The Dutch part of our Dayton pedigree has always fascinated me, and our move to western Michigan and our many Dutch friends rekindled my interest in this part of my (and your) heritage. In addition, five of my grandchildren are over fifty percent Dutch. The Dutch, and specifically the Dutch Reformed Church, kept meticulous records of births, baptisms and marriages, so we have a nearly complete pedigree of all the branches off the Flansburg line all the way back to the settling of New Netherlands.
Anna Flansburg, mother of Jessie Belle [WHITE] Dayton, was attributed with frequently reminding her children, “We’re big Dutch and don’t you forget it!” She was obviously proud of her Dutch heritage and wanted all of her kids to never forget it. Well, my great grandma ……now none of your descendants down at least five generations will forget.
Oh, how I wish I could ask great-gramma Anna what she meant by “big Dutch.” My interpretation is that she considered persons of Dutch descent to be of a very hardy stock with certain characteristics exceeding the lowly English and other ethnicities. If we took a poll of the readers of this publication, I’m sure that we would get many other interpretations. If you feel inclined, leave a comment. The next three posts will be a continuation of stories about this same Flansburg family and lineage.
Dayton Family History 