The Fonda Blog

I came across this record last year sometime, and the exercise to determine the voyage date spurred my memory.

The first tangible record of Jellis (Gillis) in America has been established as that found in Fort Orange on October 15, 1651 when he received permission from the court to distill liquor in Greenbush, a small village near Albany.

Early Albany Court

However… a new record has been found in the book “Early Irish in Old Albany” which places him there a couple of months earlier. Not a big difference, but nonetheless, this appears to be the earliest tangible record of a Fonda in the New World: Early Irish in Old Albany, N.Y.: with special mention of Jan Andriessen, “De Iersman Van Dublingh”, Danaher, Franklin M., Boston, MA, American-Irish Historical Society, 1903, p. 17:

[…the court records show that on August 18, 1651, “Thomas Konnig abused the court as an unlawful court, taking materials from the sayings of Dyckman, who sang the 82nd Psalm and called the high council rogues and tale bearers in presence of Evert Pels, Art Jacobse and Gillis Fonda.”]

Evert Pels was also listed in the October 15 court record as the party selling distillation equipment to Gillis for the production of liquor. It is odd that the men were in court merely observing two months prior to their court date. Perhaps they were preparing for their upcoming petition.

Jellis had been an innkeeper and blacksmith in Amsterdam. Brandy was a product of high value in New Amsterdam. The skills and knowledge needed may have been similar. Although none of the early Fonda’s were known as anything but pious in nature, the making of spirits was a worthwhile commercial venture in the fur trading environs of early Albany.

written by admin \\ tags: America, Fonda Family, History

The “Famous Frisians in America” book had a record for the burial of Abraham Fonda, youngest child of Jellis Douw, in Amsterdam on October 28, 1650.  This new information has led me to revise the thinking on the voyage to America.  Here is the account I just posted on the main website:

Jellis Douw Fonda – Voyage to America

Although we do not know upon which ship Jellis Douw Fonda and family made their voyage to America, we can make an educated guess or at least narrow it down.

Schooner

The following two facts serve as a window for the timing:

1. The youngest child of Jellis and Hester, Abraham, was baptized on April 14, 1647 in Amsterdam, Netherlands (“Amsterdam Records of the Fonda Family”, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 119, No. 1).  He was buried on October 28, 1650 according to Amsterdam burial records. (“Famous Frisians in America”, p. 108-109).

2. The first record of Jellis (Gillis) in America was in Fort Orange (now Albany, NY) on October 19, 1651 when he received permission from the court to distill liquor in Greenbush, a small village near Albany (“A Career Woman in 17th Century New York”, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, New York, Vol. 95, No. 5)

So we know that the migration took place between November 1650 and October 1651. According to “A Career Woman in 17th Century New York”, when Jellis arrived in Fort Orange in 1651, “he was accompanied by his wife, Hester Jans, and three children, a son Douwe, aged about eleven years, and daughters Geertien and Sara, aged about nine and seven years, respectively”.

No ship passenger lists have yet been found which show any names resembling Jellis/Gillis Fonda and his family.  So, if you look at the ships that DO NOT have passengers lists, maybe we can narrow it down some.

We know that Jellis did not enter into a contract with the Rensselaerswijck Colony (typically three to six year terms of farm labor in return for the ship’s passage).  He must have been a free colonist, paying for his own ships fare, since he was not encumbered with any work contracts that we know of.

Albany Settlement

According to the Marine Museum (translated from the original Dutch by Willem Rabbelier and Cor Snabel of the Netherlands, published with their permission on The Olive Tree Genealogy pages):

“The book/thesis of Jaap Jacobs contains a list of about 500 ship crossings between Amsterdam, the Netherlands and New Amsterdam over the period 1609-1675. In only 56 cases the presence, but not the names, of colonists on board is mentioned.” (De Scheepvaart En Handel Van De Nederlandse Republiek Op Nieuw-Nederland 1609-1675 by J.A. Jacobs 1989) http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/mm_shipamny.shtml

There were only 5 ships sailing from The Netherlands to America in 1651:

1. WATERHONT particulier Amsterdam 5 5 1651 Nieuw-A’dam 1651
2. BONTE KOE particulier Amsterdam 1651 Nieuw-A’dam voor 13 6 1651
3. HOFF VAN CLEEF Adriaen Blommaert particulier Amsterdam 1651 Nieuw-A’dam voor 15 6 1651
4. GELDERSE BLOM W. van Twiller Amsterdam na 20 3 1651 Nieuw-A’dam voor 31 7 1651
5. PRINS WILLEM Juryaen Andriessen WIC Amsterdam 1651 Nieuw-A’dam voor 19 9 1651

Three had passenger lists which do not list any names resembling this family.  The ships in this list which DID NOT have passenger lists are:

1. BONTE KOE particulier Amsterdam 1651 Nieuw-A’dam voor 13 6 1651
2. PRINS WILLEM Juryaen Andriessen WIC Amsterdam 1651 Nieuw-A’dam voor 19 9 1651

So unless there are more ships that we don’t know about, you can conclude that Jellis Douw Fonda, his wife Hester Jans and his three young children, Douwe, Grietje and Sara sailed on one of these two ships… the BONTE KOE or the PRINS WILLEM. These are the only ships which fit in the correct time frame, from the correct location and do not have passenger lists.

written by admin \\ tags: America, Fonda Family, History, Holland

The book, “Famous Frisians in America” is now available for purchase.  There are 8 pages on the Fonda Family which detail the history of Jellis Douw Fonda, who emigrated from Amsterdam to New Amsterdam in about 1650.  It provides some ideas on his origins in Holland including some new angles on how he came to live in Eagum (Friesland) near Leeuwarden, ending up in Amsterdam, marrying Hester Jans, and then taking the voyage to America with a young family of five.  It goes into the colorful life of Hester Fonda, long after Jellis passed away, and the plentiful progeny they created, including many modern-day Fonda’s talented in acting and the arts.

My father and I were honored to be present at the Friesland Day ceremony on New York City’s Governor’s Island on September 12, 2009, which unveiled the book.  We were very pleased to meet the book’s editors, Peter de Haan and Kerst Huisman, as well as the Queens Commissioner of Friesland, John Jorritsma, and also many others from the Frisian Provincial contingent and fellow Frisian-American descendants.  The book is a wonderful accomplishment, providing the history of Friesland’s support of United States sovereignty, based on a solid basis of exchange between the two regions which continues to this day.  There are many prominent Frisian families in the US including such names as Stuyvesant, Douw, Jansen, Banta, Fonda, Isaacs, Dykstra, Hyma, De Vries, Fridsma, Hofstra, De Jong and Hageman.

The book is available on Amazon and is highlighted on-line at the New Netherland Institute, US Embassy The Hague, and Calvin College Dutch Department.

Albert Mark Fonda, admin
(12th Generation Descendant of Jellis Douw Fonda)

written by admin \\ tags: Achievements, America, History, Holland, Surnames

Some interesting information on our Anneke Jans connection…

(connection verified through references in “Dear Cousin”; A Charted Genealogy of the Descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus (1605-1663) to the 5th Generation“)

This is an e-mail I recently responded to regarding this topic:

Message On Fri, 08 May 2009 17:32:02 -0600, <mark@fonda.org> wrote: Hello Ronald, Yes, Fonda vs. Trinity… interesting case. I believe many have tried to latch onto the Anneke Jans estate, but few, if any, have succeeded. There are plenty of stories on the internet about those who have tried, which you have most likely seen. John H. Fonda (1828-1915) and wife Mary tried to stake their claim based on speculation/wishful thinking and fell flat… in fact their lawyer was brought up on fraud charges. I think the Fonda/Trinity case got a lot of notoriety in the newspapers because of the scandal. Funny thing is, according to my research, John was not even a descendant of Anneke Jans. There is a connection to our line from Neeltje E. Briese (1739-1820) who was a g-g-granddaughter of Anneke. Neeltje married Adam Douw Fonda (1736-1808) in 1759, but John’s branch takes off well before that point. I am connected to the famous Fonda’s through this very marriage, about five generation up, but we don’t know each other. So, in other words, both the Hollywood Fonda‘s and my Fonda line are both descended from Anneke Jans, but John H. Fonda‘s line is not. Either way, none of us stand to gain anything from the connection, except maybe bragging rights… ha ha. Regards, Albert ‘Mark’ Fonda Bogardus Farm on west bank of (now) Manhattan Island On Thu, 07 May 2009 13:55:22 -0400, wrote: > Mark; Some of my daughters clan claim claim their > Heirship through Thomas Hall, Thomas Robert Edwards, > down the lines… Never did they get a cent!! Are you > in any way related to Jane or Peter Fonda? My lineages > go back to the same area in Frieslamd.. Our original > spelling was VON ZELLEN, later and to me now; SELL… I > am 72 and still beleive in the Estate/s.. 150 % … > I always thought Church/s were to help save folks lives > and help them, not accumulate hundreds of acres of land > from a land grant of only a little over 3 acres for a > Church and burying ground? My how times have changed and > on and on..// RONALD R. SELL GOD BLESS

Anneke and Hester Some interesting similarities between Anneke Jans Bogardus (1605-1663) and Hester Jansz Fonda (1615-1690), the wife of Jellis Douw Fonda, our American patriarch: Anneke Jans in New Amsterdam (1630-1657) Anneke emigrated to New Amsterdam with her 1st husband, Roelof Janszen, on the ship “de Eendtacht” (The Unity) in 1630. They remained in New Amsterdam for a short time and then moved to Rensselaerwyck, on the Hudson, where Jan served as a farm superintendent for the wealthy Killian Van Rensselaer, a Director of the West Indies Company. In 1634, they moved back to New Amsterdam where Jan received a grant of 62 acres of land on the North (or Hudson) River, which is now Manhattan Island. Anneke was allegedly the granddaughter of William the Silent – (William I, Prince of Orange, 1533-1584 the father of the Dutch Republic). Both Anneke and Roelof were Norwegians by birth, but may have been of Dutch ancestry. After Jan’s death in 1637, Anneke married the Domine Everardus Bogardus (the Latinized form of Bogaert) in 1638. Bogardus died in 1647 and in 1657, Anneke moved to Beverwyck (Albany), N.Y. She died in 1663 and is buried in the Middle Dutch Church Yard on Beaver Street, Albany, N.Y. Harper’s Magazine in May 1885 had a very full and interesting account of Anneke Jans’ farm on the Hudson (known as “Domine’s Bouwery”), which became the property of Trinity Church, causing a huge land dispute, finally dismissed in the 1920’s. Hester emigrated to New Amsterdam with her 1st husband, Jellis Douw Fonda, on the ship “Valkenier” (Falconer) in 1650.  They remained in New Amsterdam for a short time and then moved to Rensselaerwyck where Jellis Fonda first appears in the records on October 15, 1651 when he requested permission to distill liquor in the Green Bos, in the house belonging to Evert Pels, next to the brewery.  Within a few years they moved to Beverwyck (Albany), N.Y. where Jellis died in 1659. Hester’s maiden name was VanArentsvelt; the Dutch family tree lists her as Hester Douwedr, using her father’s first name in Dutch tradition; another source lists her father as “Douwe Janzoon deVries VanArentsvelt” a master glazier in Leiden (her brother was noted artist Gerard Douw, protege of Rembrandt). Another lists Jans as Hester’s maiden name, which is from her mother, Maria Jans (no relation to Anneke). After Jellis’ death, Hester married Barent Gerritsen in 1660, who was killed by Indians in the second Esopus War in 1663.  Hester and daughter Sara were taken prisoner by the Indians; Hester was returned but Sara was not. The two-time widow eventually returned to Albany, her name appearing in occasional Albany records, as late as 1690. She had apparently made a third marriage to Theunis Dirckz Van Vechten, sometime before 1672.  Hester was the subject of a 1964 article in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, “A Career Woman in 17th Century New York.”

written by admin \\ tags: America, Arts, Biographies, History, Holland, Marriages, New York, News, Notables, References, Surnames

The Power of the Eyes, Hands, Help, Care, People, Slovenia, Love, Passion, Network Everywhere and Anywhere

MarquesBlackStar – September 15, 2008

Dear global friend,

Network anywhere and everywhere…because modern life is all about the care that we have for other people. We need to respect everyone from different walks of life, because we never know what they know… imagine a Doctor Biologist taking care about your healthy fish…

Dr. Irena Fonda

Dr. IRENA FONDA IS a GREAT BRAND in SLOVENIA…

For me a networker has great passion for people. I want to tell you my point of view about that, because I’m in the city of the light… Paris, three days ago I landed in a paradise called SLOVENIA…

Networking is a way of living, making new friends for life. We just carry on traveling like the navigators without destination…We have something in our days…the power of the people that IS help others to achieve dreams… we will carry on our trip in a much safer way. NETWORK WITH YOUR HAPPY HEART AND EVEN MUSIC CAN HELP A LOT…

Can you imagine that we are on the boat…with Andreja, Tina, me, Hanka and Miss FONDA.

Every human being has got the mission of being great in all senses. CAN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES FOR 30 SECONDS AND THINK ABOUT A SMALL BALL…

A small boy loves to throw a small ball away… now think about one bird distant at the sky…

Now imagine a ball with YOU, or a single bird look at you from the sky, don’t you think that is better to have a bird on the grass singing for him and for you AND WHY NOT THE ONES THAT LOVE YOU AND HELP YOU…

1000 kilos ball …how many hands you need to throw the big but fantastic ball way.. do you think that you can do that alone only using your own hands…!

Fonda Fishery

I’m very happy to let you know that passion, care and action help you so much that you cant imagine…You need then the great and positive power and the instant confidence for looking for what you dream about…but not eating alone or doing everything alone without the wise advise of long life learners… NETWORKING IS LIKE EVERYTHING IN LIFE… you become what you practice with vision, inspiration! You need people and mother nature…!

So, as a networker farmer …I’m very happy to advise you to plant goods seeds whenever you are or you go… feed every seed …don’t forget the small detail that make a great difference in others people life…

We learn from the most simple things in life… I KNOW THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THE PRECIOUS RULES OF A GOOD NETWORKER… BUT as a heart friend I only want to say that you should give…

and help from the heart… because the universe is great and everyone should be happy for the wind, the sun or the rain…

Thanks to BNI, ECADEMY AND ALL MY DEAREST NETWORKING FRIENDS THAT I HAVE THE SAME DESIRE OF LOVING EVERYONE AS I LOVE MYSELF.

Happy day from the city of the light.. PARIS.
Warmest regards.
Victor Marques

VitoriaKoi, Bringing Portugal to You…
Portugal @ Your Doorstep!

written by admin \\ tags: Business, International