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Genealogy
(History of the United Netherlands p1083 J.L.Motley, 1872,
UNB DJ109.M67)
"Scottish Soldiers married in Netherlands"
Fixed surnames were not common in 16th century Holland, for example: John's son Adam would be called Adam Johnszoon while Adam's son James would be called James Adamszoon. In a community several unrelated families could periodically share the same surname. To help address this problem sometimes people would append the name of their trade to help differentiate between families. Investigating the commercial and naval history of the period one person stood out: Michael Adrianszoon de Ruyter, Admiral of the Dutch Navy 1652-1676 He was born in 1607 in Flushing, Zeeland, the son of a soldier. Both his grandfathers had been soldiers. His father was reported to be a stranger to the community, a Scot. He went to sea at age 11 in 1618 as a boatswains boy and later spent a number of years in Dublin in the branch office of Lampson Brothers trading company where he learned the trade of factor, (commercial agent). He then became a successful merchant himself before being named Vice Admiral of the Dutch navy in 1652. Michael Adrianszoon took the name of his maternal grandfather, Ruyter, in 1632 or 1633 at age 25 or 26. He did not use the prefix "de". That was added later by his contempories.
(The Mariner's Mirror Vol 44 No 1 Feb 1958 page 3 to 17)
Investigation then was undertaken of Dutch and Irish history prior to 1800 to determine when emigration between Holland and Ireland was likely. The obvious period was during the reign of William and Mary when the thrones of Britain and Holland were combined in 1688."Chronology of events in Ireland 1600-1850"
"The Naval Side of King William's War"
Following the battle of the Boyne in 1691 there is documentation that a number of Dutch soldiers settled in Ireland.
At this point we come to a gap between this historical discussion and records built backwards from the present day. New Brunswick records show that the patriarch of the Ryder family of Saint Stephen New Brunswick CANADA, Laurence Ryder emigrated from Dublin, Ireland to St.Andrews, New Brunswick in late March 1832, arriving in early May, along with his two sons Laurence Jr. and George P."Detail on Laurence Ryder."
British military records show that he served from 24 Apr. 1815 with the seventeenth regiment of light dragoons and from 9 Aug. 1816 to 31 Oct. 1827 with the second regiment of Dragoon Guards, the Queen's Bays. His discharge documents state that he was born in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan Ireland in 1790. There is no record of a Ryder ever having ever lived in that town.
Griffith's valuation shows Ryders living in the villages of Louth and Ardee Co Louth in 1832 and 1854. These villages are about 7 miles from Carrickmacross. There is a family story that the family was originally Dutch, and associated with the Dutch Navy. So that's the story of the guy on the horse, he's a RYDER (deRUYTER).I would appreciate an email from anyone who can shed a bit more light on Dutch-Irish migration in the 17th or 18th century, or with a similar family story (particularly if your name is Ryder or de Ruyter).
"Check out the Benelux-British Migration Interest Group"
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