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Jacqueline Paresis (or de Parisis) was born about 1620 in France and emigrated to New Netherland (New York) with her husband, Daniel Tourneur, in 1652. They were among the original 23 grantees of New Harlem in New York City. They were also my 10th great-grandparents. Yet another valuable and interesting piece of Tourneur family history is found in "New Harlem past and present", on page 127, as follows: "Mrs. Tourneur, in tender childhood a victim of that cruel war, and driven, with others of her family, from her native Hestin, probably on its capture by Louis the Thirteenth in 1639; hers was a tale of trials, of which we have but the veriest outline". Regarding Jacqueline's hometown, the author was referring to the medieval town in the Pas-des-Calais department of northern France, called Hesdin. Amiens, where Daniel Tourneur lived as a child and was most likely born, is just 35 miles south of Hesdin. The "cruel war" was the Thirty Years' War, which began when Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II began to force Protestants to convert to Catholicism. In the end, over 8 million lives were lost. It was during this war that King Louis XIII's army sieged Jacqueline's hometown of Hesdin in 1639. Hesdin, at the time of the 15th century, was located in the county of Artois. Artois was originally the dowry of Flemish princess, Isabelle of Hainaut. The dukes of Burgundy acquired it through inheritance in 1384. Afterwards it was inherited by the Hapsburgs (Austria) and then it was passed to the Hapsburg dynasty's Spanish line. During the Thirty Years' War, Artois was part of the Southern Netherlands. After the siege of Louis XIII, aforementioned, Artois became part of France. Most of the people of Artois already spoke French. Jacqueline and Daniel were said to have married in Leyden, Holland, on September 5, 1650. Did Jacqueline and her parents flee to Leyden like Daniel Tourneur and so many others did, or did they escape to Leyden together? These questions have yet to be answered but it seems to me that these tragic circumstances are the very thing that drew their two hearts together, making the way for generations of descendants in America. Browse around the streets of modern-day Hesdin with this interactive map from Google Maps. Click on the image to move around and drag to pan: Click here to learn more about Jacqueline and her family. Click here to see this branch of my family tree. Sources: New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted, by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903. Hesdin article on Wikipedia [Link] Pas-de-Calais article on Wikipedia [Link] Thirty Years' War article on Wikipedia [Link] #DanielTourneur #JacquelineParesis #JacquelinedeParisis #French #France #Netherlands

"I shall never forget" Click here to learn about my branch of the Harvey family. Click here for more Coats of Arms. #harvey #coatofarms #heraldry

Rev. William Henry Dickinson (1899-1978) and his father, Harry Dickinson are photographed here, around 1934. See the Dickinson page for more. #harrydickinson #williamhenrydickinson #dickinson

Harry is shown here with his granddaughter, Margaret Dickinson (at left) and Elizabeth "Betty" Dickinson at right, petting the dog. Harry Dickinson is shown here with two of his granddaughters, Margaret and Betty Dickinson, in the mid-late 1930's. See more on the Dickinson page. #harrydickinson #dickinson #margaretdickinson #bettydickinson

Hannah Hawes was born in Dedham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, on December 1, 1654. She was the daughter of Edward Hawes and Eliony Lombard. Click here to see more about Hannah Hawes. Click here to see more about this branch of my family. Click here for lots of free genealogy resources! Source: "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4JZ-SF8 : 6 November 2017), Hanna Haws, 01 Dec 1654; citing Birth, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 593,353. #HannahHawes #JohnMason

Emma Griffith, daughter of Thomas Griffith, is my link to the Griffith family. Emma was born in England in 1837 and married George Robinson. She was the grandmother of William Henry Dickinson, who was born in April 29, 1899 in Pittsburgh. She died there six and a half months after he was born, on November 16, 1899. The Griffith name is one of Welsh descent, deriving from Gruffudd. Griffith, “the name of many Welsh princes”. Variations include Griffin, Griffudd, and Griffiths. Griffith Family Records states the following about the Griffith surname: “The ancient Griffith Coat of Arms used by the Griffith family for many centuries, were those used by Griffith ap Cynan, King of North Wales, A.D. 1079. He was a descendant of Anardwd, King of Wales, eldest son of Rhodi Mawr, King of Wales, A.D. 843 (founder of the Royal Tribes; many princes of North Wales derive from him). Griffith ap Cynan had a son, Owen, King of North Wales. The latter had a descendant Llewellyn ap Griffith, Prince of North Wales, slain on the Wye, 1272. (See Burke’s General Armory).” Click here to see more about Thomas Griffith. Click here to see my ancestor index. Click here for my free genealogy resources. Sources: “Griffith Family Records”, by J. Montgomery Seaver, 1924. “A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames”, by Charles W. Bardsley, 1901. Griffith coat of arms from Genealogy of the Griffith Family, by R. R. Griffith, 1892 [Read]. #ThomasGriffith #EmmaGriffith #griffith #GeorgeRobinson

