Albert and Arent Andriessen (Bratt/Bradt) and their families were early settlers in New Netherland when the colony still belonged to the Netherlands. Like many of the other settlers, they were not Dutch. According to long-time consensus, the brothers came originally from the vicinity of Fredrikstad, Norway.
In April of 1637, Albert and his family arrived in Rensselaerswyck, the large, New Netherland estate of the Amsterdam merchant, Kiliaen van Rensselaer. By all appearances, Albert's brother Arent came on the same ship. Albert operated several sawmills on the Normanskill (Norwegian's Creek). The Dutch referred to Norwegians as Normans, because they came from the far north. Arent was a tobacco planter and a farmer and sometimes participated in the fur trade. His family was one of the original fifteen families to settle Schenectady in 1661.
We can only guess how the Bratt surname originated. Hereditary family names were not used by the Dutch or the Norwegians at that time. When England took over and New Netherland became New York, that soon began to change.
In those days, it was common for Norwegians to use the name of their ancestral farm as a kind of family name. "Bratt" can mean "steep" in Norwegian and it's found in many place names all over Scandinavia. (Most of today's Norwegian Bratt's took their names in the late 1800s and are not related to us.)
Another possibility is the old Bratt family that originated in Bergen on the west coast of Norway. This family came to prominence in the Middle Ages, but no one has ever discovered any documents that tie us to them. It could be more than a coincidence that Fredrikstad is located on the Glomma River, which has its headwaters in Oppland. Oppland is the home county of one branch of these Bratts.
There is also a well-documented Bratt family from Brattfors (Bratt Falls) in Sweden. Located 100 miles from Fredrikstad, it was the site of a water-powered iron foundry as early as 1540. Perhaps in time, DNA testing will give us some clues to our Scandinavian cousins.
To the best of our knowledge, Albert never used the spelling "Bradt;" he signed his name Brat or Bratt. Bradt become more common because the Dutch customarily insert a silent "d." Other spellings usually came about later as some branches of the family moved West.
Over the years, numerous spelling changes have occurred. Almost all Bradt's and most Brott's are descended from the two Bratt brothers. Many Bratt's, Vanderzee's, Brodt's, Broat's, Van Brott's, and Van Bradt's and some Brad's and Bradd's are also direct descendants. These are not the only spellings.
Another line, the Vanderzees, is descended from Albert's son, Storm, who was born on the sea crossing to America. "Van der Zee" means "from the sea" in Dutch. Storm was baptized in Ilfracombe, England, after contrary winds and a damaging storm forced their ship to put in there for repairs and to resupply.
Over 95% of the Bradt cousins descend through female lines. It's no exaggeration to say that we would not have a Bradt Family Society without them. Today, hundreds of thousands of people in Canada and the United States descend from the two Bradt brothers.
In April of 1637, Albert and his family arrived in Rensselaerswyck, the large, New Netherland estate of the Amsterdam merchant, Kiliaen van Rensselaer. By all appearances, Albert's brother Arent came on the same ship. Albert operated several sawmills on the Normanskill (Norwegian's Creek). The Dutch referred to Norwegians as Normans, because they came from the far north. Arent was a tobacco planter and a farmer and sometimes participated in the fur trade. His family was one of the original fifteen families to settle Schenectady in 1661.
We can only guess how the Bratt surname originated. Hereditary family names were not used by the Dutch or the Norwegians at that time. When England took over and New Netherland became New York, that soon began to change.
In those days, it was common for Norwegians to use the name of their ancestral farm as a kind of family name. "Bratt" can mean "steep" in Norwegian and it's found in many place names all over Scandinavia. (Most of today's Norwegian Bratt's took their names in the late 1800s and are not related to us.)
Another possibility is the old Bratt family that originated in Bergen on the west coast of Norway. This family came to prominence in the Middle Ages, but no one has ever discovered any documents that tie us to them. It could be more than a coincidence that Fredrikstad is located on the Glomma River, which has its headwaters in Oppland. Oppland is the home county of one branch of these Bratts.
There is also a well-documented Bratt family from Brattfors (Bratt Falls) in Sweden. Located 100 miles from Fredrikstad, it was the site of a water-powered iron foundry as early as 1540. Perhaps in time, DNA testing will give us some clues to our Scandinavian cousins.
To the best of our knowledge, Albert never used the spelling "Bradt;" he signed his name Brat or Bratt. Bradt become more common because the Dutch customarily insert a silent "d." Other spellings usually came about later as some branches of the family moved West.
Over the years, numerous spelling changes have occurred. Almost all Bradt's and most Brott's are descended from the two Bratt brothers. Many Bratt's, Vanderzee's, Brodt's, Broat's, Van Brott's, and Van Bradt's and some Brad's and Bradd's are also direct descendants. These are not the only spellings.
Another line, the Vanderzees, is descended from Albert's son, Storm, who was born on the sea crossing to America. "Van der Zee" means "from the sea" in Dutch. Storm was baptized in Ilfracombe, England, after contrary winds and a damaging storm forced their ship to put in there for repairs and to resupply.
Over 95% of the Bradt cousins descend through female lines. It's no exaggeration to say that we would not have a Bradt Family Society without them. Today, hundreds of thousands of people in Canada and the United States descend from the two Bradt brothers.
We encourage those with lineage questions or contributions to contact our Genealogist, Laurie M. Grimes.
For those with non-lineage historical questions, (for example, to learn about the role of the Bradt Family in North American history) contact our Archivist and current President, Daniel P. Bradt.
We are currently looking for someone to take over this webpage. Please contact our president at [email protected] for further information.
For those with non-lineage historical questions, (for example, to learn about the role of the Bradt Family in North American history) contact our Archivist and current President, Daniel P. Bradt.
We are currently looking for someone to take over this webpage. Please contact our president at [email protected] for further information.
| TO CONTACT THE OFFICERS OF THE BRADT FAMILY SOCIETY |
|
|---|---|
| PRESIDENT: | Daniel P. Bradt: [email protected] |
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY, SECRETARY-TREASURER: |
Anne Holzinger: [email protected] |
| To subscribe to the "Bradt Family News" or to join the Bradt Family Society (BFS), fill out the membership form (see "MEMBERSHIP" in the menu) and send it to Anne. That's it. No need to contact the editor unless you want to submit an article to the News. Thank you. | |
| NEWSLETTER (The Bradt Family News (BFN)) EDITOR: |
Marie Emerson: [email protected] |
| HISTORIAN / ARCHIVIST: | Daniel P. Bradt: [email protected] |
| GENEALOGIST / LINEAGE EXPERT and Administrator of the Bradt DNA Project: |
Laurie M. Grimes: [email protected] |
| VICE-PRESIDENTS: | Vacant |
| RECORDING SECRETARY: | Vacant |
| ORGANIZER AND CHARTER MEMBER: | Ken Bradt: [email protected] |
Artist's Conception of Albert Bradt's Sawmill on Normanskill Creek (Albany, New York), pen and ink drawing
