In a message dated 10/5/00 7:04:46 PM Pacific Daylight Time, xanman@postnet.com writes: << I have been learning more about my Hendricks line and though my Hendricks family came to America straight to Illinois, it is apparent that they were from Ostfriesland in Germany alongside the Netherlands. In researching my Wilcox line in Rensselaer I have noticed many Hendricks and Hendrickse that I dismissed before. Now I am wondering if anybody out there is familiar with the Hendrickse family. Were they Dutch Reform? Does anybody know where I could start living in Illinois? Scott Hendricks >> Scott, I have a Hendricks ancestor recorded in New Amsterdam (now New York City). She is Claertie (Clara) Hendricks wife of Sergeant Pieter Ebels/Evels. Unfortunately, I know nothing about her parents, siblings or origins, but based on the Dutch patronymic naming system, her father is probably someone named Hendrick as a given name. Of course it's also possible that his surname is Hendricks, but that seems less likely given the early date. The same naming system may apply to the origins of your surname. The first record I have of Clara is the baptism of her daughter (and my ancestor) Elsje (Alice) in the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam on 16 Oct 1650. The last record I have of her is 24 March 1685 when she appears in the records of the same church as a baptismal sponsor. I believe it is likely that Claertie's siblings would have used the surname Hendricks also, but I have no idea when that surname became fixed. The two male grandchildren (b. 1681 & 1683) of Claertie that I have found used their father's surname (Hetviel/Hatfield), not a surname based on his given name of Thomas (the patronymic system). The people and records I mentioned above were all associated with New Amsterdam. Your question was on the NYRENSSE List, but both areas were Dutch prior to the English takeover in the late 1600s, and I think there was at least a modest interchange of people and commerce between the two areas. Someone else on the list may be able to comment more knowledgeably on that. I've compiled a list of 16 male New Amsterdamers with Hendrick in their name that I'd be happy to share with you if you like. Ed Harrison EHarr76546@cs.com