New Netherland X: Expansion of Upstate, Esopus Wars and Schenectady 

I grew up in Schenectady. This is so good! My family are the Gunsalus. The name has over 30 spellings. Originally it was Gonzalez until the Dutch repelled it. Manuel my ancestor arrived in 1672 near Kingston. He was a Spanish nobleman, and a Jew. Of course, in Spain he was a “Converso.” He brought five Jewish noble families from the Inquisition. He arrived in Kingston in military armor. The Dutch settlers were grateful to have a military man arrive during the Escopus wars. Manuel would return to Spain and die in the Inquisition. He left his son, also named Manuel. The Dutch minister hired him to do work on the new church in Schenectady. When the first version of Ft Saratoga was built, Manuel II was conscripted to help build it. Thankfully for him and for our family, he escaped the massacre of Schenectady as a result. Your podcast brought so much of that story to life. I studied it for about 10 years and eventually went to Spain to retrace the story. Thanks for your passion for the story of our past.

Born and raised in Schenectady! Moved as soon as I could!

Thank you for this, these podcasts are awesome, extremely informative, I have ancestors going back to some of these old settlements, some of the last names include Rapelje, Stryker, Van Nest, Vroom, and Tenbrook to name a few. It’s an often forgotten piece of history I’m glad somebody is taking the time to paint a picture in my mind of the time period they lived in. Please keep it up!

Schenectady / Rotterdam here. Great video.

Great presentation. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you for this! We settled in Ulster County and I like these history lessons. Maybe we are related to your wife? My ancestors are th eDu Bois & Crespel

I love that map pf New Netherland! Did you find it in an archive?

My family also came down from Quebec to assist burning Schenectady down with the Algonquins.

I see Lange Eylandt and it makes me think of the modern pronunciation of the Long Islanders, with the carry-over of a hardish G so lanGuyland, sort of, sometimes even with a t-ish sound for the final d (a variant). It's like it passed down, accent and all. Likely nothing to do with it at all, but it sure makes me think of all my many longislander classmates back in college. FYI these are really enjoyable podcasts and really deserve a lot more views.

My great x (idk... 6? 7?) Grandfather Van Keuren bought a home in Kingston in the year 1711, and it's still there and beautiful today!

Refreshing. Seek contact Robert.

Born in Mont Pleasant neighborhood in Schenectady. Upstate NY, to me, is anything north of Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan County. These are the suburbs of NYC and are not Upstate NY. Was once called country by someone from New Rochelle. If you go up 87 you will see what I mean. Don't forget West New York, which I don't consider upstate. Going out 88 will show you. Anything past Rome is a long way away. Anything more than an hour north of Albany I would call the Adirondacks. Much more wilderness and less country farm feel.

So what your telling me is that my cities founder was a hardcore drinker who likes to party, sell boozes, being a gun runner and sleep around with both European and Native American woman? what a Chad I like van curler even more lol. I love Schenectady

thank you for sharing 👍

Why the smoke?

I live in Saratoga County, and discussing upstate v downstate is a headache, no new yorker agrees.

The linefor upstate/downstate is I-84

its definitely "Eh-SOAP-us" to the natives. Lived there my whole life, and never heard ESS-suppis.

I'm from Kingston ny. Formally wiltwyk.

👌

1:09:05 really makes me think of NYS' current government.

I’m from Saratoga and we don’t take kindly to people from Schenectady…

They don’t say Esopus, they say Esopus! 😂

Next episode is gonna be political isn’t it...

I met idiots who think anything north of Central Park is "Upstate".

Babble on