We have just shelved the first two continuations of our well-used copy of Henry Z. Jones’ work Palatine Families of New York : a Study of the German Immigrants who arrived in Colonial New York in 1710.
Palatines are Germans who lived along the Rhine River in present day Germany, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. Political and economic conflict brought many Palatines to the New World in the early 1700s, which, as genealogists know, can be a difficult time period to research, as people were far more interested in settling and surviving than in dropping clearly written, carefully preserved records for their descendants to find. Luckily, Mr. Jones is around to help us out!
The first continuation is titled More Palatine Families, and includes immigrants to the middle colonies from 1717 to 1776 as well as additional information about earlier New York families.
Even More Palatine Families is a three-volume set that expands the time frame and the geographic scope of the Palatine immigration.
So, if you suspect that your family originated along the Rhine, or if the term Palatine has crept into your research to confuse you, we highly recommend that you take a look at these aptly and succinctly titled resources—you’ll be glad you did!