This photograph was handed down to my mother from her Dickinson side of the family. It appears to be labeled "Grandmother Griffith, great mother to Grandma Robinson. Our mother's side." The writing was done by one of Harry Dickinson's children. Their mother was Annie Robinson. Annie's parents were George Robinson and Emma Griffith. "Grandma Robinson" refers to Emma Griffith. Emma was the daughter of Thomas Griffith, whose wife we believe was Phebe Kimberly. Emma was born in 1837. Her mother, Phebe Kimberly would have been born before 1820. I believe it should read "Great Grandmother Griffith, Mother to Grandma Robinson". There is clearly an arrow ^ between the words great and Mother to correct the error. Therefore, this is a photograph of the wife of Thomas Griffith, or Phebe Kimberly. On the backside, in a different pen, (probably written by Harry), "Your grandmother. You must write her name yourself as I do not know it". The photographer's mark says "Henry Green, 84 Chorlton Road, Manchester". Click here to see more on this branch of my family. #PhebeKimberly #ThomasGriffith #annierobinson #EmmaGriffith #griffith #griffiths

Frederick de Vaux (also spelled De Voe, De Vouw, Deveaux) was my paternal 9th great-grandfather. He was born in "the Walloon country", presumably Wallonia, the French-speaking region of southern Belgium. He went from there to Mannheim, Germany, where he obtained citizenship. Excerpts from "Revised History of Harlem (City of New York)", give us a glimpse into the life of Frederick de Vaux. The facts contained herein are from this source. The passport Frederick obtained in Mannheim is still preserved, and was shared with the author by one of De Voe's descendants, Col. Thomas De Voe, of New York. Here follows a translation: "We, Director, Sheriff, Burgomaster and Council of the Electoral Paltz City, Mannheim, hereby make known and publish, that the bearer of this, Frederick de Vaux, later a Burgher of this city, for his own business is intending to travel in Holland, and from thence further to England; in which behalf every one is requested to let the said Frederick de Vaux pass free, safe, and unmolested, at all places, and also to show him all good will and consideration; we engaging to do the same for every city, according to merit. In witness hereof, we have attached our usual seal. Done at Mannheim, this 23rd February, old style, Anno one thousand six hundred and seventy five." {Seal} Note: A "Burgher" in medieval times was a title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn. De Voe "had lately left the Lower Palatinate, with many other French, on account of the troubles there; De Vaux coming via England to join his brother Nicholas in this country. He was now a widower, but a little later married a daughter of Daniel Tourneur, deceased, from which union sprang the respectable De Voe family in the lower sections of Westchester County, first seated at De Voe's Point, near which Frederick obtained by his wife a fine property." (Note, p. 395 states that Frederick purchased the land from William Bickley in June 25, 1694). He was part of Harlem's Night Watch, in 1676, in anticipation of possible aggression from the Indians, though no action was required. Frederick married Esther (or Hester) Tourneur on June 24, 1677. Details about their descendants are given here: Click here to learn more about Frederick Deveaux (or De Voe). Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. Sources: "Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals", by James Riker, Henry P. Toler, and Sterling Potter, 1904, p. 330-331 footnote, 424, and 635. Burgher article on Wikipedia [Link] #FrederickDeveaux #HesterTourneur #Dykeman #Wallonia #Belgium #refugee #Germany #Harlem #NewYork #NewYorkCity

Ethel Leonard was the daughter of Lewis Leonard and his wife, Cora Sherman. She married William Bross of Scipio in 1909. According to the Auburn Democrat printed on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 1909, they were married the Wednesday prior, which would be Oct. 20, 1909. See the Leonard page for more on this family. See also Leonard Road. #Leonard #leonard #ethelbross #lewisleonard #corasherman #marriage

