Hometowns of our Ancestors: Haarlem, Holland

  

 "The Great Market in Haarlem" (1696)

Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde (1638-1698).

 Haarlem's history dates back to pre-medieval times.  Still a vibrant city in the Netherlands, it is the capital of the Province of North Holland.  Located on the river Spaarne west of Amsterdam, Haarlem has been a major trading centre for tulips since the 1630's thus giving it the nickname  'Bloemenstad' meaning 'flower city'.

Grote Markt in 2007

(Image source: wikipedia)

This is the hometown of our ancestor Christian Bom, daughter of Cornelius & Agnes (Moij) Bom, who arrived in Philadelphia with her parents and brothers Cornelius and Abraham in 1683.

Towns of our Ancestors - Doeden of Appingedam, Netherlands

Appingedam, a trading seaport located in northeastern Netherlands, came into existence around 1200. This was the hometown of Jan Doeden, a cooper, who arrived in Philadelphia and settled in  Germantown during the time of William Penn.  In the earliest years of the Germantown settlement, Jan Doeden farmed and grew apples and pears on the lot just north of the Pastorius tract.

Many original medieval premises can still be found in the center of Appingedam. The most famous sight is the hanging kitchens above the Damsterdiep channel.

Hanging kitchens in Appingedam

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Towns of our Ancestors: Porva, Hungary

Located in Veszprem County, Hungary, in the High Bakony Mountains, Porva is considered to be in one of the most beautiful spots in North-Western Hungary. The village population in the 2001 census was 502 inhabitants.  This town the birth place of  Istvan (Steve) Hack - born August 1907.

Porva - C.1910

The gothic baroque church was built c.1783 over the ruins of the palos monastery.

The church and the vicarage of Porva used to belong to the Archabbey of Pannonhalma. After World War II however the Russians took possession of the vicarage to establish their regional headquarters. The facade of the vicarage was destroyed by the Russian repercussion of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956.

Two marble memorials were erected in the church in memory of the First and Second World War’s casualties from the village.

Towns of our Ancestors: Fribourg, Suisse

Freiburg, Switzerland    (Fribourg, Suisse)

Founded in 1157, Freiburg is located on the river Sarine on the Swiss plateau.

Its Old City with its medieval architecture, sits on a small rocky hill above the valley of the Sarine.

This was the hometown of our ancestor, Pierre Miville, born c.1602.  

Pierre married Charlotte Mauger (Maugis) and together with their 6 children settled in Quebec, New France abt 1649.