The Limitations of Family Histories

I have cited a couple of family-produced histories in this series of vignettes that link our family members with notable events and people in the past. For the past few posts, I have referenced The Hussong Manuscripts (Hussong, Edward Marston. 1976 (1993 Printing). Compiled by Mary Marie Glascock Brewer. Genealogical Forum of Portland Oregon, Milwaukie, Oregon.) 

In those posts, I was able to find the links needed to tell the stories, sometimes because the Manuscripts directly cited a source and sometimes because my chasing down of the events confirmed the events described in the Manuscripts. But occasionally I run across stories I can't confirm with my limited skills as an Internet researcher. And sometimes the information doesn't line up well with what the research finds.

For example, the Manuscripts assert that Rene Jacques Husson, the first Husson in Sharon's family line, to come to America and the one whose story led us to explore the history of French Huguenot immigration, became an interpreter and secretary to Cornelius van Steenwyck. Steenwyck was appointed by Dutch authorities as the fourth mayor of New Amsterdam, or as we call it these days, Manhattan, NY. He served again, after nine other mayors.

Now, Steenwyck's bios on the Internet largely repeat each other and aren't terribly long and complete. One of the longer ones can be found at https://prabook.com/web/cornelis.steenwyck/2519439. A couple of histories that mention him can be found on Google Books, and a privately printed paper, Cornelis Steenwyck Dutch Governor of Acadie can also be found from various sources. 

Not surprisingly, none of the short bios mention Rene. Why would they? I had hoped that the longer pieces might say something about Rene being involved as an interpreter in some of Steenwyck's dealings, but I was disappointed there as well. 

This means that we have to rely on the uncredited sources that produced the stories in the Manuscripts. Doesn't mean they're wrong, just that we're dealing with family lore.

The other example I would cite is a story about one of Rene's sons, Auguste, who is in Sharon's direct lineage, another great-great-to-the-x grandfather. The story is that Auguste engaged in commercial trade along the New York and New Jersey coastlines and up the Delaware River. He had at least two ships, which the Manuscripts say appear in the English Admiralty records of New York.

The larger ship, the Vennutschap (or Venootschap), "bore a strong iron-bound box bolted to the deck, in which were carried for suitable fees, shipping papers, letters, documents of import, and small packages of valuables, for the shippers and merchants along the coast. There was a large key at every port. It only could open the box. This was a primitive attempt at mail and express service, the first of record in America." (P. 57)

I could find no reference to the ships on the 'Net. But I did find a bit of history on the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration website that begs to differ with the Manuscripts' assertion of postal primacy. 

First you need to know that Auguste's DOB is listed as "1695," not very specific but good enough for our purposes. 

Rickie Longfellow writes, "In early colonial times, letter writers sent their correspondence by friends, merchants and Native Americans via foot or horseback. Most of this correspondence, however, was between the colonists and family members back home in England. In 1633, the first official notice of a postal service in the colonies appeared.

"The General Court of Massachusetts designated Richard Fairbanks' tavern in Boston as the official site of mail delivery going to or coming from overseas, a practice long used by England. In 1673, New York's Governor Francis Lovelace set up a monthly horseback post between New York and Boston. Old Boston Post Road is part of today's Route 1. In 1683, William Penn established Pennsylvania's first post office, while in the south private messengers, often slaves, delivered and picked up mail.

"Around 1691 Thomas Neale of England received a 21-year grant from the British Crown for a postal service in the colonies. Neale never came to America. This did not prove to be a lucrative move for him -- he died in debt after assigning his postal interest over to fellow Englishmen Andrew Hamilton and R. West. In 1707, the British government bought the rights to the North American postal service from West and the widow of Hamilton." (Back in Time, Transportation in America's Postal System at www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/back0304.cfm)

Sorry, Auguste, it seems your ship was a bit late to the party. 

Next time I'll turn to the Dutch side of Sharon's ancestry, a part as big a surprise as her French forebears.