Baron Theodorus Marinus Roest Von Linburg who was the Dutch Foreign Minister to the United States. The words baron and von were the triggers.
The word Von is German, not Dutch. It translate to the English word of just as the Dutch word van would translate. However, the German word "Von" signifies a person of the nobility of that place whereas the Dutch word "van" simply means of or from. Baron is a title used in the regions that today comprise Germany. It is not a Dutch title.
I came across an inventory of letters and documents relating to the family Roest van Limburg from 1604 to 1978 at the Archives of the Netherlands. Theodorus Marinus Roest van Limburg is addressed in letters as Mr. not as Baron. So where did the author of the tree get this idea that Theodorus was a baron?
So I decided to search further. I found a book that was printed in 1922, "The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922 Volume II." There it was, big as life! But that same search found another book. Only this book is recent (1996). It is entitled "Lewis Cass and Politics of Moderation" by Willard Carl Klunder at Kent State University. To me it looks like Mr. Klunder lifted the text from the 1922 book.
Since it was published by Kent State University, I can hardly blame someone researching Lewis Cass and his descendants for incorporating this junk into their tree.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Update to August 4, 2011 Post
I wrote about the spinning wheel that Aunt Eleanor mentioned in her journal. I also mentioned that my mother told me that the spinning wheel was given to a museum and not to one of the greeat-great granddaughters.
My cousin Terry read my post and wrote to tell me that her grandmother had not donated the spinning wheel to a museum. If that were the case, I then imagined that it was given to Aunt Eleanor's eldest granddaughter, Terry's sister, or to her beloved Patti. But Terry said that my mother's sister told Aunt Eleanor to give the spinning wheel to her (Terry). I have to say that I was quite surprised.
It was my mother's belief that her sister was hoping that the spinning wheel would go to my cousin Joy, my aunt's only daughter. I saw my aunt frequently. She rarely mentioned Terry or her siblings so I have not a clue as to why Joyce would name Terry as the recipient over her own daughter.
Terry also wrote to tell me that she thought that the spinning wheel should go to Patti and that Patti would probably send me a picture of it if I asked. Terry was so gracious in suggesting to her grandmother that Patti should have the spinning wheel. However, I am a bit saddened that the story my mother told about the spinning wheel being donated to a museum wasn't actually true.
My great-great grandmother, Guri, had 35 great-great granddaughters, most of whom I expect would have liked to have her spinning wheel. If it were in a museum, the daughters of all of her descendants would have an opportunity to be connected to it.
I remember how excited I was to see the portraits of my great (6) grandparents hanging in the Museum of the City of New York. These portraits were painted in mid 1700s. For years, they hung in the living room of a descendant, Caroline Wells. Fortunately for the thousands of Jacobus and Margrietje's descendants, she never married, was an only child and on her death in 1939 she willed the portraits and some other items belonging to Margrietje to the Museum of the City of New York.
My mother started a business in the late 1960s and acquired three cordboards. By the late 1990s, these cordboards were obsolete. Finding parts and people who could repair them was increasingly more difficult. In 2008, I donated one cordboard to the museum in Tustin, California.
It is hard to imagine that items that are a part of one's life will become obsolete and an object of history. That cordboard was over 60 years old and built when my parents were young adults. My mother ran her business til she died. To me that cordboard represents my mother and an important part of her life. I am glad that it will be preserved as a part of the history of Orange County. I hope her future descendants that visit the museum will derive as much pleasure at seeing the cordboard as I did when I viewed portraits.
My cousin Terry read my post and wrote to tell me that her grandmother had not donated the spinning wheel to a museum. If that were the case, I then imagined that it was given to Aunt Eleanor's eldest granddaughter, Terry's sister, or to her beloved Patti. But Terry said that my mother's sister told Aunt Eleanor to give the spinning wheel to her (Terry). I have to say that I was quite surprised.
It was my mother's belief that her sister was hoping that the spinning wheel would go to my cousin Joy, my aunt's only daughter. I saw my aunt frequently. She rarely mentioned Terry or her siblings so I have not a clue as to why Joyce would name Terry as the recipient over her own daughter.
Terry also wrote to tell me that she thought that the spinning wheel should go to Patti and that Patti would probably send me a picture of it if I asked. Terry was so gracious in suggesting to her grandmother that Patti should have the spinning wheel. However, I am a bit saddened that the story my mother told about the spinning wheel being donated to a museum wasn't actually true.
My great-great grandmother, Guri, had 35 great-great granddaughters, most of whom I expect would have liked to have her spinning wheel. If it were in a museum, the daughters of all of her descendants would have an opportunity to be connected to it.
I remember how excited I was to see the portraits of my great (6) grandparents hanging in the Museum of the City of New York. These portraits were painted in mid 1700s. For years, they hung in the living room of a descendant, Caroline Wells. Fortunately for the thousands of Jacobus and Margrietje's descendants, she never married, was an only child and on her death in 1939 she willed the portraits and some other items belonging to Margrietje to the Museum of the City of New York.
My mother started a business in the late 1960s and acquired three cordboards. By the late 1990s, these cordboards were obsolete. Finding parts and people who could repair them was increasingly more difficult. In 2008, I donated one cordboard to the museum in Tustin, California.
It is hard to imagine that items that are a part of one's life will become obsolete and an object of history. That cordboard was over 60 years old and built when my parents were young adults. My mother ran her business til she died. To me that cordboard represents my mother and an important part of her life. I am glad that it will be preserved as a part of the history of Orange County. I hope her future descendants that visit the museum will derive as much pleasure at seeing the cordboard as I did when I viewed portraits.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
When Things of One's Youth Are in Museums
As I grew older I would not be surprised when items that were common place when I was a child would be a part of a museum exhibit. This was OK afterall I was a child and these items were artifacts of my parents' generation.
As the years passed, I am finding items that were new when I was a young adult are more and more often being added to museum collections and exhibitions.
When I created this blog, I expected that I would be only writing about events and circumstances that impacted my ancestors and stories that they told. But more recent events in my life made me realize that events in the lives of me and my husband were now a part of history.
My husband is now part of the oral history collection at the Silicon Valley Computer History Museum. Then I see other friends from the early years of our courtship and marriage also part of the collection.
The Computer History Museum is local. OK, I can handle the fact that my husband and friends are part of the collection. I had no idea that something of my intimate past would be included at the Smithsonian. I learned that a punch card designed by the UCLA Computer Club was now a part of the Smithsonian collection.
UCLA Computer Club was where I met my husband. I was one of three females that were members at that time when the rest of the membership consisted of about 200 males. Besides me, the other two were Diane and Mary.
As a math major at Cal, I took some programming classes that were part of the mathematics department courses. When I was at UCLA, I discovered the Computer Club, a place that I could get free time on the computer to hone my skills.
To support myself, I worked part time for a professor of Anthropology writing a program to analyze the data he had collected in India. I used the Campus Computing Facility to analyze Dr. Leaf's data. His project was charged based on an MUS. We pronounced this new charging unit moose. The acronym stood for machine unit second.
Computer Club was given so many free MUS to give to the members. One member created a drawing of a moose that was printed on the punch cards sold to the members. This is the image of the Moose punch card held at the Smithsonian:
Apparently the cards were printed on pink cardstock at some time. I remember them looking more like the color of a manilla file folder. Click on the image above to visit the Smithsonian website.
As the years passed, I am finding items that were new when I was a young adult are more and more often being added to museum collections and exhibitions.
When I created this blog, I expected that I would be only writing about events and circumstances that impacted my ancestors and stories that they told. But more recent events in my life made me realize that events in the lives of me and my husband were now a part of history.
My husband is now part of the oral history collection at the Silicon Valley Computer History Museum. Then I see other friends from the early years of our courtship and marriage also part of the collection.
The Computer History Museum is local. OK, I can handle the fact that my husband and friends are part of the collection. I had no idea that something of my intimate past would be included at the Smithsonian. I learned that a punch card designed by the UCLA Computer Club was now a part of the Smithsonian collection.
UCLA Computer Club was where I met my husband. I was one of three females that were members at that time when the rest of the membership consisted of about 200 males. Besides me, the other two were Diane and Mary.
As a math major at Cal, I took some programming classes that were part of the mathematics department courses. When I was at UCLA, I discovered the Computer Club, a place that I could get free time on the computer to hone my skills.
To support myself, I worked part time for a professor of Anthropology writing a program to analyze the data he had collected in India. I used the Campus Computing Facility to analyze Dr. Leaf's data. His project was charged based on an MUS. We pronounced this new charging unit moose. The acronym stood for machine unit second.
Computer Club was given so many free MUS to give to the members. One member created a drawing of a moose that was printed on the punch cards sold to the members. This is the image of the Moose punch card held at the Smithsonian:
Apparently the cards were printed on pink cardstock at some time. I remember them looking more like the color of a manilla file folder. Click on the image above to visit the Smithsonian website.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A Letter in 1862 to my Great-great-great Grandmother from her Sister
I have a copy of a letter that was sent to my great-great-great grandmother in 1862 from her sister, Eliza, who was living in Dickinson's Landing, Ontario, Canada. Dickinson's Landing is one of the "Lost Villages" claimed by the building of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1958.
Based on the content of Eliza's letter, her sister Ellen and brother-in-law Harvey came to Wisconsin during a difficult time in that part of Ontario, Canada. By 1862, Eliza feels that the situation that caused my ancestors to leave Canada were much improved.
I transcribed Eliza's letter to my great-great-great grandmother as it was written. Eliza did not use puncuation and capitalized words that seem to be at random. She spelled many words phonetically. The letter was very easy to read.
Based on the content of Eliza's letter, her sister Ellen and brother-in-law Harvey came to Wisconsin during a difficult time in that part of Ontario, Canada. By 1862, Eliza feels that the situation that caused my ancestors to leave Canada were much improved.
I transcribed Eliza's letter to my great-great-great grandmother as it was written. Eliza did not use puncuation and capitalized words that seem to be at random. She spelled many words phonetically. The letter was very easy to read.