Johannes Dyckman was born bet. 1618 and 1619 in Holland. He married 1st to Maria de Grebber on February 22, 1641/42 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, and married 2nd to Maria Bosyns (also called Maria Cornelisz). Amsterdam was built with a system of canals (or grachts) and dikes, which could be how the Dyckman family acquired it's name - is it possible they were dike men! In fact, early versions of the name were spelled "Dijkman" and dijk is the Dutch word for dike. Alternatively, it could be a variant of the Van Dyke name. Will we ever know for sure? Dike building in Holland has been traced back as far as the late Iron Age. Dikes were found during excavations in the Frisian villages of Peins and Dongjum. Large scale building of the dikes began between 1200 and 1500, when rising sea levels prompted action. Either way, we know the Dyckman's undoubtedly were quite familiar with the challenges the water presented and the canals they built in an attempt to coexist with it. This interactive map allows you to take a virtual tour of Amsterdam's canals. Here the canal boat is on the Keizersgracht, the very canal Johannes' first wife lived on at the time of their marriage in 1641/42. At that time, Johannes was living nearby "on the Anjeliersgracht". Anjeliers is the Dutch word for carnations and gracht is their word for canal. Anjeliersgracht was formerly a canal, but is now filled in and called Westerstraat, shown here in this interactive map: Finally, this clip from Google Maps aerial view shows the proximity of the two locations, where Johannes lived and his first wife lived at the time of their marriage: If you'd like to learn more about the history of Amsterdam's canals, you may enjoy this YouTube video on the subject. Click here to learn more about Johannes Dyckman. Click here to learn more about this family. Sources: Canals of Amsterdam on Wikipedia [Link] “Johannes Dyckman of Fort Orange and his descendants”, by Marjorie Dikeman Chamberlain, 1988. Archives, Amsterdam, Holland, Orphans Court XXVI, p. 325. Church Records at South Amsterdam, Holland. #JohannesDyckman #Dykeman #Amsterdam #Netherlands #Holland #maps

Williams Huntley was my 5th great-grandfather on my father's side. From his descendant, Virgil Huntley's 1978 book, we learn a wealth of information about his life and ancestry. Williams was born in Lyme, Connecticut, on February 15, 1755, the son of John Huntley and Lois Beckwith. He married a woman by the name of Hannah, "probably in Charlotte Pct., Dutchess county, New York". Hannah was born May 10, 1761, and died on March 5, 1827, according to the Family Bible. Williams served in the American Revolution in Col. Peter Van Ness' 9th New York Regiment of the Militia from Albany, New York, and in the Commissary Dept. in 1781. He was counted on the census of 1790 and 1800, living in Hillsdale, Columbia county, New York, listed as William Huntley. He was an early settler of Marathon, Cortland County, New York, where he was a blacksmith. Williams Huntley bought land in Cortland County from Ezekiel and Katherine Scott of Avon, Ontario County, New York, on March 20, 1811 [Cortland Co., N.Y. B:486]. He later deeded land to their son, Joseph, in the town of Cincinnatus on June 2, 1815 [Cortland Co., N.Y. U:493]. He died in Marathon, Cortland County, New York, on February 2 (or 22), 1842. Williams was the father of Joanna Huntley, wife of Peter Shevalier. Source: John Huntley, immigrant of Boston & Roxbury, Massachusetts and Lyme, Connecticut, 1647-1977, and some of his descendants, by Virgil W. Huntley, 1978, p. 160-161. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #WilliamsHuntley #americanrevolution #veteran #JoannaHuntley #PeterShevalier #marathon #cortlandcounty #newyork #huntley

Harry Dickinson married Anna "Annie" Robinson. She was the daughter of George Robinson and Emma Griffith. Emma is shown here. She was born on March 8, 1837, in Middlewich, Cheshire, England. She was the daughter of Thomas Griffith and (perhaps) Phoebe Kimberley. If anyone has a photo of George Robinson, Emma's husband, please use the Dickinson Genealogy Forum to share and collaborate! (Emma and George were my 3rd great-grandparents). "Grandmother Griffith Robinson" See the Dickinson page for more on this family. #griffith #harrydickinson #robinson #annierobinson

