Cornelis Hendrickse Buijs
1604-1646
Born: Breille, Zuid Holland, Netherlands
Died: Breille, Zuid Holland, Netherlands
1604-1646
Born: Breille, Zuid Holland, Netherlands
Died: Breille, Zuid Holland, Netherlands
<strong> A little should be said at this point regarding the Dutch system of naming, (it will drive you crazy). This is properly referred to as a Patronymic Naming System, meaning that children were named after their fathers. For example, if a Jan were to have a child named Willem that child would be Willem Jansen, Janse, or Jans (meaning son of Jan). Females follow the same rule. Now Willem Jansen in turn has a child named Hendrick Willemsen, and so on. We do not really find the Dutch sticking to one particular surname for generations until about 1687.<br><br> The same person could appear under different names, as with occupation names or locality names. Arent of Long Island could be Arent Willemsen showing that his father was Willem -or Arent de Ramaacker showing his occupation as a wheelmaker -or Arent Oostrander showing he came from the east bank, (of somewhere). Also, we have the occasional use of an alias, generally for inheritance situation. Use of an alias was not all uncommon and did not mean the person was hiding from the law, although one never really rules anything out. The word alias with another surname was used where a man added his mothers surname or the name of some benefactor. The mothers or even in some cases the wife's surname would be added to his where she was an heiress.<br>We have an ancestor with an alias ---Jan Cornelis Buys, generation III.<br><br> Once the English people in America demanded that members of the same family use the same last name, these "frozen" surnames could be one of the above mentioned or a combination of the naming systems. Or, in a good number of cases, a surname was chosen that seemed to have no relationship to what is known of the family. Hopefully all members of a family would ultimately wind up with the same surname. This was the exception instead of the rule.<br><br> It has been said that tracing Dutch familes of this period "is like trying to pick up mercury with your fingers."<br></strong>