Dickinsons Landing December the 28 1862
Dear Ellen
I take Pleasure of sending those few lins to you to let you know we are all weell at Presant ahoping this Cilent mesenger may find you all Enjoying the same thanks be to kind Providence for his goodness to us all I Recived your letter and was very glad to heir you were all weell for I suppose you all Dead you Did not write to me samual moss is married Miclael Crump and family are well Daniel sends his love to you all he is looking for a letter from Harvey he says is Eyes is geting sore looking
Page 2
Dear Sister I hope yow are Enjoying good Health this is a strange world to live in friend so far apart I hope we shall meet gain by the blessing of god Dear sister I want you to write to me and let me know all the Perticulars Deor Sister we are not liveing at the Presant as you leaft us we have plenty of Every thing we have got all new furniture for Our house we are very Comfortabel I wish you were here we should have good Old tims of it Dear sister try and Come Down it shant Cost you Any thing to go back the boys are very kind to me
Page 3
give my love to Harvey tell him I want that kiss I am as fat as little pig Hyram sends him love to you all sarahann sends her love to you all we had a Dull Chrismas no son uncle Abraham mattice is very Poorly they sends thir love to you all I sends my love to your all
No more at Presant I must Conclud by wishing you all good night and a happy new year
I want you to write soon
I Remain your Affectioned sister
Eliza sophia Winters
When I read Eliza's letter, I was amused at the number of times that she referenced wishing to hear from her sister. I have vivid recollections of writing letters in which I said "I hope you write soon."
Monday, August 15, 2011
California State Houses or Whatever Happened to Hebard Place
In June I posted a message about the house where we lived the second year that my family lived in California. It was on Hebard Place and was a house owned by the State of California. It was destined to be demolished or bought and moved to another location.
The Hebard house was second State house in which my parents and our family lived. The year prior we moved in with my aunt and uncle who were renting a State house on Hope Street. I never knew what happened to the Hebard Place house, but the Hope Street house survived the building of the Garden Grove Freeway.
The State of California purchased houses that might be in the path of the development of a freeway and rented the houses to tenants until the progress of the building of the freeway necessitated the demolition of the structure. My parents were not in a position to buy another home until they could sell their house in Minnesota. But making a mortgage payment and paying rent each month was a real stretch for my parents.
Fortunately for my parents, the rents on the State houses were very reasonable. They were able to sell the house in Minnesota by June of 1962. My parents bought a house and we moved after the school year ended.
It is over fifty years since we lived in a State house. As I watch the effects of the collapse of the housing industry by the financial institutions, I wonder why we don't have "state houses" now. It makes more sense to me to have tenants in a property than to let vandals destroy it and bring down the neighboring home prices down.
The Hebard house was second State house in which my parents and our family lived. The year prior we moved in with my aunt and uncle who were renting a State house on Hope Street. I never knew what happened to the Hebard Place house, but the Hope Street house survived the building of the Garden Grove Freeway.
The State of California purchased houses that might be in the path of the development of a freeway and rented the houses to tenants until the progress of the building of the freeway necessitated the demolition of the structure. My parents were not in a position to buy another home until they could sell their house in Minnesota. But making a mortgage payment and paying rent each month was a real stretch for my parents.
Fortunately for my parents, the rents on the State houses were very reasonable. They were able to sell the house in Minnesota by June of 1962. My parents bought a house and we moved after the school year ended.
It is over fifty years since we lived in a State house. As I watch the effects of the collapse of the housing industry by the financial institutions, I wonder why we don't have "state houses" now. It makes more sense to me to have tenants in a property than to let vandals destroy it and bring down the neighboring home prices down.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Aunt Eleanor's Journal - Her last entry
Aunt Eleanor started this journal when she was 81 years old to give to her granddaughter Patti when she was finished writing. From my earlier posts, you can see that Aunt Eleanor thought the she was about to give the journal to Patti. It seems that she did not as this is her last entry.
Sept. 16, 1989
L ove Grandma
Sept. 16, 1989
My how I do hang on. This year has been full of accidents and problems. The fall in the elevator that broke my shoulder Jan. 30 then on March 15 I slipped my leg under a car so it could run over it and the rest of the year has been a time of mending.
I was talking to you a little ago and told you I was going to straighten out my cancelled checks as they were piling up and running over. So that is what I started to do but I come to this little book and the time has been fleeting by while I read it and not much else has been done Funny but we sure have been to many ballgames and just 2 days ago we did it again. I just had to add a line or two as this book seems to go on and on. I sit here and wonder will there be more ball games or have I seen my last one. If so I am ready for my call. I was afraid this spring or summer that I would be moving again but the lord made things happen so we all stayed put on Oliver Ave. No.
I remember my mother telling me about Aunt Eleanor's leg being run over by Patti's car. It was such a freak accident and so fortunate that there was so much snow.
As I read this journal, I was so struck with the relationship that Patti had with Aunt Eleanor. The comments and the pictures that Patti's mother posts on Facebook confirms what a compassionate and caring person Patti is.
I am sorry that Aunt Eleanor did not continue it until she died. She passed away in 1995 at the age of 95.
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