This is a duplicate of the listing on the fonda.org website.
Kornelia Theodosia Andrews; born 1847, died 1913 at 66 years of age; daughter of Robert Emmet Andrews (Lawyer, Judge; born 1819 in New Lebanon, Columbia, New York) and Matilda Scudder Fonda; Kornelia was rescued from the sinking Titanic on 14-Apr-1912. A graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, Miss Andrews was for many years a leader in society and charitable works in Hudson, New York. She was one of the Managers of the Hudson City Hospital since its founding, and was its Vice-President in 1912. Andrews was returning home on the Titanic to Hudson with her sister, Anna Hogeboom, and their twenty-one-year old niece, Gretchen Fiske Longley. All three ladies boarded in Southampton under first class ticket number 13502 (£77 19s 2d). Miss Andrews occupied cabin D-7. they were rescued in lifeboat 10.
Neeltje (Eleanor) Briese; wife of Adam Douw Fonda; also referred to as “Lavina”; born 18-Mar-1738, died 15-Dec-1820 at 82 years of age; bur. Old Caughnawaga Cemetery, Fonda, New York; Neeltje is the g-g-granddaughter of the infamous Anneke Jans (1605-1663), who emigrated to New Amsterdam with her 1st husband, Roelof Janszen, on the ship “de Eendtacht” (the Unity) in 1630. 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. 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. 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), New York She died in 1663 and is buried in the Middle Dutch Church Yard on Beaver Street, Albany, New York Harper’s Magazine in May 1885 had a very full and interesting account of Anneke Jans’ farm on the Hudson (known as “Domine’s Bowery”), which became the property of Trinity Church causing a huge land dispute, finally dismissed in the 1920’s.
Gerard Douw; Dutch Genre and Portrait Painter; brother of Hester Janse, wife of Jellis Douwe Fonda; also known as Gerrit Dou; see www.artcyclopedia.com; born 7-Apr-1613, died 9-Feb-1675 at 61 years of age; the son of a glass painter, he was apprenticed to an engraver and worked from 1628 to 1631 in the studio of the young Rembrandt. Although he occasionally borrowed Rembrandt’s themes, he was more detailed and meticulous in his execution. His scenes of domestic, middle-class life were tremendously popular and often imitated. Among his most famous works are Evening Light (Rijks Museum), Young Man (the Hague), the Cook (Louvre), and a self-portrait (Metropolitan Museum).
Sara Kierstede Heermance; wife of Abraham Peter Fonda; born 4-Oct-1804, died 15-Oct-1891 at 87 years of age; b. Michigan; d. Dutchess Co., New York; Burial: Rhinebeck DRC, Rhinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York; dau. of Martin Heermance, Brigadier General in the War of 1812, b. 1765 in Red Hook, New York, d. Death: 31 JUL 1824 in Rhinebeck, New York; granddaughter of Jacob Heermance, Sr., Captain b: 15 SEP 1716 in Kingston, New York.
Hester Douw Janse; Entrepreneur; wife of Jellis Douw Fonda; born 1615, died 1690 at 75 years of age; b. Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands; d. Albany, New York; after Jellis’ death, Hester married 2nd Barent Gerritsen in 1660 who died in 1663 (killed by Indians); then she married 3rd Theunis Dirckse Van Vechten in 1670; Hester’s maiden name was Van Arentsvelt; the Dutch family tree lists her as Hester Douw, using her father’s first name in Dutch tradition; another source lists her father as “Douwe Janzoon de Vries Van Arentsvelt”. Another lists Jans as Hester’s maiden name, which is from her mother, Maria Jans; see Stories for more…
Johannes Harmense Knickerbocker; married Rebecka Marselis Fonda; Revolutionary War Officer (Colonel); son of Johannes Harmansen Knickerbocker and Anna Quackenbos; born 17-Mar-1723, died 16-Aug-1802 at 79 years of age; b. and d. Schaghticoke, Rensselaer Co., New York; bur. Knickerbocker Manor Cemetery, Schaghticoke, New York; brother of Wouter Johannes Knickerbocker b. 1712, who m. Elizabeth Fonda in 1735; Johannes was a Colonel, commanding 14th Albany Co., Regiment of New York Militia, Ten Broeck’s Brigade. Wounded at Saratoga, 16 Oct 1777. Died 1802.
