Travel.
One thing that I’ve noticed about traveling to new places is that around every corner there are exciting things…unfamiliar and yet, exhilarating.
Street Corners of Amsterdam.
So today, I thought we’d take a stroll around the street corners of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam was the first place that my feet trod on foreign soil (outside of the German airport layover…but we’re talking “literal” soil).
Strolling Along.
If you’ve been reading my blog for some time then you know that I traveled to Amsterdam this past April… a mere 4 1/2 months ago.
If you’d like to read some of my other posts from Amsterdam, you can find a few here, here, and here.
One of my favorite things to do in a new city is to just stroll along the streets.
Architecture.
I love to see the architecture.
Europe has much older architecture than in the United States so it was a treat to see the historical buildings as I walked along in Amsterdam.
While I admire the architecture, I am not well versed in recognizing the period in which the styles came into construction. History, as well as geography, were never my strong subjects. I was a math and science girl with a little creative writing thrown in to round me out. It wasn’t until I became interested in traveling that I began to take interest in history and geography. Given that I’m still new to foreign travel, I have quite a bit to learn.
History and Ancestry.
Amsterdam’s history dates back to the 13th Century.
At the time of my visit, I did not realize that I too have a history that winds its way through the streets of Amsterdam.
Van Husum.
My 10th great-grandfather was Jan Frans Van Husum (Van Hoesen, Van Huss, Vanhooser). He was from Husum in Schleswig, which was part of Denmark at the time. He married Volkje Jurrians from the island of Nordstrand. Little is known about them prior to their marriage, but there was a great flood in 1634 that was devastating to Nordstrand and the coast of Denmark, including the city of Husum.
They were married in 1639 in Amsterdam and were living on Tuinstraat. Little did I know while I was visiting the Anne Frank House, that across the canal and up a bit, once had lived my 10th great-grandparents. I do not know how long they lived in Amsterdam prior to their marriage, but a few months later they would set sail for America.
United States of America.
They sailed for New Amsterdam, which was the southern tip of Manhattan.
In 1662, he would purchase hundreds of acres around Claverack from the Mohicans.
He was the first of his name to come to America. All variations of his last name eventually make his way back to him and Volkje.
My line would make its way down to North Carolina and eventually Kentucky. I once read that the family name change from Van Hooser to Van Hoose was a disagreement between brothers over sides during the Revolutionary War. There are those much more knowledgeable than me into the genealogical history of the name that would know the details. My 6th Great- Grandfather was John B. Van Hoose who was married to Mary Bryan. There is great debate and mystery over her heritage as the Van Hoose’s did travel to Kentucky with the likes of the Boone’s and Bryan’s.
But, nonetheless, that heritage that would travel to my maternal grandmother, Reva Van Hoose, would start with a marriage that took place in Amsterdam.
Ponderings.
I wonder what the street corners looked like as they strolled along them?
Did they wave hello to Rembrandt as they made their way across town?
Did they stop and admire tulips or were they not in Amsterdam prior to the Tulip Bubble burst of 1637?
Street corners hold thousands of daily tales.
Do yours have any to tell?
Let your light shine!
Amy
wpc: corner
