Autumn on the Hudson
Elijah Nicholas Wilson. public domain.
What's in a name? In this instance, for me, Smith is a link to the past, it is a legacy reclaimed. In choosing my name, Silver Smith, for the Silver Bloggers community, I was quite deliberate. Smith was my paternal grandmother's family name.
Here is a picture of my great grandmother (we called her Grandma Smith) and me. The photo was taken in the summer of 1949. I extracted these two images from a large family photo we posed for together. I was one year old at the time (born in the spring of '47). My great-grandmother was 79.
Grandma Smith died the year this picture was taken, so I have no recollection of her.
Grandma Smith and Me, 1949
I was told, when I was a child, that my family's roots in our community stretched back to the earliest days of American history. This was a time before the U.S. as a nation was even a concept.
The fact of my family's colonial legacy was revealed to me with pride. As I investigated the details of the family's past, I discovered some facts that did not fill me with pride.
One ignoble fact was described in the pages of a book written by C. M. Woolsey (published, 1908). I learned from this book the names of different ancestors who resided in Ulster County, NY, where some of my ancestors settled. Ulster County sits on the West side of the Hudson River, in the lower Hudson River Valley.
Mr. Woolsey refers to a certain William Bond. It seems William, my ancestor, was among the first English settlers in that part of the county (he appeared on the tax rolls 1714-15 and in subsequent years). As I looked into the story of William Bond I learned something surprising. William settled in his new homestead with at least one daughter and "several slaves". Not only did he bring slaves with him, but when his slaves died, they were buried with him. Slaves in life and death, I guess.
I had known that slavery was part of New York's history, but I never guessed my ancestors were among the slave holders. And I never realized how widespread the use of slaves was.
Slavery was intrinsic to the state's early development. The YouTube video below is from Vassar College. The video describes slavery as it existed in the colonial era, and in the early years of the state's existence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=wDQee981AD8
Before William Bond, the Dutch had settled along the Hudson River, and before them the area had been home to Indigenous peoples. In the locale where my ancestors eventually settled, the Esopus were a significant presence.
A review of the map below reveals the names of different Indigenous tribes that lived in the lower Hudson Valley. Many of the names on the map may be found in the valley today, on bridges and towns and cities. Among these are the Esopus, Haverstraw, Wappinger, and Tappan.
Indigenous People of the Lower Hudson River Valley
Credit: User: Nikater. CC 3.0 Attribution license.
I have a great love of history. Is it because history was all around me, a palpable presence when I was growing up? Or is it because through history I could reclaim a part of my life that I lost?
Exactly 66 years ago, on October 3, 1958, my mother called us into the living room and told us to pack our things. We were leaving quickly, and finally. We were leaving our home behind, and most of what we owned in order to start a new life.
The reason for that rupture may be material for another blog, but the fact of it had a dramatic influence on my life. After we left, I was homesick for a while, and in a way I will always be homesick because I can never recapture that time, that moment, the childhood I left behind.
A Picture of My Dog, Boots, in Front of the House I Left
As I look into my paternal ancestry, I don't stop with the Smiths. Both sides of my paternal family go back, way back to the founding of the United States.
Henry Hudson claimed the Hudson Valley for the Dutch in 1609. One of my earliest colonial ancestors, Pieter Casparszen van Naarden, came from the Netherlands. I cannot ascertain the exact date, but he was born in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands and married in New Amsterdam, New Netherland, in 1651. So, surely, he was in New Amsterdam before 1651. New Amsterdam was the capital of New Netherland, and was on the site of what is today New York City.
The Dutch did not hold onto their colony, New Netherland, for long. In 1664 the English took it over and renamed the colony New York. While the picture below shows the English taking New Amsterdam, it is my understanding they did not disturb greatly the settlers who lived up the river, in the valley.
Because of this, the Dutch way of life in the Hudson Valley was undisturbed and much of the culture remained to influence the developing society.
Landing of the British in New Amsterdam, 1664
Credit: American School, (19th century). Illustration is in Ellis's History of the United States (1899) by Edwards Ellis. public domain.
How does this additional bit of information affect my sense of legacy in the valley? One point that is driven home is the influence religious strife had on the family. Pieter Casparszen van Naarden was a Huguenot. This group of Europeans were Protestants who were persecuted for their faith in other countries. The Netherlands had offered safe refuge.
Other Huguenots populate my background. The Devoes, for example, fled from France in the late 17th century. They were among a wave of Huguenots who settled in communities along the Hudson River. These communities include most significantly Kingston and New Paltz.
Huguenot House, on Huguenot Street in New Paltz, NY
Credit:Daniel Case at English Wikipedia. CC 3.0 attribution share alike license. New Paltz was founded by twelve French Huguenot families in 1678. They purchased their land from the Esopus. These Huguenot families had a strong desire to keep their French culture, but eventually were influenced by the Dutch who had settled around them.
Other members of the family who were escaping religious persecution were the Baxters. These forebears were Puritans and settled first in Massachusetts Bay Colony before moving to other parts of the colonies. Salem, Massachusetts, became notorious for witch trials, as many of my readers will likely recognize. Salem was located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
All the disparate threads of my ancestry--Baxters, Devoes, Van Naardens, Smiths--came together after many generations in the marriage of my grandfather and grandmother. As I look at the name Smith and follow the path that name opens to me, I become involved in an adventure that is larger than my single life. What's in a name? A link, a thread, a connection, a window to history.
