This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: GLMARESCO Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.newyork.counties.columbia/4739.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi, Dennis Everyone who has looked into his or her family history has started exactly where you are right now. Is your Dad still alive? Does he have brothers or sisters? Are there any older folks in the family anywhere? You have to sit down and pick their brains to find out what they know. Are there family records? If your dad is deceased, there should be information on his death certificate about his parents. Then you can start trying to locate folks in the census record. There are lots of baptism records and other ways to trace exactly who your family might have been. The name Van Etten is one of the oldest Dutch names in the Hudson Valley. Here is some information about the first Van Etten to arrive here: Jacob Jansen Van Etten Born: 1632 at Etten, North Brabant, Netherlands Baptized: 22 Oct 1634, Protestant Kerk, Etten, North Brabant, Netherlands Married: to Annetje Krom Tack 11 January 1665 in Kingston 10 children Emigrated in 1663 from Etten, North Brabant, Netherlands to Kingston, NY I am also descended from Jacob Van Etten. Good luck to you. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.