The Schenectady County Historical Society (32 Washington Ave., Schenectady), will hold a celebrate the life and legacy of Hendrick Meese Vrooman, a Dutch settler who came to Schenectady in 1664 and was ultimately killed in the 1690 Massacre. Vrooman was the father of Adam and Jan Vrooman, who came with their father from Holland and many of whose descendants still live in the Schenectady and Schoharie County area.
A letter written by Vrooman in 1664, along with many other letters, were seized by the English from Dutch ships during the 17th-century Anglo–Dutch wars. These seized letters were recently discovered in the archives in Kew, England. In Vrooman’s letter, he comments on the changing rule in the colonies from Dutch to English, and describes his life in Schenectady: “It has been a good summer there. Very fine corn has grown there and the cultivation was good and the land still pleases me. At snechtendeel [Schenectady and the surrounding area] the land is more beautiful than I have ever seen in Holland.”
The Dutch national television station KRO will be filming this event for its program “Brieven Boven Water” (roughly translated as “Surfacing Letters”). The program attempts to make contact with living descendants of people who wrote the seized letters.
Descendants of Hendrick Meese Vrooman are especially encouraged to attend this event; the Grems-Doolittle Library staff and volunteers can help trace lineages back to the Vroomans. Please contact the Librarian for assistance.
The event will be held at the Historical Society on Thursday, February 9, at 2:00 p.m. The cost is $5.00 for the general public; Free for Schenectady County Historical Society members. For more information, please contact Melissa Tacke, Librarian, 518-374-0263, option 3, or by email at librarian@schist.org.
Illustration: Map of Schenectady in 1690, courtesy Brown and Wheeler Family History.
Hello..My name is Tammy Clark..Catharine Vrooman was my gr. gr. grandmother. She married LeGrand Clark in Albany N.Y. He was from Johnstown N.Y. LeGrands father (Elisha Clark) was in the war of 1812. His mother (Perthena Lewis) a D.A.R. They came to N.Y. from Milford CT.
LeGrand inherrited a farm in Hartland Mi. Catharine passed in 1853 the mother of 6 sons. I am trying to figure out how she fits into the Vrooman genealogy. I don’t have an exact date of birth for her but I was told she was 53 when she passed away so that would make it 1800.
My name is Myrna and Loretta Vrooman was my grandmother. Let me do some research.
Adam is my 9th great grandfather. His son Wouter is my 8th great grandfather. I’d love to learn more information. Add our names to whatever family list there is….anything that has to do with Adam and his family
Please and thank you
According to the book Vrooman family in America I descend from Hendrick through his son Jan. I am trying to find out how Adam Clark Vroman the photographer who started Vromans book store in Pasadena fits into the family