Projects

Holy Name Cemetery Burial Index Project

Most of us have extra burial information for persons in Holy Name Cemetery that we compiled while searching for our own ancestors. Much of it probably turned out to be unrelated. Why not put that extra information to good use? The Hudson County Genealogical Society has launched a project to compile volunteer-contributed burial data into a searchable index that may help others find the final resting place of their loved ones.

Volunteers are needed for entering information you've gathered into a Microsoft Excel database and you do not need to be a HCGS member to help.

> Read the News Release
> Guidelines for Project Volunteers & Data Entry Template
> Surnames already in the index
> Frequently Asked Questions

The Hudson Observer Death Notices Project

The HCGS has partnered with the Jersey City Free Public Library to index death notices found in The Hudson Observer. The Jersey City Free Public Library has the Observer on microfilm.

The newspaper began as The Observer and was published in Hoboken, NJ starting in 1904 to 1910. It became The Hudson Observer from 1911 to 1924; and then continued as The Jersey Observer until it was merged into The Jersey Journal in November 1951. Hoboken's most famous native son, Frank Sinatra, once worked at The Observer and had plans to become a sports writer.

Volunteers are needed for both photocopying the microfilmed pages and for entering information from the copies into a Microsoft Excel database.

> Read the News Release for additional information
> Guidelines for Project Volunteers & Data Entry Template

To learn more or to get involved in the project contact webmaster@HudsonCountyNJGenealogy.org or contact Cynthia Harris in the NJ Room at the Jersey City Free Public Library charris@jclibrary.org

The Descendants of Jacob Wallingen Van Winkle

In January 2008, a series of 18x24 hand-drawn pedigree charts were donated to The Hudson County Genealogical Society by Mary Beth Hansbury, whose stepfather, George Van Winkle Kelly, commissioned a professional researcher to compile the descendants of Jacob Wallingen Van Winkle.

Jacob Wallingen (b. 1599 d. 17 Aug 1657), the progenitor of the Van Winkle family in the USA came from the village of Winkel, Holland and according to the custom of that country became known by the name of Jacob Wallingen Van Winkle ("van" signifying "from"). He sailed from Hoorn, Holland in 1634 with his wife Trintje Jacobs and arrived at New Amsterdam (New York) in June 1635. He was a member of "The Twelve Men", the advisory council to Gov. Kieft August 29, 1641, the first representative body in New Netherland.

The charts are based on the original Van Winkle family tree drawn by Daniel Van Winkle (1839-1919) and contain many well-known Hudson County families including: Van Winkle, Winne, Marcellus, Waldron, Sip, Van Vorst, Brinkerhoff, Vreeland, Van Newkirk, Sickles, Paulus, Ackerman and others.

> HCGS Members may log in and access the database