Elder John Strong was my great-grandmother, Mary (Decker) Dickinson’s 7th great-grandfather. Following is an excerpt from "The Family of Rev. William H. Dickinson", a summary of his life: Elder John Strong was born in 1605 Chard, Somerset, England, “whence removed to London and afterwards to Plymouth”. His biography[1] is given in the New England Historical & Genealogical Register. He married first in England to Margerie Dean[2], daughter of William Dean. On the 20th of March, 1630, at the age of 25, he, along with 140 others, departed from Plymouth, England, on the ship Mary and John[3], with the Winthrop Fleet, commanded by Capt. Squeb. They arrived at Nantasket (Hull), near Boston, on the 30th of May. Tragically, his wife died during the voyage or upon arrival in America. An infant daughter also died, just two months later. Upon arrival in America, they searched for a good place to settle and chose a location they named Dorchester, after the English home of their revered pastor, Rev. John White, who had encouraged them to go to America. John married Abigail Ford there in 1630. In 1635 they left Dorchester and moved to Hingham, Massachusetts, and on the 9th of March, 1636, took the freeman’s oath at Boston. Then on the 4th of December, 1638, he was made a freeman of Plymouth Colony, then an inhabitant and proprietor at Taunton, Massachusetts, where he remained until about 1645. He had been deputy to the General court in Plymouth in 1641, 1643, and 1644. About 1645, he was appointed with four other including Capt. John Mason, Roger Ludlow, Israel Stoughton, and Henry Wolcott, “to superintend and bring forward the settlement of that place”, Windsor[4], Hartford County, Connecticut, which had been first settled in 1636 by many of the same group he originally settled in Dorchester with. In 1659 he left Windsor and moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, “where he was one of the first and most active founders, as he had previously of Dorchester, Hingham, Taunton, and Windsor.” There he lived for forty years, and was “a leading man in the affairs of the town and of the church”. John obtained the office and title of “Elder” in Northampton in June of 1663, according to church records, which state that “after solemn and extraordinary seeking to God for his direction and blessing, the church chose John Strong ruling elder, and William Holton, deacon.” He was ordained by the hands of Rev. Eleazar Mather. Elder John Strong was a tanner by trade and operated a successful tannery located at the southwest corner of Market and Main streets near the railroad depot. He owned about two hundred acres of land in and around Northampton, where he remained until his death, which occurred on the 14th (or 4th) of April, 1699, when he was 94 years old. See also footnote[5]. Aside from the daughter who died in infancy, John’s first marriage produced one son, named John who was born in England in 1626. He died at Windsor, Connecticut, on the 20th of February, 1698, at the age of 72. John and Abigail were married for fifty-eight years and had sixteen children together, including Thomas (died Oct. 3, 1689, age 56), Jedediah, mentioned previously, Josiah (born 1639, died young), Return (born abt. 1641 and died Apr. 9, 1726, age 85), Elder Ebenezer (born 1643, died Feb. 11, 1729, age 86), Abigail (born 1645, married 1st Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey, and 2nd Dea. Medad Pomeroy), Elizabeth (born in Windsor in 1647, died 1736, married Joseph Parson, Esq.), Experience (born 1650, married Zerubabel Filer), Samuel (born 1652, died 1732), Joseph (twin of Samuel, died young), Mary (born 1654, died 1738, age 84, married Dea. John Clark), Sarah (born 1656, died 1733, age 77, married Joseph Barnard), Hannah (born 1659, died 1693-4, age 34, married William Clark, brother of Dea. John Clark, above), Hester (born 1661, died 1726, age 64, married Thomas Bissell), Thankful (born 1663, married Mr. Baldwin of Milford, Ct.), and Jerijah (born 1665, died 1754, age 88). Only the last two children were born in Northampton. At the time of John’s death, he had 160 descendants from his eighteen children, fifteen of whom had families. He had 114 grandchildren and at least 33 great-grandchildren. Elder John Strong was laid to rest in Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, his monumental marker can be seen on findagrave. [1] “New England Historical & Genealogical Register” (N.E.H.G.R.), 1854, Vol. 5, p. 180-183. [2] “The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong”, by Benjamin W. Dwight, 1871, Volume 1. (See also Volume 2). [3] Ancestry.com. U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010. [4] “The Strongs of Strongsville”, by Albert Strong, 1931, p. 29 [5] For more information on Elder John Strong, see “History of Northampton, Massachusetts”, by Trumbull. (See also Volume 2). See the Decker page for more information about this branch of my family. #strong #dickinson #cemetery #grave #elderjohnstrong

