Beginnings 

        One quickly discovers that genealogy "gets in your system."  Searching for one's ancestors can be a very interesting and rewarding experience.  You will discover "family" secrets which will amaze and sometimes disappoint you.  I am a historian and genealogy, or family history, seems like a natural venue for my research.  Genealogy is a very time intensive venture which, until recently, seemed to be an activity reserved for those with the necessary resources: time and money.  The popularity of the internet and the introduction of user friendly software have made family research much easier and far more productive.  

        In the course of my research, I discovered my ancestors came to America very early.  The roots reach back to England, Wales, Holland, Normandy, Scotland, Sweden, on the paternal side of my lineage.  My mother's ancestors came from Ireland and Germany during the 19th century.  The Wyatt's arrived in Virginia in 1623 when Sir Francis Wyatt, the Governor of Virginia, and his brother the Reverend Haute Wyatt settled in Jamestown.

        The Dutch and Swedish lines on the paternal side form another branch of my tree.  The Wyckoff family first settled in New Amsterdam on April 7th, 1637 when Pieter Claesen  arrived on the Dutch sailing ship "Rensselaerswick."  The British, who defeated the Dutch, were constantly frustrated and confused by the Dutch practice of using patronyms rather than family surnames and eventually forced all Dutch residents in New Amsterdam to choose a surname.  Pieter Claesen added Wyckoff as his surname.  Pieter's granddaughter, Grietje Wyckoff, was my 8G-Grandmother.     

Last update: 09/18/2001