Welcome to the Van Horn Page
The Van Horn name is Dutch in origin. As legend goes, Hoorn is a town in Holland, and anyone
from that town called themselves "Van Hoorn" meaning "from the town of Hoorn." The name
has many other spellings: Van Hoorn, Van Horne, Vanhorn, etc.
My Van Horn line began with the
colonization of the New World. New York, which used to be New Amsterdam, was once inhabitated
by the Dutch.
Peter Minuit bought Manhattan island from the Canarsee Indians for 60 guilders
(about $24) back in 1626. The Dutch ruled the region for almost 40 years until the British seized
the colony in 1664. Once in command King Charles, sovereign of Great Britain, gave the colony to his brother, James the Duke
of York. Many of the Dutch fled to neighboring New Jersey, which is where my branch eventually
landed.
My Van Horns began their new lives in New Jersey. Over the years they mingled with other
colonial families, mostly German, English, and Dutch. As with my mother's Metternichs, the
Van Horns have been difficult to find through the years. However, the families the Van Horns married
into have proven a far greater genealogical reward. Names such as Goodfellow, La Roche, Hunt, Trimmer, and Swackhammer
all have great legacies in New Jersey history.
Please click on a link below to further explore each family line. Enjoy!
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