Jacqueline Parisis, widow of Daniel Tourneur, wrote her first will on August 31, 1682, when she was "sick and weak of body, and lying in bed". The witnesses were Resolved Waldron and Joost van Oblinus. Jacqueline was 62 years old and her husband, Daniel, had died nine years earlier, in 1673. Her lands, house, house lots, cattle, ready money, and credits were to be shared equally by her children, Daniel Jr., Madeleine, Esther, Jacques (Jaco), and Thomas. Furthermore, she stated, that since Jan Dyckman, had already received the land on Montagne's Flat, and an erf and garden in the village, upon his marriage to Madeleine (or Magdalene), her son Daniel would receive the land on Hoorn's Hook "which he has procured in his own name, with a lot on Montagne's Flat, and also the carpenter's tools". Daniel and Jacques were each to have "a weaver's loom and its fixtures", and they were instructed to give their younger brother, Thomas, a good trade as wheelwright or weaver. She left her clothing to her daughters to divide equally. By the grace of God, Jacqueline recovered from her illness, and would live another eighteen years after. Later that winter, her eldest son Daniel was married to Ann Woodhull, "of Seattalcot, spinster", and the following summer, her other son, Jacques, married into the Kortright family and went to live on the farm in Montagne's Flat on land he had leased to Thomas Holland for four years, from 1679 to 1683. On September 7, 1690, another will and a contract with the children was drawn up. Daniel (Junior) took the lands on Montagne's Flat, giving his brother, Jacques, his three lots, meadow and creek. Jacques and Thomas took the house lots and orchard and five lots in the village and the lot behind the orchard, and "four lots of land on Van Keulen's Hook with the meadows to the same belonging, at Stony Point, and Spuyten Duyvel, in the Round Meadow". Jacques and Thomas were to pay their sister, Esther (or Hester) De Voe (Deveux/De Vaux) "400 gl." and the children of their sister, Madeleine, 1,000 gl. They were all to pay to support their mother 40 gl. per year. Daniel (Junior) died just a few days after the agreement, but it did not affect the arrangement. More information about the distribution of Tourneur's land in New York City can be found in the book, Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals, by James Riker, Henry P. Toler, and Sterling Potter, 1904, which is the source of these facts. (Click here to read it on Archive.org). Pages 379-380 are shown here: Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #DanielTourneur #HesterTourneur #Dykeman #Harlem #NewYorkCity

William Henry Dickinson's family was well acquainted with Rev. W. J. Evans, through his training at Bethel Bible Institute and later as a Reverend for the Assembly of God Church. This photo has been preserved and kept among the hundreds of family photos, and has been provided courtesy of James H. Dickinson, grandson of Rev. W. H. Dickinson, a graduate of Bethel Bible Institute, Newark, New Jersey. It is labeled "Rev. and Mrs. W. J. Evans at Bethel". See more photos from Bethel Bible Institute here. See the Dickinson page for more on the Dickinson family. #dickinson #bethel #Newark #bethelbibleinstitute #evans

Our Stowell connection comes through my maternal 3rd great-grandmother, Betsy A. Stowell. She married John C. Harvey and their son Newman Harvey, who was my 2nd great-grandfather. Newman's daugther, Mary Harvey, married Lloyd "John" Reese. Betsy Stowell was the daughter of Alpheus S. Stowell and Julia Brown. She was born in December of 1832 in Lisle, Cortland County, New York. For more about this line, see the Harvey page. See also "Reese Family Record 2014". #stowell #harvey #reese #Reese #BetsyStowell

"Behind every great man, is a great woman", so the saying goes. With that in mind, this is a follow up to last week's post, The amazing life of Edward Hazard Jr. The woman photographed here was the great woman who was by Edward's side. She was Deborah Ballard, my maternal 6th Great-Grandmother, born in September of 1786. She married young, at the age of about 16 and died at the age of 80 on May 16, 1867 in Windsor, Broome County, New York. Click here to learn more about Deborah and her family. #DeborahBallard #EdwardHazard #RaymondHMayo #portrait

Esther (or Hester) Tourneur, daughter of Daniel & Jacqueline Tourneur, was born in New Harlem (modern day Harlem, New York) in 1662. Her father was one of the original settlers of New Harlem. He held many important titles, performed many important public services, and was a large land holder. The subject of this article is the land Daniel Tourneur purchased in or soon after 1667, called the Hoorn's Hook patent. Because of a dispute the land was involved with, Tourneur "was given instead eighty-one acres on the Main, bordering on what the Indians called Mannepies Creek. This grant, through the marriage of Esther Tourneur to Frederick De Voe, became vested in the De Voe ancestor, who was afterward owner of the adjoining tract known as De Voe's Point." Esther and Frederick Deveaux (or De Voe) had a daughter named Rachel Deveaux, who was born on May 1, 1678. She married Johannes Dyckman in 1702, and they had at least two sons: Cornelis Dyckman, named after Johannes's father, and Frederick Dyckman, named after Rachel's father. Following is a closeup of the "land of the De Voes", described in the above illustration as follows: "On the right is historic McCoomb's Dam Bridge, crossing the salt marshes covered by Harlem in her early days, and touching the land of the De Voes, the descendants of Esther* Tourneur." (*Also known as Hester). Although this photograph is old, it was probably taken around the time the book was published in 1903. Certainly the land had already seen quite a number of changes since the Tourneur and Deveaux families lived there. This interactive Google Map virtually places you on Harlem River Drive, in the approximate area this photo was taken, facing what is now called "Macomb's Dam Bridge". The De Voe's land (Deveaux) was in this vicinity. Across the bridge is the famous Yankee's Stadium. Click here to learn more about Esther (or Hester) Tourneur, daughter of Daniel Tourneur, who married Frederick Deveaux (or De Voe). Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. Sources: New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted, by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903, p. 50. Google Maps #HesterTourneur #Deveaux #Harlem #DutchSettlers #dutchsettlement #FrederickDeveaux #RachelDeveaux #FrederickDyckman

