New-Netherland,
Heritage associations

• Holland Society
• New Netherland Project
• The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

Holland Society
The Holland Society was set up in New York in 1885 to gather information about the foundation and history of New Netherland. Its main goal is to find and register data about the lives of the colony’s inhabitants and the times in which they lived, in order to shed light on the Dutch colony’s political, social and religious structures. The Society funds historical publications and stimulates family research and genealogy. Many members of the Society are particularly active in conducting and publishing genealogical research.

The Holland Society set up the New Netherland Project, which entails the translation and publication of the seventeenth-century archive records kept in the New York State Archives (http://www.archives.nysed.gov) At present the records under investigation include those of the Dutch Reformed Church of Flatbush, Kings County New York.

The Holland Society also publishes a quarterly magazine called de Halve Maen, which presents the results of research into the Dutch contribution to American history and articles about various aspects of New Netherland.

In principle all individuals who can show that they are descended in the direct male line from ancestors who lived in New Netherland before or during 1675 are eligible to become members. Those who cannot or do not want to be members can opt to become ‘Friends’ of the Society. All sorts of formalities are involved in becoming either a member or a ‘Friend’.

Anyone wishing to know more about the Holland Society should visit the Society’s website, www.hollandsociety.com. There are in fact many other heritage associations of this kind, but the Holland Society is one of the oldest and most important.

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New Netherland Project
The New Netherland Project was established under the auspices of the New York State Library and the Holland Society of New York. Its primary objective is to complete the transcription, translation, and publication of all Dutch archive records in New York archive repositories relating to the seventeenth-century colony of New Netherland. This unique resource has already proved invaluable to scholars in a wide variety of disciplines. It also serves to enhance awareness of the major Dutch contributions to America over the centuries and the strong connections between the two nations. The Project is supported by the New York State Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the New Netherland Institute.

The New Netherland Institute - formerly the Friends of New Netherland - seeks to increase public awareness of the work of the New Netherland Project and supports the Project through fund raising. The Institute assists authors of scholarly and popular material, and disseminates information to educators, researchers, historians, genealogists, and anthropologists. The Institute also stimulates collaborations with academic institutions and other organisations interested in early American history. Finally, the Institute provides teaching and research facilities and consulting services pertaining to New Netherland, and sponsors activities related to the work of the New Netherland Project.

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The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
For nearly 400 years, New York has been renowned for the diversity of its population. Its residents’ ancestors may have been among the first Europeans or Africans who came to New Netherland, or the original inhabitants of the country, or they may have been part of the long procession of immigrants from all over the world who came in later years. The G&B Society was founded in 1869 and is keen to help you find out more about those ancestors and the world in which they lived. The Society has a large library and extensive documentation systems.

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