The Van Sweringen Family

The Van Sweringen Family. . , Coming to a New World , Born in the Netherlands in 1636, Garrett Van Sweringen began a family that has long endured in American history. He and his first wife, Barbara, possibly had five children. After her death, he married Mary Smith in 1676. Their marriage produced at least seven children. Many people living across America today trace their ancestry directly to St. Mary's City and the family of Garrett, Barbara, and Mary Van Sweringen., What's In A Name? , In the 17th century, standardized spelling was rare. Garrett Van Sweringen's name appears as Gerrit van Sweringen in Dutch records. Clerks in Maryland spelled his name in many ways in legal documents. The one shown here is from 1660: A common 17th-century Maryland spelling was Garrett Van Sweringen which is used in this exhibit. Today, his descendants also use various forms of the name. Regardless of the spellings, most are related to this Dutch settler in early Maryland., In various 17th-century documents, Garrett Van Sweringen's name is spelled at least 47 different ways.