This week on The Historians Podcast, for 40 years Charles Gehring has been translating Old Dutch language documents from the 17th century New Netherland colony in New York, New Jersey and Delaware.
Gehring is Director of the New Netherland Research Center at the New York State Education Department in Albany. His work has been used by many historians and authors, including Russell Shorto whose acclaimed 2004 book The Island at the Center of the World is a history of the city of New York dating back to colonial Dutch times.
Old Dutch is hard to understand even for people fluent in modern Dutch. Many surviving hand written documents are barely legible.
Gehring said, “These are the original records of the Dutch colony here in the 17th century. I’m also busy promoting people’s knowledge of Dutch heritage in the area. So it’s not just a translation project but a dissemination project as well, and an education project.”
In 1994 Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands made Gehring a knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
You can listen to the podcast here. You will find more podcasts and stories at bobcudmore.com.
For a full list of this week’s New York Almanack podcasts announcements click HERE.
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