Sunday, August 17, 2014

9 or 10 degrees of Separation

So this morning I was checking a couple names in my family tree. Surprise, surprise...I have roots in New Paltz! You would think I would do the research before I went to the place!


The New Paltz house above has long been referred to as the Jean Hasbrouck house though through continuing research it is now believed to have been built by his son, Jacob, in the early 1700's.

Jean Hasbrouck, one of the original settlers of New Paltz, is my 10th great grandfather. His son, Jacob the builder, is my 9th great grand uncle. Jean's daughter, Hester, married Pierre (Peter Gumaer). Just last week I discovered my link to Peter Gumaer and now I discover that Hester Hasbrouck Gumaer is my 9th great grandmother!

After the visit to New Paltz we drove through Hurley, New York. This 350 year old town also has a lot of very old stone houses. These houses are still in use as homes and businesses but are not normally open to the public for tours.


This is the Van Duesen house built in 1723 in Hurley. It was the temporary capital house for a short while after the British burned nearby Kingston, NY in 1777. The constitution of New York was still being written but Kingston was the first capital of New York.



This connection is a little fuzzy between the genealogical records and other internet information. And I couldn't get close enough to get a good shot. The stone part of the house which isn't really visible here is said to have been built in the late 1660's. In the 1800's a later addition changed the look of the house on Wynkoop Road in Hurley.

If I'm reading all the information correctly the original stone part of this house was built by my 10th great grandparents, Cornelius and Marytje Wynkoop. They emigrated from the Netherlands and were  original settlers in Hurley. Although Hurley is about 15 miles from New Paltz these two branches of my family were not related.

And the bear from yesterday's post was in a cornfield just down and across Wynkoop Road from this house!

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