Dear Howard-- Thanks. I'd considered the "Leentje" hypothesis, too, but I'm pleased that someone of your calibre should raise it independently. --pete ----- Original Message ----- From: "Howard Swain" <hswain@ix.netcom.com> To: <dutch-colonies@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 10:01 PM Subject: Re: [DUTCH-COLONIES] VanArnhem Family > Hi Pete, > > From: "j. gonigam" <gonigam@gmail.com> > Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 6:13 PM > Subject: Re: [DUTCH-COLONIES] VanArnhem Family > > > > Dear Ethel-- > > > > Jan Dircks and Sara Theunis had eight children who show in the New Amsterdam > > DRC records. However, if you'll check the witnesses at later Van Arnam and > > Eckerson baptisms you'll see that they probably had a daughter, > > Helena, for whom there are no baptismal records. (Or marriage, although > > she apparently married someone named Thomas Huick/Huyg whom I've > > been unable to identify.) > snip > > On the other hand, perhaps Helena IS daughter Magdalena, that is to say that > > perhaps her name was actually Magdalena Helena (Van Arnhem). Based (again) > > on scanty evidence, I think there's a good chance that, despite the origins > > listed at their marriage, either Jan Dircks or Sara Theunis or even both > > were not Dutch and might have given one or more children multiple names > > as in French and German custom. In any case, I can find no subsequent > > record of their daughter Magdalena and her name is not a "Van Arnam name" > > in later generations. > > What probably happened was that the parents told the minister the name > of the child was Leentje. And the minister, instead of writing this down, > guessed (wrongly) as to her full name and put down Magdalena when it > should have been Helena. > > Eg. Magdalena Hans, the wife of Hendrick Janszen Spier, is mostly shown as > some form of Magdalena or Magdalentje. But at the bp. of one of her > children she is shown as Helena. > > Also, see "New Netherland Naming Systems and Customs" by > Kenn Stryker-Rodda in NYGBR 126:35-45 at p. 37. > "... the real trouble coming when people tried to work backward to the > original name. Many a girl baptized as Magdalena but called Lena was > married as Elenora and appeared in baptismal records of her children as Helena." > > Sometimes it is hard to tell which is the correct full name. > It sounds like in your case, it is Helena. > > Regards, > Howard > hswain@ix.netcom.com > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DUTCH-COLONIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message