The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-25
NEW Works. OLDEST FAMILIES.
Mrs. John Van Rensselaer, Tells Who
They Were in Her Book.
New York Herald.

AnGy w ere In her BOOK
New York Herald
Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer,, in order
to establish clearly the identity of the de-
scendants of New YorS's early settlers and
those who have married into their families,
mas compiled an elaborate work. entitled
New Workers of the Nineteenth Century"
This work, 1t is announced in the prospec-
1us. viii be the standard of rank in New
York, that Is, 1t is intended to show what
Families were prominent here in the days Of
''old New York, or Man-ha-ta.
According to Mrs. Van Rensselaer,, the
originally prominent New York families are
now represented, in descendants or member
ship. by marriage, by about seven hundred
families, or about $500 individuals, although
she confines her list in the first book of the
series to the descendants of these twenty
Bard. Barclay, Bronson, Buchanan, Della
field, Duer, Emmett Fish, Glover. Hoffman,
Jay, King, Lynch, McVicker, Morton. Ken
wick, Rutherford. Schuyler, Stuyvesant
Van Rensselaer,.
Other books which are to follow will in
Slude lG9 other families the total Of 12O
of seventy years ago. There are exactly $50
households. Mrs. Van Rensselaer, finds,
ealogical record JAS only "old New York.
families are dealt with. from her list are
missing. the names of many New Workers
included by Ward McAllister in the -Four
Hundred She does not include the Astors
Bloodgoods, Whitneys, Morgans, Winans or
Goulds. and Mr.. George vanderbilt is the
only member of that family included in the
work. He owes this to his recent marriage
to Miss Edith S. Dresser, who is of an old
New York family.
For the same reason barely a dozen of
those present at the first assembly in the
Waldorf-Astoria on Thursday evening are
selaer. Neither Mr.. Worthington White
house nor Mrs. Almeric Hugh Paget, who
led the cotillon on that occasion, is men,
toned.
Mrs. Van Rensselaer's book, which is
handsomely printed on Dutch handmade
linen paper. with binding Of an old Dutch
DC 6nciO 10 1An hn a.
logical record of its kind, and is expected to
take the place here as 70 local families that
is filled in England by Burkes "Peerage,
Baronetage and Landed Gentry"
In her brief and modest introduction to
the book Mrs. Van Rensselaer, says:
In a secret drawer of an old Japan writ
ing desk was found, several years ago, a
crumpled piece of paper on which was writ
ten in faded ink number of names It was
compiled about 1880 by my grandmother,
whose husband was at the time the presi-
dent of Columbia College, and as both the
president and Mrs. Duer We're descended
from the earliest settlers of Man-ha-ta, and
were closely connected with the chief fami-
lies of the city of New York the list con-
tanned the names of nearly all of the promi-
nent people of the place.
1T interested me to trace the descendants
of my grandparents relatives and friends,
and to do this / have sought the assistance
of the different members of each family, and
by their aid have compiled the charts cover
ing the period of the nineteenth century on
the Island of Man-ha-ta. Where there have
been mistakes or omissions it has been due
to the oversight of some member of the
family, as. of course. l not personally
acquainted with all its branches.
1T has been difficult to select from the
mass of material at hand the charts that
should be published at this time, since such
choice would almost appear invidious The
charts of the twenty families now issued
were taken at random, and when a couple
who had been married during the last decade
large family of sons and daughters it has
been sometimes found desirable to follow the
male line only and reserve the female line
by classifying it under the lady's married
name"