The Holland Society of New York

The Holland Society of New York Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Holland Society of New York, 161 W 86th Street, Unit 1AW, New York, NY.

The Holland Society is a historical and genealogical society founded to collect and preserve information respecting the early history and settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch. The Holland Society is a historical and genealogical society founded to collect and preserve information respecting the early history and settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch, and to discover, collect and preserve all still existing documents, etc., relating to their genealogy and history.

09/04/2026

The New Netherland Institute is thrilled to have received a grant from Albany County American Revolution 250 Commission for "Abraham Ten Broeck, the Van Rensselaer Manor, and the American Revolution." We will be working with the New York State Library to digitize the Abraham Ten Broeck collection within Van Rensselaer Manor Papers.

Ten Brock was the manager of Van Rensselaer Manor in the years leading up to and during the Revolution, and his papers will illuminate the role that Dutch descendants played in the Revolution as well as Albany County's experience or the Revolution. We look forward to sharing this collection with the public!

Image: John Roberts, Abraham Ten Broeck (1734-1810). From the Collection of the Albany Institute of History & Art

09/03/2026

For all of those related to or interested in Sarah Rapalje, check out Echoes of New Netherland's interview with Chad Muhlestein. "Chad is a hobbyist woodworker from North Carolina. Inspired by his connection to Rapalje ancestry and New Netherland history, he has made a beautiful reconstruction of Sarah Rapalje’s chair, the original of which is in the Museum of the City of New York's archives." Please see the following link for the interview:
https://www.fawnbrokawdoyle.com/post/echoes-of-new-netherland-2

A new edition de Halve Maen has been published and sent to our members and subscribers. Volume 98, Number 2 of our schol...
08/31/2026

A new edition de Halve Maen has been published and sent to our members and subscribers. Volume 98, Number 2 of our scholarly magazine contains Alan Mikhail’s piece, “Was Anthony the Turk Really a Turk?” Mikhail will be a guest speaker at the Holland Society for a hybrid lecture on September 17 on his book Newcomers: The Story of Anthony and Grietje and the Founding of New York.

Also included is Jennifer Playstead’s essay, “Becoming Native to New Netherlands: Race, Settlement, and the Land in the Creation of “Whiteness”” and David William Vorhees’ book review of Michael J. Douma’s book The Slow Death of Slavery in Dutch New York: A Cultural, Economic, and Demographic History, 1700-1827.

Online subscribers can access the magazine online. Non-members who are interested in a print subscription or online access to the Society’s magazine, please visit our website to subscribe https://hollandsociety.app.neoncrm.com/giftstore/product?product=14&

On August 28th, 1609, Henry Hudson reached Delaware Bay with his ship ‘de Halve Maen’ (Half Moon) and claimed it for the...
08/28/2026

On August 28th, 1609, Henry Hudson reached Delaware Bay with his ship ‘de Halve Maen’ (Half Moon) and claimed it for the Dutch East India Company. He did not come ashore on Delaware land, but reported that the area would be a good location for settlement. The discovery was a significant step in the Dutch claim to New Netherland, and his experience contributed to his later exploration of the Hudson River and Hudson Bay. The Dutch called the estuary "Godyns Bay", or "Godins Bay" after a director of the company, Samuel Godijn.

At our August Board of Trustees meeting, the Holland Society approved three Legacy members for election to the Society.T...
08/27/2026

At our August Board of Trustees meeting, the Holland Society approved three Legacy members for election to the Society.

Those interested in joining the Holland Society of New York may do so through two means: regular membership or by becoming a Friend of the Society. If you know of relatives who have been members of the Society, you can take advantage of the Legacy application based on their relation to you. For more information and eligibility requirements, visit our website https://hollandsociety.org/join/ or contact us at [email protected].

Today, genealogical expert Maria Dering walked through how to trace your family history with a focus on New Amsterdam. M...
08/26/2026

Today, genealogical expert Maria Dering walked through how to trace your family history with a focus on New Amsterdam. Maria covered the resources, key elements, and structure needed for a successful genealogical search. Along with covering the basics, Maria answered questions and explored topics of interest, including the unique challenges of New Amsterdam genealogical research. With her decades of experience, Maria provided guidance and clarity to make discovering in-depth family histories possible.

Thank you to all who joined us for this virtual lecture. To view the recording, you can go to the Holland Society's YouTube channel or use the following link: https://youtu.be/jp0jRnyo5VM

Fall tickets open! With autumn around the corner, join the Holland Society for these fall museum tours in New York City ...
08/25/2026

Fall tickets open! With autumn around the corner, join the Holland Society for these fall museum tours in New York City and Boston. Limited space! Book your spot on our website under upcoming events or by using the following link: https://hollandsociety.org/upcoming-events/

* Gardner Museum Book of Esther Private Tour | October 2 (Boston)
* Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Tour | October 23 (NYC)
* Museum of the City of New York Lenape Legacies and Futures Tour | November 11 (NYC)

Happy National Waffle Day! Did you know the Pilgrims brought waffles to America in 1620s after discovering them during a...
08/24/2026

Happy National Waffle Day! Did you know the Pilgrims brought waffles to America in 1620s after discovering them during a brief stop in Holland? The word ‘waffle’ is directly derived from the Dutch ‘wafel’.

Dutch immigrants popularized waffles in New Amsterdam, before it became New York. Thomas Jefferson reportedly started a mini American waffle craze during the 1790’s when he returned from France with a goose-handled waffle iron.
On August 24, 1869, Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, NY, a Dutch-American, received a patent for the first waffle iron in the United States, and the anniversary of the patent marks National Waffle Day.

On this day, August 22, 1654, Jacob Barsimson arrived in New Amsterdam as the first known Jewish immigrant to America. J...
08/22/2026

On this day, August 22, 1654, Jacob Barsimson arrived in New Amsterdam as the first known Jewish immigrant to America. Jewish leaders in the Dutch Republic sent Barsimson to explore the possibility of a more extensive Jewish immigration to New Amsterdam. After Dutch Brazil fell, they felt Jewish communities in Europe needed to find another alternative. Barsimson set sail from the Netherlands on July 8, 1654, on the ship Pear Tree on August 22. A group of 23 Jews from Recife, Brazil, who arrived at New Amsterdam in September, followed Barsimson, and together they established the first Jewish settlement in what would later be the United States. Despite Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s hostility, Barsimson secured a ruling from New Amsterdam’s Dutch municipal court allowing them to stay.

🖼: Manischewitz matza box cover issued in honor of the Tercentenary depicting the 1654 arrival of the first Jews of New Amsterdam.

The August edition of the Holland Society’s newsletter has been published and is available on our website https://mailch...
08/20/2026

The August edition of the Holland Society’s newsletter has been published and is available on our website https://mailchi.mp/2ec87aa9bf90/august-2026-newsletter Tickets are available for our Annual Dinner Dance and be sure to also read about our upcoming events and other exciting opportunities.

Please check out our website’s news page and learn more about the Holland Society’s events and projects planned for 2026. If you would like to sign up to receive our monthly newsletter visit https://hollandsociety.org/newsletter-archives/

Address

161 W 86th Street, Unit 1AW
New York, NY
10024

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(212) 758-1675

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