The Van Voorhees Association Henry Hudson 400 Celebration Reunion

October 1-3, 2009

Hampton Inn, Albany, New York

*Please note that in most instances, surnames of living people have been replaced with initials to discourage identity theft.

Sent: Sat 9/26/2009 10:01 AM

We have hired a professional photographer for our Fri evening reunion. His name is Burt and he will be with us from 5 pm to 7 pm. He will be taking digital pictures and will send me a CD with all the pictures after the event. So its unlimited pictures--don't hesitate to ask Burt to get a picture of your table, group, you and your best friend, you and your daughter, etc. 

We want to get a group picture about 6:30 pm. Burt will look over the facility and decide the best place for the group picture--be it in our dinner room, bar area, lobby, outside, etc. 

Please don't forget to ask for your name badge at the Hampton front desk. I think we should wear our name badges all the time so we can get to know our Voorhees cousins. NNI has about 90 people signed up for their various functions and I expect this number to grow. Our group has done just what I hoped--some people have signed up for all NNI events and some have signed up for none, and everything in between.

Bob

Sent: Fri 9/25/2009 5:36 PM

I'm just finding out where it says bus it means 31 seats plus standing room. Where it says van it means a 10 passenger van. The van plans to make several trips back and forth until everyone is where they want to be. My biggest concern is the 4 pm tour of the First Church on Fri. Some are looking forward to this. This may be a hard connection to make. Maybe several of us that have cars will figure out a way to have cars at the CEC on Fri afternoon so the load on the Van is reduced.

At the two parking lots near the CEC (NY State Museum) parking is free after 3 pm and on week ends.

Bob

Attachment: Premier Transportation

Sent: Fri 9/25/2009 10:26 AM

At last count we have 53 people attending from 16 states. Attached is our list sorted by Last name, Line, State, and Town.

Bob

Attachment: Sorted by State

Sent: Fri 9/25/2009 10:12 AM

Attached is the bus schedule for our reunion week end. I believe it is exactly as I had it in yesterday's email.

For our Fri Oct 2 reunion we had planned to have the 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm social hour in our dinner room. Yono's is suggesting we consider having the social hour in the bar area of the American Brasserie Restaurant which is across the hall from the dinner room. I will take a look at this when I arrive next Wed and we can make a final decision.

Several of our attendees plan to bring the names of their descendants between themselves and Steven Coerte Van Voorhees, the immigrant ancestor. For those interested this might be fun.

Also, If you have a favorite picture of a grandchild or an ancestor bring it along and we can share some pictures.

Bob

Attachment:

Premier Transportation

Thursday, October 1st
1 Bus pickup from the Hampton Inn and Suites @ 1:45pm to AIHA
1 Bus to pickup at AIHA at 3:30pm and return to CEC
1 Van to pickup at Hampton Inn 5:00pm to CEC
1 Van pickup from CEC @ 7:30pm to Hampton Inn and Suites
1 Van pickup from CEC @ 8:00pm to Hampton Inn and Suites

Friday, October 2nd
1 Bus pickup from Hampton Inn and Suites @ 8:30 am to CEC
1 Bus pickup from Hampton Inn and Suites @ 9:00 am to CEC
1 Van pickup from CEC @ 3:20pm to Hampton Inn and Suites
1 Van pickup from CEC @ 3:45pm to Hampton Inn and Suites

Saturday, October 3rd
1 Bus pickup from Hampton Inn and Suites @ 8:30 am to CEC
1 Bus pickup from Hampton Inn and Suites @ 9:00am to CEC
1 Van pickup from CEC @ 3:30pm to Hampton Inn and Suites
1 Van pickup from CEC @ 4:00pm to Hampton Inn and Suites

Sent: Thu 9/24/2009 3:34 PM

1) Mary W. Park will be attending our reunion. Mary is Directress General of the Society of Daughters of Holland Dames (est 1885). At our Fri evening buffet dinner, we have asked Mary to give us information on this Society. Dr. Lee Crandall Park, Mary's husband, is a Life member of the Van Voorhees Association and will also be at the reunion.

2) Flo and Peter C. will be with us at the Fri evening buffet dinner but they will be leaving Sat morning and heading for Hartwick College at Oneonta, NY for a Hartwick reunion. Both Flo and Peter graduated from Hartwick and they were married soon after graduation. Flo is to receive an award from the Hartwick Math Dept. Flo is sure to get the big head after two awards in one weekend. 

