LISTSERV - NYHIST-L Archives - LISTSERV.NYSED.GOV

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this list! My interest in NY history lies in the fact one of my maternal ancestral lines was among the first to settle the Manhattan area with the Dutch West India Co. They were also instrumental in forming a few Dutch Reformed churches, both in NY and NJ. This has led to a fascination with NY history on my part, and I'm happy to have found your list.

This maternal line of mine evolved into the family name Van Winkle (through a progression from Walichs to Wallingen to Van Winkel to Van Winkle), and settled along the Hudson River area after branching out from Manhattan. I have to wonder if the Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle came from any real life Van Winkles he knew in NY, or if he just knew of the name and used it because he liked the sound. That's one of the things I'd love to know more about. Another is the 19th-C publishing firm of Van Winkle and Wiley. I'd love to know more about their history and the names of the Van Winkles involved in that. I'll keep poking around the internet until I find some clues!

A few of my Van Winkle ancestors lived around the same area as Peter Stuyvesant, and are buried in the same cemetery. Connections like that fascinate me..