Abraham Fonda Lansing; Farmer, Landowner; son of William W. Lansing and Alida Lansing Fonda; married his cousin Jane Lansing Fonda; Farmer; born 10-Aug-1803, died 6-Jun-1883 at 79 years of age; bp. Reformed Church of the Boght, Boght Corners, Cohoes, Albany Co., New York; d. Fonda, Montgomery, New York; Abraham was the youngest of 8 children. He was educated in the public schools, and was all his life a farmer, owning a large estate just outside the present city limits of Cohoes. By his marriage to Jane Fonda, the sole heir of Douw A. Fonda, two large estates were united. the Lansing’s and Fonda’s of the Albany area had long been closely allied. this branch of the Lansing family had settled in or near Cohoes about 1760. they descend from Gerrit Lansing, the founder, and date in the Mohawk Valley since about 1650.
Dorothy Fonda Ochtman; Still-Life Artist; dau. of artists Leonard Ochtman and Mina M. Fonda; see www.askart.com; born 1892, died Apr-26-1971 at 79 years of age; b. Riverside, Connecticut; d. Greenwich, Connecticut; graduate of Smith College, Bryn Mawr and National Academy of Design. Was a Guggenheim Fellow for study in Europe in 1927-28. Won many awards, among them the first prize of the Greenwich Society of Artists in 1947 and 1951, the Hooker Prize and best-in-show of the Greenwich Art Society in 1960, and the National Association of Women Artists in 1952.
Francis Cornelius Putman; Innkeeper; married Maria Hansen Fonda; Revolutionary War Officer, born 4-May-1752, died 23-Nov-1834 at 82 years of age; b. Town of Mohawk, Albany Co., New York; d. Johnstown, Montgomery Co., New York; Dutch spelling Pootman; Francis was a Lieut. in the Revolution, serving under Captains Jacob Gardinier and Harmanus Maybie, and Col. Frederick Fischer; he was in the battle of Oriskany, at the taking of Burgoyne, and in the battles of Stone Arabia and Johnstown; length of service was about three months. After the Revolutionary War, he and wife Maria ran a hotel in Tribes Hill for fifty-six years. He received a pension in 1832.
Lydia Gross Sammons; married Isaiah Hardenburg Fonda; born 1848; b. New York; 1930 Census, New York, Montgomery, Fonda, District 42; the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Volume 64, page 56, Mrs. Lydia Sammons Fonda. DAR ID Number: 63167, Born in Mohawk, N. Y., descendant of Lieut. Sampson Sammons, of New York. Daughter of Simeon Sammons and Barbara Gross, his wife, daughter of Thomas Sammons and Mary Wood, his wife. g-granddaughter of Sampson Samson and Rachel Schoonmaker, his wife. Sampson Sammons (1720-96) was lieutenant of Exempts under Capt. Jellis Fonda, 1777, and also served on the Committee of Safety. He was born in Ulster County; died in Johnstown, N. Y.
Arent Reyerse Schermerhorn; Landowner; married Anna Douw Fonda; Revolutionary War Soldier; born 1-Jan-1693, died 14-Jul-1757 at 64 years of age; b. Albany, New York; d. Schenectady, New York; Arent Schermerhorn inherited from his father “the easterly half of the second Flatt”, on the north side of the Mohawk River, where the Town of Glenville is now sited. He lived at “the Mills” a section of the Great Flat just south of present day downtown Schenectady, where Thomas Edison founded his General Electric Co. and where today stands the G. E. Steam Turbine plant. Arent’s name appears in Capt Harmon Van Slyke’s Company of Schenectady Militia in 1715.
Marietta Smith; Landowner; 3rd wife of Evert Yates Fonda; after Evert’s death, Marrietta m. 2nd Ira Carey, Shopiere, Rock Co., Wisconsin; m. 3rd Richard F. Earl 1881, Shopiere, Rock Co., Wisconsin; m. 4th William French 1895, Lamberton, Redwood Co., Minnesota; she was born 5-Aug-1835, died May-30-1922 at 86 years of age; b. Montgomery Co., New York; 1880 United States Census, Turtle, Rock, Wisconsin; d. Lamberton, Redwood Co., Minnesota; Richard Earl (2nd husband) and Marietta sold the farm in Rock Co. Wisconsin and moved to Minnesota where she bought a farm of 120 acres from the Winona and St. Peter Railroad Company in 1887.
Ada Laura Fonda Snell; PhD Professor of English, Author; daughter of Marvin Snell and Sara Eleanor Fonda; taught at Mt. Holyoke College, wrote “Palatines Along the Mohawk and their Church in the Wilderness” (South Hadley, Mass, 1948),“Pause: a study of its nature and its rhythmical function in verse, especially blank verse” (R. West, 1918) and co-Author w/Thomas Huxley “Autobiography and Selected Essays” (Houghton Mifflin, 1909); born 11-May-1870, died Apr-18-1972 at 101 years of age; b. Geneva, Ontario, New York; 1880 US Census, Geneva, Ontario, New York; d. Westchester Co., New York; BA 1899 Yale University; Massachusetts 1906 Yale University; PhD 1916 University of Michigan; student 1899-1900 University of Chicago; student 1904-1905 Bardwell Memorial Fellow Yale University; student 1927-1928 Oxford University; Phi Beta Kappa; teacher 1892-1894 Danville Kentucky; teacher 1896-1898 Philadelphia; instructor, associate professor, professor (English) 1900-??Mount Holyoke College writer.
Douwe Janzoon Van Arentsvelt; Glassware Merchant, Mayor, Head of Glassmaker’s Guild; full name “Douwe Janzoon de Vries Van Arentsvelt” which means “Douwe, son of Jans of Vries from Arents Field”; born 1580, died 1653 at 73 years of age; b. Harlingen, Friesland, Netherlands; d. Leyden, Friesland, Netherlands; was a master glazier who settled in Leyden soon after 1600; where he met and married Maria Janse, dau. of Jans of Wassenaer, of Roozenberg, widow of Vechtor Vechterzoon Cuyper. Also a glass worker, Douwe became Burgess (Mayor) of Leyden in 1615 and also head of the glassmaker’s guild. He had many apprentices and at his death had many houses in the Kort Rappenburg part of Leyden, east side.
It is not known exactly when or why Jellis and family immigrated to America, other than the obvious desire for freedom and opportunity. There is no known record of the family on published ship passenger lists. A best guess, based on available information indicates they probably sailed on either the BONTE KOE or the PRINS WILLEM, each arriving in New Amsterdam in June-September 1651.
Fort Orange (Albany) Settlement
Albany, New York
According to “A Career Woman in 17th Century New York,” when Jellis arrived in Fort Orange (now Albany) 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.”
The Fonda Family was one of eighty-two distinct family groups representing the settler population of Albany at the end of the so-called Dutch period (1624-1686). Already, these urban dwellers were beginning to distinguish themselves from the farmers and husbandmen of the surrounding countryside. These families represented the largest number of New Netherlands family names in the city during its first two centuries of life. From this core group, a number of families left the Albany community, establishing new settlements at Schenectady, Kinderhook, Catskill, Schaghticoke, Hoosick, Saratoga, and beyond. Some became tenants of the Rensselaerwyck Patroon (cooperative). Others left the region entirely. Still others literally “died out” in the Albany setting. Those who remained formed the core population of what became the city of Albany in 1686.
Fonda Farm House, 1859
Fonda, New York
Before the American Revolution, a Dutch village named Fonda had succeeded the Indian hamlet of Caughnawaga, along the Mohawk River, about 30 miles west of Albany. It extended from the rambling hills which comprise the Mohawk Valley, at the foot of which stood the church and parsonage, down to the river. Douw Jellis Fonda (1700-1780), father of the branch of the Fonda family so prominent in this neighborhood from the mid-1700’s to the present, is considered the founder of this village, which now bears his name.
Douw lived a long and prosperous life as a farmer and merchant. He was killed during a raid by the British Army, aided by the Mohawk Indians, on May 22, 1780; he was 79 yrs. old. His house was plundered and burned; and his sons, John and Adam, were taken as prisoners to Canada. Douw had been a close personal friend of the British constable, Sir William Johnson, and had always been on good terms with the Indians, but his life was taken as “heartlessly” as though he were an active enemy. His legacy remained through his abundant offspring, which included 6 children and 30 grandchildren.
After the war Adam returned and built a house which is still standing in the village of Fonda. Older brother Jellis became a judge in Tryon County and was serving in the Legislature when he died. Adam’s son Henry who served as a captain in the War of 1812 had twin sons called Henry Douw and Douw Henry. Douw Henry, the father of Albert Fonda whose son is the present owner, built the farm home between 1842-50. Now on this farm is the ninth generation of the family in America; the seventh on these historic acres. (Century Farms of New York State – 1947).
This is a duplicate of the listing on the fonda.org website.
Alida Lansing Fonda; wife of William W. Lansing; born 28-Mar-1775, died 10-Mar-1858 at 82 years of age; b. Albany, Albany, New York; had 8 children, Abraham was the fifth; a Lansing burial plot is on the William W. Lansing Farm, Ulie St., Mayfield, New York; this farm was bought for Alida Fonda, his wife, as for her inheritance from her father Abram Douw by her brother, Col. Douw A. Fonda; a road was built through the farm and the farm has since been divided; Alida was buried on a Fonda burial plot near the Albany Rural Cemetery.
Harriet McNeill Fonda; born Mar-18-1907, died Jul-16-1998 at 91 years of age; b. and d. Omaha, Hall Co., Nebraska; helped spawn the career of her brother, the late actor Henry Fonda, and her nephew, Peter Fonda, died July 16 in Omaha. the cause of death was not reported. She began devoting her time to the Omaha Community Playhouse in 1924. Her involvement with the playhouse was one of the primary reasons her brother Henry took up acting. She also had coached her young nephew, Peter Fonda, while he lived with her in Omaha for several years.
Maria Loockermans Fonda; born 7-Jan-1700; b. Albany. New York; res. Rensselaerwyck Manor, Albany, New York; Maria Fonda (1700-) m. 1724, Teunis Viele son of Lewis, and had 6 ch.: (6) John (1727-); Maria (1730-); Rebecca (1732-); Stephen (1735-); Jennetie (1737-); and Catherine (1740-). A son and daughter m. a Quackenbos, descendants of John Knickerbocker and Ann Quackenbos and related to the noted author, George Payne Quackenbos.
This is a duplicate of the listing on the fonda.org website.
Albert Granville Fonda; Mechanical Engineer, Inventor, Consultant; see www.crashex.com; Cornell University Graduate; born Nov-6-1928 in Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., New York; 1930 Census, Mohawk, Montgomery Co., New York; res. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area; Fonda, Albert Granville 1928- Who’s Who in the East. 14th edition, 1974-1975; had numerous inventions including patents on power steering design; served as President of the American Society of Inventors and active in the Society of Automotive Engineers; see Biographies for more…
Cornelius Van Wagoner Fonda; Surveyor; born 1858, died Apr-19-1931 at 73 years of age; b. New Jersey; 1880 US Census, Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; d. River Edge, New Jersey; for twenty-two years was an engineer for the North Jersey Title Insurance Company of Hackensack; finished his engineering course at Stuttgart University in Germany.
Gorton R. Fonda; Research PhD Chemist; born 27-Nov-1884, died Dec-1-1973 at 89 years of age; SSDI Amherst, Erie, New York; worked nearly 40 years for General Electric Laboratory, attributed with design for radar screen for National Defense Research Council in 1941; G. R. Fonda, Phys. Rev. 21, 343 (1923); Foundations of Vacuum Science and Technology (1916).
John Giles Fonda; Civil Engineer, Mayor of Warsaw, Civil War Officer (Major); born 8-Mar-1822, died Dec-10-1910 at 88 years of age; b. Sand Flats, Montgomery Co., New York; moved in 1835 to Warsaw, Hancock Co., Illinois; 1880 United States Census, Quincy, Adams, Illinois; d. National City, California; US Volunteer Cavalry 1847-1865; Civil War High Commands by John H. Eicher and David J. Eicher; Second Lieutenant for Independent Companies of Illinois Mounted Volunteers for the Mexican War 1848-49. Major in Civil War, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry; Civil War Pension Index: Kansas; see Biographies, Stories for more…
LeGrand Benedict Fonda; Engineer; born Oct-20-1912, died Jun-10-1989 at 76 years of age; b. New York; 1930 Census, New York, Rensselaer, Troy, District 110; SSDI New York; Who’s Who in Engineering. Fourth, Seventh editions. American Association of Engineering Societies, 1980, 1988; see Biographies for more…
Lyman D. Fonda; Scientist; born 13-Apr-1899, died 10-Jun-1977 at 78 years of age; b. New York; 1930 Census, New York, Schoharie, Fulton, District 9; SSDI Boca Raton, Palm Beach, Florida; American Men & Women of Science, A biographical directory of today’s leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 12th edition, Physical & Biological Sciences. Seven volumes, 1971; see Biographies for more…
Margaret Lee Fonda; Biologist; born 1942; American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today’s leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 12th-23rd editions, Physical & Biological Sciences, 1971-2003.
This is a duplicate of the listing on the fonda.org website.
Abraham Osterhout Fonda; Teacher of Mathematics at Washington Seminary in Claverack (later Hudson River Institute) where he instructed Martin Van Buren, General Van Ness and Robert Morris; Revolutionary War Officer (Captain); born 18-Jan-1744, died 1834 at 90 years of age; b. Claverack, Columbia, New York; d. Morgansville, Morgan, Ohio; m. 1st Rachel Van Valkenburg (1748-), dau. of John and Gertruy (Delameter) Van Valkenburg, having 3 children; and m., 2nd, Margaret Grimes, of Baltimore, who had nursed him in sickness; while in Baltimore he reportedly taught math to Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother; DAR Patriot Index Centennial Edition.
