When trying to decide who to write about this week, I do have a few ancestors that both their first and last names begin with a vowel, including my eleventh great-grandfather Egidius Egen who was born and died in Dettingen an der Erms, Reutlingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. He married Lea Golmer. This is on my maternal Swartzlander line. Or my eleventh great-grandmother Alice Adlam who was born and died in Leigh, Wiltshire, England. She married a well-to-do Clothier named Robert Cogswell. She was the daughter of another well-off Clothier named John Adlam and his wife Marjorie ____. This is on my Cogswell line. I also have many women named Anna or Elizabeth in my tree. But the only ancestors that I have that their name begins with the vowel “U” are three women named Ursula that are all kin to each other.
The most recent ancestor with the name is my sixth great-grandmother Ursula “Ursy” Sine Budd. She was born 9 March 1728 (Budd Family Bible) in North Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow), Westchester County, New York. She was the daughter of Nicholas Sine (Sayn) and Urseltje (Anna Ursula) Maul.
Ursula “Ursy” Sine Budd’s mother, Anna Ursula “Ursula” (Urseltje) Maul Sine, my seventh great-grandmother, and is my next ancestor with the same name.
Anna Ursula “Ursula’ (Urseltje) Maul Sine’s maternal grandmother, Anna Ursula _____ Drisch/Dricksen, my ninth great-grandmother, is my third ancestor with the name Ursula.
I need to discuss here a bit about the German naming system. All three of these ancestors would have been called by and listed in most records as Ursula.
German children were given two names. The first one was a baptismal name, the second name, known as the Rufname, along with the surname is what would be used in marriage, tax, land and death records. This tradition began in the Middle Ages. By the 1800’s, more Germans began to give their children three names. Again, typically only one of the middle names was used throughout the person’s life. Roman Catholics often used saints’ names, while most Protestant groups also included names from the Old Testament or even non-Christian names. (1)
Ursula “Ursy” Sine Budd is sometimes listed as Ursty by some that have misread her nickname in records which would have actually been spelled Ursie, Ursey, or Ursy.
The Maul (Maulin/Moulin), and Drisch/Dricksen families were from Hohenroth and Driedorf in Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, Germany. I have a TON of German ancestors, but this line is the only known line going back to Hesse. Although my ancestors come from all over Germany, most were from the Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, with a smaller amount coming from Bavaria, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The distance between Holenroth and Driedorf is 3.7 miles (5.9 km). They are both smaller places, Driedorf has a population of about 5,213 people, and Holenroth has a population of about 3,604 people.
Out of my three ancestors named Ursula, the least is known about my ninth great-grandmother Anna Ursula ____. She was born in the area of Hohenroth and Driesdorf. Her parentage and maiden name are unknown. She married Johann Georg Drisch/Dricksen. We do know that she died 19 April 1677 in Hohenroth.
My line continues with their daughter Anna Elisabetha “Elizabeth” Drisch who married Johannes Maul (Maulin/Moulyn).
Their daughter Anna Ursula “Ursula” (Urseltje) Maul (Maulin) is my second ancestor named Ursula. A bit more is known about her. She was baptized 2 November 1694 in Driedorf, Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, Germany. She arrived in New York, along with her parents and siblings in 1710.
The Banns were recorded for Nicolas Syn & Urseltje Maulin on 10 August 1724. They were married October 1, 1724, at the Dutch Reformed Church in New York City. Recorded in family history books and records are that Ursula had two sisters, named Catherine and Marie. Nicholas immigrated from Rückeroth, Westerwaldkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
The banns and marriage record are from the Dutch Reformed Church and Urseltje is a Dutch version of the name Ursula.
We know that the couple had at least four children: Ursula “Ursy” Sine Budd, William Sine, Elizabeth Sine Bartholomew, and Ann Sine.
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow – Photo taken by David Pyatt
The 1685 church and cemetery that the Headless Horseman famously haunts, this Old Dutch Church’s ancient cemetery is the resting place of local citizens who likely inspired Washington Irving’s characters of Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and others in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Nicholas Sayn/Sine/Syn and wife Anna Ursula (Urseltje) Maul/Maulin and their family were in New York for a time, but then later migrated to Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Their daughter Ursula was born while they were still in New York, and I think it is all kinds of cool that she was born in what was called North Tarrytown aka Sleepy Hollow! Yes, the very same place written about in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” My family kin are found in the records of the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow and some are even buried in the cemetery. The other known children were all born in New Jersey. While the greater part of the families and related kin migrated to New Jersey, some remained in New York, some in the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow area, others migrated to other villages and towns in Westchester County, and also to other areas of New York.
Ursula “Ursy” Sine married Elijah Budd on 2 April 1751 in New Rochelle, Westchester, New York. Elijah was the son of Maj. John Budd and Mary Prudence Strang. I have written prior about my French Strang and Le Maistre ancestors. You may read about them here and here. My Budd and related ancestors have roots in New York and were of English stock.
Ursula “Ursy” Sine and Elijah Budd had at least five children including my fifth great-grandmother Mary Budd Palmer, and her brothers Gilbert, John, Peter, and Elijah Budd.
The only known famous person that is descended from my ancestors Nicholas Sine (Sayn/Syn/Seyn) Anna Ursula “Ursula” (Urseltje) Maul (Maulin) is Major General Joseph Bartholomew who is pictured above. He is known for his long military career, and also his daughter Martha Bartholomew Vail and several of his grandchildren were some of the earliest converts to Mormonism. Joseph Bartholomew and my fifth great-grandmother Mary Budd Palmer were first cousins. I have DNA matches to the descendants of Major General Joseph Bartholomew.
My direct line:
- Johann Georg Drisch/Dricksen and Anna Ursula ____.
- Anna Elisabetha “Elizabeth” Drisch and Johannes Maul/Moull/Maulin.
- Anna Ursula (Urseltje) Maul/Maulin and Nicholas Sayn/Sine/Syn.
- Ursula “Ursy” Sine and Elijah Budd.
- Mary Budd and Solomon Palmer.
- Floyd Palmer and Barbara Wolf.
- John Palmer and Mary Ann Spotts (Spatz).
- Susan Palmer and John Davis Kennedy.
- Abraham G. Kennedy and Mary Elizabeth Price (my great-grandparents).
References:
- German Naming Traditions Genealogists Should Know by Diane Haddad
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