In today's world of cell phones equipped with camera and video functionality, it's easy to take for granted how easy it is to record and save our precious memories. How fortunate for our future descendants who may never meet us or hear our voice. If only the pilgrims had cell phones when they crossed the Atlantic. If only the soldiers in the trenches had vlogged the victory over the British during the Revolution. If only someone had recorded a video of our great-great-grandparents dancing at their wedding - or even took a photo! How great would that be! Unfortunately, it is rarely easy to find photographs of ancestors born in or before the nineteenth century, and video was literally unheard of. Surely many of them were never photographed at all, and for the ones who were, it was a rare occasion. They may have had three photos taken in all their life and they could have faded, been lost, destroyed, or worse - unlabeled, leaving us with no idea who is in the photo. Last month I found two photos of my paternal great-grandfather, Percy Daniels, in one of my most exciting finds, and now I have discovered a photo of David Reese, my maternal 5th great-grandfather! He is obviously quite aged in the photo, and therefore it must have been taken in the 1890s or before he died on December 26, 1911. My great-grandfather, John Reese (his great-grandson, shown below), was just 11-months old at the time. The photo of David Reese was shared on Ancestry.com, contributed by user "granteves". I cropped and framed the photo as shown here for the family. Thank you to Grant Eves, for sharing this precious treasure with us! Compare it to the 2002 photo of his great-grandson, John Reese. Do you see a resemblance? #DavidReese #Reese #reese #JohnReese

New York City certainly has seem a dramatic transformation over the past 400 years. Almost nothing from the time my 10th great-grandfather, Daniel Tourneur, lived in Harlem in the 1660s remains, except what is written in the records. From the book, "New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted", we read "On lot g stood the house of Daniel Tourneur". The map provided in the book shows us exactly where it was located, and other properties Daniel owned. A detailed view of the same map is shown below, with lot g outlined in red. We can learn more about Daniel's land holdings in 1670, on page 63: This satellite image from Google Maps shows the approximate location of Daniel Tourneur's house in Harlem, possibly in the middle of present day 124th Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue in Harlem. You can also view the location from street level view on Google Maps here. Click on the image to look around or navigate down the street. He also appears to have owned Lot 7 of Upper Horn's Hook, (p. 101-102 of New Harlem Past and Present). Click here to learn more about Daniel Tourneur. Click here to see more about this family. Source: New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted, by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903 #DanielTourneur #Harlem #NewYork #DutchSettlers #dutchsettlement

