The HHDHA Story – East Meets West

HISTORY OF THE HENDRICKSON FAMILY  |  THE HHDHA STORY  |  THE ROLE OF THE HHDHA
Research for the Hendricks and Hendrickson families in America has been a long road of twists and turns and unexpected serendipity. The name Hendricks and Hendrickson is very common in Dutch and Scandinavian family history, similar to the common surnames of Smith and Jones in the United States. Researchers for various families of this surname have spent decades of time, boatloads of money, and have combed through what seemed like every possible archive striving to connect ancestors correctly. Family branches were linked and unlinked through the years causing a myriad of available incorrect data.
This website hosted by the newly formed national organization, Hendricks and Hendrickson Dutch Heritage Association (HHDHA), represents the culmination of the work of two dedicated researchers representing their own family interests…one from the west side of the country and one from the east coast. Many thanks to Andrew A. Hendricks, MD from the east and DelLynn Leavitt from the west for not giving up but striving to continue the quest.

Perspectives from the West Side of America

At one time in the 1990s it was generally thought by the Henry Hendricks Family Organization (HHFO) that everything had been researched about the Hendricks line and that very little could be added to what they thought they knew. Even a discussion to disband the HHFO and moving on to other pursuits took place, but invaluable family members such as HHFO archivist, Harold Hendricks, stayed the course. In 1994, the mantle of Research Director for the HHFO passed to DelLynn Leavitt. His goals were simply to document the latest known family data and perhaps clarify a few gaps in the Hendricks time line.

Viewpoints from the East Coast 

Intrigued by an assignment as a 10-year-old school student to find out where his family originated, Dr. Andrew Hendricks has spent his entire life working on various family history related projects and research. Leaving no stone unturned, he worked diligently to find his ancestral homeland. He discovered early on about his Dutch heritage, but could not identify the particular town or province of his ancestry. Dr. Hendricks founded the Hendricks(on) Family Association and in 1999 he hosted a family reunion for anyone with the last name Hendricks, Hendrickson, Hendrix who lived in the United States. This reunion was held in conjunction with the 300-year anniversary of the Old Brick Reformed Church in Marlboro, New Jersey, and the original church in New Jersey where the Hendrickson family worshipped.

East Meets West

From the Archivist, Harold Hendricks, on Oct 20, 2009:

In 1999, we (HHFO) received an invitation from Dr. Andrew A. Hendricks to join with him and other Hendricks families for a Hendricks reunion to be held in conjunction of the 300th anniversary of the building of the Reformed Dutch Church of the Navesink, the very congregation that Henry Hendricks and Sarah Thompson attended. Our Research Director at the time, Mary Hart, along with LeAnn Hord and I attended the reunion and met representatives of various Hendricks families and organizations, several who believed that we were related. Various genealogies have been printed showing connections that we did not believe existed, and we presented our research by Carol Cannon showing that we descended from Jacob Hendricks Hafte and Geesje Bartels, a family separate from both the Frontier Hendricks group and Dr. Andrew Hendricks’ New Jersey line. This New Jersey line descends from Hendrick Willemsz, whose sons, Willem and Daniel, were once thought to be our Henry’s grandfather and great-uncle–as printed in Henry Hendricks Genealogy (the Red Book) in 1963 (see p 563).

2009-2017

Several breakthroughs and events took place in 2009-2017 to make this an important historical period for the Hendricks and Hendrickson family.
August 2009
  • In August 2009, HHFO Researcher, DelLynn Leavitt, found documents that linked Henry Hendricks as a brother to Willem and Daniel Hendrickson.
October 2009
  • In October 2009, Andrew A. Hendricks, MD gave Harold Hendricks, HHFO archivist, his DNA information that Harold compared in a chart with five of the descendants of Henry Hendricks and Sarah Thompson.
October 20, 2009
From the Archivist, Harold Hendricks on Oct 20, 2009

With the exciting news from our Research Director, DelLynn Leavitt, we learn once again how useful new technology can be in the quest for our ancestors. One of these new tools is DNA testing, and using that tool to check whether DelLynn’s conclusions are correct have provided some interesting results. 

About five years ago, we joined with the Frontier Hendricks Association’s DNA testing project and determined conclusively that we were not related to them, even though their published records tried to tie Henry and Sarah into one of their lines. 

DelLynn proposed (Aug 2009) that Henry Hendricks’ grandfather, Hendrick Hendrickson b. abt 1766, was a brother to Willem and Daniel Hendricks mentioned above, so we contacted Dr. Andrew Hendricks and compared his DNA with the five samples from our family members. Dr. Hendricks is a descendant of Willem Hendricks, and his 37 marker test matches with only three differences. Three small mutations within 10 generations is a statistically perfect match. Hard evidence that we are indeed related to the children of Hendrick Willemsz as DelLynn has proposed.

November 2009
  • To the delight of the NJ and NY Hendricks family, in November 2009, HHFO Researcher, DelLynn Leavitt, was able to pinpoint the Old World home of our Hendrickson family which had remained undiscovered on a document for over 340 years old! Heyndrick Willemsz witnessed a land transaction and made his mark H.W. as one of two witnesses, then under his mark is written, “This is the mark of Heyndrick Willemsz van Barnevelt, made with his own hand.” Barnevelt is in Gelderland very near to Amersfoort.
Continuous Engagement-2009-2016

Members of the Henry Hendricks Family Organization worked closely with Dr. Andrew Hendricks and the Hendricks(on) Family Association of New Jersey to share research and assistance for the purpose of successfully restoring the Hendrickson Burial Ground after it was destroyed in September 2010. Burial ground inventories, records, lists, photos and research took five years and a lot of patience to compile. Both organizations contributed to the compiling of these records and reconstruction lists.

Partnership Proposal-December 2016

A proposal was presented by the Henry Hendricks Family Organization (HHFO) in December 2016 to the Hendricks(on) Family Association of New Jersey (HFANJ) to form a national organization for the Hendricks and Hendrickson families descended from Hendrick Willemsz. The HFANJ Board members did not feel they could divide their interests at the time due to the burial ground reconstruction activities taking place. However, Dr. Andrew Hendricks agreed to partner with the HHFO to form a national organization and create a website to display the family history and other work of these organizations. This new organization would also further the history of the Dutch in America to living descendants and other interested parties throughout the United States.

Hendrickson Reunion-July 2017

The Hendricks(on) Family Association of New Jersey hosted a nationwide family reunion for Hendricks, Hendrickson, and Hendrix family members in conjunction with the re-dedication ceremony of the Hendrickson Burial Ground in Holmdel, New Jersey with about 75 guests present at the burial ground re-dedication and about 50 members present at the reunion.

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