The rare book room at Syracuse University's Arents Research Library, located on the top floor of the Bird Library building has a small collection of very rare books about Frenchman's Island and the very earliest publications on Oneida Lake inhabitants. It got its name from an early settler from France by the name of DesWattines, or something similar (from memory) and was mentioned in things about another Oneida Lake important historical personage, Francis Adrian VanderKamp. I remember reading somewhere many years ago that the DesWattines family was visited by the French nobility that came here to escape the French Revolution and they stopped there on their way up to Lake Ontario from where they were going to settle up in the Black River Valley of Jefferson county at Castorland. That was indeed a disaster and those that did not die the first winter reportedly came back down through and might have gone elsewhere to Europe or New York City. It is thought by some that DesWattines left the area about the same time. Please don't take any of the above as gospel as it is just off the top of my head from having read these things many years ago. It would be relatively easy to research if you are really interested. Dick Hillenbrand Upstate New York Genealogy www.unyg.com Locate new relatives with Family Finder DNA testing at: www.GenealogyDNA.com On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 9:28 AM, Sandy Wilsey <swilsey@twcny.rr.com> wrote: > There is a Dutchman's Island, but it is further east than Frenchman's and > Dunham's > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Patricia Jaquay" <hjaquay@twcny.rr.com> > To: <nymadiso@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 9:21 AM > Subject: Re: [NYMADISO] Peter Smith's Eyes > > > > Because my brain is so full of knowledge after collecting info for 80 > some > > years, could some one please tell me if there is (was) another Island in > > Oneida Lake called DUTCHMAN's ISLAND? Or am I confusing it with the > > Dunham's? > > > > I've always heard it referred to as Dutchman. But maybe my data base is > > unplugged. > > > > Thanks for any clarification offered. > > > > Pat J > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > NYMADISO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NYMADISO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >