Eldert family of New Netherlands

The Eldert family of New Netherlands takes its name from its progenator, Eldert Lucaszen Van Voorhees (1651-1722). Eldert married Styntje Hendrickson (1657-1733) in New Netherlands around the year 1676. Their first children were baptized in Flatbush, Kings County, New York, until the family moved to Jamaica in Queens County in 1684. The descendants of Eldert and Styntje adopted the surname Eldert.

First Generation
The first generation consisted of the following known children: Adam Smith, brother of Jane and Martha. Their intermarriage with the Smith family led to unusual naming patterns among their descendants, where English names like Samuel, James, Bejamin and Abigail are alongside Dutch names such as Hendrick, Lucas and Phoebe.
 * Lucas Eldert (1677-1756) who married Jane Smith of Hempstead and moved to Queens County
 * Johannes Eldert (1681-?) who appears to have married several times including once to Marretje Bergen, and once to Martha Smith, sister of Lucas' wife Jane
 * Hendrick Eldert (c1691-1768) who married three times to Margreitje Wyckoff, Elizabeth Ryder, and Tryntje Nostrand
 * Rachel Eldert (bef1700-?) who also married several times, including once to
 * Annetje Eldert (bef1700-?) who married Johannes Bergen
 * Egbertje Eldert (bef1700-?) who married Abraham Covert
 * Hendrickje Eldert (bef1712-bef1712) who died young

18th Century
As there was no census until the year 1790, researchers have traced the family from church records, and used subsequent census data to reveal the following descendants leading up to the first recorded census. All male descendants who appear in the 1790 census (including all minor children appearing only as tick marks) are included in the following tree (female lines will be added pending further research):
 * Lucas
 * Eldert Eldert (1704-?) (married Abigail Messenger)
 * Lucas Eldert (1733-1815) (married Martha Mott and Jane Suydam)
 * Samuel Eldert (1758-1828) (married Catalina Ditmars)
 * Martha Eldert (1783-1851) (married Luke Emmons)
 * Abraham Eldert (1783-1834) (married Elizabeth Doughty)
 * Luke Eldert (1786-1845) (married Femmetje Van Wicklen)
 * Elizabeth Eldert (1787-?) (married John Rem Snedeker)
 * John S. Eldert (1788-aft1871) (married Ann Lott)
 * Samuel Eldert II (1790-1828) (married Catherine Van Wicklen)
 * Maria Eldert (1791-1857) (married Cornelius Vanderveer)
 * Eldert Eldert (1793-1847) (married Mary Ryder)
 * Ditmas Eldert (1796-1876)
 * Johnson Eldert (1799-1844) (married Phoebe Ryerson)
 * Henry Eldert (1800-aft1860) (married Sarah Coles)
 * John Eldert (1762-1844) (married Sarah ?)
 * Elnathan Eldert (1767-1853) (married Hannah Norstrand)
 * Abigail Eldert (c1735-?) (married Charles Cornell)
 * Rachel (1735-1824) (married Thomas Van Wyck)
 * Grace Eldert (bef1705-?) (married George Bates)
 * Jannetje Eldert (bef1712-?) (married Joseph Barnes)
 * Johannes
 * Johannes Eldert II (bef1705-?)
 * Martha Eldert (1729-1805) (married Increase Pettit)
 * John Pettit (1746-1820)
 * Martha Pettit (1749-1817)
 * Joshua Pettit (1751-1813)
 * William Pettit (1754-1813) (married Catherine Ryder)
 * Increase Pettit (1777-1866)
 * Elizabeth Pettit (1780-1854)
 * Barnabas Pettit (1782-?)
 * Mary Anne Pettit (1785-1850)
 * William Pettit II (1788-1860)
 * Abigail Pettit (1790-?)
 * Jesse Pettit (1793-1842)
 * Phoebe Pettit (1795-1873)
 * Joseph Pettit (1800-1833)
 * James Pettit (1757-1846) (married Mary Ann Sealey)
 * Elizabeth Pettit (1761-1775)
 * Abigail Pettit (1771-1785)
 * Benjamin Eldert (c1731-bef1790) (married Mary Smith)
 * William Eldert (bef1765-aft1820) (married Ruth Looker)
 * Benjamin Eldert (1786-?) (married Jane ?)
 * Shadrick Eldert (c1788-aft1850)
 * Abraham Eldert (bet1765&1784-aft1820)
 * (son) Eldert (bef1790-?) (either died childless or reported as under 10 in 1800)
 * William Eldert (bef 1790-aft1800)
 * Smith Eldert (bet1765&1774-aft1810)
 * Rachel Eldert (c1733-?) (married Thomas Van Wyck)
 * Israel Eldert (c1734-aft1763) (married Anna Totten)
 * Samuel Eldert (bet1755&1760-aft1830)
 * John Eldert (bef1775-aft1820) (married Mary Birdsall)
 * (son) Eldert (bef 1790-?) (either died childless or living with grandfather Israel in 1800)
 * (son) Eldert (bef 1790-?) (either died childless or reported as under 10 in 1800)
 * Israel Eldert (bet1780&1790-aft1830) (married Ruth Hulstz)
 * Sarah Eldert (c1767-?)
 * Jane Eldert (c1769-1846)
 * Abigail Eldert (c1737-?)
 * James Eldert (bef1755-aft1800) (either a younger brother or son of Benjamin)
 * Richard Eldert (c1775-aft1860)
 * Nicholas Eldert (bet1765&1780-aft1810)
 * (son) Eldert (bef 1790-bef1800) (died childless)
 * (son) Eldert (bef 1790-bef1800) (died childless)
 * Grace Eldert (bef1707-?)
 * Hendrick (all children but for Antje were born by Margreitje Wyckoff; Antje's mother was Elizabeth Ryder)
 * Cornelis Eldert (1718-bef1759) (died childless)
 * Johannes Eldert (1720-c1781) (married Femmetje Snedeker and progenated the Eldert family of Flatbush)
 * Grietje Eldert (1747-1825) (married Jan Vanderveer)
 * Hendrick Eldert (1749-1793) (married Cornelia Cornell)
 * Johannes H. Eldert (bef1790-aft1800)
 * Hendrick Eldert II (bef1790-aft1800)
 * Isaac Eldert (1752-1795) (married Maria Wyckoff)
 * Cornelius Eldert (1783-aft1830)
 * Johannes Eldert (bef1790-aft1800)
 * (son) Eldert (bef1790-bef1800) (died childless)
 * Cornelius Eldert (1753-1842) (married twice, to Jane Wiggens and Margaret Ryder)
 * Grietje Eldert (1722-?)
 * Mary Eldert (1726-?)
 * Styntje Eldert (aft1720-?)
 * Margaret Eldert (aft1720-?)
 * Eldert Eldert (1729-?) (never married)
 * Antje Eldert (c1732-?)
 * Annetje (all children baptized in Jamaica, New York)
 * Jannetje Bergen (1702-?)
 * Eldert Bergen (1705-?)
 * Jan Bergen (1710-?)
 * Styntje Bergen (1712-?)
 * Lucas Bergen (1715-?)
 * Jacobus Bergen (1719-?)
 * Tunis Bergen (1721-?)
 * Annetje Bergen (1723-?)

1790 and Beyond
By 1790, the Eldert family of New Netherlands had essentially divided into 6 separate families (not including the families of the Eldert daughters who no longer bore the Eldert surname). The groups are likewise split up into separate detailed articles based on the regions to which they migrated, as follows:

Queens County, New York
Samuel Eldert (1758-1828), son of Lucas Eldert (1733-1815), remained in Jamaica, Queens, and pogenated the 19th century Eldert family of Jamaica, New York.

Kings County, New York
Hendrick Eldert (1749-1793) and Isaac Eldert (1752-1795), sons of Johannes Eldert (1720-c1781), ended up settling in Flatbush, New York, and surrounding areas, progenating the Eldert family of Kings County, New York.

South Hempstead
All of the Eldert families that lived in South Hempstead, New York in the 1790 census can be traced back to Johannes Eldert II (bef1705-?), with the exception of the household of Lucas Eldert (1733-1815), who was a son of Eldert Eldert (1704-?). These branches, which include the descendants of Israel Eldert (c1734-aft1763) (son of Johannes II), Benjamin Eldert (c1731-bef1790) (son of Johannes II), James Eldert (bef1755-aft1800) (brother or son of Benjamin), and Lucas Eldert (1733-1815), are discussed in greater detail in a separate article on the Eldert family of South Hempstead, New York.

North Hempstead
James Eldert took his children to North Hempstead prior to his death, where his sons Richard and Nicholas progenated the Eldert family of North Hempstead, New York.

Eldred families of upstate New York
In addition to these 6 documented family branches, in 1790, there was a James Eldred living in Stephen Town, Albany County, New York, and an Elisha Eldred living in Minisink, Orange County, New York. It is very likely that these two individuals are members of undocumented branches of the family. Further research is required to attempt to connect them to the family tree.

Eldred family of New England
It should also be noted that there was a large colonial Eldred family of New England. Further research on the Eldreds of Connecticut and Rhode Island is required to determine their connection, if any, to the Elderts who are the subject of this artice.

Research Administrative Tasks
The following research and administrative tasks are of top priority:
 * Organize the family's three sub-pages and extend the articles' scope through the 19th century
 * Add the missing descendant branches of the Eldert daughters' lines
 * Create individual biographies of family members
 * Find living descendants for DNA testing
 * Trace the family's ancestors further back into the Netherlands
 * Create pages for the family's collateral ancestral lines including the Smith family and others
 * Continuously monitor and improve the quality of Eldert articles