Your dates are interesting, Paul. According to what we tended to learn
in American History back in grade school when I was a kid. America was
settled by the Puritans in 1620. All the people who came here before
that didn't count, I guess. Being descended from one of those New
Amsterdamers you mentioned I always resented that. But unfortunately
New Amsterdam was settled in 1624. And you say Middletown was settled
across from New Amsterdam in 1615. Had a time machine did they?
Jamestown, Virginia was settled in 1607, after an earlier attempted
Virginia colony (1584) disappeared completely. And of course there were
Spanish colonies (Saint Augustine for instance) even earlier than that
(1565). So the Puritans (pilgrims) of Plymouth Rock were not the first
after all just the ones with the best publicity.
graywolf
http://www.graywolfphoto.com
"Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof"
-----------------------------------
Paul Stenquist wrote:
That stands to reason. The Scots and the English were at each other's
throats over here long before the revolution. The town in Jersey where
I lived for a dozen years, originally Aberdeen, was founded in 1687 by
Scots fleeing their English neighbors in Middletown, New Jersey.
Interestingly enough, Middletown was founded in 1615 across a large
bay from the settlement known as New Amsterdam. It just never quite
grew at the pace that its neighbor did. Just goes to show you that
which side of the bay you're on can make a difference. Of course New
Amemsterdam is now New York city. Middletown is still Middletown, and
it's population is around 30,000. Aberdeen is now the village of
Matawan, population 12,000, and it remains part of Aberdeen Township.
Matawan is an Indian (native American) name. The Scots had followed an
Indian trail west on their way out of Middletown. Matawan is located
where two Indian trails crossed.
Paul
On Oct 21, 2005, at 3:17 AM, Cotty wrote:
On 20/10/05, John Forbes, discombobulated, unleashed:
I hear what you're saying, but guess what.....
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2653/mark_of_the_scots_usa.htm
This explains rather more than I had feared.
Cheers,
Cotty
___/\__
|| (O) | People, Places, Pastiche
||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com
_____________________________
