New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-03
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
OLD FAMILIES OF NETWORK.
THE scBUYLrRs AND THEIR CONNECTIONS.

up. XII, 500; w, 5J0 Charles ScrbneI sons
When Mr. Schuyler began this work his chief if
not his only purpose was to make a record of the
geneaogy OF his family. 1t seemed convenient to
ada to this an illustrative sketch of the history of
the province; and so the task grew under the
authors hands until after eight years labor. it has
resulted in Il valuable contribution to colonial
history. 1t begins with summary account of the
settlement development, difficulties, social and
political changes etc, etc, OF Observation-Disclosures and
New-York down to the period of the Revolution;
and although the materials upon which Mr. Schuyler
depends are not new. he assures us that he has
made an independent use of them, going back to
original sources. and sometimes correcting the
mistakes of other writers. This Introductory matter,
which fills about one hundred pages, is both COM
prehensve and detailed, aud will give the reader
great help in understanding the elaborate bio
graphical chapters. Some errors will be quickly
recognized by students of American history. The
Cabots did not sail "down along the coast from
Newfoundland to Florida y; neither of them went
further south than Cape Hatteras 1t was not
@Gosnal," but Captain Bartholomew GoSnold. who
tried to establish q co'ony on one of the Elizabeth
Islands in 1902 Adriaen Block was not the nIst
European to visit Narragansett and BuzzarG's Bay
and Cape Cod. Gosnod had preceded him at all
these points; Champan had given the name of the
White Cape to Cape Cod; and the Dutchman
Cornelius May was before Inn at Martha's Vine
yard The description of the grants by King
James |. to the London and Plymouth Companies Is
incorrect. According TO Mr.. Schuyler, the King gave
to the first the country sDuth of the Potomac, to
the second, the territory north of the hudson,
graciously leaving the lands between in possession
of their native owners" The grant to the London
Company covered the territory from Cape Fear to
the eastern end of Long Island, and that to the
Plymbuth Company reached from Delaware Bay to
of In nd hpIn l9ft
between them, the two patents Oyerlapped. These
errors are not material however, to the real subject
of the book and they can readily be corrected i'll
Liter edition.
1t is not surprising that Schuyler should he
tempted to treat the history of his family con-
siderable part of the history of New York. In the
early days of the Dutch rule two SchuylerS sup
posed to have been brothers came to New-Amster
dam and their name has ever since been one of the
most prominent in the records of the colony. the
province, ana the State They have flied many
public empoyments and have enjoyed considerable
wealth and social position. By intermarriagc they
are connected with numerous old families some not
less distinguished than their own-with the
Beeckers Cuylers, De Peysters, Gansevooris Forts
Hamiltons. Lansings, Livingstons, Staatses Ten
Broecks Van COurtlandts, Van RensSelaers and
Verplancks. With the Van Rensseaers their
alliances have always been exceedingly close. The
Duke of La Rochefoucauld- LiancOurt who wrote
book of travels the United States at the close OF
the last century reported that the union of Schuy
lers and Van Renssclacrs made irresistible power
in the State of New-York, the Schuylers furnishing
the brains and the Van RensselaerS the money. The
schuylers. however, did not lack money OF their
own. They were thrifty and lOng-heade1 race
How fast they spread themselves over the land may
be guessed from the fact that although the author
&c hosu Pal kan To
the descendants of the elder of the two original
immigrants the entries under the name of Schuyler
in his index are so numerous to fill ten close
columns; and the fertility of the family at the
prcsen. day is apparently far from beng exhausted
Mr. Schuyler gives one or two amusing instances of
the weaknesses of other genealOgists 1t has been
alleged that the Van Courtandts derive their name
and descent from the Dukes of Cortland, and that
their American ancestor was distinguished prvy
councillor of Holland who out rs secretary to
the first Dutch Governor This tale has even found
admission to the pages of Burkc's Landed Gentry
of Great Britain and IreanI." Mr.. Schuyler shows
il to be a pure myth The first American Van
Conrtlandt, Olof Stevense, came out 10 New
Amsterdam a private soldier IN 1857, and five
years later married Anneke LoOkerna1S, whose
brother Covert had been cooks mate on the yacht
St. Martyn. The Forts are descendants of a French
immigrant, Jean lie Fort, who mad an alias.
Libert6 always joined with his name in old docu-
ments; but Jealous genealogsts have insisted upon
carry ing tho family back to Jan Fort Orangien.
whose marriage is recorded at NewAmsterdam IN
1e41 Unfortunately this person proves to have
been native African slave of the West India Com
pany who was manumItted by Director kieft in
l644 and Fort Orangien Ii. O., Fort Orange, OF
Albany was not his name, but his sObrquet. In
fact The modern equivalent of Jan Fort Oranglen'
would be Albany Jack Frederick PhIlIpse, the
founder of the manor of Phlpsburg and at the
time OF his death the richest man in America, IS
said in Bottoms History of Westchcstcr County
to have been a descendant of a certain NiscOunt
Felyps of Bohemia He was in reality carpenter
in the service of the West India Company, and 1t is
not even known what his family name was
1PhIlipse" only means son of Philip" The old
Dutch we're SD ing in the Of surnames; the son,
except on occasions of f0rmaty, contcnted himself
with adding SC TO his fathers Christian name aud
writing it after his own and sometimes even this
mark of the family was dispensed with Frederick
PLilpse is called in document quoted by Mr..
SCHUYLER simply I" Frederick. the Honorable Com
pany's late carpenter" The first of the American
Schuylers was generally known as Philip Pieterse,
and for many years he continued to write his
name in that way except IN signing con-
tracts aud deeds when he wrote it Philip
Pieterse Schuyler. PETER Adraense was
undoubtedly the usual designation of tavern
keeper mentioned by Mr.. Schuyler who enjoyed the
truly beautiful though perhaps fatiguing name of
PETER Adrracnse Sorgemakelyk Van Woggelum.
The name of Dirk Vessels often Oc mrs in the
records of the city and province and few would
suspect that he was the ancestor of the Ten
Broecks. both the lutionary general and the
modern horse-bree Ills full naTe was Dirk
Wesselse ten Broe, Diedrich KnckeTbocker ir-
reverently translates this Dirk Ten Breeches v;
in lot far n he n
Boston. treats 1t still worse, for he writes 1T,
sVessell then broke"
Very few Of the first settlers of New-YO rk were
IL al nttnhn