Daniel Tourneur was a French Huguenot, born in Amiens, the capital of Picardy, in northern France, on March 20, 1625. He was the son of Etienne Tourneur and Marie Burger. You can "walk" the streets of Amiens on Google Maps to see the city. Click or drag on the image to navigate around the streets: Picardy is a historical region which extends from the suburbs of Paris to the Bay of Somme on the English Channel. The counties of Picardy were Boulogne, Ponthieu, Amiens and Vermandois. In 2016, the regions of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy were merged into a new region called Hauts-de-France, meaning "Upper France". The Picardy region was part of the Frankish Empire as early as the 5th century. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 declared it part of West Francia. In 1477, King Louis XI of France led his army into Picardy, occupying key towns until he controlled the entire region. Picardy is the birthplace of Gothic architecture, containing six of the world's greatest examples of Gothic Cathedrals, including the Amiens Cathedral, the tallest cathedral in France, built between 1220 and 1270. Certainly the Tourneur family were well acquainted with it as it overlooked the River Somme in the city in which Daniel was born. It is a Roman Catholic Church, and likely part of the reason Daniel fled France. According to "New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted", page 297-298, "The Tourneurs, it seems have been victims of repeated persecutions in France, and had been driven from home in the fruitful valley of the Somme in the wake of a relentless war." See the Huguenot Society of America's website for information about the events that led to the Huguenot migration to America, including the dreadful day of August 24, 1572, when thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants) celebrating the marriage of Prince Henry Navarre in Paris were slaughtered in a heinous act organized by the Crown and the Church - Catherine de' Medici (widow of Henry II) and Pope Gregory XIII. The Prince, however, responded by leading Huguenot forces to a victory over the Catholic League at the Battle of Ivry in Normandy. After their victory, in 1598, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes, granting the Huguenots religious freedom. This freedom, however, did not stop the persecution by their predominantly Catholic countrymen. Thousands of Huguenots fled France as a result of that persecution, Daniel Tourneur being one of them. He left France in or before 1650 and went to Leiden, Holland, where he married Jacqueline Paresis. Two years later, they were on their way to America, settling in what is now Harlem, New York. "As a very young man in France he had been drawn into a religious clash when a group of Catholics attacked a Protestant burial service. In the struggle, one man was killed and Tourneur, accused, was obliged to flee to the Protestant center of Leyden. There he married Jacqueline Parisis, sister of a Protestant clergyman. Shortly after the birth of their first son, Daniel Jr., he brought the family to America." (Excerpt from "Jan Dyckman of Harlem and His Descendants"). Thirty-three after Daniel left, in 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes entirely. The remaining Huguenots in France were forced to renounce their faith and convert to Catholicism. They were not permitted to leave France and those who refused, considered heretics, were hunted down and their property confiscated. Daniel and his family had escaped a wicked and unjust fate, by the grace of God. See Daniel Tourneur's profile page for more details about his life. See the Dykeman page for more on this branch of my family. ------------------------------------------ Sources: Amiens Cathedral article on Wikipedia Somme (department) article on Wikipedia Picardy article on Wikipedia "New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted", by by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903. "Jan Dyckman of Harlem and His Descendants", by H. Dorothea Romer and Helen B. Hartman, 1981. "Peeps in Picardy", by W. D. Craufurd, W.D. Manton, and E. A. Manton. (Interior of the cathedral, below) #DanielTourneur #Tourneur #France #Huguenot #NewNetherland #French #Amiens #Picardy

When Governor Andros restored the English form of government in New York, the first case brought to the new court at New Harlem was the case of Widow Jacqueline Tourneur vs. Elizabeth Nightengale Disosway. The "old antagonist", Mrs. Disosway, had many times accused and slandered the name of Jacqueline's husband, Daniel Tourneur, claiming he had killed a man in his old home of France. Even though Daniel was deceased, Jacqueline saw the new court as an opportunity to settle the matter, once and for all, and it appeared to end in justice. Mrs. Disosway's apologetic appeal was entered as follows, on January 19, 1675: "The Defendant brought into ye Court her suplicatory peticon, in which was her acknowledgement for her wrong and injury to ye Plaintiff's husband; which ye Court accepted off, conditionally she behaved her selfe well, and pay all costs." But it wasn't over yet. Within three months, Mrs. Disosway repeated the offense and the court grew tired of the case and it was dismissed. Jacqueline and her son, Daniel, Jr., "had suffered so much annoyance from the story that they finally rented their village property and moved over to Montagne's Flat, where the young man had holdings inherited from his father". According to "New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted", and other sources, the allegations were false: "The accusation against Tourneur had its foundation in the fact that the elder Tourneur had drawn his sword in self-defense, in company with several of his companions, during a political quarrel in France. In the course of the melee a man was killed. Tourneur, with others, fled. The Disosways had held this taunt over Tourneur's head whenever the Magistrates displeased them." Later, the Tourneurs and Disosways settled their differences and the Disosways moved to Staten Island in 1684. Read more about the circumstances of the melee here. Click here to read more about this branch of my family. Sources: New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted, by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903, p. 50, 91-92. Google Maps #HesterTourneur #Deveaux #Harlem #DutchSettlers #dutchsettlement #DanielTourneur #JacquelineParesis #JacquelinedeParisis #justice

Daniel Tourneur is listed among the "the pioneers, who first succeeded in planting the seeds of civilization and religion in Harlem". At the signing of the first patent of the Nicholls Charter, Daniel Tourneur was President of the New Harlem Court. The second Nicholls charter was drawn on October 11, 1667, by Richard Nicholls, granting the right to call the town "New Harlem". The first patent omitted the Bronx property. The terms of the patent can be read here: Much information about Daniel Tourneau's life in Harlem is found in "New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted". Click here to read it for free at Archive.org. This map shows the location of some of Tourneur's land: Click here to learn more about Daniel Tourneur. Source: "New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted", by by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903 #DanielTourneur #Harlem #NewYorkCity

