I am researching the STITT family of New York. The earliest ancestor I can put name to is John Hervey STITT, born in 1754 somewhere in Orange or Ulster Co. of NY. In 1777 he married Nancy MCCULLOUGH. They established a family homestead outside of Bloomingburg, on the border of Orange and Sullivan Counties.
I am also descended from John's sister, Esther STITT, who married Connecticut native Daniel PORTER in Ulster County in 1789. Esther and Daniel PORTER may have moved to Sullivan County, NY. Their daughter, Esther PORTER and her husband, Nehemiah BENEDICT are buried in Wurtsboro, not far from Bloomingburg.
Surnames in my STITT line also include: BENEDICT, BOOTH, COLEMAN, ELLIS, HUDSON, MARVIN, MOTT, SAYER, SMITH, THOMPSON, and TYMESON.
The second family I am researching is VANKEUREN, tracing back to Matthys Jansen VANKEULEN, who was born circa 1602 and died 1648. He married Margrietje HENDRICKSE, who was born in approximately 1618 and died in 1675. My VanKeurens did not move far...for over 300 years, my branch of the family has stayed in the Hudson Valley of NY. Most were located around Kingston and gradually moved further west and south in Ulster Co., then into Orange Co.
Other Surnames in my VANKEUREN line include: DAVIS, DEWITT, HOOGTEELING (HOUGHTALING), JENNINGS, MOULE, PALMER, STEWART, HUNTER, JORDAN, MATTHEWS, ROOSA, ROOSEVELT, SMITH, TENEYCK, and VANAMBURGH.
On the other side of the ocean, in Norway, I am also researching the ancestors of my grandparents, Johan Ernst LUNDE and Elisa Rønneberg STRØM.
The surnames being researched in Norway, among others, are: BARSTAD, BAADAL, BAADE, HAGA, HANSEN, HOLLØS, HOUGAARD, MYHRA, RØNNEBERG, TORKILDSEN, and WIIG. The LUNDE Family, and ancestors were primarily in Østfold, southeast of Oslo. The Barstad and Rønneberg Families and their forebears were from Sunnmøre, in the Ålesund area (well north of Bergen).
The attached Book contains an ancestor report and tree for each of my great grandparents, plus some photos.
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- 1873: Charles W, Emma and Ida Stitt (74 KB)
Taken circa 1873, this is a photo of Charles Wickham, his elder sister Emma Elizabeth, and younger sister, Ida, Children of William Harrison Stitt and Hannah Smith. Charles and Ida were born at Pine Valley, Chemung Co, NY. Emma and her mother died the following year, and the other two children were sent to live with their uncle Alek (John Alexander Stitt) in Bloomingburg.
- 1860: Henry S. and Katie VanKeuren (104 KB)
Taken around 1860, shown are Henry Smith VanKeuren (b. 1852) and his sister Eliza Catherine (Katie) VanKeuren (b. 1855), children of Nelson VanKeuren and Harriet Smith. The family resided in the town of Crawford, Orange Co., NY.
- Four Generations of Barstad Women (148 KB)
Photo taken ca. 1894 shows four generations: The baby is Ingerid Strøm (1893-1919), with her mother, Nina Margarethe (Marga) Barstad Strøm(1868-1917), Grandmother, Elisa Rasmine Rønneberg Barstad (1836-1916), and Great Grandmother, Karen Elisa Rønneberg (1814-1908). The Barstads were a prominent family in Aalesund, Norway.
- Ca 1860: Karen Sybilla Rødder Baade (29 KB)
Taken around 1860, this is the only picture I have of an ancestor born in the 1700s. Karen S.R.Baade was born in 1782 in Vikedal,Norway. In 1801, she married Elias Rønneberg (1763-1834). They had 9 children, including my ggg grandmother Karen Elisa Rønneberg. She died December 18, 1868 in Aalesund,Norway.
- Stitt Family Homestead, Bloomingburg, NY (252 KB)
The Stitt home was built around 1805 when John Stitt moved his family down from Shawangunk, Ulster County, to what is now the border between Wallkill, Orange County, and Bloomingburgh, Sullivan County. Unfortunately, all that remains is documentation. The farm was sold out of the family following the death of the original owner's grandson, John Alexander Stitt, in 1885. After a succession of owners, the old house stood vacant many years before being burned down by vandals in 1989.
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