Historical reassessment of Dutch colonists in the New World reveals significant contributions, challenging traditional narratives. Key discoveries from Dutch archives and Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage on the Half-Moon have prompted a rewriting of American colonial history.
Theodore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth President of the United States and member of The Holland Society of New York from April 1885 until he died on January 6, 1919, would have groaned had he been a witness to the first recorded public appearance of his immigrant ancestor, Nicolas Martens, because Nicolas was in the public eye for something the very antithesis of the famed Roosevelt motto to "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Few Societies possess insignia comparable in historical significance to that of the Holland Society. From the famous "Beggars' Medal" or ceremonial badge, the devices indicative of long membership and lapel insignia, to the newly established "Presidents' Award"
Roos means rose, and veld is the Dutch equivalent of English field. But is rosefield a likely compound? Roses do not grow in masses except in nurseries, and the nurseryman does not speak of his rozenveld but will call it his rozentuin (rose garden) or rozenperk (rose bed). I cannot believe, therefore, that Roosevelt means rosefield.
The seal and the badge are much older than either the flags or mounted beaver as symbols of the Society. They were among the first matters of concern after the founding back in April of 1885, and the earliest records indicate the design of the seal had been determined by the group of organizers even prior to the initial meeting.
Dutch women played a crucial role in the development of 17th-century New York and New Jersey, transforming a wilderness into a thriving community and influencing the rise of New Amsterdam.
It was about three centuries ago when New York was still New Amsterdam that the ancestor of our present-day Santa Claus first made an appearance in America. He was a bishop in the person of a kindly white-bearded old man in flowing robes riding a white horse.
The fact of the matter is that most Americans don't know much about their ancestors. Of one hundred randomly selected adults, how many do you suppose could give the maiden names of all of their four great-grandmothers, even if you gave them a few months to look up the data?
In 1948 at the 63rd annual dinner of The Holland Society of New York at the Waldorf-Astoria, former President Herbert Hoover received the Distinguished Achievement Medal for his humanitarian efforts in front of 400 attendees.
The average person who lived in Europe in the Middle Ages knew but little, and all he did know came from the lips of others who knew as little as he. Even those who could read and write were steeped in superstition.