Alexander Paterson Fonda; Auditor, Revolutionary War Soldier; born 28-Apr-1793, died 3-Aug-1873 at 80 years of age; b. Wallkill, Orange, New York; 1870 US Census, Paterson 3-Wd, Passaic Co., New Jersey; d. Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey; attended Union College in Schenectady in 1833, law degree incomplete; auditor of the Hudson River railroad, and Freemason; War of 1812, Pliny Adams’ Regiment New York Militia, Corporal.
Anthony Cornelius Fonda; Teacher, Civil War Soldier; born 6-Apr-1818, died 20-May-1893 at 75 years of age; b. Boght-Becker Dutch Reformed Church, Colonie, Albany, New York; a graduate of Union College in Schenectady in 1839, Latin Salutatory; 1850 U.S. Census, Mississippi, Tallahatchie, Subdivision 12; Company I, 2 Partisan Rangers, Mississippi, Sergeant Confederate; 1880 US Census, Beat 3, Tallahatchie, Mississippi; d. Charleston, Mississippi; inc. Tennessee DAR GRC Index.
Cornelia Dockstader Fonda; Auditor, Librarian; Cornell University Graduate; Auditor of Hotel Johnstown, Librarian of Frothingham Library, Fonda, New York; born 16-Jul-1883, died Jul-5-1980 at 96 years of age; b. Fonda Farm, Town of Mohawk (near Fonda), Montgomery, New York; 1930 Census, New York, Montgomery, Mohawk, District 44; SSDI Fonda, Montgomery, New York; d. Johnstown Hosp., Johnstown, Fulton County, New York; bur. Evergreen Cemetery, Sand Flats, New York
Erwin Roselle Fonda; Railroad Engineer, Civil War Soldier; born Oct-1844, died Aug-23-1919 at 74 years of age; b. Fulton, Oswego, New York; 1870 US Census, Wyoming, Lee, Illinois; 1880 United States Census, 4th Ward, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa; enlisted in the 147th New York and caught Typhoid Fever and was severely wounded as well. He went home to Illinois, then returned to the War as a Secretary to a Quartermaster. After the war he became an engineer with the Union Pacific and was headquartered at Omaha as of 1881. Service Record: Promoted to Full Corporal; Enlisted as a Private on 25 August 1862 at the age of 18; Enlisted in Company D, 147th Infantry Regiment New York on 23 September 1862. Mustered out Company D, 147th Infantry Regiment New York on 07 June 1865 in Washington, DC.
Garret T. B. Fonda; Freight Agent New York C.R.R., Lawyer; middle name Teunis Briese; born 5-Apr-1808, died 7-Aug-1880 at 72 years of age; b. Reformed Protestant Dutch Church Of Caughnawaga, Fonda, Montgomery, New York; 1860 Census Records, Mohawk, Montgomery, New York; 1880 United States Census, District 2, Mohawk, Montgomery, New York; bur. Old Caughnawaga Cemetery, Fonda, New York.
George Farrell Fonda; Fire Chief, Apothecary, Bank Director; born 6-Nov-1858, died Jun-19-1943 at 84 years of age; b. Augusta, Hancock, Illinois; 1880 United States Census, Boulder, Boulder, Colorado; 1930 Census, Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, District 47; res. Boulder, Co. where he was Fire Chief for many years, under volunteer and paid departments; sectaries for more…
Gertrude L. Fonda; Real Estate Agent; born 1883; b. New Rochelle, New York; 1910 Census, New York, Westchester, New Rochelle, 4th Ward; 1930 Census, New York, Westchester, New Rochelle, District 249; had been engaged in 1904 to Daniel F. Tieman, 3rd, grandson of ex-Mayor Tieman of New York; engagement broken by mutual consent.
James Robert Fonda; Blacksmith; born 29-Oct-1816, died 19-Jul-1891 at 74 years of age; b. West Troy, New York; res. Fulton, Oswego, New York; 1880 US Census, Wyoming, Lee, Illinois; res. Paw Paw Grove, Lee County, Illinois; James Robert Fonda was an orphan at 9 years old and became a Blacksmith. He married Alzina Bacon in December, 1837. She died on May 1st, 1852, leaving him with six children. He remarried to Jane E. Hendricks, the daughter of John Hendricks of Wayne County, New York.
Mary Alice Seymour Fonda; Author; born 1837, died 1892 at 55 years of age; American Women. A revised edition of [Woman of the Century,] A comprehensive encyclopedia of the lives and achievements of American women during the nineteenth century. Two volumes, 1897; Women Novelists, 1891-1920. An index to biographical and autobiographical sources, 1984.