Knowing the family history often helps to understand who we are. In my case I have only found out where my paternal surname comes from and apparently it derives from several places in Spain.
Now that I live in Spain I should deepen my research, maybe I descend from nobility. 😁
I loved how you describe your ancestors, I think when you find out something like that you always want to know more.
Greetings my dear friend! 👋
Actually,you would probably find more scoundrels in your past if you were descended from nobility😄
In the U.S. there are many genealogical resources available because searching the past seems to be a national hobby. I take a thread from one source and then follow it on another.
I don't think I have any Spanish forebears, although half my family came from Sicily and Sicily was controlled by Spain for a time. So, maybe there was a little fraternization between the conquered and the conqueror. :)
Thanks for reading dear @mballesteros. I hope you are not working too hard!
That's some distinguished lineage! If I looked into mine I'd likely be descendant from some notorious band of thieves, vagabonds and chancers:)
Distinguished? What about the slave holder 😁 And I didn't mention the notorious Captain Baxter who was a privateer (Pirate?). Of course, all of this is based on research done by others and none of it may be accurate :)) But, it's good enough for me as it is.
I think my father was enough of a rogue to satisfy any appetite for a tawdry heritage 😂 And the report on him is first hand--an original source.
History is absolutely fascinating and religious persecution played a huge part in the migration of people.
My ancestors came from France and were part of the Armada of William the conqueror in 1066. Mrs T has a fascinating history too, with lineage in Scotland and Holland on her mother's side complete with Choctaw and Cherokee on her native American fathers side.
Scotland! If I trace the Baxters far enough the search takes me to the Scottish highlands. It's great fun, looking at the past through this single thread that attaches to our individual lives. Think of all the cousins 😄 Millions of them.
Thanks for stopping by. The blog took a long time because I got so involved with the history. I'll probably go back to it :)
Funnily enough when I was r adding your post and you mentioned Baxter. My mind immediately rushed to ...
They make wonderful soup and other products and are based at Fochabers up north.
😂
History, and finding one's roots certainly is fascinating. Many of us long to discover more about our roots; you for sure managed to trace your lineage a long way back!
What's in a name - a whole lot and more! We for sure have family members we've never met spread across the world.
Slavery, yes, unthinkable that people were seen as 'possessions' and treated unbelievably inhumanely!
It's vitally important that we talk about memories we've experienced and those we heard from our parents and grandparents. Hive is a perfect place to store those memories for future generations.
I think one of the reasons I search with such interest into my paternal heritage is because there are no stories. My father was mostly absent when I was very young, and when he was around he wasn't a conversationalist 😄. He was a bully. His family was quite estranged from us because of that. Nobody wanted to cross him and make friends with my mother. The only exception to that was his mother (my grandmother) but even she walked on eggs. Not much of a conversationalist, either (though she was quite nice). We left, suddenly, when I was eleven to get away from him and that bad situation. It's as though my paternal heritage was denied me. So I reach across his generation and find my roots past him, mine by birthright.
That's a long answer....sorry, and food for more blogs, maybe. Thanks for reading and for commenting. Much appreciated.
Really interesting read. I find it amazing how many people are able to retrace their family history this far. Crazy. Your family certainly has a lot of it to remember.
My family does have an interesting past. But I think they all do. When I put it all together like this it sounds like an epic novel...that's an idea :))
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Thank you!! I am honored. Great fun writing for this community and reading the blogs of others in the community. A nice way to learn about other Hiveans.
You are so very welcome it is great having you here. It is cool reading your posts and I was having a nosey at your website the other day 😃
Witches, you say? Just point the way, and I'll deal with them 🔥🔥🔥
Hehe. It's great to read about your rich background, and the historic environments that have influenced your ancestry. I find it interesting how certain last names become so prominent on any given culture, like Smith. I enjoyed this view into a window of history.
Thank you!
It's the history of it that fascinates me. Linking it to my family makes the past real. I always felt that way when I was young. There was a strong sense of history in that community, in that place. Even the graveyard I walked past on the way to the bus stop became a Registered National Historic Landmark. This was a family cemetery--the family that lived down the road from us.
I've visited some cities in the east, and I'm always amazed by the tangible sense of history. It's great to read more personal stories. Where I live, it feels a bit like a rugged frontier in comparison. It doesn't take long before you hit the bushes when you're out for a walk in the city. :D
Wonderful story of the transcendence of the family, I loved it, I also traveled in time, because of what you related. It was sad to leave the dog, there it looks sad, I liked what you related, thank you. Greetings 🌻🦋🌈
Maravilloso relato de la trascendencia de la familia, me encantó. También viajé en el tiempo, por lo que relataste. Fue triste dejar el perro, ahí se ve triste, me gustó lo que relataste, gracias. Saludos 🌻🦋🌈
Thank you, @sucetmaga64. What a lovely thing to say. That was the best dog in the world. He was huge and gentle. The dog left before we did, so we didn't leave him behind. But I still do miss him :)
I appreciate your comment. Have a great week.
It is always a great pleasure, greetings 🤗