3) David W. V., our speaker Fri evening, will join us shortly after we finish eating and before the meeting portion of the evening. The New Netherland Institute sponsors a dinner Fri evening for the speakers and David needs to attend this speakers reception because a lot of the presentations given at the Seminar will turn into articles for the Journal, de Halve Maen.  The title of David's presentation is "The Story of the Holland Society's Journal, de Halve Maen". Peter C. is one of the speakers and he is scheduled for the Fri afternoon session.

4) Also attending our reunion will be Barbara V., my sister-in-law. Speaking of Hartwick, Barbara has a Masters Degree in History from Hartwick and she did her masters thesis on a history of Albany. She has less to learn about Albany than the rest of us. Also attending the reunion will be Judge Richard L. V., Barbara's husband. Dick gave his grandson Garrett a Life membership in the Van Voorhees Association for Christmas last year. Now that is setting an example. Our great great great grandfather Peter Voorhees served in the NY Legislature in Albany in 1798--a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. You will recall I mentioned our Voorhees genealogist Lesley E. Voorhees. Yes they are both named after Jane Lesley (1735-1811) but note the different spelling of Leslie\Lesley. There is a family story here which I will leave for the cocktail hour.

5) Joyce F. of San Antonio, TX is a member of our Genealogy Committee. Joyce's mother is Geraldine V. Joyce and I were born in the same hospital in Syracuse about a year apart. Small world. No we are not going to mention what year that was. Joyce and I are 9th cousins. Joyce is in the Lucas line and I am in the Coert line. Unfortunately Joyce cannot make the reunion.

6) So far we have no one coming from the Albert line. We have only two cousins coming from the Jan line--Clifford V. Bronx, NY and Marie B., MN. Please give them a special hug so they don't feel lonely. Marie is a member of the Genealogy Committee.

Bob

Sent: Thu 9/24/2009 11:51 AM

New Netherland Institute News--32nd Rensselaerswijck Seminar

Many of us are participating in Seminar events. The presentations on Fri Oct 2 and Sat Oct 3 are at the CEC (Cultural Education Center), or Archives Museum and Library, or New York State Library and Museum. All these names refer to the same building 0.7 miles from the Hampton Inn. The doors will open at 9 am and coffee and danish will be served. The first presentation is at 9:30 am (both days). Transportation from the Hampton to the CEC and from the CEC back to the Hampton will be in the form of a 31 passenger bus. We outgrew the trolley we had been talking about. The bus will probably have to make two trips each way to handle everyone. This will be an opportunity to get to know each other. I think the bus will leave the Hampton at 8:30 am and 9 am in the morning and return on Fri afternoon at 3:20 pm and 3:45 pm and on Sat at 3:30 and 4 pm. On Fri some of you will want to go to the free 4 pm presentation at the First Church (about 100 feet from the Hampton). We hope to have an easel in the lobby of the Hampton with the bus schedule and other topical information.

On Thursday Oct 1 the first event will be the free 10 am presentation and film on the History of Albany at the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center (this Visitors Center is on the map I emailed a few weeks ago). The Visitors Center is about 0.2 miles from the Hampton or an 8 minute walk. We will meet in the Hampton lobby about 9:40 am  and walk over. I understand there is a small museum at the Visitors Center which we can enjoy. The Duck tour leaves from the Visitors Center at 11 am. The Duck tour takes about 1 1\2 hour and the tour will finish at the Hampton about 12:30 pm. You are on your own for lunch. The guided tour at the AIHA (Albany Institute of History & Art) is scheduled for 2:15 pm. The bus is scheduled to leave the Hampton for the AIHA about 1:45 pm. The AIHA is 0.5 miles from the Hampton. IMPORTANT: The bus will pick us up at the AIHA about 3:45 and take us directly to the CEC for the free 5 pm Reception (Russell Shorto is expected to talk about 5:30 pm). The bus will not be coming back from the AIHA to the Hampton. It is about 0.6 miles from the AIHA and the CEC. Free time can be used in the NY State Museum at the CEC. For those not planning to go to the AIHA there will be a bus from the Hampton to the CEC leaving about 5 pm.

A few of us will be arriving in time for dinner on Wed Sept 30. Lets plan to eat dinner at the Albany Pump Station Restaurant at 6:30 (separate checks). This restaurant is in the same building as the Albany Visitors Center and we can walk over. Lets meet in the lobby of the Hampton about 6:10 pm.

The thing most likely to change is the bus schedule. So please check the easel in the lobby of the Hampton for the latest schedule. 

The Van Voorhees Reunion buffet dinner is scheduled for 5:30 pm Fri Oct 2 at the Hampton.

The Rensselaerswijck Seminar annual sit down dinner is scheduled for Sat Oct 3 at the Hampton.

When you arrive at the Hampton there will be a test to see if you can spell and pronounce Rensselaerswijck.

