MAP OF LANGE EYLANDT (LONG ISLAND 1645) Our Smith ancestors, the von Couwenhovens, settled into the western edge of the island in 1636. Wolphert Gerretse von Couwenhoven was the first European to purchase land from the Native American. At least it was the first recorded transaction still on record. Wolphert and wife, Neeltje, operated as a team. They were […]
FRAUNCES TAVERN – NEW SWEDEN 1645 One of the more interesting finds in my search for ancestors found me stumbling blindly through what the British would call an ‘ordinary’ on Manhattan Island. My Irish ancestors would call it a pub. And the folks here in Wisconsin would call it a bar. It was both bar, […]
Connecticut Colonies – 1636 The history of Connecticut is especially relevant to Nancy’s Whittington branch of the family tree. Her ancestors were vital players in the development of the several communities and former, independent colonies within Connecticut, including New Haven Colony. Red dots (Hartford based settlements) especially those on the eastern tip of Long Island were […]
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY (1666) The Whittington family tree branches extend through the Osbourne family line and incorporates the DNA of a number of protestant family preachers and deacons who fled the Welsh marsh of Britain and settled into New England. Obadiah Bruehn, the Kitchells, Baldwins and Piersons were but a few of the families found […]
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA We will come back to the water park in just a moment. Bring your swim suits and golf clubs should you come looking for Peeter Smith and Stephen Robinson of the Aunt Robbie tree! Putting things in perspective, in the map below we have the present day state of Virginia and a second […]
DELMARVA PENINSULA: DELAWARE, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA Colonial Home of the Whittington Family 1636 (For more information see below the map) The Virginia state line with Maryland is highlighted in red. This boundary was in dispute as the colonies grew under British governance. Virginia’s presence on the peninsula has long been represented by the two counties: […]
AMERSFOORT, NETHERLANDS 1625 HOME OF WOLPHERT GERRITSE von COUWENHOVEN This map from c. 1625 shows the location of the community of Amersfoort and the actual bowery (farm) of Wolphert Gerritse von Couwenhoven (red dot) to the north and slightly west of Amersfoort. Notice that the drawing of the village shows the outer wall for defense purposes, […]
THE WILDERNESS COUNTRY 1772 On the map to the left, The Watauga Settlement (orange) is shown alongside the Nolichucky Settlement (purple). The region was home to the Cherokee and a number of other tribal nations that had lived for centuries in the Appalachians. A number of our ancestors in various family lines passed through this […]
Imagine owning this beachfront property at one time in your life. This is Atlantic City, New Jersey. Donald Trump owns a piece of it. Pieter Wulfertsen, owned a large chunk of turf in the neighborhood long before casinos opened on the Boardwalk. He also owned and operated a business in the heart of the Financial […]