Narratively

Share this post

Of Ministers and Merchants, Sinners and Saints

www.narratively.com
Memoir

Of Ministers and Merchants, Sinners and Saints

A new Brooklynite dives deep into his local roots, unveiling a vaunted family history nine generations old.

Alexander Henry
Feb 27, 2013
∙ Paid
Share this post

Of Ministers and Merchants, Sinners and Saints

www.narratively.com
Share
Photos by Nicholas Pollack

Though getting settled in New York City has never been easy, it was a good deal harder in 1747, when my first Brooklyn relative, Ulpianus Van Sinderen, arrived. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was an unmarried forty-year-old Dutch minister ordained in his native Friesland, a province near the German border. His father, a minister and tutor to a noble family, had discouraged Ulpianus from entering the church, so scarce were full-time jobs in the ministry. But Ulpianus, showing signs of the stubborn, foolhardy will that would make him a perfect American, went to seminary anyway and found himself in exactly the pickle his father had predicted. After fifteen years roaming around rural Holland as an assistant minister, unable to find a permanent post or meet the right girl, he leapt when the Dutch Reformed Church announced an opening on Long Island and gave him the job.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to

Narratively
to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
Previous
Next
© 2023 Narratively, Inc.
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing