On 7/10/06 (12:48:20 PM MDT), in a posting on behalf of Sara Gronim 
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I'm going over a book manuscript on colonial New York with my copyeditor who 
queries me on whether the "van" so common among 17th and 18th century names 
should be capitalized or not. When reading early sources the capitalization is 
variable, and the print versions by 19th and 20th century historians seem to 
vary, too.  I had decided to leave all my van Rensselaers, etc, lower-case for 
consistency's sake.  Is there an accepted practice, or is the capitalization of 
"van" ("Van"?!) optional?"

 
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This is the discussion list of the New York and New Jersey Colonies, known as 
New Amsterdam, established early in the history of colonial America.

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I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting.

Regards,

Walter Greenspan
Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY