Dutch Roots
Still Here
By Don Rittner
Schenectady
County and City Historian
The Dutch
founding of our region more than 300 years ago has left many remnants
behind. The early Dutch influence
can be seen in much of our geographic names of the region and even in the foods
we eat. For example, you might not
know that Greenbush is actually Dutch;
ÒGreneÓ is Dutch for Pitch Pine, a common tree in the area, while
ÒBoschÓ is Dutch for forest. Bosch is anglicized to Bush. Likewise Halfmoon is
from the Dutch ÒHalve Maen,Ó the name of Henry HudsonÕs ship. Watervliet is
Dutch for Water Brook. The word ÒkilÓ
that you see in words such as the Normanskill, Binnekill, and others means
creek and ÒvlyÓ such as in Vly road is Dutch for a marshy area.
The Dutch
influence lasted in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys even though the English took
over in 1664 and wrote our history books.
Dutch was still the language of the Reformed Church as late as 1764 in
NYC, and here in the hill towns, Dutch was still spoken and the practice of
ÒbundlingÓ (look that one up) was still occurring in the 19th century.
Here in the
Mohawk Valley and Schenectady County in particular, certain Dutch words became
part of the regular vocabulary. See
if you recognize some of them.
Schenectady
County
Kip: a word
used in calling chickens, Òcome
kip kipÓ
Mont: means
basket
Wurst: means
sausage [Du. worst, same meaning]
Sluck: a noun
that means swallow, draught [Du. slock, same meaning]
Offdoch: a noun
that means enclosed stoop [Du. afdak, shed, penthouse]
Herk'ies, herk'eys:
n. pl., haunches, e.g., "squat down on your herkies"
[Du. hurk: op
de hurken zitten, to squat; hurkjes (dim.)]
Door'slag: a
noun, means colander, strainer [Du. doorslag, same meaning]
Mohawk Valley
Generally
Blum'mie, blum'mey:
a noun that means flower, blossom [Du. bloempje (dim.), same
meaning]
Additionally,
you visit many Dutch named regions throughout the State and Northeast.
Block Island,
R.I. Named after the
Dutchman Adriaen Block, who explored the area in the early seventeenth century
on the Onrust, a small ship, and in which a replica is being built at the Mabee
Farm in Rotterdam Junction.
The Bowery,
N.Y. This section of
New York City owes its name to the farm, or "bouwerij" in Dutch,
owned by Peter Stuyvesant that was located there.
The Bronx,
N.Y. This New York
City borough takes its name from a New Netherland settler, Jonas Bronck, who
had a farm there.
Bushwick,
N.Y. Originally called
Boswyck, or "woods district" in Dutch.
Coney Island,
N.Y. Originally called
Conyne Eylandt, or "rabbit island" in Dutch.
Catskill,
N.Y. Originally named
Kats Kil, or "cats stream" in Dutch. The many other place-names of
the region ending in kill are also of Dutch origin.
Hells Gate,
N.Y. This treacherous
set of currents in New York's East River was designated Helle Gadt on a Dutch
map of 1639.
Long Island,
N.Y. The explorer Adriaen
Block called the island Lange Eylandt in 1614.
Rhode
Island This name is
said to be derived from Roode Eylandt, or "red island" in Dutch.
Sandy Hook,
N.J. The name stems
from what the Dutch called the place: Sant Hoek.
Spuyten Duyvil,
N.Y. A New York City
district whose name (meaning "devil's spout" in Dutch) refers to some
dangerous currents at the northern end of the Harlem River, and was the name
for the first torpedo boat built for the northern army during the Civil War.
Staten Island,
N.Y. Dutch settlers
named the island Staten Eylandt in honor of the States General, the governing
body of the United Provinces.
Yonkers,
N.Y. This name is
believed to derive from the title of an early Dutch settler, Jonkheer Adriaen
Van der Donck, who had an estate in the area. Van der Donck wrote one of the
first accounts of the New Netherland settlement.
It doesnÕt end
here. Peter Kalm, the Swedish Botanist during his visit here in the 18th
century was fed a special Dutch salad, called Òcole slawÓ which means cabbage
salad.
Finally, the
phrase "going Dutch" probably originates from Dutch etiquette. In the
Netherlands, it is not unusual to pay separately when dating, although the
English used it as a negative, along with others, during the Dutch-Anglo wars
of the 17th century.
Now, if I donÕt
finish this column now, IÕm going to get Òin Dutch.Ó
On 4/30/07
12:06 PM, "Heather Meaney" <meaneyhl@gw.sunysccc.edu> wrote:
> HI Don,
> Would you
like an article in our last issue of the semester?
>
> If so, if
you want to send it by Wednesday, May 2...
> If not, no
big deal.
>
> Thanks for
contributing all of the articles that you did this year.
>
> What is
your mailing address?
>