52 Ancestors 2025: Language in My Family Tree

 

Although many of my ancestors came from the British Isles and Northwestern Europe, other languages were also well represented in my genealogy. For this topic, I could write about my 5th-great-grandfather, Christian Fast, whose parents came from Germany. He grew up in Maryland and Pennsylvania, speaking both English and German. When he was captured and adopted by the Delaware Indians after a failed attack, he no doubt learned their language as well. His German skills played a crucial role when he later escaped captivity and returned home—only to find that his parents, seeing his native dress and war paint, struggled to believe he was truly their son.

But I’m especially interested in my Dutch and French-speaking ancestors who settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic (Netherlands) became a refuge for persecuted Reformed Protestants from France and Spanish-controlled Belgium (Wallonia). Many of these refugees had French names like des Marets, Durie, DuBois, de Ruine, and Sohier, while others had Dutch names like Banta, Van Horne, Van Neste, Rutgers, Terhune, Helling, and Brickers.

One of the earliest immigrant couples in my lineage was Joris Jansen Rapelje and Catalina Trico, who were married in the Walloon Church in Amsterdam on January 21, 1624, and sailed for the New World just four days later on De Eendracht. Within 40 years, New Amsterdam had become a multicultural trading city, but Dutch remained the primary language.

That changed in 1664 when British warships arrived, and New Amsterdam became New York—with English as the official language. Over time, the French-speaking settlers intermarried with their Dutch neighbors, adapting to their surroundings. As they migrated westward, their communities became known as “Low Dutch” colonies, following familiar migration patterns from New York to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. By the 18th century, English had largely replaced their original languages. When the Cossart/Cossairt line settled in Ohio, they became less insular, intermarrying with English-speaking neighbors, fully integrating into the American melting pot.

And back in New York? The city remains a global destination for immigrants, continuing to enrich its culture with new languages, traditions, and foods—all in pursuit of the American Dream.

Word cloud generated using data estimates and historical research with assistance from ChatGPT.