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Page 3 of 94

Preface

Among genealogists, bibliophiles and students,the evidence as to who was the original ancestor of the Onderdonk family in America is not considered entirely convincing.Facts appear to be obscured by the mists of time.An old tradition is that all are descended from Dr. Adrian Van Der Donck, the author of the "History of the New Netherlands."Dr.Van Der Donck, who was born in 1620, married a daughter of the Rev. Francis Doughty.There is satisfactory evidence that after his death his widow married Hugh O'Neill, and they died childless in Maryland.Whether children were born by the first marriage cannot be clearly proven.There is a strong presumption that there were.It, however, is likewise true that it cannot be proven that there were no children.Dr. Van Der Donck was accompanied by a brother Daniel, who some claim was the progenitorof all the Onderdonks in America.The latter contention sometimes appears to be the more tenable.
The views of persons whose opinions are deemed worthy of consideration are therefore published in the appendix in the hope that theories may therefrom be evolved which will bring about in the minds of some of the present or future generation a hypothesis, or start an inquiry along lines that may eventually make clear the at present very cloudy and perplexing problem.
Correspondence, manuscripts, personal sketches and other data are also published with apologies, but with the desire to preserve such matter in print.
What does seem absolutely certain and provedis herein published as fact: That Andries (Adrianse) Onderdonk, who must have been born before 1653, lived subsequently at New Castle, Del., and died about 1686 at Jamaica, L. I.His wife was Maria Van DerVliet, and they are the progenitors of all whose names appear in the following genealogy.A picture of the house where they resided at Cow Neck near Manhasset is herewith published.The house was later occupied by Minne Onderdonk and lastly by Peter Onderdonk.
Many errors in dates and locations and in spelling may be discovered, but if so they are unintentional, and any one who may have attempted to collate data such as the following will appreciate that they are absolutely unavoidable.
Any to which the publishers' attention is called will be noted.
In closing, the thanks of the compiler are gratefully expressed for information furnished him by many members of the family, particularly to the late Henry Onderdonk, Jr., of Jamaica, L. I., to Professor Henry Onderdonk of Maryland and his son, ProfessorAdrian H. Onderdonk, and to Mr. Chauncey K. Buchanan.
A. J. O.
A. D. 1910.

Page 3 of 94