Bob

Sent: Tue 9/22/2009 3:41 PM

I had two errors in yesterday's email. Lesley E. Voorhees graduated from Bellevue Hospital Nursing school not Belmont.

Manning's middle name is W. and not W. (I had the right nationality anyway)

Attached is a memorial writing on Rev. William John Fisher Lydecker (1928-2004)

David A. V. of Strongsville, OH was Chairman of the Van Voorhees Association Genealogy Committee thru 1984 and Bill L. took over in 1985. Bill was Chairman until about 2002 when his health began to fail. Bill L. thus led the Committee for 17 years and did an admirable job. Dr. Charles G. of the New Netherland Institute recommended Florence C. for our genealogy position and Bill L. brought Flo on board in May 1993. Talk about an important event in our genealogy history! Manning passed the President's baton to Scott in 2002 and then Manning ran the Genealogy Committee for several years. I have been Chairman of the Genealogy Committee since 2004.

Bob

Sent: Mon 9/21/2009 4:50 PM

In a recent email I discussed several of our early genealogical researchers. I would like to mention three more researchers that had significant impact on our Van Voorhees genealogy.

1) Lesley Eleanora Voorhees (1870-1970, Coert Line). Lesley Voorhees grew up in Baldwinsville,near Syracuse, NY in Onondaga Co., NY. She was one of the first graduates of Belmont Hospital nursing school in New York City. She did not take to nursing and moved to Washington D.C. where she worked 20 years for the US Census Bureau. She never married. Lesley Voorhees retired to Baldwinsville in 1920 and spent the next 50 years working on genealogy. She published one book--The Lesley E. Voorhees Cemetery Records (covering north west Onondaga Co) When Lesley died she left her genealogy collection to the Onondaga Co., Library in Syracuse with the exception that all her Voorhees records went to Dick V. (my brother) of Gastonia, NC. Dick's wife Barbara made 3 sets of copies of these (carefully typed) Voorhees records, one for the Voorhees Collection (Flo C.), One for the Onondaga Co., Library, and one for me. Flo has said that of all the records she got from Association members the Lesley Voorhees records were (with the notable exception of Oscar) the most voluminous, the best organized, and most carefully documented.

2) Donald Arleigh Sinclair (1916-2004, Lucas Line). Don Sinclair's great grandmother was Mary Voris TMG # 42102. Don joined the Van Voorhees Association after WWII. Don was VP of the Van Voorhees Association in the early 1980's and on the Executive Committee for at least a decade. The New Jersey Historical Commission presented its Annual Award Pitcher for 1987 to Don Sinclair. He was widely recognized as an authority on the history of New Jersey. From 1947 until his retirement in 1982, Don served as Curator of Special Collections at the Rutgers University Library. During his tenure, he developed one of the largest and finest NJ reference collections in the state. Don kept Log Books on the Van Voorhees family members. As he traveled around NJ he would carefully record information on any Voorhees that he uncovered. All of our genealogists, Hazleton, Stokes, Flo, have used Sinclair information. Don's Log Books on the Voorhees family are in the Voorhees Collection.

3) Albert L. Stokes (1909-1994) In 1975 the Van Voorhees Association hired Al Stokes, a retired banker living in Princeton, NJ, as its genealogist. Al continued as the Association's genealogist until shortly before his death in 1994. (Flo became our genealogist in May 1993). Genealogy had been Al's hobby since 1928. He was very active in the Genealogical Society of NJ, serving as a Trustee for more than 30 yrs and as Treasurer starting in 1964. Al held memberships in the NY Genealogical and Biographical Society, the Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, the NJ Society Sons of the American Revolution, and the Society of Colonial Wars. Al served as genealogist for the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America for NJ. Al was honored with the Emeritus title by both the Genealogical Society of NJ and the Van Voorhees Association. Thru Al's hard work, the Van Voorhees Association published in 1984, A Genealogy of the Voorhees Family--the first four generations. This book is known as Vol.1. It is out of print. The 1984 book was the first Voorhees genealogy published since the Elias book in 1888. Al worked on what was called Vol.2., the 5th and 6th generations but was unable to complete this work before his death. I should mention David V. of Hopewell, NJ (near Princeton) because he will be at our reunion in Albany. Al Stokes almost never attended Van Voorhees Association meetings. This drove President Don V. crazy so Don assigned David the task of being the conduit between Al and the Executive Committee. So David would visit Al twice yearly before Exec Committee meetings and gather the latest and then report. Along the way David got to know Dorothy (Al's wife) and this proved invaluable when, after Al's death, Dorothy discovered 40 boxes of Van Voorhees records (the Voorhees Collection) in her attic. Fortunately, the Voorhees Collection (see page 845 in the year 2000 gen 1-6 book for a description) made its way up to Flo's house in Selkirk, NY. The story of the Voorhees Collection is a very interesting one which I will leave for another time.

I wanted to get the above information on the record because at our reunion in Albany the Genealogy Committee plans to honor four of its members for outstanding achievement. These are Judith V., Peter and Florence C., and past President, Manning V. I look forward to explaining the contributions these four members have made to the Van Voorhees Association.

Bob

Sent: Mon 9/21/2009 1:28 PM

We will have a few items for sale at the reunion. Remember proceeds go to further our genealogical research.

1) coat of arms embroidered patch $12 (we only have a very few of these left) This item is 4" high and 3" wide

2) coat of arms tile $12. This item is 6" by 6" by about 1\4" thick. The frame shown in the picture is not included. As you can see it looks great framed.

3) coat of arms letterhead stationary $7 for 25 sheets  8 1\2" by 11" 20# paper

4) Dutch Door book $22

Bob

Sent: Fri 9/18/2009 8:50 PM

Analysis of our four lines--Coert, Lucas, Jan, and Albert

Coert was born in 1638 and died in 1702 at age of 64. He was married in 1664 and had 5 sons that married Lucas was born in 1650 and died in 1724 at age 74. He was married first in 1673 and second in 1689 and had 6 sons that married Jan was born in 1652 and died in 1735 at age 83. He was married first in 1678 and second in 1680 and had 8 sons that married. Albert was born in 1654 and died in 1727 at age 73. He was married first in 1681 and second in 1691 and had 8 sons that married.

If we look at just the number of males that married in the first 3 generations it breaks down 18% Coert, 33% Lucas, 34% Jan and 15% Albert. This is not a helpful way to look at the numbers.

Flo ran a genealogy of Voorhees descendants of the 4 lines in our database. Of the approx. 36,500 Voorhees 39% are Coert, 31% are Lucas, 22% Jan, and 8% are Albert. The numbers are about the same if we hold all 4 lines to an equal 11 generations (we have some lines with 13 generations). We believe that the Coert line is the largest because he was the first born--born 12 years before Lucas and 16 years before Albert. The 12 year spread in effect gets compounded in 11 generations.

Another very important factor, maybe the most important factor, is the amount of work done on a line. Elias W. Van Voorhis (1844-1892) published his ground breaking 725 page Genealogy of the Van Voorhees family in 1888. Elias was in the Coert line and undoubtedly did a lot of work on his own line. Unfortunately all of Elias' papers are lost to history. Oscar McMurtie Voorhees (1844-1947) founded the Van Voorhees Association in 1932 and worked hard on genealogy for the rest of his life. We have Oscar's copy of Elias' book in the Voorhees Collection and almost every page is filled with notations. Oscar built on what Elias had done in the Coert line and since he was in the Lucas line he would have worked hard on the Lucas line. After Oscar died Oscar's daughter Helen (1892-1981) carried on after Oscars death. In 1961 the Van Voorhees Association hired Harold Hazelton (1904-1972) as its genealogist. Harold worked for the New York Genealogical & Biological Society in New York City. The publication plan given to Harold was to publish a separate book on each of the four lines starting with the Coert Line. His health failed and he never got to publication but he was undoubtedly working hard on the Coert line since it was scheduled to be the first publication,

For all of the cousins attending our reunion we can trace back to the immigrant ancestor. There are no "unknowns" in the group.

The Jan line and the Albert line have suffered over the years from lack of attention. Of the 36,500 Voorhees in our database, 5,900 or 16%, are "Unknowns". In other words we cannot connect them to the immigrant ancestor. My guess is a fairly large % of these unknowns are in the Jan and Albert line.

Flo really got into looking at the Albert line and why it is so small. She went thru the whole Albert branch looking for additional material on male lines in the census records. The 1870-1930 census indexes were not available on line when we did the year 2000 book on the first 6 generations. She added 136 new people to the Albert line. As she went over the Albert branch she noticed that a lot of the men never married and a lot of men that were married but had no children (rare for the 19th century). She began to keep track and counted 56 men with no male descendants. This part of it is not very scientific but its interesting. Flo will now do the same thing for the Jan line so we can compare the two.

Bob

Sent: Fri 9/18/2009 5:49 PM

We have over 50 cousins and significant others from 17 states signed up to attend the Oct 2, 2009 Van Voorhees Association buffet dinner. This is a wonderful turnout and a great time will be had by all. This truly can be called a "national" reunion.

Bob

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