Abstract:
The Dutch of the Minisink is an historical overview the Dutch settlement in the Minisink area. The inception of this paper was the result of many roadblocks experienced as the researcher attempted to trace the genealogy of the Van Gordon family in Sussex County, New Jersey. Most information concerning the Van Gordon family had to be taken -Prom original or copies of original Dutch public and church records. The compilation and organization of these family records led to the discovery that the early Dutch pioneers were instrumental in the settlement of the Minisink area in Sussex County, New Jersey.This overview, while not exhaustive, contains information taken from local county and state judicial and legal records, Dutch Reformed Church records, tax rolls, Sussex County Historical Society records and local history books. Invaluable assistance was given by Jane Ryan, Ralph DeVries and Brian records, while incomplete, and often difficult to find, provided the basis for this overview of the Minisink, its settlement, its original settlers, their religion and their customs.