Customer Reviews

A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies: 1660-1800

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This is actually written by a distant relative of mine, about the family from which we descended. I only recently learned that I was of this Dutch ancestry. I learned so much from this book about the daily lives of those folks who lived from the mid 1600-1800s!
Things such as why their homes were built in the manner they were, about the way their cooking fireplaces were built and used, that they actually had slaves but the slaves were usually treated almost like family members. I learned how the Dutch named their children and why so many of them have the same names!) and how and what items they left to their children when they passed away. I learned a lot of history that I am now interested in because I now know that these people are my ancestors! Imagine acres and acres of farmland and homes where Wall St and the financial district is now in NY. These were the people who started it all in this area.

Several members of our family have been doing some geneology and discoverd we are related to the Haring family, which is followed in the book. So it was very interesting to see how our ancestors lived.I think the book covers a unique and unheralded group in America.