The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-24
A CORNER IN ANCESTORS
By FRANCES CowLEs. THE WEST FAMILY

Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure News
 paper Syndieate.)
 American West Coat of Arms-New
 Amsterdam Family of Van der Hay
 den-Pope One of the Most Ancient
 Names in Britsin-winsIow, of Purf-
 tan Tame--Lancs Famed for Patriot
 ism.
 Americans of the name West bear the coat of arms of the family of County Bucks England, which is described in the language of heraldy as follows Argent tsilver) fesse dancetre. in base maunehe sable 6blaclS) in chief two estoiles gules fred).
 To Enquirer" who wants informa- tion about the Van der Hayden fam fly:
 The forefather of the Van der Hay dens in this country was Jacob Tyssen Van der Hayden, a tailor of Anister- dam. who came to New Amsterdam about 1853. with the intent, no doubt, of making a pleasant home for him self in the new world However rosy his dreams may have been he prob ably never even hoped for such bright prospects as awaited him, for he and his family made a record to be proud of in the new world,
 The year after his arrival at New Amsterdam he went northward 10 what was then known as BeverWyck, now Albany. He was about 3S at the time, and no doubt was impatient to be mar jed, so he went back to Amsterdam and married Anna Hals. and with her returned again to Albany. After about 30 years of happy and prosperous mar ried life. Jacob died leaving his widow, and son Dirk, or Dirick.
 In 1886 this Dirk went on an expe- dition against the Indians and had an exciting experience. His party was set upon by the French and Indians, and robbed. He was carried to Quebec. and there subjected to the most severe treatment Finally he, with others esr oaped, and after fiv. days travelinS, he reached Albany. The next year he married Rachel Jochemse.
 Dirk was an innkeeper by trads, but managed to handle some brilliant land deals In 1720 he obtained from Peter Van Woggelum a grant of 490 acres fland in fee, at yearly rent Of five schepels of wheat and four fat fowls" This grant was called the Poesten Bowery or farm. Later it was known as yanderheyden's Ferry and in l789 it became the city of Troy, N l.
 There is probably much of interest to the family still to be ferreted out Of the old records in Amsterdam, but no one with sufficient patience and knowledge of the Dutch language seems to have risen to undertake the interesting task There was a Jan Van Der Heyden, born at Ger kun, Netherlands, about 1637, who died at Amsterdam in TIP, whose name as an architectural painter is known to stu- dents of art. He was beginning his ca- reer about the time that the more rest less spirit of Jacob Tyssen Van Der Heyden was bent on finding a home across the waters No doubt there is some fam fly connection between these two, but 1t has apparently not been established.
 Some member of the family must also have gone to England. for in the British armories we find the coat-of-arms of the Wander Heydens well established. It is blazoned Sable, three mullets pierced argent, on q canton or, a rose of the field
 To B. '. P, who asks for information about the Pope family in England with something of the origin of the name.
 As surname Pope is said to have been known in Britain in the fifth century.
 Several variations of the name are com mon. For example: Poppe in Germany, also Pop and Popp. Then there is poape, found in colonial records, and the varia- tons Popeson, Popham and Popeham.
 The name Popeham is a combination of Pope and ham, the home of Pope or the Pope family, ham being a corruption of the German helm, from which we get our word home. In the Domesday book one of the four free men, holding manors, was Popham or Popeham, who had an estate in Hampshire, called by his name which proves that he was of consequence. In the time of Edward III the family was prominent in Kent.
 One of the privy council of Henry VI was Thomas Pope. In the British museum is a parchment deed of land, signed and sealed by Ralph Pope.
 The guardian of the princess, afterward Queen Elizabeth, during her minority, was Sir Thomas Pope. He resided with her at Hatfield house,an there he was author ized by her to decline the King of Swed- en's offer of marriage. Sir Thomas is Trinity college where he is buried. We may take it that he was a wise man, if the legend engraved upon his tombstone was his life motto: ''Whate'er you wish untold to no one tell"
 The literary light of the family is Alex ander Pope, the most famous English poet of his century. Poetry his only business, and idleness his only pleasure" as he said of himself
 Pioneers or pilgrim ancestors were Jo- seph, who came from England about 1884 and settled in Salem Thomas of Stam- . ford, and John of Dorchester Johns s name appears in the list of freemen made in 1884, as Poape. He was prominent in town affairs. and one of the pillars of the church.
 To G. II. L., who asks for the names