At a meeting of the villagers of New Harlem, which took place at 125th and First Avenue, on March 23, 1660, Daniel Tourneur was elected as Corporal to help defend and maintain peace and order in the settlement. No military force was needed, however, since a peace agreement had been made with the local Indians. As the town grew and more settlers arrived, however, problems began to arise to the point where the villagers petitioned the Council of New Netherland for a court of justice. Stuyvesant granted the request, naming Daniel Tourneur, Jan Pietersen, and Pierre Cresson as Commissaries to make judgments on disputes and conflicts among the settlers. From the book "New Harlem past and present", the following was stated: "These Commissaries, afterwards called Magistrates, turned their attention almost immediately to the religious needs of the community." The nearest Church was at Stuyvesant's chapel located at 9th Street and 2nd Avenue, later called St. Mark's Church an eight-mile paddle over the treacherous currents of the East River. The authors continue: "Through the Commissaries, who had the supervision of all such matters, and were all professors of the Reformed religion, this urgent need of a minister was made known to Governor Stuyvesant..." Thus, the Reformed Church of New Harlem was organized. By the end of the year a dominie willing to minister to the people of New Harlem was found and services were being held. Dominie Zyperus, however, was not permitted to administer ordinances, which prevented him from performing marriages. Therefore, "most of the marriages of the day were performed by Dominie Selyns, pastor of Brooklyn church, who used to hold services in Stuyvesant's Chapel". Later, in 1673, Daniel Tourneur also served as Private in New Harlem's first militia. Source: New Harlem past and present; the story of an amazing civic wrong, now at last to be righted, by Carl H. Pierce, W.P. Toler, and H.D. Nutting, 1903, p. 21-22. Click here to learn more about the life and family of Daniel Tourneur. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #DanielTourneur #Harlem #NewYorkCity #NewYork #DutchSettlers #dutchsettlement

Enjoy these scenes and memorabilia from historic Cortland, New York, located smack dab in the middle of the great State of New York. #cortland #reese #daniels #NewYork #leonard #Leonard

Back when record-keeping was done by hand, index cards were of great value. This 3" x 5" card provides us with personal details about Albert Strong of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He was 44 years old when he enlisted in the Civil War at Troy, Pa., on Sept. 27, 1864. He was 5'7" tall with a dark complexion, brown hair, and gray eyes. He served as a Private in Company E, 3rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. His discharge was ordered or approved after eight months of service, on May 29, 1865, and he was officially discharged 11 days later, on June 9, 1865. Search the Pennsylvania Civil War Index for your ancestors! Click here! (It's free!) Click here to see more Albert Strong's history and family.. If you can connect or add to Albert's profile on WikiTree, please do! #albertstrong #civilwar #strong

This Charles Decker, born in Elmira, New York, in 1850. About 1916 he moved to Goshen, having lived in Warwick previously. Had a son named James A. Decker who lived in Warwick and another son, Edward Decker, of Waterbury, Connecticut. Charles is buried in Warwick Cemetery. Note: Although there are three other men named Charles Decker buried there, none match these dates. Who was this Charles Decker the son of? Note also, he is not our Charles G. Decker who died in 1909. Click here to see more Deckers in the news. #othercharlesdeckers #otherdeckers

The Lineage of the Decker Family was published in segments in Olde Ulster: an historical and genealogical magazine, in a series of issues from 1906 to 1909: Volume 2 in August 1906 (pages 244-249): Continued in Volume 3 in January 1907 (pages 27-30): Continued in Volume 5 in April 1909 (pages 120-126): Continued in Volume 5 in May 1909 (pages 155-159): Continued in Volume 5 in June 1909 (page 181-183): I have yet to find my connection to this Decker family. My 2nd great-grandfather, Charles Gilbert Decker, was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, abt. 1863. He lived in Warwick and Port Jervis, New York, and died in Walden, New York in 1909. His widow, Lydia Decker, lived in Hamburg, Sussex County, New Jersey - all towns associated with this Decker family. For more on my Decker family, see the "Decker" page or for other Deckers possibly related, see the "Other Deckers" page. Join the Decker Genealogy forum! #decker #otherdeckers #genealogy

For those researching the line of James Leonard the Ironworker of Taunton, Massachusetts, don't miss this magnificent work by Brad Leonard. Two volumes detail the first 8 generations of James' descendants. #Leonard #otherleonards #leonard

This past few weeks I have been trying to clean out my computer and sort through all my saved disks and files. I have collected so much valuable information and I created this page to share all my finds with you. I will be posting a lot of links, tips, suggestions, ideas, photos, and more, so be sure to follow and check back soon! #myblog